Step By Step!

It felt like I had taken the entire day off.

Beni and Seria watched me lazing around and asked if I was not going to work, but I did not have the stamina for it.

So I waved them out vaguely and tried to recall my schedule going forward.

‘Building the bridge, building the port, and educating people—that much. Those were things I could leave to Vincent or others, but… a bridge and a port…’

If I could raise the stamina recovery medicine to the level I had in mind, it felt like I could rush through it all within a few days.

It would be quite the strain, but if I ate properly and focused on recovering stamina, I figured I could manage somehow.

But the problem was the Lilith Trading Company. They said they would come along when the Dust of Sands Trading Company visited our domain for now, but I could not be sure they would follow our lead and trade on our terms.

On top of that, they were merchants who specialized in trade—whether they would really do cheap labor for us, hauling heavy things like iron ore that were nothing but weight and did not pay well, was the issue.

‘What Idlen said was… that there is an off-season, so if we aim for that time, it should work…’

Idlen insisted that since the silkworms that produced silk had a specific season, as long as we avoided that season, they would cooperate with us.

It was not wrong. They drew thread from larvae, so they would only be able to harvest it until those things entered the next stage of metamorphosis. But that window mattered.

‘I know absolutely nothing about silk…’

All I knew was that they pulled thread from silkworms.

Just then, there was a knock, and someone entered the room. When I turned my head slightly, Beni was standing there with food.

“Is it already dinner?”

“No, you skipped lunch, so I brought a little snack.”

For a “snack,” it was a sandwich packed with meat.

“This is a whole meal, though?”

“No refusing—you have to eat!”

Ever since I collapsed last time, Beni had gotten sensitive about meals. I was grateful, but it was a lot. So I cut off a portion with the knife she brought and held it out to her.

“They say sharing makes it double, so let’s eat together.”

“…I shouldn’t…”

Even as she said that, her hand went to the sandwich. What a cute little thing…

Anyway, after sharing the sandwich with Beni, I was just about to send her off with the plate when it happened. Thinking she had come back after stepping out, I turned my head—only to find Linda standing there.

“Ah…? What is it? At this hour?”

“I heard you were not working today, so I wondered if something was wrong with your health, and just in case…”

“Ah, it’s nothing like that. I was just a bit startled by an unexpected visit.”

There was no one who did not know Count Branne had come to our domain. Her looks were far too conspicuous.

The problem was that, because of the outfit Count Branne had worn briefly, it seemed to have become a bit of an issue.

“Is that all?”

At my question, Linda hesitated. After a moment of deliberation, she asked quietly.

“Last… night… could you explain it to me?”

By “last night,” did she mean what happened with Matilda?

“Do you really need to hear it?”

“…Matilda is my precious… my only friend. No—this is private, so I know it is terribly rude of me to ask. But… I wanted to know. Whether it was forced. And if not…”

Linda trailed off. Was she misunderstanding it as if I had forced myself on Matilda?

“It was not a forced situation. The flow of things became strange despite my intentions, but I did not abuse any pressure or authority. Is that an answer?”

I understood Linda’s feelings. It was her friend, so she was worried—and it took real courage to come here.

A servant, and to a noble at that, coming to demand answers about something that might be a problem?

That was not something you could do without exceptional nerve. If I had truly coerced Matilda, what was she planning to do?

Report me and try to have me punished under imperial law?

Well—if I were truly trash, taking women with power and pressure, then what Linda was doing now would have been like tightening her own noose. Thinking that, I spoke.

“I’m not the sort of trash who treats women carelessly. So I don’t know what you’re worried about, but what I can say for certain is that it was mutual ‘play.’”

“…Thank you for answering…”

Linda looked at me with wavering eyes for a moment, then bowed and left the room.

It was a truly awkward situation. I understood wanting to protect a friend, but honestly, I thought this kind of thing was awful.

Meanwhile, Linda ran out of the room.

‘How could you do that…? How? Matilda… what on earth…?!’

Linda could not help but feel confused. She was agonizing over how Matilda—who surely knew her feelings—could do such a thing with the person she admired, when—

She ran into Beni, who was standing there holding dishes. Beni spoke first.

“Ms. Linda, there’s something I’m curious about—do you have a moment?”

Beni was the maid the lord cherished in particular. There were open rumors that he would later take her in as his disciple.

In some ways, she might have been closer to the lord than either Matilda or Linda was. So Linda felt she could not treat her lightly and nodded.

“Yes, I have a little time.”

Beni said okay and walked ahead. Following behind, Linda entered a doorless space with several tables—apparently a rest area used by the maids.

They took seats at a table, and Beni spoke with a smile.

“Sit down. You should rest your legs too.”

Beni’s smile was kind, yet Linda felt oddly tense.

“What is this about?”

“Um, it’s not a big deal. You just looked like your heart hurt too much.”

