All-Works Maid – Volume 1 Chapter 25: A Prologue Called an Epilogue

hcheadcanon11-14 minutes 21.07.2022

It was springtime, the season of sprouting life, warm sunshine, and refreshing wind.

On an afternoon one week after the Spring Ball Raid, Christopher the Crown Prince and Annemarie the Marquis’s Daughter were holding a strategy meeting together, in the form of a tea party in the castle gardens, but…

” ” Ugh…” “

The two sighed in unison, unable to come up with a plan.

“I never would have guessed the scenario could change this much because of what we’ve done.”

Christopher looked to the sky in resignation as he wondered how many times he has repeated those same words now.

“That doesn’t matter right now, and besides, it was necessary to do all that to avoid a potential bad ending.”

“Yeah, but that’s not what I meant, but… how do I say this? It’s just, there’s a strange feeling I’m getting.”

“…I get what you’re trying to say.”

There came another sigh of resignation unfit for the beautiful spring afternoon in the gardens. While there were servants standing watch not too far away, Annemarie’s soundproofing spell kept the conversation and sounds from leaking.

“Let’s stop worrying about our past actions. Instead, we should talk about something more constructive.”

“You say ‘constructive’, but…”

“We’re just wasting time if all we do is regret over what already happened. What really matters is what we do from now on. Sure, our actions have changed the scenario more than we expected, but I don’t think it was that bad!”

While it was true that their actions, especially the regular carriage service, caused the storyline to deviate from its original track, the overall situation was, as Annemarie asserted, not entirely bad.

After all, they had succeeded as planned in increasing the kingdon’s national power as a means to avoid the different bad endings. The economic growth had led to better relations with their neighboring countries, and it would be easier to request assistance in case of an emergency.

But more importantly, their regular carriage service had brought Luciana and Melody together, which averted Luciana’s tragic fate. Even if that outcome went against the canon storyline, the two were happy to know that Luciana would no longer suffer as she did in the game.

“Well, when you put it that way, I’m glad that Luciana-chan won’t have to die.”

“That’s right! It would absolutely terrible for the world if such a lovely girl were to die! And now, best of all, we’ll get to know each other even more once the school term begins!”

“That would be great! And maybe, just maybe, I could make her a fiancée candidate…”

“Oh? Are you planning on competing against your best friend since childhood, Maxwell, for Luciana-chan’s affections? Hm… Can you even compete, the fake prince that you are?”

“Ugh! When you say it like that, there’s no way I could win against a real noble!”

A week after the dust settled, the have finally calmed down enough to joke around together. The atmosphere between them had finally loosened and cheered up.

After enough back-and-forth bantering, they finally grew serious as they began discussing the main topic of their meeting.

“Then, about our plans from now on… What are we going to do about ‘that’? We’re completely off the rails at this point.”

Annemarie turned and stared off at something beyond their sight: the Royal Academy.

“About ‘that’, huh. I told the old man we wouldn’t need it, but he wouldn’t change his mind.”

“Hm. Well, I understand his reason for it, but he’s also deviating from the storyline…”

And so, while they had sobered up to seriously determine their future plans, today the tea party once again ended with a strong sigh.

“What? The Royal Academy is to become a boarding school?”

“Indeed. Students should have commuted, but ever since that attack at the Ball, the upper nobles decided it should instead become a boarding school for safety reason. Even now, they’re working at a furious pace to finish the dormitories. The Academy is closed for now, but they plan to reopen in two months’ time. The notifications should be arriving around now.”

Melody, having just finished her shopping at the market, happened to encounter Lect who, in a true gentlemanly fashion, offered to carry her things and escort her home. Currently the two were making small talk as they walked back to the Luthorburg estate.

…Just to be clear, it was only Melody who believed their encounter was a coincidence.

“Then we shall have to make preparations for it. Thank you very much for letting me know, Sir Lect.”

“It’s nothing you need to thank me for. Besides, everyone will know about it too, soon enough.”

…But Lect has been in distress for the entirety of the past week.

He was stressed over the fact that Melody Wave, the all-works maid of House Luthorburg, was actually Celesti McMurden, the daughter his boss, Count Cloud Reginbars, has been searching for.

And he was stressed over realizing he had fallen in love with Melody. For this twenty-one-year-old man to be romantically attracted to a fifteen-year-old girl… please arrest him, mister policeman! But jokes aside, two desires battled for supremacy in his mind: one that called for assuaging his lord’s wish to meet his memento of lost love, and another that demanded Lect allow the girl he loved to live freely as the maid she wished to be.

If he told Count Reginbars about Melody, then the Count would see his wish fulfilled, but Melody could never again be a maid.

But if he left Melody to be a maid as she desired, then the Count could never know or meet his daughter.

No matter the option he chose, Lect would be trampling upon someone’s wish, and so he chose to do nothing.

“Oh, Melody? There is something I want to ask…”

“Of course, what is it?”

