There, Jill, Matthew, and now another woman are present.
“This is my sister, Maureen.”
She isn’t as tall as Matthew but is still quite tall.
Her eyes are narrow, and she has a gentle smile on her lips.
She has short black hair. She’s wearing a black blouse and skirt.
Over that, she wore a pure white apron.
It’s clear she’s dressed as a maid.
She gave a polite bow in Jill’s drawing room.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Jill. My name is Maureen.”
“Ah… Ah…”
But that wasn’t what was important to Jill.
She was trembling.
“Hmm? Jill, what’s wrong?”
Seeing Jill’s state, Matthew tilted his head in confusion.
Maureen, who had just been introduced, was also puzzled.
However, the confusion was quickly resolved.
“You’re alive…! I’m so glad…!”
Jill, overcome with emotion, took Maureen’s hand.
“Oh my,” Maureen blushed and expressed her gratitude to Jill.
“Uh… um… thank you, Lady Jill.”
“No, I heard about how Matthew joined the caravan for his sick sister, and I thought… she had passed away.”
“Brother?”
Then, she glared at her brother with an angry expression.
“Ah, no… it’s a misunderstanding, Maureen.”
“Misunderstanding, my foot! You used me as an excuse again, didn’t you? You have to say, ‘My sister has recovered and is now living healthily,’ otherwise people will think I’m dead!”
Leaving the bewildered Jill behind, a sibling quarrel—more like Maureen’s one-sided scolding—began.
◆
Matthew, looking thoroughly deflated, bowed apologetically to Jill.
“I truly apologize. My lack of words caused a misunderstanding.”
“Oh, no, don’t worry about it. It’s hard to know how much to share about family matters.”
“Lady Jill, please don’t go too easy on my brother. He’s prone to getting carried away.”
Maureen sighed in exasperation, and seeing this, Jill couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Haha… so, Maureen, you’ll be working as a maid for me?”
Matthew had suggested that Jill hire a maid. Jill had given a vague response, saying she couldn’t decide without seeing the person’s character first, but Matthew had promptly brought a candidate.
“Yes. While this mansion is convenient in many ways, managing such a large building can be quite challenging, don’t you think? Moreover, if many guests come, it would be a lot for you to handle alone.”
“That’s certainly true…”
This was a convenient excuse from Matthew.
His words and proposal weren’t lies, but his true purpose lay elsewhere.
It was to protect Jill.
The other day, while chatting with the lord over tea, Matthew was lightly scolded. “It’s a bit improper for that large mansion to have no maids or servants. It was fine for Lord Conrad since he’s a man, but Lady Jill is a young woman, isn’t she?” “Also, it’s not appropriate for an unmarried man like you to casually enter a woman’s house.”
Matthew couldn’t argue at all and lowered his head. If things continued this way, someone with unsavory intentions might step forward as a maid or servant for Jill. Thus, the person chosen was Matthew’s sister, Maureen.
“Maureen used to work as a servant in the dormitory of the Silver Scale Knights who guard the town. She quit when she got married but still works when they need extra hands.”
“I can do housework or heavy lifting, anything you need. Just leave it to me.”
“Well… my sister’s a bit sharp-tongued, though.”
“Yeah, that’s because I’ve been around men all the time. At home, it’s just my husband and two sons, so I’ve become a bit rough.”
Maureen blushed as she made excuses, but Jill smiled happily.
“I don’t mind at all. In fact, I’m glad you can be natural with me.”
Jill had grown tired of dealing with the overly polite and insincere people she encountered at the royal castle. That was why she had given a vague response earlier. Additionally, the mansion was protected by magical creatures. If any improper person showed up, she could handle it with just a thought. There were no security concerns.
However, Maureen’s straightforward personality and the fact that she was Matthew’s sister left Jill with little reason to refuse. From a practical standpoint, it was clear that she was short-handed.
“I’m grateful. So then…”
“Yes. Let’s discuss the terms. You’ll commute daily from 8 AM to 3 PM. The daily wage will be 8000 dinars, and if you work overtime, you’ll receive extra pay.”
“Ah.”
