The Maids’ Misunderstanding

“What would you have us do, Lord Arthur?”

Summoned directly by their master, Marianne opened her mouth nervously. And it wasn’t just her—each of the other five maids looked equally tense.

All five of them were well-educated young women—second or third daughters of noble families or influential merchants. Among Arthur’s maids, they were the elite. Every one of them had served him diligently, aspiring to become his personal maid.

“No need to be so stiff. I just wanted to ask a favor of everyone today. Kei, would you prepare some tea?”

“Yes, right away. Please give me a moment.”

At Arthur’s words, Kei began preparing tea for everyone. Marianne watched the scene with a complicated expression. She had never imagined that a commoner like Kei, initially selected merely to fill a gap in staffing, would rise all the way to the position of Arthur’s personal maid.

Though Kei’s movements had reached a basic level of propriety, Marianne still thought she had much to learn and regretted not instructing her more thoroughly.

What did Lord Arthur see in her…?

To be honest, she was frustrated. Marianne had worked hard with the goal of becoming his personal maid—studying etiquette, handling chores proactively, mentoring junior maids… especially after Arthur had once helped her, she had devoted herself even more diligently. Others had even praised her for it. And yet, she had not been chosen.

She couldn’t deny having complicated feelings toward Kei. Still, she hoped Kei would serve Arthur faithfully in her new role.

While Marianne pondered this, Kei returned with a tray full of cookies and began distributing them to the group.

“What are these…?”

They weren’t the decadent cream-filled pastries nobles preferred, but rather the kind of simple baked goods commoners enjoyed. Not just Marianne, but the others also looked visibly confused.

Why would someone of royal blood offer them… these?

“These are my favorite. Please, help yourselves.”

With a pleased smile, Arthur popped one into his mouth and sipped his tea. Having been offered them, they had no choice but to accept.

“Thank you for the treat.”

The bespectacled maid Erin was the first to take a bite. Marianne followed suit.

Not bad…

She usually found fancy sweets too cloying after a single bite, but these she could keep eating. And when the flavor began to tire, she could add a bit of jam and refresh the taste—an unexpectedly delightful discovery.

Just as they were enjoying this new experience, Arthur cleared his throat.

“Now then, I have a favor to ask. You all know about the orphanage established in celebration of my birth, yes? I’d like to ask if one of you could go and teach the children there. Of course, the pay will be the same as always, so don’t worry.”

The murmur that rippled through the maids was no illusion. To be honest, they had been expecting this. Rumors of Arthur’s sudden visit to the orphanage and the summoning of the maids had been circulating—it was no surprise work would follow.

But… to teach at an orphanage…?

It wasn’t that they objected to teaching children. The issue was that the students were orphans. For young noblewomen like themselves, serving as Arthur’s maid was partly to gain recognition from other influential nobles.

Being seen alongside Arthur could result in marriage proposals or valuable connections. But at an orphanage, none of that was possible.

So the other maids showed clear reluctance.

Yet Marianne raised her hand without hesitation. She had become a maid to serve Arthur—to devote her loyalty to him. If he needed help, she would provide it.

“I shall gladly take on the task.”

“Oh, really? Thank you. Would you like more cookies?”

“Yes, please.”

“Excuse me… I’d like to volunteer as well.”

As Marianne reached for another cookie, Erin, the maid with stylish glasses, raised her hand as though something had just clicked for her.

Marianne wondered what prompted Erin’s sudden offer, but before she could ask, Arthur—his face visibly brightened—began explaining the assignment, and the other maids quietly took their leave.

Then Arthur spoke again.

“Thank you, both of you. From now on, I’d like you two to act on my behalf at the orphanage. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“On your behalf…?”

Stunned by his words, Marianne involuntarily echoed them. Beside her, Erin nodded and murmured,

“As I thought…”

And it was no wonder they were surprised. To act on his behalf meant that Arthur himself would take responsibility for their actions—placing them effectively in the same position as a personal maid.

He didn’t need to butter them up with tea and cookies. He could have simply ordered them.

