Personal Maid

Personal maid.

That didn’t mean an erotic maid or anything like that. Well, some nobles did treat them that way, but of course Arthur would never even think of such a thing.

Generally, it was a position appointed by high-ranking nobles to the maid they trusted the most—someone entrusted with all their personal affairs and even permitted to act in their name in some cases. A maid at the pinnacle of her profession.

That said, not every maid got such a chance. Most often, the role went to a noble-born maid with longstanding ties to the family, or it’s used to strengthen political factions. It would be unthinkable for a commoner, especially a rookie maid like Kei, to be chosen.

And that’s exactly why Kei was bewildered by her sudden promotion. She had no memory of this “saving” Arthur spoke of, and her wages had skyrocketed to more than five times what they were the day before. Confusion easily outweighed joy.

‘I knew Lord Arthur was a kind person despite the rumors, but… why would he make me his personal maid?’

Unaware of her conflicted thoughts, Arthur simply smiled with satisfaction, believing he had done something good. He then opened an old, worn book and appeared to be deep in thought. Kei had tried reading it too, but it was written in a language she didn’t recognize. When she admitted she didn’t understand, he looked genuinely disappointed.

“Lord Arthur, I’ve prepared your tea.”

She addressed him a little nervously. Kei wasn’t particularly exceptional as a maid. True, being selected to work in the royal castle meant she had decent skills, but there were certainly others who could brew a better cup of tea.

“Thank you. I’ll have some.”

So she watched with apprehension as Arthur lifted the cup to his lips, worried he might find it unpalatable.

“This is quite different from usual…”

“Oh no, I’m so sorry. The tea leaves should be the same, but my technique is still not on par with Marianne’s. I’ll make a fresh pot right away—”

She hurried to apologize, but Arthur’s eyes widened in surprise… and then he smiled gently.

“No, I like the usual taste too, but I also enjoy the tea you made, Kei. Of course… everyone’s tea is different, isn’t it…”

“Lord Arthur…?”

Arthur didn’t respond, merely murmuring as if overcome with emotion. But the way he pondered her words so seriously—he didn’t seem like someone who thought little of his maids, contrary to the rumors.

In fact, although she had felt so nervous in his presence that she could barely breathe, now… he seemed approachable.

“Whew, that was nerve-wracking… but he really was kind.”

The day finally came to an end. As she changed clothes in the servant’s dressing room, Kei reflected on what had happened. She had been nervous, expecting some unreasonable demand—because things that seem too good to be true often are—but the work was the same as always. No senior maid had dumped tasks on her, so it actually felt easier.

“Besides, Lord Arthur was never the kind of person to treat others unfairly…”

Their relationship was still new, but looking back, Arthur did have his naive moments, and he had gotten angry before. However, once things were explained to him, he always understood and never held grudges.

There were cases where maids who angered him got fired, but rumors said it wasn’t Arthur who acted—it was nobles trying to curry favor.

He’s detached from worldly matters, and it’s hard to read what he’s thinking, but… maybe he’s a better person than I thought. Especially lately—he’s seemed gentler.

Kei absentmindedly stroked the hand Arthur had healed as she finished changing in the servants’ quarters.

“Kei… do you have a moment to talk?”

“Yes? What is it?”

It was Marianne, another maid, who addressed her. Kei replied nervously. Though they were technically colleagues, Marianne was a noble lady around the same age as Kei, served as her mentor, and functioned much like a head maid.

She was strict with everyone—including Kei, who had been scolded countless times—but she held herself to the same standards and was undeniably competent. Kei still remembered tasting the tea Marianne brewed—it was hard to believe they had used the same tea leaves.

Recently, Marianne had grown oddly devoted to Arthur. There were even rumors that she was aiming to become his personal maid.

So after Kei’s appointment, other maids had warned her to be cautious around Marianne.

“You did take proper care of Lord Arthur, didn’t you? I won’t forgive you if you were disrespectful.”

“Yes, of course!!”

“And you didn’t mess up making the tea, did you?”

That question brought back memories of the earlier incident. Kei hesitated briefly—and was immediately pierced by a sharp glare. But… Lord Arthur had smiled and said he liked it…

She repeated that to herself.

“Yes, there were no problems at all!!”

“I see… that’s fine, then. By the way, you’re not thinking of just sleeping in your room tonight, are you?”

“Eh? That was my plan…”

“Sighhh…”

Marianne let out an exaggerated sigh. Kei wondered if she had done something wrong again, when Marianne spoke with clear exasperation.

“Listen, you’re a commoner who got appointed as a personal maid. Surely you understand what that means? Of course you’re expected to keep him company at night too.”

“What?! But Lord Arthur said I didn’t have to do anything like that!!”

She had asked him hesitantly, afraid that was what he expected, but Arthur had simply widened his eyes in surprise and replied, “Just having you nearby is enough.”

When Kei explained that to Marianne, the other girl sighed even more deeply.

