BBYW Vol. 1 Chapter 12
Chapter 12 – A Maid’s Melancholy
【POV : Eliza】
My name is Eliza.
I am a servant of house Maxwell, the leader of the nobles in the eastern province. More precisely, the personal maid of Dyngir Maxwell, next in line to be margrave.
“Then, I’m going out. I’ll be back late today.”
“Very well. Please take care, young master.”
I bowed politely and saw the young master off.
I remained bowed while the young master’s horse carriage was visible, then finally raised my head after the carriage turned a corner and disappeared from view.
As a servant of the house of Margrave Maxwell, as the young master’s maid, I always ensured that my conduct was impeccable.
“The young master went out again somewhere today…”
One of my recent concerns was that the young master left the manor more frequently than usual. He often returned late and also spent the night outside at times.
I also felt that he sought our company less frequently than before…but I was certainly not dissatisfied. On the contrary, I was honestly relieved that he did not make love to me until I passed out…but leaving that aside.
“Sakuya, are you there.”
“Of course, Ms. Eliza.”
I called Sakuya’s name and she appeared out of nowhere behind me.
Her presence was difficult to detect, as usual. You could barely hear her footsteps when she walked. I wonder what kind of job she had before she started serving in the Maxwell manor.
“There are some unnatural points in the young master’s behavior lately. It’s possible that…”
“A new woman?”
Sakuya apparently shared my prediction.
I nodded to her and continued.
“If you think so too, then you surely know what I want to say.”
“Please leave it to me. Shadowing is my specialty, after all.”
As soon as she finished talking, Sakuya vanished into thin air.
I looked around to see where she went and found her running at high speed on the manor’s walls, while holding up the skirt of her maid uniform with both hands.
“Her movements are incredible as always…what is that girl, really…?”
Sakuya had been brought to the manor by the young master about three years ago. When she arrived, she had already received the young master’s “initiation”.
Only the young master knew what she did before.
She was terrible at cleaning or doing laundry, but was exceptionally skilled with blades.
She was also very knowledgeable about poison.
She also caught a thief that broke into the manor once, using bizarre fighting techniques.
She probably used to do a very unique kind of work…but it is not proper to dig into someone’s past, is it?
“Well then…I have to do Sakuya’s housework today as well.”
I went back inside the manor and resumed my duties as a maid.
~
“The woman’s name was Shana Salazar?”
“Yes, it appears she is Lord Dyngir’s new lover.”
Sakuya had returned in the evening. I didn’t even hear the door open, but she was suddenly standing behind me: I was so surprised I screamed.
She had completed her job successfully: Sakuya reported about the young master’s new lover in detail.
“I see, a killer hired by the empire…that’s dangerous.”
“Yes. She is currently living in Lord Dyngir’s other residence.”
The young master possessed a residence exclusively for himself in the Maxwell territory, which he used to house his direct subordinates. The women he could not bring to the Maxwell manor also lived there, so Shana had become a new member of that group.
“Should I dispose of her? She appears to be a skilled warrior, but it shouldn’t be impossible to poison her.”
Sakuya casually proposed a very aggressive countermeasure, but I shook my head.
“No, don’t. Let’s see how the situation develops for now.”
“…are you really sure?”
Sakuya was as expressionless as ever, but her voice told me that she was a bit unhappy.
“Yes, it is not a problem for me if the young master has another woman. As long as she does not prove problematic for him, of course.”
For the sake of avoiding any and all misunderstandings, allow me to say that I do not investigate the young master’s relationships with women out of jealousy.
Sakuya and I are also the young master’s lovers, definitely not his wives. Even if the young master starts relationships with other women, we have no right to accuse him of anything.
The only reason I make sure all women who approach the young master are thoroughly investigated is to confirm whether they will be dangerous to him.
“The young master is not always careful when dealing with women, or rather, there are openings in his guard when he does. Thus we must support him from the shadows.”
I recalled past memories and continued.
Our young master was shrewd and clever, but he could be naive when women were involved.
He apparently did not notice that Lady Selena was cheating on him, so he might end up deceived by an unsavory woman.
Until now, Sakuya and I had neutralized several women who tried to get closer to the young master aiming to take control of the Maxwell house’s authority or finances.
“Based on the report, I do not think that Ms. Shana will become a threat to the young master. She appears to be the warrior type and someone who does not deceive others. If they fight one on one, the young master will never be defeated, not even if he holds back because of her beauty.”
“Indeed. Even if she is an assassin, I’m sure Lord Dyngir will be fine. I couldn’t kill him after all, so I doubt any other assassin could.”
“…………”
I think I just heard something utterly unforgivable, but I suppose I should pretend I didn’t?
….yes, I really should. Asking further questions could lead to terrifying developments…
“Well, in any case…we should move only to prevent the young master from being tricked by honey pots. Let’s leave Shana alone for now.”
“Understood. Oh, by the way, Ms. Eliza. I have a good technique to entice Lord Dyngir, since contact has been a bit scarce lately.”
“Eh?”
“Please listen. First you should remove your clothes, then sit down with your legs tight. Next you take a drink and…”
As Sakuya taught me her mysterious oriental techniques, I waited for the return of my beloved master once again today.
Incidentally, Sakuya’s new technique was successful beyond expectation: that night, we were both loved until exhaustion for the first time in a good while. But that is a story for another day…
(TL Note: the “technique” Sakuya mentions is “wakamezake”. Based on her name, appearance, and this chapter’s information, I guess she is based off a kunoichi)