Chapter 8: Girl’s Novel? Quest Strategy!
Evelia held an empty plate, listening to various opinions about Alman along the way.
In social and aristocratic circles, Alman was a figure of mixed reviews; the comments from those noble ladies obsessed with looks were not worth considering, while the disdain from politicians towards military figures was mostly rooted in bias or even jealousy.
Those old men understood the hardships of studying for decades to rise to power and wealth, but they couldn’t comprehend how a cultural nobody, who had never even read a book, could become the commander of the Royal Knight Order, even though this rogue had nearly lost his life several times.
In this manor, perhaps Alman’s soldiers were all loyal to their leader, so in their eyes, this reliable knight commander received much praise, to the point that Evelia wondered if they were trying to promote their single commander to her.
The knights said Alman was cheerful and optimistic, loyal and kind, gentle and considerate, could fight and withstand attacks. Although he might not shine in social gatherings, his survival skills in the wild were essential, and he could cook, making many strange-looking yet edible field rations. He was also noted for his loyalty to others and his serious, single-minded approach to tasks, even if he wasn’t cultured, but was top-notch in battle; these qualities were impressive enough, not to mention his outstanding appearance.
Honestly, Evelia was skeptical that anyone could be so positive, but seeing the knights’ glowing eyes as they praised Alman, she felt compelled to believe them.
But if it were true, what exactly had he relied on to live this long?
What abilities did a seemingly naive fool have to reach the position of the royal knight commander? Was it his chivalrous spirit and pure heart?
That was quite far-fetched…
Evelia sighed, carrying her empty plate toward the kitchen. Although she never felt tired no matter how busy she was, she needed some time to sort out just what kind of person Alman really was.
Could it be that the old butler was always helping him? That old man seemed like Alman’s trusted aide.
Evelia thought that if Alman were truly a genuine martial man, he would obviously have his strategist to advise him, and the person by his side should be the old butler named Lug.
That old man, who seemed hard to deal with… Evelia thought she needed to prepare herself before approaching him. In comparison, she even found approaching Alman, this somewhat foolish guy, a bit less daunting.
After all, dealing with smart people was always more troublesome than with fools.
“This time, I actually got assigned to the manor of the knight commander…! I’m so excited…!”
“Yes, yes! Everywhere are handsome knights~~ Ah~ I’m going to die~~ Look at their strong physiques and super handsome uniforms~~!!!”
“I can’t wait to see them drenched in sweat during training! They must take off their clothes because it’s too hot! At that time, I will—”
“Ugh~~ Put on some pants~!”
Just as Evelia was about to enter the kitchen with her plate, she heard those maids on break in the resting area making bursts of deliberately lowered voices filled with excitement. Though they were feigning calm, their excitement was hard to hide.
“By the way, have you read that recently released girl’s novel?”
“You mean the one about knights and maids?”
“Yes, yes, that one! Are you also a fan?”
“Of course…! That’s why I’m so excited to be here! Oh my—sparks of love with a knight, how sweet…!!”
“Yes, yes, just imagining in the night courtyard watching your knight kneel on one knee reciting vows—”
“Ahhhh!~!!”
…What are these women doing?
Evelia stood half-hidden behind the door, listening to their noisy screams.
She had always been a lone wolf, and even when returning to an organization with others, those people spoke even less than the previous ones. Suddenly being thrust into such a lively place was a bit overwhelming for Evelia.
Especially the screams from the women… they felt as sharp as glass shards.
“Huh? Miss Evelia? You’re back! Thank you for your hard work! I didn’t expect you to help with the distribution of snacks; we are really grateful, here is the cake we saved for you!”
“……!”
Just as Evelia was about to step in to see what the women were screaming about, she opened the door and came face-to-face with a beautifully crafted blueberry cake being presented before her.
“Come try it! This is the chef’s specialty!”
…This enthusiasm is overwhelming.
Including Alman, the warmth of this manor was too much, almost as if she didn’t belong here.
“Thank you.”
But her task required her to fit in, so Evelia chose to embrace this warmth and accepted the cake that looked quite appetizing.
“What were you just talking about?”
However, since Evelia wasn’t fond of sweets, she found a topic to divert the conversation, unexpectedly hitting the nail on the head. As soon as those women brought up the previous topic, they excitedly began shouting again.
