Given that Ciara worked here in Thundergard, it did seem like she had an advantage over a newly arrived traveler like Nina. But when you put it like that, she’d also had an advantage in all the other rounds where Nina had had to perform maid duties in a totally new environment. All the same, Ciara had taken pains to explain everything to Nina in great detail, so there was no doubting that she was competing fairly. Emily and the others couldn’t raise any objections.
The other maids began setting out tables and chairs in front of the mansion, and it became apparent that Marquess Donquis wished to have tea. Chairs were even brought for Emily and the others, though whether out of consideration or because of their inferior status, they were seated at a remove from the marquess.
Not that Emily, Astrid, and Tien minded. They took their seats and their tea and began munching on the cakes and cookies laid out for them.
“That Lorsted maid or whatever she said is really something,” Emily said. “Maids come in all sorts, huh?”
“But you can also look at it this way,” Astrid said. “Nina must be as good or even better than a Lorsted maid. People would be honored just to hire her. The empress and her nobles would all love to have a maid like her.”
“Nina is in danger,” Tien said.
“Yeah, we’d better get out of the capital sooner rather than later.”
“But if we want what’s best for Nina, maybe it’d be better to look for work for her here...”
“H-Hey! Astrid!”
“Aren’t you curious to see what sort of master Nina would agree to work for?”
“Um, well...” Emily trailed off. Part of her did want to know, and she felt like for a maid, a noble’s estate was probably the best place to work. A maid like Nina would have to find somewhere to settle down and work sooner or later. It wouldn’t be hard to find her a position here in the capital of one of the greatest nations on the continent.
As Emily pondered, Tien said, “But the noble Nina worked for before sounds totally incompetent. Not just any noble will do.”
“That’s a good point, Tien.”
Emily leaped to her feet in excited agreement. “Right, exactly! And that’s why we’ve got to be on the lookout, right?! This place is definitely out! That lolicon marquess? Ick!”
Her voice was so loud that the knights fixed her with menacing stares. They probably didn’t know what “lolicon” meant, but they could guess that it was an insult.
Emily sat back down.
“Mm-mmm, these cookies are great!” she said, smiling unconvincingly.
They sat there waiting for another hour.
The tea had gone cold by now—Emily and the others had drunk so much that they could feel it sloshing around inside them. Marquess Donquis had actually stretched out on his cushioned bench and fallen asleep.
Tien’s ears pricked up first.
“Someone is coming,” she said.
A murmur spread through the waiting crowd as everyone turned to look at the gate. Beyond the guard standing on watch, a mass of packages suddenly materialized. The quantity was absurd. Obviously. The maids had gone out alone to purchase supplies that merchants usually brought to the estate in bulk.
The servants’ entrance swung open, and in walked one—yes, just one—maid.
“I-Is that...?!” Emily gasped.
Striding toward them, her long, blonde braid swinging behind her, was Ciara Lorsted.
No way, Emily thought. Does that mean Nina lost?
Ciara’s expression was intensely serious, and she looked a little harried as she approached the entrance.
“Where is she?! Where’s Vasiliace’s disciple?!”
“M-Ma’am?” stammered the older maid who’d given the starting signal. “You’re the first one back.”
For a moment, Ciara went still as a statue.
She let out a long, long sigh. “I did it, then. I won...” Her voice grew louder and louder. “I won! Me! Mwa ha ha ha ha! What was that girl thinking... She scared me for a moment there!”
This outburst, so decidedly inappropriate for a maid, just went to show how nervous Ciara had been.
“H-Hold on, I want an explanation!” Emily snapped. “What happened out there?!”
“We were neck and neck, but along the way, she suddenly disappeared down a side street. I was terrified that perhaps she knew of some shortcut I didn’t, but I suppose she just went the wrong way. She gave me quite a turn!”
“Nina went the wrong way? Not a chance!” Emily retorted. “There’s been some mistake!”
“As to that, I’m sure I couldn’t say. But it doesn’t change the fact that I won. You may check my purchases against the list.”
With a “Yes, ma’am,” the other maids went over to collect the packages and confirm their contents. The quantity really did beggar belief. How she’d carried them all by herself was anyone’s guess.
Ciara was out of breath, and sweat glistened on her brow. Add to that the disheveled state of her uniform and it was clear she had had a tough time of it.
“These match the list perfectly,” a maid declared.
“I win!” Ciara cried, a smile of childlike joy spreading across her face.
Just then, Tien said, “Nina is back.”
Everyone turned to look at the gate.
Nina came through the servants’ entrance with an enormous load on her back, just like Ciara’s.
“Oh, my...” someone gasped.
But while Nina had just as many packages, she looked totally different. It was the way she walked. Despite what had to be a backbreaking load, she trotted up to them as though it weighed nothing at all. Beside the sweaty and rumpled Ciara, Nina looked just as she had when she’d left.
“H-Holy moly...” Even Emily, with all her experience with Nina, couldn’t hide her amazement.
What drew everyone’s attention was the parcel Nina held in her arms. There definitely hadn’t been a parcel like it among what Ciara had brought back.
Ciara’s eyes widened as she looked at Nina. She understood, of course. The difference in Nina’s demeanor made it clear who was the superior maid.
But she swallowed her frustration and declared, “I got back first. That means you lose.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Nina didn’t reply. She just handed her purchases to another maid, then went straight over to the broad-chested manservant she’d spoken to before leaving and exchanged a few words with him.
The blood drained from his face, and he hurried over to the butler who heard him out, then went back to talk to Nina again.
“Wh-What is this?! What’s going on?!” Ciara snapped, her irritation getting the better of her. The other maids began to whisper among themselves.
Nina raised a hand and called, “Astrid! I’m so sorry to trouble you, but we need your help. It’s an emergency.”
Emily, Astrid, and Tien exchanged glances. Something was up. Something that could spell trouble.
“Mrmph?”
Just then, the master of the house finally woke up.