234 - Ethelbert's Detached Palace 2
"I have taken quite a liking to you, young lady," Ethelbert said.
"I'm happy you've taken a liking to me, but please keep me at the distance of an acquaintance's grandchild that you see every so often."
I refuse to become Ethelbert's grandchild, whether by marrying a grandson or by adoption. A grandfather of a rank equal to or greater than a blood-related grandfather is nothing but a burdensome favor.
...Being Leonyaldo-san's sister is already quite hard enough, you know?
Until now, not much was demanded of me because I was a child, but that will change from now on. As I come of age, I will be expected to behave in a manner befitting the sister of the fortress lord, and honestly, I am already at my limit with the ladylike education for that purpose. If it were just studies like language and arithmetic, I could manage somehow, but what Hermine-sensei mainly teaches me are manners and etiquette for how to comport myself as a lady. Unlike studying, this is knowledge I will use in interpersonal situations, so exceptions and variations arise, making it difficult for me, who does not truly understand the meaning of social standing.
"...How is the detached palace? Is there anything you lack? It seems you have been quick to call people in from outside and have them do things."
"What concerns me, personally, is that Ethelbert-sama seems to know everything about what is happening at the detached palace, even from just yesterday and today."
Why does he even know that I called a locksmith and had work done? I was at the detached palace all day, but I did not hear anything about the state of other parts of the palace, nor did I think to try.
...So Ethelbert-sama's information network has at least one person in the detached palace, is that it?
Given how nobles collect information, that must be the case. Without thinking too hard about it, everything about the detached palace given to me was simply given. Not just the building itself, but the servants working there as well were prepared without my knowledge, and they are still working as is. If he wanted to keep an eye on my activities, Ethelbert could have placed someone among the servants from the very beginning.
...Thinking about it that way, the lady's maid that Nadine has trouble firing might also be a spy prepared by some important person.
I am the master of the detached palace, but there are people in the royal castle with far more say than I have. If those people prepared a servant, then no matter what I say, Nadine would probably make up all sorts of excuses not to fire her.
...What exactly is my position, anyway?
Just when I think I have been given a detached palace out of nowhere, the king who supposedly summoned me leaves me ignored. I am assigned a set of lady's maids with a delicate, no, exquisite lineup, and of my two guards, one is a White Knight. The First Prince sends me gifts along with a thank-you letter, the Third Prince came all the way to Grenore City to welcome me. I feel like I am being treated as an equal to or even better than the princes, yet the detached palace given to me has mysterious hidden passages when you look into it, leaving security concerns. It is a truly strange way I am being treated.
"...That detached palace had quite a lot of hidden doors and passages, did it not."
Since he knew I had called someone to the detached palace, about the locksmith, I decided to start with that topic. We found hidden doors from the floor plan and old blueprints, and beyond them was a door whose key's whereabouts were unknown. When Leonyaldo-san checked from the outside, there were signs that the door had been used recently.
"What is that? They are still using that passage!"
The moment I said the door seemed to still be in use, Ethelbert's eyes flew wide open and he started getting angry. I could not quite understand what exactly had triggered his anger, but from Ethelbert's reaction, I was reassured about one thing.
"Does Ethelbert-sama have any idea who holds the key?"
"Hm? ...Yes, I suppose I do."
...Huh? Why are you looking at Leonyaldo-san?
Ethelbert's gaze flickered toward Leonardo, and following it, I also looked at Leonardo's face. Leonardo, who had accompanied me in the capacity of a guardian and protector, was seated as a guest and being treated as such, but he made no move to enter the conversation between me and Ethelbert. Since the invitation was addressed to me, he seemed to have resigned himself to being just an extra.
"Does Leonyaldo Big Brother-sama have the key?"
Considering what Ethelbert's glance might mean, that is the conclusion. Alternately, someone around Leonardo might have it, or Leonardo might know who has it and is keeping quiet about it. I noticed my foot unconsciously swinging. Should I be administering a baptism of shoe-leather at this point? I caught myself. A lady cannot be swinging her legs while sitting in a chair like a child, so I stopped, putting strength into my foot.
"Do not glare at Leonardo so. The one who has the key to the detached palace is... likely a ghost."
"Huh? Are you telling me I have been given a haunted house?"
"The ghost is just a figure of speech, you know."
"But you did say ghost, did you not?"
If so, then the detached palace is a haunted house. I was a bit troubled to have been given such a grand thing, but thinking of it as a stigmatized property made me feel a little better. Come to think of it, just the element of the previous owner being a ruined princess is more than enough of a stigma.
...Even in Japan, haunted properties reportedly have cheaper rent, after all.
Since Ethelbert seems to know who the ghost is, it is probably not a real spirit or anything like that. That thought brought me just a tiny bit of relief.
"...But I see. So they are still using that detached palace. And you called a locksmith, young lady. That is interesting. By all means, have the lock changed. I would very much like to see that fool's flustered face."
"Is this person an acquaintance of Ethelbert-sama?"
