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Side Story 20: A Maid’s Respect. [Release Version]
🕑 Added 2020-11-09 05:07:13 +0000 UTC“Hurry now, everybody. Lady Hestia, Miss Saori, and Miss Tasianna are having breakfast. We must clean their rooms.”
“Yes, Miss Svena.”
Walking through the halls of a large, grandiose mansion in quick, but graceful, steps was a young woman in her late teens. Behind her, four girls younger than her were following her, pushing a cart with cleaning tools and another with high-quality bedding. The identity of the leader of this group wasn’t Hestia, Saori, nor Tasianna. It was Svena.
Nobles must provide proper hospitality for their guests, especially if they are nobles. As the elites of the land, reputation and image were an important core of noble society as this influenced the connections they could make with others. An ill-mannered noble would be ostracized, leading to a political and social “death.”
As a foreign princess in the eyes of a noble of Artorias, Hestia was given the highest degree of hospitality that Ellaine, the daughter of Count Helvas, could give. She was given a room worthy for a marquess, two rooms close to hers for her retainers, unrestricted free movement throughout the mansion, and a personal retinue of maids and butlers to serve her during her stay in House Helvas’s Firwood mansion.
Today, we follow Svena, a maid who has served House Helvas since her youth and was assigned as Hestia’s personal maid.
“Hati, begin sweeping. Vaeri and Lara, bathroom. Papala, the bed. I will take care of the windows and Lady Hestia’s desk.” Svena gave quick and precise orders to her fellow maids once they entered Hestia’s room. To a well-trained attendant, this was the minimum.
Her desk is in disorder, again…I heard from one of the guards that he heard sounds from Lady Hestia’s room after midnight. Haaa, Miss Saori will not be pleased once she hears this, Svena thought as she organized the many books sprawled on the wooden desk, showing a relaxed smile.
She knew Hestia has been studying overtime ever since she performed [The Will to Fight and Survive] and [Dragon Fire] in the mansion’s training room a week ago. Due to her wish to get back into her rhythm, Hestia has once again started her rigorous training schedule. She considered herself lazy, but it was undoubtedly that once she promised herself or somebody something, she would drive to fulfill that promise without delay.
Svena knew this. She has also chastised Hestia with Saori’s help for her overnight study. Although Svena knew that Hestia could survive without a lot of sleep, Svena couldn’t allow it as she was a maid of a noble house. She was educated to expect noble ladies to maintain a proper sleep schedule.
It fascinates me every time…Magic…I wish I could understand these magic formulas more… Svena thought with wonder, gazing at the wooden tablets filled with magic circles and chants. Although a commoner human, she was born with a decent amount of mana and a minor talent in magic, allowing her to learn simple spells from the more gifted attendants of House Helvas. Her eyes were sparkling as she looked at the many magic circles Hestia has made for her custom spell creation.
Imperial Hellfire’s successor? Consecration, Sun’s Embrace, Imperial Whitefire? …Oh my, this is unprofessional. I should get back to work.
Shaking off the remnants of her curiosity, Svena continued the cleaning process in an orderly fashion. Books about earth and wind magic were stacked into two neat piles, while those about gods' myths and fiction were separated into their own place. Svena also had to sort through the many wooden tablets on Hestia’s desk and categorize them to help her temporary mistress find the importance of cleanliness. Song lyrics, magic formulas and chants, recipes, and other subjects Hestia found interesting, found order with Svena’s help.
There were also a few interesting curious on the leftmost side of the desk. Svena wanted to clean it up but she remembered the words of her current mistress, “Don’t touch them. They are experiments.” Black, shimmering rocks inside a glass bowl, wooden cone-shaped items, and rock spheres lied there.
Hestia might not be a master in handicraft, but she still found creating new items fun. Despite her self-inflicted busy schedule, she still made time in the hope to improve her past inventions.
The more I spend time around her, the more interested I become. She is truly fascinating.
In the beginning, Svena feared Hestia. The young lady of the house, Ellaine, named her a greifnoble, the highest tier among the nobles when Hestia first arrived at the Firwood mansion. Although she received an extensive explanation on Hestia’s personality, she still felt intimidated. After all, what was a noble to a commoner? A superior being who wielded extraordinary powers.
In her youth, she realized how lucky she was to be made a maid of House Helvas. Numerous nobles have come and visited the Firwood mansion to speak with her lord, Count Helvas, about business. At first, she thought of nobles as gallant, strong, and powerful figures due to her life as a servant of House Helvas. Her mother, a former servant, wanted to imprint into her that she could admire a noble, but she should always understand the gap between them. Not every noble was good.