As a maid attached to a noble, this wasn’t particularly high pay. However, since it wasn’t a place where she needed to be on high alert all the time, and it wasn’t a live-in position, this seemed reasonable to Matthew.
“By the way, do you like riding crabs?”
“Horses are fine, but I’ve never ridden a crab… wait, you mean…”
“Yes, I thought of having the Karappa in the garden take care of your transport.”
“N-no, it’s fine. My legs are strong, and if I have luggage, I can borrow a horse. I’m good at that.”
“Oh, really? I thought that, um…”
Jill hesitated, and Maureen chuckled.
“I was only sick until about the age of ten. After my illness was cured, I played outside all the time. I can compete with any man.”
This wasn’t a bluff. After recovering from her childhood illness, Maureen made up for lost time by playing outside energetically. She ran through fields, fought with wooden sticks, and rode wild horses without saddles.
A knight who couldn’t bear to see this said, “If you’re that energetic, why not join the knights? You can work in the dormitory and ride horses,” and Maureen started working for the knights.
Managing the knights’ dormitory was supposed to involve cooking and cleaning, but Maureen’s robust and aggressive personality led her to take on many tasks. She prepared campsites for monster hunts, managed weapons, and worked just like the knights.
When a large number of monsters appeared in the Shelland territory and the knights were short-handed, she delivered food to the front lines on horseback and transported the wounded back to town, earning a medal for her efforts.
She was proposed to by a knight she saved and is now a wife and mother, but she remains a legend in the Silver Scale Knights.
“Then we’ll add transportation costs to your pay. You can commute however you like.”
“Sorry about that. I think I might not be comfortable on a crab’s back.”
“It’s fun once you try it.”
“…Hearing that makes me want to give it a shot.”
Laughing, Jill shook hands with Maureen.
Thus, a maid entered the mansion.
◆
After brief introductions, the three moved to the cloakroom.
“This is amazing… No wonder my brother’s eyes change color,” said Maureen.
“Hmm…”
Jill and the others were staring at clothes and hats.
Maureen let out a breath of admiration as she looked at them.
There were dresses, robes, and tunics lined up.
The hats were straw hats, dyed in various colors, making them very colorful.
Among them, the one dyed jet black with a white decorative ribbon was Jill’s pride.
However, Jill looked somewhat dissatisfied.
“I’d like to start making things other than clothes soon.”
“Only a genius would say they’re bored after making so much,” Matthew said in a tone of amazement.
Today, Matthew had come to introduce Maureen and also to deliver the silk thread Jill had requested. The items were ordered from a shop in Shelland Town, but it seemed the shop also relied on Matthew for the delivery.
After consulting with the shopkeeper, they decided that Jill would deal directly with the shop for inexpensive cloth and household goods, while Matthew would handle the silk and rare materials.
The shopkeeper was knowledgeable about daily necessities but had little expertise in the expensive materials dealt with by nobility, and had trouble with Jill’s orders. Jill felt sorry for the unreasonable demands she had made.
“Hey, I never said I was bored! And that wasn’t a compliment, was it!?”
“But you are a bit bored, aren’t you…? Well, making the same things over and over can dry up your ideas. Expanding your range isn’t a bad idea,” Matthew agreed.
“Right.”
“But what else could you make… shoes or gloves, perhaps?”
“Shoes seem difficult. I could make sandals by weaving ropes and strings, though.”
Jill pondered, placing her hand on her chin.
Matthew seemed to have the same thought and nodded earnestly.
“Mastering something is endlessly difficult. Other clothes are the same, but shoes are particularly challenging.”
“That makes me want to make them even more, but I don’t want to take too long considering the shop’s opening preparations.”
“Then how about moving away from clothing? Things like bags or wallets might be good.”
“Bags… you say.”
“If it’s for long-term use, leather would be best. But for everyday use, hemp or cotton would be more common. Oh, you might also be able to make them out of straw. Something breathable like a basket could be useful.”
“That’s it.”
Jill felt something click in her mind at Matthew’s words.
“That’s it?”
“It’s important what ‘to’ make, but also what ‘with’. Trying different materials could expand our options.”