“Of course, it’s about knights—knights!”
“Who doesn’t love gentle yet powerful knights? Oh my… they are simply the dream lover—”
“Ahh~ And Lord Alman… he’s just like a male lead from a novel… his smile is like the sun…!!”
…Are these guys’ rose-colored glasses a bit too thick?
Evelia set down the cake in her hand, looking puzzled at the schoolgirl maidens.
What was Alman good for besides his looks…?
She silently scoffed at those chattering girls, noticing that their topic started to veer off course.
“Do you think Lord Alman is still unmarried because of some secret underground marriage? Like one of those stories where he had to hide his beloved from the world after being targeted?”
“I don’t see him as a married man~ He may be almost 30, but he still looks very youthful.”
“26 is quite a long way from 30; how can you say ‘almost 30’? But if he’s single, maybe he hasn’t met a girl who catches his eye?”
…I actually think there’s something wrong with that guy himself.
Evelia continued her silent scoffing.
“Ah! Could it be that we can encounter a love story like in a novel, where a knight falls in love with a maid?! Lord Alman is still unmarried; we really have a chance!”
“Ahh~ If that were the case, it’d be great, but still, given our status, we aren’t good enough. I am a self-aware maid; someone like Lord Alman probably only fits with a senior maid~”
“True… it has to be a maid who has frequent contact with Lord Alman…”
“Yes~ And she has to be strikingly beautiful to match with Lord Alman…”
As those girls spoke, they suddenly seemed to have an epiphany, all their eyes simultaneously fixating on Evelia.
“…?”
Evelia tilted her head with a blank expression, feeling as if those women’s eyes were like nocturnal rodents, emitting a rather eerie glow.
“Speaking of which, the only exceptionally beautiful senior maid is Miss Evelia!”
“…What?” Evelia paused, not understanding why they suddenly turned the conversation toward her.
“And you’re also Lord Alman’s personal maid! If it were you, perhaps you could win over Lord Alman just like in that girl’s novel!”
“…?”
Ever since this began, Evelia had no idea how many question marks were floating above her head.
“Have you not read that novel?”
—Do I need to have read it?
Though Evelia wanted to say that, in order to maintain good relations with those in the manor, she could only somewhat gently shake her head.
“This is it!”
A certain maid suddenly pulled a thick book with a pink cover that was as eye-catching as Evelia’s hair from her little personal cabinet in the resting room and thrust it into Evelia’s hands. The cover prominently displayed a scene of a knight, depicted in a black silhouette kneeling on one knee, holding the hand of a girl depicted in a pink silhouette.
…An oddly strong sense of déjà vu.
Looking at such a pink cover, Evelia felt a bit conflicted.
“The Maid’s Knight”
The title of the book was straightforward, with five big characters simply printed on the cover, adorned with a few flower stickers as decoration.
“This book tells the story of a little maid who, after spending time with a knight, touched the icy knight’s heart with her gentleness and kindness, and as time passed, they expressed their feelings and fell in love, defeating the villain and living happily ever after~”
—How cliché.
Evelia had lost count of how many times she had silently scoffed since arriving at this manor; she felt like her mind was being polluted by these strange people.
“It narrates how the little maid captured the cold knight’s heart—ah~~ It’s so sweet—Miss Evelia, I see that you’re around our age; you should like this kind of novel. You should give it a try!”
The maid excitedly stuffed the novel into Evelia’s arms like an enthusiastic fan pushing their favorite work.
Evelia thought that even if she were the same age as them, she wouldn’t possibly like such girlish stuff, would she?
But in the next moment, keywords seemed to be retrieved in her mind; her action of returning the book hesitated for a moment.
“Capturing the knight’s heart.”
Although it sounded cheesy, wasn’t that exactly what she wanted?
The Second Prince had ordered Evelia to gather intelligence about the First Prince from Alman by any means necessary, and gaining his trust was the most convenient long-term strategy. Wouldn’t “capturing Alman’s heart” make it even more secure?
Evelia certainly had no idea how to make a man fond of her; she had never had the time or opportunity to learn about such things, but now, wasn’t the opportunity presenting itself?
A knight and a maid… was just the right material to match her role; this novel could simply be regarded as a learning guide and a “game strategy.”
Thinking this, Evelia accepted the novel handed to her by the maid.