Since he is so confident about it and so eager to have the lock changed, it must be a prank on someone he knows. When I stared at him with a suspicious look, Ethelbert cleared his throat in an exaggerated manner and straightened his posture.
"Acquaintance, if you can call it that. But well, rest assured that this person will neither harm you nor guide anyone with ill intent toward you."
"I cannot exactly feel reassured just by being told that someone I do not know is freely coming and going in the detached palace where I sleep, you know."
I pointed out that this was just common sense. I do not want intruders left unattended based on the sensibilities of a mischievous boy.
"...Then I will write you a note. You are going to check on the lock, are you not? When you do, paste this on the outside."
Saying this, what Ethelbert had prepared was not paper and pen, but ink and a brush. While I was wondering if this was what I thought it was, a writing desk was set up on the tatami, and preparations for a brush-written note were completed.
...Show your face once in a while, you fool, is it.
Judging from the words, this is not a distant acquaintance relationship but someone close to him. If he is truly close to this person, I would very much like him to retrieve the key as well.
"...By the way, Ethelbert-sama, where were you getting your information about the detached palace?"
"Hm?"
In Japan, there was ink and brushes too, and as part of the art of calligraphy, I had time to practice writing characters with a brush. As I moved the conversation toward the tools laid out on the writing desk, I was writing arbitrary characters in Japanese at Ethelbert's amused request, but a thought struck me and I asked. I was surprised at Ethelbert's information network, but I realized I had not asked about the most important thing. Who in the detached palace was Ethelbert's source. If I knew that, I could shut that person down and keep information from leaking to Ethelbert.
"Young lady, I think it is about time you learned some more indirect approaches."
It seems I should stop asking such direct questions soon. Growing older means being expected to behave in certain ways, which is troublesome.
"...If you tell me, I will write Ethelbert-sama's name in Japanese characters for you."
Do you not think that would be a little cool? I offered, a proposal that cost me nothing personally. In my previous life, foreigners happily wore T-shirts with questionable kanji on them, so Ethelbert might be pleased too. Besides, writing kanji requires only the tools already prepared here. It is a truly casual offer.
"I know my name, you know. In that thing called katakana, it is written like this, is it not?"
Though no one can correctly decipher Japanese, it is still being studied to some extent. Claiming to know katakana, Ethelbert took a brush to paper and indeed wrote out Ethelbert for me to see.
...Whoa, that really is katakana.
The characters had a bit of a quirky style, but they were still legible. Feeling oddly frustrated, I wanted to be a little mischievous.
"In that case, I will write it for you in kanji."
"What? You can write my name in kanji?"
"They would be ateji, of course, but yes, I can write it."
Seeing Ethelbert unexpectedly bite, I pressed forward, thinking take that. It seems that kanji do look fascinating to people not from the kanji cultural sphere.
"I will not reveal all my cards, but... well, I will give you a few pieces of advice."
"Advice?"
I would much rather get a hold of the information source I need to eliminate, rather than advice. When I furrowed my brow in dissatisfaction at that compensation, Ethelbert said to be satisfied with this and continued.
"It seems you have petitioned Nadine to have a maid named Rebecca removed, but unless she has actually failed at her work, it would be best to hold off for now."
"...She is a maid who does not work, you know?"
She had been pushing her work onto another maid of lower status, claiming she did not want to take care of a sick child. A maid's job is to care for her master, I think, but what need is there for a maid who pushes that care onto others? When I asked back, unable to accept this, Ethelbert gave a wry smile.
"That is when the young lady's eyes are not upon her, I should think."
Ethelbert said that in truth, my eyes were open, so I came to know about it, but regardless of her true feelings, if she thought I was awake, Rebecca would have tended to me herself. If she abandoned her work right in front of her master, then by all means fire her without hesitation, but this was just her letting her guard down when she thought her master was not looking. If you rephrase it as a noble's daughter simply pushing work onto a girl of lower status, it is a common enough occurrence.
"But taking care of me is a maid's job, is it not?"
"Indeed it is. Taking care of the young lady is a maid's job. While the young lady is at the detached palace, they should be ready to respond to your requests at all times, and when you go out and leave the palace, they should be tidying your room so it is ready for your return, doing repairs and sewing, and so on."
...Huh?
Something caught in my mind, and I tilted my head. I had thought about how maids and servants work before, had I not?
"I am sorry. Let me reconsider. When I think about it, the hours maids and servants are tied to their work are twenty-four hours a day, every day, with no days off, are they not? It does not seem like this country has anything like labor standards laws."
"I am curious about what a labor standards law might be, but I will refrain from asking for now. ...Can you understand, then, that there are moments when a maid wants to let her guard down?"
"I still think Rebecca herself is questionable for not wanting to take care of a sick child, but I think I was demanding too much perfection from the maids. They are human too, and considering their working conditions, I can somewhat understand that there are times they would want to relax."
When I calmly thought about the employment conditions of the maids and servants in this country, even Japan's black companies seemed cute in comparison. Since they are tied to the workplace twenty-four hours a day, in a sense, overtime does not exist. Being constantly at the workplace is the norm. This work arrangement continues indefinitely unless the master whimsically grants them time off.