“…Did I… look like my heart hurt?”

“Your shoulders were slumped, and you always looked so bright behind that smile. It’s hard, isn’t it?”

Linda had no idea what Beni knew to be saying this. Yet she wondered why it felt so comforting, and she slowly nodded. Then Beni continued.

“Actually, our lord is a womanizer. Ms. Allena, me, and a few other women have shared love with him.”

“…I-I see…”

Right. He was a noble. Even the remarkable man she admired was, in the end, a noble—one of those types who pursued women, as always.

It made her heart ache, and for some reason, it also made her feel upset. And then—

“But you need to know that all of us wanted it.”

“…What?”

“The lord doesn’t first desire us or hunt us. He’s a strange man. But he also doesn’t really refuse when we approach him. Sometimes he turns us down when he’s too exhausted, but…”

How could she talk about this so boldly?

Linda could not understand Beni’s mindset. No—she could not understand the women here who had slept with the lord at all.

No matter how decadent certain classes were said to be, most women wanted to be loved by one man and stay with him for a long time.

Linda was no different. But would Beni not want that too?

The other women who had been with the lord would feel the same. Every woman wanted to be loved—and wanting to keep the one you loved all to yourself was only natural.

And yet…

“You must be confused. But I’m not telling you to accept it no matter what. Just… to understand that there are people like this. That he is this kind of person.”

“…How can you do that?”

“At first, everyone is confused, but the lord doesn’t force or demand anything because of it. Instead, we also don’t demand any responsibility from him. And… do you know what’s strange?”

Linda wanted to say none of it was strange, but Beni’s expression was serious—she felt like she had to listen.

“What… is it?”

“None of us got pregnant. There are countless women on the continent who have borne nobles’ children. There are plenty of trash nobles, sure, but everyone knows by now that because our bodies are excessively healthy due to the Demon God’s curse, pregnancy happens easily, right?”

Linda wondered what Beni was even trying to say—when Beni smiled brightly.

“Do you know what my goal is?”

“…What is it?”

“To have the lord’s child. Honestly, it might be impossible, though.”

“Why…?”

“Because I have a purpose now.”

“…What purpose?”

“If I could bear the child of such an extraordinary man, how would history record me as a mother… I was curious. I thought he wasn’t someone who would stay here like this forever.”

Linda knew how much training it took to become a maid—she even thought their education might be broader than Linda’s own. So it was shocking to hear a learned woman speak like this.

And Beni had said “many women.” As if all of those women wanted the lord of this domain—and perhaps wanted to have his child.

It felt like a strange current. No matter how many illegitimate children existed across the continent, this felt wrong. Then Matilda suddenly came to mind.

‘I need to talk… with Matilda…’

After deciding that, Linda looked at Beni and spoke.

“What were you trying to tell me?”

“That you shouldn’t make it too hard on yourself, Ms. Linda. You can’t have everything, but… he’s someone you can still share even a little time with.”

“Ah…”

She thought she understood. But she hated it. After thanking Beni for the advice, Linda hurried toward the lord’s official residence where Matilda would be. And just then, she ran into Matilda stepping out of the office; Matilda looked at her and asked bluntly.

“Did you confess?”

“…Why did you do that?”

At Linda’s question, Matilda motioned for her to come in and went back into her office. The door stayed open, as if urging Linda inside, and then Matilda’s voice came from within.

“Come in. We have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

Her voice was calm as always. Matilda surely knew Linda had realized what she had done—yet her calmness was so chilling it made Linda’s skin crawl.

But she had no intention of stopping now. She followed straight into the room. Matilda sat neatly at the table, watching her.

“Do you want the long version? Or should we end it quickly?”

“…Either way… I just need to be able to understand.”

“Then the short version is right. I came to like the lord, and I wanted to stay by his side, even a little. So I worked in my own way. I didn’t want to waste time hesitating.”

“You knew how I felt.”

“I did. But I thought you’d understand me. He’s… special. You must have realized after coming here that he isn’t someone we can treat with ordinary thinking, right?”

“…But…”

“There is no ‘but.’ You’ll have to work too—if your feelings were sincere. I realized there still isn’t anyone who can truly stand at his side, and I’m going to try. I want to propose fair competition. What will you do? Will you give up?”

Hearing Matilda speak so boldly, Linda felt her drifting heart snap into order in an instant.

‘Right… there still isn’t anyone by his side…’

The fact that no one was there—that felt important. No matter what kind of life he lived, in the end only one person would be able to stand beside him, the single one who pleased him. And that thought lit a fire in the sadness in Linda’s chest.

Maybe that was why Beni said she wanted to bear his child.

Because that might be… the fastest way to stand by his side…

So Linda opened her mouth.

“Fine. Competition. I won’t give up…”

It was the moment the signs of things turning fierce began to show.