Chapter 87: The Maid and the Young Master (1)

“Ugh... It’s so hot.”

Hailey muttered involuntarily as the sun blared high in the sky.

The sunlight today felt unusually hotter than before. Having grown up in Merohim, where one could see snowscapes all year round, Hailey was particularly sensitive to the increasingly hot temperatures of Sarham.

Unlike always-snowy Merohim, Sarham had distinct seasons.

It had been over two months since Elena and Hailey arrived in Sarham, and now it was time for the transition from spring to summer. True summer was still a while away, but Hailey, unaccustomed to changing seasons, felt this shift keenly.

Every time she felt completely assimilated into Sarham’s lifestyle, the different environment here, compared to Merohim, served as a reminder. Though she preferred the warm atmosphere of the lord’s castle over the perpetual cold of her homeland, she realized she still needed time to fully adjust to the south.

Hailey looked at Elena walking in the garden with a look of wonder.

“Is the young lady alright? Given her frail core...”

Hailey herself wanted to hide in the shade, yet the lady, who grew up in a similar environment, was out strolling under the scorching sun with the young master, as usual. Hailey watched over her, worrying, even though Elena could have rested inside. But Elena seemed as energetic as children running around in the streets.

It was unthinkable for Elena, who had far surpassed the realms of the legendary archmages, to be bothered by the heat. But Hailey, who was watching her closely with Damian, was oblivious to this fact.

“By the way, the two of you really can’t seem to stay apart for a day. The weather is getting hotter, but don’t the two of you feel the heat?”

Watching the two of them closely together outside, Hailey fanned her blushing face without realizing.

The heat she felt wasn’t just because of the changing seasons. Ever since the engagement between Elena and Damian, being around the sweet atmosphere the couple exuded often made her face feel hot.

Hailey was not only Elena’s maid but also a young girl in the midst of adolescence.

Though young, she had mastered all the skills required of a maid, like administrative work and etiquette, to assist Elena. Despite her lack of experience, her knowledge inevitably made her quite aware of matters between men and women.

As a result, this often led her to imagine scenarios that went beyond mere fantasy, as her knowledge would whimsically guide these thoughts. Inevitably, this caused Hailey’s head to heat up with embarrassment.

Ultimately, the heat Hailey was feeling was a result of her own imagination.

After watching the couple for a few minutes, Hailey turned to head back inside.

She reasoned that constantly watching over them, even as a maid, was akin to surveillance. It seemed more appropriate to leave them be for a while. Returning to the castle to prepare a cold drink to beat the heat seemed like a more fitting duty.

After all, imagination was just that – imagination. She knew it was too soon to expect anything more from the couple who still blushed at a mere kiss.

Thus, feeling assured that nothing would happen even if they were left alone, Hailey stepped inside.

“A cold beverage, huh? Oh, I remember seeing strawberries in the kitchen recently since they’re in season. Maybe I should prepare a strawberry shake. And for the young master, an iced coffee should suffice.”

Being well-acquainted with Elena’s daily routine, Hailey knew that the two would return for tea time. Normally, she could have asked a servant to prepare it, but having served Elena for so long, she instinctively took it upon herself.

“Shake~ Shake~ A sweet and tangy strawberry shake~”

Hailey hummed to herself as she headed towards the main building’s kitchen.

While the tea-time essentials were available in each annex, what she planned to prepare required kitchen ingredients and tools.

As she cheerfully recited ‘strawberry shake,’ it was hard to tell if she was more excited about preparing it for Elena or for herself.

Normally, she would grumble about the distance, but the thought of a strawberry shake kept her in high spirits, without a single complaint on her walk to the kitchen.

“Uncle Hans! Two strawberry shakes, please, and a light coffee with ice!”

“You cheeky thing. If you’re in the kitchen, you should prepare it yourself. Why are you asking me to do it when you know how?”

Hailey, upon entering the kitchen, naturally made her request to Hans. His response, exasperated yet familiar, indicated this wasn’t the first time she had done this.

“But I’m exhausted from running all the way from Isillia Pavilion. And I have to walk back there, too. Pleaseee, just this once?”

