Yesterday, I spent the whole day having fun together with Rosa-chan.
At first everything went smoothly, there were no obstacles and nothing to worry about.
But on the way home—
——
(Yesterday)
"Rosa-chan, the sun is about to set...let's go home?" I invited. Because it might be a bit dangerous for a member of the royal family to be outside at night.
Moreover, I was the only one accompanying her. Surely, there are some people who hate the kingdom.
And with just a little negligence, they could immediately launch their attack.
Fortunately, Rosa-chan agreed with my invitation. You too, walked home toward the castle.
——
Silence.
There was no conversation between the two of us on the way home.
Rosa-chan's expression did not look annoyed nor happy, but flat. I could not guess what she was feeling.
Maybe she was thinking about something important.
Therefore I didn't ask and chose to remain silent.
——
The sun had already disappeared by the time we arrived at the castle gate. There was only one of the two guards who had been stationed here earlier.
The guard rose from his seat and immediately welcomed our return.
"Welcome back, Rosalia-sama," the guard addressed Rosa-chan.
Rosa-chan entered the castle before me, but I myself was stopped by the guard at the gate.
Rosa-chan's expression also hadn't changed when she went inside earlier. Why did she suddenly become like that? Did I do something wrong?
The guard told me to sit beside him, and I was curious what he wanted from me.
"What happened with Rosalia-sama today?" the guard asked me.
I was sure he had also noticed Rosa-chan's flat expression. And since I was the one accompanying her, I would be the one interrogated.
"Everything went smoothly, she also looked like she enjoyed today at first," I replied, conveying what really happened.
Before, she seemed happy when we sat together, didn't she?
And when I asked her to go home, that's when she put on that flat expression... was my invitation to go home something I shouldn't have said?
But... what was wrong with my words?
The guard went into his post, and a moment later he brought a scroll to me.
I reached out my hand to receive the scroll he gave.
The paper was brown, tied with a red string.
"In short, this is the first time I've seen Rosalia-sama like that... so, please keep watching over her," said the guard who wanted me to look after Rosa-chan.
He was a gate guard, and I was Rosa-chan's personal maid. Naturally, he entrusted her to me.
This guard truly cared for Rosa-chan.
I nodded to him, meaning I gladly accepted his request.
Then, my gaze immediately focused on the scroll.
"That might be a letter from the noble family Milhert," explained the guard.
"Milhert?" I asked in confusion. A letter from a noble for the castle?
The noble family Milhert... their name truly reflected wealth and power.
"Perhaps you don't yet know about them?" the guard said to me.
——
The Milhert nobles, one of the many nobles who live in this kingdom.
But, among the other nobles, Milhert holds the highest position.
The current head of the family is the right-hand man of the current king, who has one of the most important roles in the castle.
The prince of the Milhert family is a wealthy merchant who even owns his own luxurious mansion.
From the rumors circulating, there is talk of the "Milhert elite troops."
They are troops who move under the orders of the Milhert family, and supposedly this force is three times stronger than the royal army.
The Milhert family is also known to possess an extraordinarily large gold mine.
With abundant wealth and the issue of a very strong army, this makes the Milhert family greatly feared by many people.
Because of this, the relationship between the castle and them can be said to be very close and mutually dependent.
The Milhert family needs recognition from the castle, and the castle needs the Milhert family to be seen as a strong kingdom.
There is one case that often arises recently,
Which says that the second prince of the Milhert family, Luis Van Milhert, plans to become engaged to the third princess of the kingdom, Rosalia Van Rolnette.
Although there is no certainty in this matter, many believe the two of them are very well matched.
From lineage, wealth, and most importantly, power.
Never before has a member of the royal family been engaged and married to a noble family.
So, not a few people oppose this.
"I myself cannot be certain of the contents of that letter... I hope it is something good for Rosalia-sama," said the guard before entering his post and closing its door.
I walked into the castle while carrying the scroll.
I couldn't stop thinking about that engagement rumor. If it really happened, it would be dangerous for me.
But if I made assumptions without clear evidence, that would make people's trust in me disappear.
"Tsk... what should I do?" I muttered.
——
Before I went to Rosa-chan's room to deliver food, I went to the changing room first.
Inside the changing room, there was a small bath that had been prepared. Therefore, I wanted to soak there for a while.
I entered the changing room, and saw Vern-san sitting there.
Then as if he had been waiting for me, he immediately approached me with enthusiasm.
"So, how was it~? A date with the princess~?" asked Vern-san who seemed to be trying to tease me.
"Come on... I just want to rest for a bit..." I said.
I immediately pushed him out of the room, then locked the door.
I checked one by one if there were still people inside, and it turned out there was no one but me.
This meant it was safe, since no one would see me bathing.
Clothes, shoes, socks... and wig, I slowly removed. Now I returned to my true form.
—
SPLASH, I submerged my body into the bath.
"Ah..." this was very pleasant. My body that had been exhausted was now re-energized.
I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them again while staring at the ceiling.
"Why is this game on hard mode..." I spoke the words I had long wanted to say.
All the games Weinz created, all of them felt very real.
All the games I had gone through until now were all very difficult. Though not all of them.
For the most part, I felt happy and joyful living in this world.
"Hah..." I sighed a bit loudly.
It's okay... after this, Rosa-chan will surely look more cheerful.
I lay myself down in the warm water, letting the comfort flow into me.
——
After feeling more refreshed, I put on the maid uniform again that had been neatly arranged in the wardrobe earlier.
Well... back to the usual routine.
——
I entered Rosa-chan's room pushing a metal trolley, this time the menu was different from yesterday.
Steak, a glass of juice, and a slice of cake. This was tonight's dinner menu.
"Rosa-chan, it's time for dinner," I said while looking over at the bed.
There, I saw Rosa-chan sitting at the side of the bed with her head lowered.
Was Rosa-chan alright?