Chapter 13
“So, why exactly are you quitting?”
“Well…”
I let out a light sigh as I looked at the maid hesitating to answer.
She was already the tenth one.
Suddenly announcing she was quitting, showing up, and refusing to clearly explain why.
“You’re leaving without a reason?”
“…My mother is sick. I want to return to my hometown.”
“How strange.”
“Huh? Strange?”
His puzzled expression only deepened my suspicion.
“Why would all the mothers of our household servants be sick at the same time?”
Leaning back against the sofa, I fell silent for a moment. The maid lowered her head deeply.
“I’m sorry. I… I think I need to quit.”
I picked up the teacup on the table.
“If I told you not to quit, would you stay?”
“…”
I sipped the tea while waiting for an answer that never came.
It was supposed to be sweet, but somehow it tasted bitter in my mouth.
“Just leave.”
No sooner had the maid left than Chik-Chik, who had been lying on the bed, flew onto my shoulder.
[This is really suspicious.]
Even Chik-Chik seemed to think so.
I gently stroked his beak and replied:
“Indeed… it’s very troubling.”
[If they’re all quitting at once, doesn’t that mean something’s wrong?]
He had a point.
But what could the problem be?
Ever since Lady Baroness Retina resigned, the servants had been leaving one after another, but the reasons were unknown.
No matter how I tried not to let it bother me, my mood kept sinking.
Perhaps sensing my drooping shoulders, Chik-Chik tapped me gently with his tiny feet.
[It’s okay. We can always hire new servants.]
“This is the first time I’ve had to hire household staff myself. Before our parents passed, I never had to worry about this. Am I doing something wrong?”
[Don’t overthink it. It’s probably not a big problem. You’re just nervous because you’re doing something you haven’t done before.]
Yeah… that could be it.
Maybe better opportunities had come along for them.
‘Don’t jump to conclusions.’
[Feeling a bit better now?]
“Yes. I can’t just sit here. I need to find new servants quickly. And a new governess too!”
[Good! That’s more like you.]
Chik-Chik chirped excitedly and flew in circles above my head.
“I’ll start by checking the list of governess candidates I asked Hyle to prepare.”
[I’ll come too! As a divine beast who’s lived countless years, I know how to size people up.]
Excited, Chik-Chik declared this with confidence.
I would have agreed to let him come along… but
“No. I have something specific I need to ask you to do, divine one.”
[Me?]
He tilted his head curiously as I spoke with determination.
“You… divine one, you will…”
“If you hire me, I’ll do my best.”
The candidates on the list Hyle had compiled were nothing extraordinary.
All had sufficient education and refinement to teach a princess of the Bennet household.
I yawned as I checked the last name on the list.
Stretching my arms, I heard Hyle approach and speak.
“This is the last candidate, Miss.”
“Right. There are more than I expected.”
“Yes. But you’ve handled it well.”
I could feel Hyle’s eyes on me, full of approval.
I snorted, amused, and raised my head.
“This is nothing. I’m the head of the Bennet household, after all.”
“Indeed. None could be more capable than you.”
Hyle nodded firmly, smiling kindly.
“All right. Let’s meet the final candidate, shall we?”
“Yes. Please come in!”
At my signal, Hyle opened the door wide.
The person who entered was a man with brown hair and brown eyes, ordinary in appearance.
“You are Aaron Taylor, correct?”
“Yes. I am Aaron Taylor.”
“You graduated from Crown Academy, and as the top student, I see.”
I checked the paper with his personal information. He nodded.
“I’m confident in my studies,” he said.
“Being a governess isn’t just about academics. You must also teach etiquette. Are you confident in that?”
“Of course.”
He answered confidently, sliding the silver-rimmed glasses on his nose.
“I am also very sensitive about manners and etiquette.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Another strength of mine is that I am a cost-effective governess.”
“…A cost-effective governess?”
I didn’t understand what he meant.
The strange man suddenly jumped from his seat.
He placed his hand on his chest and loudly declared:
“I can handle housework like cleaning and cooking, teach etiquette properly, and I am skilled in magic! Just give me the chance! I will gladly do chores for my governess salary!”
“Uh… no need to go that far…”
“Just leave it to me! I’m a cost-effective governess!”
His eyes glimmered with determination as he kept emphasizing cost-effectiveness.
“Cost-effective! Let’s go, let’s go!”
…It had been a long time since I’d seen someone this truly strange.
[Anyway, my dignity has dropped coming here. They probably think I’m some ordinary mortal!]
Chik-Chik grumbled while flapping his wings energetically, surveying the unfamiliar scenery.
Flying for about ten minutes from the Bennet estate, he reached the massive imperial palace.
He had been observing it for several days.
[…This place has changed a lot.]
No matter how many times he looked around, the scenery had altered significantly.
It was very different from the palace from the early days of the empire.
The tall clock tower with golden paper had disappeared, and several new gardens had been added.
[Well, that was centuries ago.]
The child who had purified and saved the cursed lands from the wicked ones had established this country.
‘Divine one, come here. I’ve prepared a space in this palace just for you!’
Chik-Chik felt like he could hear a cheerful voice chattering.
Even though Selena no longer existed in that form.
[…Living for so long is hard.]
Sometimes you have to remember precious people all on your own.
[Ah, forget it! I’ll just do what she told me to do.]
Chik-Chik flapped his wings energetically again.
[Hope there’s some success today.]
In his eyes, the palace gleamed.
Red, pink, blue, purple.
Roses bloomed in every color, not only in the gardens but along the palace walls.
Maids bustled busily about the grounds.
Chik-Chik hovered to a window, pausing.
Through the open window, he could hear a graceful woman’s voice.
“Joan? Could you give this side a little massage too?”
“Yes. Are you not in pain, Your Majesty?”
“I’m fine. Your massage skills are always the best.”
The empress patted Joan’s hands as she massaged her shoulders.
“Thank you. You seem stressed lately, Your Majesty. Your shoulders are tense.”
“…Well, not entirely free of stress. But it’s okay. Everything will be fine.”
The conversation was ordinary.
The empress was elegant and appeared very close to her maid.
‘Divine one, can you check if there’s anything suspicious about the empress? Something’s bothering me.’
Selena’s request wasn’t difficult.
As a bird, he could go anywhere unnoticed.
Besides, Selena’s expression was so serious, it would be impossible to ignore.
[…But there’s nothing particularly suspicious in their conversation.]
Chik-Chik planned to stay a few more days to observe if anything seemed off.
Then, a remark reached his attention:
“Oh, by the way. Did you get a letter from him?”
“From him?”
“Yes. He said he would tell us the result, but we haven’t heard anything yet.”
Him.
Chik-Chik approached the window a bit closer.
The people inside didn’t yet notice the little bird listening to their conversation.
“One moment. Several letters arrived today. I’ll check them.”
The maid massaging her shoulders went to the table near the window.
She picked up one of the letters.
“Oh, here it is.”
“Good. Bring it here.”
The room fell silent as the empress read the letter.
Chik-Chik also held his breath in the tense atmosphere.
A few minutes later, the empress spoke in a brighter voice than before.
Her soft tone made Chik-Chik leap in surprise.
“It seems it succeeded. He was anxious, but in the end, he became the governess.”
Governess?
Chik-Chik thought of Selena, sulking earlier because she needed to hire a governess.
[…Perfect timing, huh.]
Could this be what Selena wanted?
He didn’t know, but as an ancient divine beast, his instincts tingled.
It was clearly related to the Bennet household.
I should return.
It would be best to report this to Selena immediately.
The small, round figure flying back to the Bennet estate seemed urgent.