Her fantasy of the noble aristocrat shattered when her mother died. A visiting noble coveted her mother due to lust and wanted to buy her from House Helvas. Naturally, he left disappointed. At that time, she still had a naive mind as she was only a child, barely having reached her teens. She didn’t think much of it.
That changed once her mother went missing. Nobody could find her after she went to the lower town to buy groceries for the other servants. Svena was afraid. Two days passed, and no news. On the third day, one of the soldiers returned to the mansion with heavy breaths, as he told the senior servants something. All of them walked outside, leaving her in the dark.
They eventually returned, baring terrible news. Her mother was found dead in an alleyway. The details about her mother’s death were left omitted, as nobody wanted to be the one to tell the now orphaned Svena the truth.
…Mother? Mother is gone? W-What does that mean?! M-Mother, where is my mother?!
Fear and loneliness filled her mind. She couldn’t understand this information. She wanted to see her mother! But, none of the senior servants allowed it. “…I am sorry, we cannot do that. We are servants of nobles,” they said with trembling voices, showing pity towards the young girl.
Her mother’s death wasn’t investigated. She was just a commoner and this wasn’t Earth. Firwood might be peaceful but that didn’t mean accidents couldn’t happen. Svena couldn’t think of anything else than the day her mother went missing.
That noble? Was he the cause? Why? Why? Why…
She was powerless. She was weak. What could she do to a noble? House Helvas was gracious to her, but they couldn’t spend the manpower to find the culprit of her mother’s death. Only the comforting voice of the older retainers gave her a brief respite in her new-founded loniliness.
Nobles are scary…
She liked House Helvas. She liked Ellaine and her brother Jonathan. Although they had the pride of nobles, they were always nice to her. She could find peace that not all nobles were evil. However, that didn’t mean she wanted to serve anybody but members of House Helvas.
When she was assigned to Hestia by Manuela, the head maid, she couldn’t stop herself from objecting. Manuela might be born a noble, but she knew from working with her that she was one of the “good” nobles. In her role as an attendant, she never once abused her noble lineage to force others to work for her. Svena respected Manuela for this and was grateful to support her, but this had a limit.
“Svena, serving a noble of such a prestigious rank is an honor. I will not force you, but Lady Ellaine’s return will cause a lack of personnel. We cannot bring dishonor to House Helvas. You are the only one I can trust with this duty.” Manuela wasn’t aware of Svena’s past so she made an unbiased choice on the matter. Svena couldn’t reject the trust given to her.
She was fearful when Hestia returned from her outing to the lower town to register herself at the hunter’s guild, but it quickly waned when they introduced themselves.
“Svena, correct? I apologize for what occurred this morning. You look terrified back then, but you do not have to worry about gossips behind my back, I’m plenty used to it. They don’t anger me.”
What? she thought. A noble just apologized to her? Svena began considering Barathan’s words, but that disappeared when Hestia wanted to bathe. She noticed the sun core placed in the middle of Hestia’s chest and was quickly reminded why she feared nobles, when she was threatened into staying silent. Of course, that wasn’t Hestia’s intention, but for the noble fearing Svena, it couldn’t be helped that she misunderstood. For a beastman at the rank of a greifnoble, this threat was a fact for the commoner Svena. It was truly a rollercoaster of emotions.
Svena wanted to stop. She didn’t want to serve Hestia anymore, but she also noticed how the other attendants couldn’t afford to take over her role. They were too busy; she really was the only one who could fulfill the duty of serving House Helvas’s guest. She complained that Saori and Tasianna, Hestia’s retainers, should be the ones to fulfill this duty, but it would be too much for two people to take care of Hestia inside this noble mansion. Svena rationalized the situation and gritted her teeth for the second day of serving Hestia.
But nothing terrible happened.
“Good morning, Svena, I’m sorry about yesterday. That was really a bad first impression…I’m sorry.” Hestia then gave a small bow.
It was weird, truly weird for Svena. On the first day, a noble apologized to her, and on the second day, she bowed? Svena thought it was just a trick, a deception to make her feel welcomed. Her memory of Hestia’s threat(?) was still vivid.
Against her expectations, the week went by smoothly. Hestia might have her moments of her emotions running wild, but at its core, she was still a friendly person. She didn’t mind sharing snacks with Svena, she didn’t mind showing her real self, she didn’t mind going against noble expectations. Her modern upbringing helped her close the gap between her and Svena.
I thought she was a rather lazy girl, but she can be surprisingly diligent when she wants to. However, she studies too much.
Unsurprisingly, for Svena, who was always used to nobles acting like nobles, the carefree and free-spirited Hestia was a breath of fresh air. Outside her room, Hestia was an elegant young lady who could carry herself well like any respectable noble, but in private, she was a young teenager. She was not afraid to show it, and it began to feel endearing to Svena.