“Obviously, that was just social niceties. As a personal maid, you have to read between the lines. That man is one of the chosen—unlike us ordinary people. But… maybe that’s why he finds it all burdensome. Maybe that’s why he picked a clueless commoner like you to be his personal maid.”

With a face full of melancholy, Marianne gazed toward Arthur’s room. Of course, Arthur had never thought such things. He didn’t even realize he was treating Kei specially—but Marianne had no way of knowing that.

“You received the benefits of his healing abilities, right? I was healed by him a while ago too.”

“It’s true!! Normally, you’d have to make a massive donation just to receive healing from him!! Don’t tell me… you’re someone special too… ah, maybe…”

Marianne gasped in disbelief. Then she looked at Kei’s face, nodded as if recalling something.

“Now that I think about it… I once heard that Lord Arthur’s mother was of common birth. Perhaps… he sees his mother in you.”

“He sees his mother… in me?”

Kei tried to deny Marianne’s theory… but then remembered Arthur’s strange behavior—like when he was surprised by her asking about something lewd, or how he happily drank her rather mediocre tea. His reactions had been oddly warm.

Could it be that the gratitude he spoke of was because she reminded him of his mother? That would explain a lot about his words and actions.

No, wait… would it really? That seems a bit far-fetched, doesn’t it? Kei questioned herself internally.

“That seems unlikely, doesn’t it? Besides, even if he does see me as his mother, I wouldn’t know what I’m supposed to do…”

“That’s not true. The answer is simple: just spoil Lord Arthur. And besides, there’s always baby play…”

“Baby play…?”

Kei instinctively repeated the unfamiliar term. Embarrassed, Marianne turned bright red but still explained it all in great detail.

“Fweh…”

The explanation made Kei let out a pathetic whimper. She’d heard that some nobles had deviant tastes, but the idea that her master might be one of them left her speechless.

Unbeknownst to him, Arthur’s reputation was taking a severe hit in her mind.

“So anyway… I had prepared this just in case. I’m giving it to you. Do your best.”

“Do my best at what, exactly?!”

With that, Marianne handed her a paper bag and returned to her room. No, but… shouldn’t things like this only be done with someone you like? I don’t even have a boyfriend, and I’m supposed to be a mom now?

As her thoughts swirled, Kei opened the paper bag Marianne had given her. Some kind of fabric…?

“────!!”

It was a set of lingerie with almost nothing left to the imagination—what people usually called “battle underwear.” Was she expected to seduce Arthur with this? More importantly, why did Marianne even have something like this?

Kei couldn’t help but think Marianne might be a bit of a pervert… and with a gloomy heart, she put it on.

“Excuse me…”

Reluctantly arriving at Arthur’s room, Kei knocked on the door while trying not to create any strange atmosphere. She really didn’t want to come, but if Marianne found out she skipped it, she’d be scolded.

However, there was no response. He seemed like a corpse. No—if he were a corpse, that’d be a much bigger issue.

“He’s asleep, huh? Guess I should just head back then.”

Relieved, she habitually checked the doorknob—and with a creeaak, it opened.

‘Ugh… this has to be a setup, doesn’t it…’

Cursing herself for not just walking away, Kei entered Arthur’s room. From within, she heard soft groaning noises. Startled, she peeked in and saw Arthur lying in bed, muttering in pain with a distressed expression.

“Lord Arthur…?”

“Ugh… it hurts… I’m sorry… but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what I should have done…”

Was he having a nightmare? Arthur writhed and apologized as if to someone, looking pained and troubled. Watching him, Kei recalled how her younger sister had acted during bad dreams—and also remembered Marianne’s words: “Maybe he just wanted someone to comfort him.”

Before she knew it, she was holding his hand, gently whispering to him like she would to a child.

“It’s okay. I forgive you. And if you don’t know what to do, then just ask someone. If it’s hard to ask anyone else, ask me. And if even I don’t know, we’ll figure it out together.”

She softly squeezed his hand, just like she had with her sister back then.

“…snff… sssnn…”

Oddly enough, Arthur’s groans began to settle as if her words were reaching him. Watching him, Kei reflected.

‘To me, Lord Arthur was a person above the clouds… someone who had everything and no real worries. But maybe I was wrong.’

‘Just like he didn’t know much about us, maybe I didn’t know enough about him either.’

‘If that’s true, maybe there really was a reason he chose me as his personal maid. I mean, setting aside Marianne’s “mother substitute” theory, perhaps he really did just want someone to lean on.’

She recalled his expression when he drank her tea—that genuinely blissful look.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, or what burdens you carry. But if anything happens, rely on me, okay? I’m your personal maid, after all.”

The words came out naturally. She didn’t know what he expected from her—but being someone he could depend on didn’t sound so bad.

“Well… I can’t be your mother, but I guess being your big sister wouldn’t be too bad. Actually… I always did want a little brother.”

A bit off the mark, but Kei had opened her heart to Arthur.