Erin

Erin, one of Arthur’s maids, couldn’t help but feel astonished as she watched his actions at the orphanage.

First, she was mildly surprised when he distributed cookies to the children and ate with them. Sure, there were already rumors that Arthur was kind to commoners, and she’d seen nobles who, following that example, made charitable gestures toward them.

But this was the first time she’d seen someone genuinely enjoy eating the same food as the commoners.

I’d thought offering us cookies when asking for help at the orphanage was just for show… but he really does eat like this all the time.

She couldn’t hide her respect for someone who not only spoke kindly of the commoners but actually tried to understand them. Of course, the truth was that Arthur simply had a strong sweet tooth…

And that wasn’t all. When the dwarves and the children returned, Erin overheard a conversation that made the blood drain from her face.

“Oh, it’s Lord Arthur. We’ve been studying hard, so don’t worry. One day I’ll make you some accessories myself.”

The boy named Ys had spoken to him casually. While he did at least use “Lord,” his tone was overly familiar! Nobles valued decorum—let alone the fact that Arthur was royalty.

If a commoner—an orphan, no less—addressed a royal in such a way, even a kind one might order an immediate execution without anyone having grounds to object.

If that happened, it would ruin the proposal Erin was preparing to help Arthur build better relations with the commoners.

“Lord Arthur, please forgive him—he’s just a child…”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. If it meets my standards, I’ll promote it at the castle. Anyway, I brought cookies, so go ahead and eat.”

Her attempt to smooth things over proved unnecessary. Moreover, the honor of having one’s work promoted at the castle was normally reserved only for artisans patronized by nobles.

Wait… is he actually trying to make relations between nobles and commoners equal?

Though Erin was technically a noble, she had been born the daughter of a merchant. Her father had purchased his title, making her a noble lady. Because of that, she understood the importance nobles placed on status—and she had watched her father suffer constant disdain because of his common birth.

It was only after becoming a noble that she had finally gained the right to speak. And yet Arthur was speaking to Ys as if he were his equal.

Only someone either cunning enough to feign camaraderie with commoners to gain their support—or someone who truly didn’t care about social rank—could do this.

For Erin, either was fine. To avert the crisis her father feared, what was needed was a powerful person willing to treat commoners as equals.

If it’s Lord Arthur, a royal, then the power is no problem… I just need to see more of his character…

Honestly, Erin was torn between speaking to Arthur or to Mordred. She even considered seducing him, but strangely, he had no rumors involving women. The only ones around him were his maids and his fiancée, Morgan. There were no whispers of him having taken liberties with his personal maids. Erin thought perhaps he simply wasn’t interested in romance—which, in her mind, was a major plus. Many powerful men had destroyed themselves over women.

In reality, he simply lacked experience with women, though he had recently begun developing an interest—but of course, Erin had no way of knowing that.

“Anyway, Lord Arthur, how about a rematch with me?”

“Wha—?!”

With that, Gale placed a liquor bottle on the table. What is this dwarf doing? Even the usually playful Tristan twitched his cheek in discomfort.

Once again, Arthur was royalty. If it were a store-bought drink, perhaps—but this was an open bottle of dwarven liquor. Nobles would normally go through elaborate formalities when inviting someone to dine.

Did this dwarf think Arthur was his drinking buddy?

As expected, Arthur leaned toward Tristan to whisper something. Is he… going to tell him to stop because it’s rude? Maybe even order his execution?

That would be bad. Getting this notoriously difficult dwarf to come here had been hard enough. One wrong move could sour relations with them completely.

But Arthur’s next move proved Erin wrong.

“Alright!! I’ll crush you again! Kei, bring us two cups!”

“Eh—yes, understood!! I don’t really know what’s going on, but I’ll cheer for you, Lord Arthur!!”

“You said it, boy!! I won’t lose this time!”

“Heh, showing off in front of your maid—a romance across class lines is a fine thing indeed!”

And so the drinking contest began. Watching Arthur and Gale enjoying themselves, Erin thought there seemed to be something beyond the barrier between human and dwarf there. Though technically improper for a royal, Arthur had gone along with the dwarven custom of drinking together to bond.

That was when Erin realized—

If Lord Arthur doesn’t care about social rank, maybe not even race… perhaps he’ll listen about the food shortage Father has been worrying about.

“As expected of you, Lord Arthur,” she said to him after he’d drunk Gale under the table, looking satisfied.

“Hm? Erin, good timing. I’ve got something to discuss with you.”

“Yes? What is it?”

Though he had brought it up first, once she handled his matter, it might make it easier to raise her own… or so she thought—until his words left her in awe.

“I want to talk about Britannia’s food shortage. Can you make some time for me?”

“…Huh?”

Just how much has he planned? He’d brought up exactly what she’d been about to mention, and Erin felt as if lightning had struck her mind.

No… judging by the fact that he’d come to the orphanage when I was here, he must have intended to talk about that thing Father has been quietly pursuing.

Amazed by his information network, she decided then and there to side with Arthur.

“Well, your family are merchants, right? So I thought you might know about such things…”

“As expected, Lord Arthur… you’ve even read my father’s and my movements. In that case, may I invite you to our upcoming meeting? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Eh…? Ah, sure, I don’t mind…”

His slightly puzzled expression caught her attention, but Erin resolved to entrust the future to him. No one knew how Arthur would handle what, in her past life, had been discussed with Mordred instead.