“Well then, I’ll be heading to the academy. I’m leaving the rest to both of you.”
“Have a good day.”
Gordon, having finished his reading, stood up and informed Catherine and Yuria that he was going to the academy. When Catherine and the others entered the room, Gordon was already dressed in his academy uniform, so it seemed he intended to head to the academy directly after finishing his reading. Catherine and Yuria bowed deeply as they saw Gordon leave the room.
“I can’t believe Gordon was in the room! I was so surprised, I thought my heart would stop. I’m sorry. Because of my mistake, I made Catherine bow too.”
“Everyone makes mistakes, so don’t worry about it.”
“Really? Thank you. Well then, let’s get back to work.”
“Yes.”
Once Gordon was out of sight, Yuria apologized to Catherine for entering the room without confirming. Judging by the flow of events, Catherine thought that the Queen had likely orchestrated this situation to some extent. The two of them then decided to continue their cleaning work.
“Hey, Catherine, can you read?”
“Yes, I can.”
As Yuria was about to tidy up the book Gordon had been reading, she asked Catherine.
“I was thinking of returning this book to the library, but I can’t read, so I don’t know where it should go.”
“Um, hmm? There’s a different book inside… The title is… ‘101 Ways to Please Her.’ I thought it was a book for aristocrats because of its fancy cover, but the contents are different.”
Having diligently studied the alphabet in a short period since arriving at the castle, Catherine could read and write without any problems. She tried to read the title of the book Yuria handed her, but the binding was unnatural. When she opened it, another book fell out from inside. The contents appeared to be a dating manual for commoners. It seemed Gordon was studying various ways to please Patty.
“I think it’s fine to just leave it as it is.”
“Really? It’s tough not being able to read at times like these. But it’s amazing that you can read at your age, Catherine.”
Catherine gently closed the book and placed it back on the table. In the commoner class, many people only learn to read after entering the academy. Apart from a few individuals who need to read for work or come from wealthy families with the means to study, most people in this country in Catherine and Yuria’s age group, before entering the academy, cannot read or write. Yuria, who had asked on a whim, looked surprised when Catherine read it so easily.
“Is it possible that Catherine’s family is wealthy?”
“I suppose we’re on the wealthier side, maybe.”
Catherine answered Yuria’s question with that. Until spring, they had a small bakery on the outskirts of town, but now it had become a large store doing business with nobles. Consequently, their income had increased exponentially compared to before. They weren’t living a luxurious life at home, so she didn’t feel it much, but that was the reality.
“I see. But if you’re wealthy, why did you decide to work here? The pay here isn’t exactly high, to say the least, when you first start.”
“I wonder why…”
Catherine didn’t know how much the servants here were paid. Yuria’s question about why someone from a wealthy family would work here was unanswerable for Catherine, as she hadn’t originally been a servant.
“That’s true. Every family has its reasons. I’m sorry for prying.”
Seeing Catherine’s reaction, Yuria realized there were deeper circumstances and stopped asking about Catherine’s family situation.
“Alright, this should be enough. It’s been a while since my training, but cleaning the rooms of royalty should be fine. Catherine, you might be told to do this suddenly like this time, so remember it well.”
“Yes.”
After finishing the cleaning, Yuria went around to check for any missed spots. She then clearly explained the inspection points so that Catherine wouldn’t have trouble when she started working alone.
“This concludes our cleaning for now. Let’s head back to the waiting room.”
“Understood.”
Catherine and Yuria left Gordon’s room and started moving towards the servants’ waiting room.
“All right, that’s it for our morning work. We have an hour break after lunch, so you can spend it as you like. We have work again in the afternoon, so be back on time.”
The time had already passed noon. They ate lunch in the same dining hall as in the morning and then began their lunch break.
As soon as the break started, Catherine headed directly to the Queen’s office to give her report from yesterday.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
After knocking on the door of the Queen’s office and waiting for a response, she entered the room.
“Oh, you came straight here. That outfit suits you. Hehehehe.”
“Your Majesty, it’s cruel of you to pretend you didn’t see.”
Catherine protested to the Queen, who greeted her in a teasing tone.
“However, I believe seeing and learning about castle work with your own eyes is important. This time, it was a fortunate opportunity, so I decided to observe. Well, we can discuss that later. Could you please give me your report from yesterday? Please be seated.”
“Yes, excuse me.”
Catherine and Margaret sat down, facing each other, towards the reception sofa.
“Queen, Catherine, please.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you. Clara.”
Clara quickly placed two cups of tea in front of the table.
“Now, please report on the effects of Hanako’s courage-granting magic.”
“Understood. I will now report…”
As the lunch break was limited, Catherine quickly reported on Josette’s actions, which she had observed since the night before.
“Courage, huh… Listening to you, it sounds more like the behavior of a nymphomaniac. Does Josette always think like that in her heart?”
“I cannot answer that, as I do not know.”
“Still, you reported it so vividly. I’m starting to feel a little aroused myself. Your reporting method is excellent for making me feel this way. You did well for your first time.”
“Thank you.”
Margaret, having received the report, praised Catherine for fulfilling her role.
“However, I’m concerned that Josette collapsed from the backlash.”
“That seems to be alright. Emily’s assessment was that it was due to fatigue. She should recover in two or three days.”
“I see. If the one who can use healing magic says so, then it should be fine. I’m relieved.”
Margaret, who was worried about Josette’s condition, said with relief, clutching her chest.
“May I ask one thing? Why did I have to secretly follow Josette this time? I believe you have many people who can move behind the scenes, Your Majesty…”
“Well. If I had used my direct intelligence unit, I might have been able to gather information without the other party noticing, but this time the meaning is a little different.”
Catherine was curious as to why she had been assigned this role for this matter. She wanted to know the reason why an amateur like herself was tasked with it, when it should have been more reliably handled by specialists.
“Since the other party is Josette, whom you know, it wouldn’t be a big issue if you were discovered, right? Also, you had a permission pass within the academy, so there shouldn’t have been any trouble. I wanted you to see the effects of the magic directly with your own eyes. That’s the main reason. When I heard your report that Hanako had taken action, I was desperate to see the effect myself, but I had unavoidable official duties, so it was a shame I couldn’t. However, with your report, I could grasp the situation as if I were there.”
Saying this, Margaret sat down next to Catherine and stroked her head.
“My secret plan will be completed soon. As the central figure in that plan, I need you to work hard.”
“Can someone like me really handle such a big role?”
“Yes, you can. I guarantee it. Now, work hard at your maid duties this afternoon as well.”
“Yes, I understand. Then, excuse me.”
After completing her report, Catherine left the Queen’s office and headed towards the servants’ waiting room.