The misunderstanding on the first day was still imprinted in her head, which caused her to be wary and cautious of her actions in Hestia’s presence, but that changed once Hestia told Svena her secret. About the fact she was a dragon, a champion of Goddess Aurena, and an otherworldly reincarnator. At that point, it all made sense to Svena.
With so much to hide, no wonder she acted like that. She wanted me to be silent about that thing in her chest to protect me!
It was another misunderstanding. Still, it helped her relationship with Hestia. As a servant of a noble, she knew too well what a responsibility it was to know this much information about somebody so important. She could very much end up like her mother. But Svena also understood Hestia’s trust in her was real.
Lady Hestia is good.
The mysterious language she sometimes uses when she cursed, her thinking habits that went against other nobles, and her delicious snacks. When was the last time somebody treated her to simple snacks?
Mother…
Svena was friendly with the other maids, but her trauma with her mother’s death made her too distant to become friends with them. After being orphaned, her ability to create deep bonds with others lacking. She felt lonely because she couldn’t bridge her emotions with others.
So, seeing Hestia and her retainers urging her to share snacks and tea together was a small moment of relief to her. She felt the warmth of friends. Her education made her understand the status difference between them and her, but she couldn’t help but feel comfortable. For the first time since her mother’s death, she felt like she belonged somewhere. Even if this was a fleeting moment, she wanted to enjoy and cherish it as much as possible before her temporary Mistress would eventually leave.
“Hati, Papala, and Lara, please manage Miss Saori’s room. Vaeri please help me with Miss Tasianna’s room.”
But Hestia wasn’t the only one she made friends with.
Tasianna — at first, Svena felt uncomfortable around the wind elf woman. The icy glare she always gave off felt like it could freeze her blood and the general lack of warmth she gave to all the human attendants made it hard for Svena to work with. She was Hestia’s first maid and retainer, so Svena knew she had to cooperate with her to be efficient with solving tasks.
I really wish I could just stop. It wasn’t just Hestia but also Tasianna made Svena want to hand over this duty assigned to her to somebody else. This thought was prevalent in the first days of their interactions. She felt uncomfortable around Tasianna, nonetheless, as a fellow maid, Svena couldn’t disregard Tasianna’s talents, especially her tea brewing skill.
[Brewing] sounded like an easy skill to acquire, after all, isn’t it alright to just brew tea and other beverages to gain it? False. For a reason no Peolyncian could answer definitely, obtaining the [Brewing] was difficult. A senior maid or butler was able to brew good tea, acceptable for most nobles, but to actually gain [Brewing], you must not only be able to brew great tea but experience a wide variety of them.
Tasianna in her 87 years of living has served countless teacups to her former mistress and her current one. Not only that, but she was also exposed to the tea-making skills of elves and other fairies in the beautiful forest of Saelariel, the home of the Altrust elves. Those who live on this continent. Then, she was exposed to the ok-ish tea making skills of the Japanese Saori. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave Tasianna enough inspiration to improve herself until she received [Brewing] herself.
Those who have acquired [Brewing] also considered why they were able to receive it. Most believed it was a divine skill with a terribly high acquisition requirement because the origin gods loved tea, and others believed a tea master must know how different tea tasted to brew the most exquisite beverages. Tasianna belonged to the latter categories.
Nobles and many rich merchants love the smell of expensive tea leaves, so a servant must know how to make their masters’ and mistresses’ favorite cup of tea. To Svena, Tasianna was a person even superior to Barathan, her former model of a perfect attendant. Despite the icy atmosphere around them, Svena watched and learned.
Hestia misunderstood that Svena and Tasianna were competing with each other on who was the superior maid, but it was only a one-sided show. Only Tasianna felt threatened while Svena wanted to learn. Her opinion on Tasianna increased even after she learned she was a fairy. Being an educated person in the Greenveil duchy, she too knew about the “War for the Fairies.” She couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the hatred-filled fairy.
Her room is well kept, as always. Chambermaids exist to clean other maids’ rooms, Miss Tasianna!
Tasianna’s room was significantly smaller and less decorated than Hestia’s, but it might be the most unique. Compared to Hestia, who left her room like it was since her arrival, except for her desk and bed, Tasianna turned hers into a greenhouse. Instead of glass, the walls and ground were covered in blue mana threads.
Various plants and even a tree was planted and grown inside this room. Normally, a retainer wasn’t allowed to do this as it could ruin the room, but Tasianna was diligent. She kept her room so spotless and even prevented the carpet and walls from getting dirtied by placing mana threads around it, that no one could complain about it. It made Svena slightly envious of how good she was.