Could this have been a test of their loyalty? That thought crossed Marianne’s mind. And if that were the case, she had been chosen—recognized. The very idea made her heart swell with pride.

“Please leave it to me, Lord Arthur. I shall raise the academic standards of the children at the orphanage without fail!”

“Don’t forget I’m here as well. I, Erin, will give it my best.”

“Ah, yeah… thanks.”

Arthur nodded, looking slightly surprised at their enthusiastic replies.

“Lord Arthur turned out to be more impressive than I thought. I never imagined he’d test us that way…”

As they left Arthur’s room together after receiving the full details of the assignment, Erin spoke, clearly astonished.

“So it was a test, wasn’t it? He was checking our loyalty, wasn’t he?”

Marianne, who had been thinking along the same lines, agreed. But Erin simply shrugged and let out a mocking laugh.

“Oh? So you volunteered without realizing that? Then tell me—why do you think those cookies were there?”

“Well… because he was about to ask us for a favor, so he decided to share the excess cookies with us… wasn’t that it?”

At Marianne’s reply, Erin gave a snort of amusement. Marianne resisted the urge to snap at her—insults danced on her tongue—but she knew she couldn’t match Erin’s sharp wit, honed by elite merchant upbringing. She held her tongue and waited.

“Heh… as if. We’re talking about Lord Arthur here. If he wanted to win our favor with sweets, he could’ve easily asked the chef to whip up some luxurious pastries. But instead, he gave us those plain, commoner-style cookies and praised them. Don’t you get it? Lord Arthur was signaling to us that he intends to value the common people going forward.”

“Wha… ah, so that’s why he made Kei, a commoner, his personal maid…”

Seen in that light, even Kei’s appointment started to make sense. The cookies, the orphanage visit—it was all behavior unlike the Arthur they had known. Marianne had thought the same.

It had all been his way of making a statement. But why the commoners? As Marianne pondered, Erin continued.

“Yes… The kingdom of Britannia has been stagnant, dominated entirely by the nobility. On top of that, the wealth gap is widening, and the public’s dissatisfaction is growing. He must be trying to break that deadlock by involving the commoners. I never expected that anyone besides Lady Morgan or Lord Mordred had figured it out…”

“So this is the first step? Educating the children at the orphanage that bears his name… raising them properly so they can become his subordinates in the future?”

Marianne’s voice trembled as she spoke, moved by the depth of Arthur’s vision. Erin gave a proud nod.

“Exactly. And he even said we’re to act on his behalf. He’s clearly serious about this. Things are getting interesting. I must admit—I underestimated Lord Arthur.”

“He entrusted such an important mission to us…”

Marianne gasped. Looking back, she realized the meeting had been a test—just as Erin said. Offering an unpopular role, like teaching at an orphanage, and seeing who had the intelligence to deduce the broader implications. Arthur had been searching for allies who could understand and act on that level.

And if he intended to rely more on the commoners, the first people he’d reach out to would be the orphanage children. Which meant their instructors—Marianne and Erin—would likely rise in prominence alongside them.

So… it really was a test, wasn’t it…?

Marianne hadn’t figured it out on her own—but even so, she had passed. That meant she had to give it her all. She might not be the smartest, but she had the most experience mentoring other maids, and she took pride in her loyalty. No one could match her there.

“Let’s do our best, shall we? After all, there can be more than one personal maid. If we show good results at the orphanage, even someone like you, a noblewoman, might get chosen next.”

“You’re right. By the way… are you aiming to become Lord Arthur’s personal maid?”

“Hehe… who knows? Speaking of which, I just remembered something. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

With a cryptic smile, Erin turned and walked toward the royal palace. As the daughter of a merchant, she likely had many contacts among both nobles and Arthur himself. She must have a busy schedule.

‘I can’t fall behind either! I have to live up to Lord Arthur’s expectations!’

Marianne slapped her cheeks with both hands to pump herself up. Her passionate educational drive would later leave the orphanage children—except for Bedi—completely exhausted… but that’s another story.