"...Then I will present the matter of Rebecca in a way that you can accept."
"I do not feel like I can accept anything about Rebecca at all, but I will listen."
How could anyone explain this in a way that makes me accept someone who abandoned caring for a sick child? I sat up straight and waited for him to continue. I was fairly confident that I could never accept it.
"She works well enough, so just keep her working until you find a replacement maid."
I have only been in the capital for a few days. Deciding to fire her in just a few days is too hasty, and a replacement will not be found immediately. Besides, regardless of the conduct I witnessed, Rebecca has a track record of working in the royal castle until now. If that is the case, she must be a reasonably useful person.
"Besides, the people I prepared for the detached palace, except for a few of the maids, were meant to be capable individuals who could serve as your hands and feet. They are too valuable to cast aside for a single mistake, you know?"
Ethelbert concluded that since personality clashes cannot be helped, I should leave it to Nadine. I still think Rebecca is problematic in terms of personality too, but Ethelbert seems to have no issue with Rebecca's personality of disliking to care for the sick. Apparently she has some skill so great that it more than compensates for that.
...But, really? Ulrika has not been making eyes at Leonyaldo-san since that one time, at least?
I am thinking I might give Ulrika a bit more leeway, too. When I consider the working conditions of maids and servants, there probably are not many opportunities for encounters.
"Ethelbert-sama seems to hold Nadine in quite high regard."
I pointed out that I had heard Nadine was the nurse who raised Ethelbert's great-grandson Dietfried into a spoiled tyrant. Ethelbert had supposedly been taking Dietfried on trips to separate him from his nurse and servants.
"...I could not do anything about his basic nature, but Nadine was an excellent nurse."
"Please say that while looking at Dietfried-sama."
Judging from his letters, there seems to have been some improvement, but as he is, obtaining a Royal Peerage in the future will be difficult. I know this from having watched Alfred for about a month. The position of a Royal Peerage, which allows one to obtain the right of succession to the throne, is not something that a spoiled child who only wields power without realizing the weight of responsibility that comes with status can obtain. Alfred was a prince who lost his composure when it came to Alf, but as a Royal Peerage, he was a prince I could genuinely respect. Considering all that, Nadine has done irreparable harm to Dietfried.
"Then let me also share the fact that this Nadine is one of the few friends of the Witch of Waiyakku Valley."
"...Eh?"
I could not quite accept that Ethelbert seemed to trust Nadine, but the additional information brought my thoughts to a halt. Hearing that she was Aurelia's friend, even I would want to trust her unconditionally, but I had been told Nadine was the nurse who raised Dietfried with free rein to be as spoiled as he pleased. The fact that someone who raised a child like that is friends with Aurelia just does not connect in my head.
"I cannot imagine Aurelia-san getting along with Dietfried, though...?"
If anything, Aurelia would drive a child like Dietfried away with her cane. If they are friends, there must have been at least some interaction between Aurelia and Nadine. I cannot believe that a friend who gets along with Aurelia would raise a child like Dietfried.
"An excellent nurse, Aurelia-san's friend, but she neglected Dietfried's discipline...?"
There is no way to reconcile all of these in a single person. Especially raising Dietfried with such free rein. That is terrible. Raising a child she was supposed to care for into such a spoiled tyrant is, if anything, a disqualification as a nurse.
...But what if she deliberately raised Diet to be a tyrant?
If she intentionally created that spoiled tyrant, then she might indeed be an excellent nurse. Though I think it was wrong, both as a nurse entrusted with a royal child and as a nurse involved in a child's future.
"...I am starting to get confused."
Dietfried, entrusted to what Ethelbert calls an excellent nurse, has had his future as a royal all but ruined. He still has a few years until adulthood, and he might be able to recover if he works desperately hard, but no matter how you look at it, his start is far too late.
...And besides, even though she works in the royal castle, is it not strange that raising a prince's child like that has been overlooked? Huh? Why?
The more I thought about it, the less I understood, and my head started spinning. Feeling a bit dizzy, I decided not to think about it anymore.
In the end, I could not get Ethelbert to reveal who his information source was, hidden in the detached palace. But I did feel that the conversation had been worthwhile, so I wrote his name in kanji using ateji. The characters were "False (Ese) Stay (Ru) Bird (Barto)." Bird should be baado, I think, but this is what glittery names are like. If I go with this, my name in this life would be Tea Leaf, I suppose. "Na" should be "vegetable," but I could only think of "Tea" for "Ti," so I changed "vegetable" to "leaf" to match the tea.
Ethelbert seemed to take great delight in the kanji version of his name. He said he would share some rice with me, but on the way back, he gave me two additional tatami mats. I am planning to lay those in my room right away and create a shoes-off zone.
...Well, I also got a talisman to ward off ghosts, so I suppose that is fine.
I could not quite think of ateji for Leonardo's name. I think "Leo" would be fixed as "Lion," though.
I will fix typos and misspellings another day. No update tomorrow.
I have corrected the typos and misspellings I found.