“Do you… intend to live your whole life as a maid? Have you ever, for example, thought about what it might be like to be a noble’s daughter? I mean, you could not be a maid if you were a noble, but you could still be a lady-in-waiting at the royal castle, and you would be serving someone still…”

Lect was desperately grasping at straws, hoping to find any possibility, any compromise, that would let him reveal the truth to Count Reginbars without destroying Melody’s dream. It was for that reason that he asked how she felt about being a lady-in-waiting.

After all, a lady-in-waiting was more or less just a higher-ranking maid, whose focus was on taking care of higher-ranked female nobility.

You are reading story Me, the Heroine? And a Saint? No Way, I’m Just an All-Works Maid (Heh)! at novel35.com

If she became the daughter of a count, it would be difficult for Melody to work as a maid, but it was feasible for her to serve as lady-in-waiting for, say, the royal family.

If Melody was open to that possibility, then Lect would not have to betray her or the Count, but…

“Hm, well, I never considered something like that before. I believe being a maid suits me best.”

…his hopes came crashing down so easily.

“Why is that? As far as serving roles are concerned, are maids and ladies-in-waiting not the same? And then, as the daughter of a noble, you would be able to live a life free of inconvenience, is that not a good thing?”

“It’s, um, not that I would dislike being a lady-in-waiting. If anything, I am interested in it, but while the duties are similar, the jobs are completely different. Let’s see… it would be like comparing a knight to a soldier.”

“Ah…”

Lect… could not deny the validity. In fact, most commoners often thought knights and soldiers shared duties and role. However, as a knight himself, Lect knew they were completely different jobs.

“And… I made a promise to my mother. I promised her I would become a maid, that I would become the greatest maid in the world. It is for the sake of that promise that I have to work even harder!”

Her eyes, glimmering like brilliant gems, capitvated Lect, who found himself wishing to watch that sparkle forever.

This was what Lect had fallen in love with: the shining smile of a girl full of hopes and dreams. And Lect… could not bear to take that away from her.

“Is that so… It would be a wonderful thing if you did become the greatest maid in the world.”

“Of course, I definitely will! But… though that’s what I say, I am still trying to find out how to do it.”

Melody gave a shy smile, and Lect turned away with a chuckle.

(I suppose… it’s true what they say: the one who falls in love first loses… Forgive my impertinence, Your Excellency, but I wish for the young lady to continue doing as she wishes, even if it is only a little while longer.)

Thus Lect found his answer.

“I have returned.”

“Oh, welcome back Melody! But listen to this: the Academy is going to be a boarding school!”

After Lect saw her off, Melody had entered the mansion only to meet with Luciana’s ambush just past the door.

“Kyaa! My lady, please let go! I might accidentally drop the groceries!”

“Oh! I’m sorry, Melody. I got too excited from the news.”

“Phew, that was close. The eggs I bought would have broken if I dropped them. Yes, actually I heard about the Academy from Sir Lect earlier. It seems I will need to prepare a dress and other clothes for you soon.”

“Huh? Did you run into that guy again? Were you hurt? He didn’t do anything strange to you, did he?”

“‘Do anything strange’? Sir Lect just helped carry the purchases back.”

Luciana still treated Lect as she did when they first met. Melody could not help but giggle as she watched Luciana’s expression warp as though she had bitten down on a bitter-tasting bug.

“Ugh, maybe I should have that ‘talk’ with him after all…”

“My lady… such speaking and manners are… Perhaps we need to restart your etiquette training from the very beginning.”

“Ack! It was just a joke! Ohohoho… Wait, that’s not what we needed to talk about! Melody, it seems you’ll also be coming with me to the Academy!”

“Huh? I will?”

“Of course! They said we would be allowed to bring along servants, and since our family only has Melody, I’ll have you come with me!”

“That would not be a problem for me, but what about the estate? Shall I leave behind a clone then?”

“That might be necessary for a while. We also got rewarded for protecting His Highness the Crown Prince, so we should have enough money to hire some new servants.”

“Then it would be my honor to accompany you to the Royal Academy, my lady.”

“Hurray! Now I really can’t wait for these two months to go by!”

“Of course, my lady.”

Melody and Luciana happily smiled at one another.

In the Silver Saint, the Royal Academy had not been a boarding school, and in two months, the curtains would rise on a school setting completely different from the original storyline… What kind of unknown future awaits the cast..?

Partesia, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Theolas, has experienced great economic growth thanks to the policies of Christopher and his allies.

It was a beautiful city, full of the happy smiles of its citizens; truly a city befitting the main setting of a dating sim.

And yet… reality was not quite so sweet. No matter how prosperous a city was, there would always be a gap between the rich and the poor, and Partesia was no exception: at the far edge of the city was a place full of the undesirables down on their luck, an area called the Slums.

And in the midst of this ruthless, lawless district where murder and thievery went hand-in-hand was one lone boy.

The boy quietly sat hidden under the shadow of a building, his legs folded in a triangular shape.

It was somewhere so dark even the poorest of the poor would keep away from, but that was what made him so hard to find.

And perhaps that was why no person in the Slums paid him any heed.

The boy nursed a broken sword in his hands… From that sword leaked a misty darkness… And that darkness quietly wrapped around and hid the boy out of sight.

The Silver Saint and the Five Oaths… has only just begun.

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