To the greenhouse itself, it was marvelous. Three glass windows allowed sunlight to enter the room, invigorating the plants, while the soil was mixed with Hestia’s mana. Since the first day Hestia and Tasianna started their garden in the swamps of Belzac Forest, they noticed Hestia’s mana was extremely beneficial for the plants. They grew faster and usually bore more produce than with Saori’s or Tasianna’s. They rationalized it must be due to Hestia being an advanced magician with far too much Mana than normally necessary.
With the addition of a smaller [Season Regulator] Ellaine lent the girls; the greenhouse could work independently of the temperature outside. Naturally, Tasianna’s room was warmer than the other girls due to this fact, but she felt it was very similar to the fairy village. Even then, to provide Hestia and Saori the necessary fruits, vegetables, and herbs they needed, Tasianna would turn into an impromptu farmer. Yes, Tasianna the farmer maid.
Tasianna’s room always takes the least amount of time. Only her bed and bathroom need proper care.
It was true. Even the books about alchemy, wind magic, water magic, and agriculture were neatly placed on Tasianna’s desk. There was nothing to criticize.
Finished with Tasianna’s room, the two maids entered Saori’s. Similar to Hestia’s, there wasn’t much to say about the appearance of the room. The only thing worth mentioning was the pile of books placed on the ground, high enough to reach the desk it was surrounding. At this point, it looked like the workplace of a sage or Ph. D. student.
So many books were taken from the library by Miss Saori…Didn’t she say she was an educator back from her world?
Saori, the former history teacher of Shirako High School, a Japanese private school catered to the rich and talented. Saori always had a fascination with different countries, so it was only natural that she would find interest in Peolynca’s cultures. To her, anywhere outside of Japan was like entering a new world, further fueled by her dream to travel the world for her late father’s wish.
So, it could be said that Saori was very curious about the Kingdom of Artorias. Books about the founding of the kingdom, about their neighbor the Kingdom of Atadoro, and also about the legends of the gods. She borrowed so many books from House Helvas and was like a sponge, absorbing all the information she could find about this world. Unlike Hestia, who was a magic junkie, Saori wanted to learn everything about this world. To Saori, Peolynca was a way to fulfill her dream to travel the world.
Of course, Saori wasn’t just interested in books. Many notes placed on her desk were about recipes and today’s dinner plan. As discussed with Barathan, Saori wanted to see if Earthen cuisine would fit a Peolyncian noble’ taste buds. Some ingredients from Earth had a Peolyncian version, but some herbs and fruits were completely different.
There was also the variable of the mana concentration inside the food that could change the taste. Normally, mana-rich food, like monster meat, usually tasted richer and was healthier for the body, but it would be detrimental for a dish as too much mana could overwhelm the eater. It was similar to a cook who thought having a dish taste sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, salty all at once was a masterwork. Nobody wants a mystery food X.
Saori is like Tasianna; someone who keeps their room clean, but…not everybody is perfect, Svena commented as she picked up some dirt from the front of the door. It wasn’t a remark made out of malice. Svena actually respected Saori quite a lot as she was the person she got along with the most among the girls.
To Svena, if Saori was an actual maid, she would be able to take the role of either Barathan or Manuela as the head attendant with ease. She was flexible, creative, and valued hard work above all else. In the beginning, she knew Saori as the head retainer of a greifnoble but against her expectation, like with the other girls, she never once acted arrogantly to the other servants. She respected everybody’s work and never abused her station. To a commoner, that was worthy of respect.
I wonder what she’s doing to look so tired every day.
Recently, Hestia has started her training with the guild master of the hunter’s guild, Farron Nordor. As a consequence, she always came back to the mansion with disheveled hair with some dirt in them. Strangely enough, that was also the case for Saori and Tasianna.
Similar to Svena, Hestia also did not know what they were doing. It wasn’t clear when Saori or Tasianna would admit that they’ve been training with the vice-guild master of the hunter’s guild, Gael. However, this was a story for another time.
“Alright, thank you very much for your work, ladies.” Clapping her hands, Svena drew the attention of all the maids to her after finishing cleaning the girls’ rooms. “Breakfast should’ve ended. Lady Hestia and Lady Ellaine must be in the training room right now with Barathan, Miss Saori, and Miss Tasianna. You may all take a break until after lunch.”
There the maids separated. As the attendant of a noble, Svena couldn’t take a break now. Her duty was to go to her mistress’ side. It might be temporary until she left this mansion, but Svena felt happiness. Serving a noble was a maid’s true duty.
Not all nobles are bad.