“Alright, alright. But you’ll have to wait. There’s another order before yours.”

Hans replied, somewhat resigned, gesturing towards the kitchen window as Hailey pleaded in her drawling voice.

Looking over there, Hailey saw the knights, seemingly just finished with training, drenched in sweat. The earlier orderer Hans mentioned must have been them.

Glancing back at the kitchen, she noticed cups on the counter filled with ice and several strawberries. Apparently, strawberries were in season, and Hans was preparing strawberry shakes for them.

“Ahh, of course. Please take your time.”

As she turned to look out the window, the knights, seemingly about to collapse, raised their hands to signal their presence. How intensely must they have trained for even these superhuman warriors to tremble like aspen leaves?

The dirt and sweat on their uniforms vividly hinted at the rigor of their training.

Seeing them, did something come to Hailey’s mind?

She began to help Hans prepare the drinks for the knights, a look of uncharacteristic envy in her eyes as she watched their disheveled appearance. Contrary to her initial demand for Hans to make her drink, her movements were now swift and precise in aiding him.

“Here you go, your strawberry shakes are ready!”

Hailey handed over the shakes to the knights, mimicking a café worker. The knights, receiving their cups through the window, thanked her.

Only after the knights finished their drinks and left could Hailey finally step out of the kitchen. She watched them return to the training grounds, a trace of longing in her eyes, and then started back towards Isillia Pavilion.

***

The following morning, before dawn:

In the Lord’s castle, before even the servants who light the lamps had awoken, Alphonse opened his eyes in bed.

“Yaaawwnn...”

Stretching out with a big yawn, Alphonse stretched his arms and legs, already adept at his morning routine.

The light entering through the window was but a faint glimmer from the stars and moon still in the sky, too weak to rouse anyone from sleep.

Alphonse had trained himself to wake up at this hour without an alarm, to avoid disturbing the quiet of the mansion.

This wasn’t to say that Alphonse intentionally cut short his sleep to wake up early. Being tall like his father and brother was paramount for Alphonse, which meant drinking milk and getting enough sleep were his top priorities. He simply adjusted his bedtime and naps to wake up earlier.

Alphonse’s shift to early rising coincided with a change in his brother Damian’s routine.

Originally, Damian used to wake up early for dawn training, but after several incidents increased his workload, his morning sessions naturally ceased. Despite his lack of sleep, forcing himself to train would have been counterproductive, almost inviting illness. The right choice indeed.

Instead, he compensated by increasing the joint training sessions with the knights, leading to Alphonse witnessing many of them lying exhausted in the training ground, groaning under the increased workload.

This was why Alphonse began secretly rising at dawn.

He harbored a desire to surprise his brother with his vastly improved skills, achieved through practice out of Damian’s sight. However, to do so, he needed to train away from his watchful eye.

But with Damian always around during training time and Maria ensuring he neither held nor swung a sword at other times, Alphonse had no choice but to sneak out for practice at dawn.

Armed with a wooden sword made of dark, ebony wood, Alphonse stepped out of his room.

Initially, he walked the corridors nervously, fearing not to be noticed by others, but he had since become adept at moving silently. Confidently and swiftly, he made his way to the training ground.

“Hehe. Successful again!”

Feeling a boost in confidence from not encountering anyone on his way, Alphonse chuckled quietly to himself.

“Lights?!!”

But his joy was short-lived. Approaching the training ground, he noticed a light and quickly hid behind a building wall.

Confusion clouded Alphonse’s face, which just moments ago brimmed with self-assurance over his stealthy approach.

If it was a knight who had come early for training, it would be fortunate, but if the person there was Damian, it likely meant Alphonse’s secret training sessions had already been discovered long ago.

Alphonse cautiously approached the source of the light, muffling his presence.

If he had already been discovered, this act of stealth would be pointless. Yet, there remained a chance he hadn’t been. As he neared, the figure at the training ground began to take shape.

“Huh?”

The lamp light revealed a figure with hair the color of light aquamarine.

Alphonse immediately let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the non-black hair, but as the light fully illuminated the mysterious person in the training ground, he was taken aback by their identity.

“Miss Hailey?”

--- END OF CHAPTER ---

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