Since things were changing for the better in the Louboutin estate, Kreis’s appearance had visibly improved. But of course, he had always been a diamond in the rough—all he needed was a little polish.
To think someone with a face like this was once just a background character... What a total waste. I was a terrible author. I wanted to beat my head against the wall.
“It’s all thanks to Karina, huh?”
“Yeah, that was a good hire.”
Just as I’d expected, once Albert learned about Elly’s embezzlement, he launched an investigation into the house staff and promptly fired about half of them, which was about what I’d expected. I used my position of being in charge of the various chores at the estate to do some background checks and hire some new servants.
My investigation wasn’t super in-depth, though, so I couldn’t be sure whether any of them would become allies, but because I made a point of treating them kindly from the start, the new hires seemed to like me well enough.
And one of them was Karina.
She was a tough mother of seven who had once worked in the royal palace. Her last child had just left home, so once she heard we were looking for more staff, she applied to work at the Louboutin estate. I thanked the gods for sending her to me.
She was excellent at her job, but that wasn’t even the best part. She wasn’t afraid of nobles; she actually spoke her mind.
Under normal circumstances, Albert would lose his temper at someone like that. But he held his tongue because of Karina’s background—she’d served as Siegfried’s wet nurse.
Siegfried’s parents, the former king and queen, had both passed away. They were remembered as being quite forward-thinking, though. The previous queen in particular hadn’t wanted her son growing up with the typical narrow worldview most nobles had. She’d gone out of her way to hire a commoner as his wet nurse, and that commoner had been Karina.
Even if Albert tried to argue with her, he hadn’t even been born noble, so he had no ground to stand on. Karina knew a lot more about noble life than he did.
“Lord Kreis should be brought fresh, hot bathwater daily. How do you expect him to be a proper heir if you don’t let him clean himself every day? What exactly are the servants in this house doing? At this rate, the Louboutin family will become a laughingstock of noble society! Leave it to me,” Karina had said.
Karina was determined to whip things into shape at the Louboutin estate. But of course, she had no idea that Albert had been intentionally neglecting me. She just thought it had been plain incompetence, and she put pressure on him until he had no choice but to relent and say he’d leave it up to her.
“Karina’s good at giving me baths too. I’m so soft and fluffy!” Professor told me proudly.
He was now so fluffy, in fact, that everyone who saw him couldn’t help but stare. He wagged his tail happily, wearing a tie around his neck that matched my own.
“You really got the perfect gift. You almost had to show up wearing one of Gilles’s hand-me-downs! That would’ve been quite amusing.”
Kreis hadn’t been invited to any official events in recent years, so after the birthday party was suddenly announced, my biggest dilemma had been what I would wear.
Albert demanded I get something immediately, but since the king and prince would be in attendance, there was no way I could just wear something off the rack. And it was too late to get something custom, so I was in quite a pickle.
I considered wearing one of Gilles’s hand-me-downs just to look so pathetic it might earn me sympathy. But I was saved at the last minute. A gift had arrived at the estate along with a reply to the invitation, and inside was a message.
“Thank you for the invitation. I’d travel to the ends of the earth for your birthday.”
It was from Siegfried, of course.
There was a beautiful outfit inside the box, and once I tried it on, it fit like a glove. I could tell it had been made by a renowned tailor. I didn’t know how he’d had it made so quickly or how I could possibly accept something so extravagant, but I pushed those thoughts aside and chose to wear it with deep gratitude.
It would’ve been rude to turn down such a thoughtful gift, and the way it fit me so well proved that it had been tailored specifically for Kreis.
And since it was bespoke, it wasn’t like anyone else would have been able to wear it even if I did return it—or at least, that was the excuse I made to myself. Secretly, though, I’d caught myself glancing in the mirror again and again, amazed by how perfectly the design brought out Kreis’s best features.
In any case, thanks to Siegfried’s gift I was now able to stand here proudly as the guest of honor. I was incredibly grateful to him for that.
“Speak of the devil. The guest you’ve been waiting for has arrived.”
“Huh?”
I turned toward the entrance just as a voice rang out across the hall.
“Announcing His Majesty the King!”
He was too early. It was customary for a king to arrive fashionably late. He should’ve arrived after all the other nobles. But here he was, walking in while there were still only a handful of guests here and there. The guards stationed throughout the venue scrambled, looking totally flustered.
Siegfried didn’t even react. He calmly scanned the room, then strode over with a warm smile when he spotted me.
“Hello, Kreis. Thank you for inviting me today.”
He was as stunning as ever. And since he was here in an official capacity, he wore a crimson mantle, which only enhanced his already striking good looks. His sharp military uniform was beneath it, and I could hear sighs of admiration throughout the room.
“I’m honored by your presence, Your Majesty.”
He blinked in surprise at my formal tone, but he clearly understood that the noble guests were watching us. He quickly put on the face of the king, then nodded.
“Mm, yes. You’re glowing today. I can tell you’re the guest of honor. Perhaps it’s the outfit?” He spoke with a certain regal dignity, but he was obviously complimenting himself for his choice of gift. If it had been just the two of us, I’m sure he would’ve given me a playful wink.
How could he always be so effortlessly cool?
“I’m lucky enough to have received it as a gift from someone who knows me very well,” I said.
“I suspected as much. You should be sure to thank that person properly.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I was just thinking I should do that later.”
Although his expression remained the same, I did see a glint in his eye. I had a feeling he’d already realized I had a mountain of baked goods for him.
“By the way, I have another gift for you,” he said.
“What? But Your Majesty...”
I couldn’t very well say, “But you already gave me a present,” so I trailed off awkwardly.
Siegfried took a small jewelry box from his attendant and held it out to me. “I can’t have people thinking I’m a thoughtless king who shows up to a birthday party empty-handed. Open it.”
I took the box and opened it with a soft click.
“Your Majesty...”
There was a sorcerer’s stone resting inside the jewelry box. In this world, a sorcerer’s stone was a crystallized form of mana, which was made by gathering and condensing magical energy.
Only sorcerers with exceptionally high mana could produce such crystals, so they were extremely expensive—in some cases, even priceless. Certain types of crystals were specialized for attack or defense, or were even treated as national treasures and stored under heavy guard.
“Your Majesty, I couldn’t possibly accept something so valuable...” I started.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. This one’s not that powerful. Someone fetch me a cup,” Siegfried said. A servant brought over a cup right away. “Now, hold the stone over the cup and infuse your mana into it.”