NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
After cleaning the room and spending some time refilling snacks for her multiple times, dinner time had surprisingly arrived.
And now, I am waiting for Princess Shione in front of the mansion’s dining hall.
The reason is this.
The Shianella family always gathers for dinner, without exception.
They share meals and engage in conversations in the dining hall, and this is no different for my master, Shione, who usually has nothing to say.
After all, Shione is indeed a noble, heir to the prestigious Shianella bloodline.
Of course, she might be too busy worrying about her conduct to have an appetite, but that’s just the way it is.
Inside the dining hall, the assigned servants handle things like washing dishes, while exclusive attendants like me wait at the entrance for our superiors.
Naturally, being my first time waiting for my superior at the dining hall entrance, I found it difficult to join in the conversation of the other attendants.
Ah, the world where roles are reversed between men and women.
The first reason is that those men are chattering away so much that it’s hard for me to step into the conversation.
“And I heard our Lady Siabel publicly embarrassed Lady Diolia this time, didn’t she?”
“Lady Siabel wouldn’t be the only one. Our Sion also…”
They were bragging about their masters, which is the second reason.
Despite following Shione around all day, it’s obvious I won’t have anything to boast about her now or in the future.
In this situation, what do I have to contribute to their conversations?
‘Aside from when our Princess Shione briefly emerged today, she has been lying in bed, nibbling on snacks. Isn’t that incredible patience?’
‘Sustaining herself while lying down for hours and still not suffocating is a body blessed by the heavens.’
‘Though it must be quite irritating… still, her patience in not crawling out of bed is nothing less than saintly, don’t you think?’
Despite my elaborate embellishments, this is all I can express.
If I were to join in on this, it would be much better for me to stay silent.
They say the pride of servants and attendants is their masters’ brilliance.
Now, I finally understand what that feeling is like.
While others are busy bragging about their masters, when I imagine my master Shione, all I can do is let out a sigh.
That’s why as I quietly hold my place, the attendants who were chattering among themselves started to take an interest in me.
“Excuse me… Are you the one who recently became Princess Shione’s servant?”
The first to speak to me was the exclusive attendant of Siabel, Ainel Shianella’s eldest daughter.
He approached with a strong build and a well-groomed mustache, snorting as he came closer.
Even in a world where roles are reversed, this feels a bit off…
I instinctively took a step back to return to a safe distance.
He looked at me with confused eyes, but I couldn’t help it.
My body was instinctively rejecting your approach, so what can I do?
It’s beyond my control.
“Ha ha… that was a bit awkward, wasn’t it? That’s understandable.”
“Yes, I apologize. I tend to be quite shy…”
As I awkwardly smiled and apologized, he seemed to brush it off.
After the awkward greetings with Siabel’s attendant, Sion’s exclusive attendant, who had been watching us, intervened.
“It’s nice to meet you. We seem to be unfamiliar with each other… you haven’t been here for long, have you?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I arrived not long ago and became Princess Shione’s exclusive attendant.”
Unlike Siabel’s attendant, he didn’t add any snorts to his words or smile unnecessarily.
He was at least much easier for me to talk to than Siabel’s attendant.
“I thought you looked unfamiliar, and I was right.”
As he said that, he briefly lifted the corners of his mouth.
However, he soon erased the friendly mood and created a more secretive atmosphere around him.
“…Well, this is your first day starting as a servant. Being Princess Shione’s attendant rather than Lady Siabel or Lord Sion must be quite a struggle.”
In an instant, a quiet, gloomy atmosphere settled between the three men.
And rightly so.
After all, it’s an act of disrespect towards a noble.
You can’t just openly badmouth nobles in such a bright atmosphere.
While I could somewhat concede to their gossip, I had no intention of joining in their disparagement.
Their sympathy for me, having obtained a master who was utterly unresponsive, and the sense of superiority they must feel while comparing themselves to me.
While sympathy isn’t unusual since I’m a pathetic case myself, that deeply ingrained sense of superiority was exceedingly uncomfortable.
This atmosphere had even brought Siabel’s attendant into the fold.
“I also worked as Princess Shione’s attendant before… I can still vividly recall how tough it was.”
This guy even brought up his own experiences to lay the groundwork for some gossip.
Just how could these servants be so eager to trample on nobles like this?
What kind of mischief has Shione been up to to evoke such eager expressions wanting to share their stories?
Anyway, while it seemed like they were trying to jokingly pull me into a conversation, they issued a quest.
[Quest Formed.]
“Proof of Loyalty”
“Your sole master is now faced with humiliation by another’s attendants. They wish for you to join them in disparaging your master, but that goes against the virtues a true attendant must have. Escape their clutches as a loyal servant.”
“Reward: Increase in Princess Shione’s affection for you.”
“Failure: Decrease in Princess Shione’s affection for you.”
“…….”
I had no intention of joining in their conversation.
The sudden popup of a status window displaying an increase in affection?
Sure, if I could earn Shione’s affection more, I might occasionally get a cookie or something.
That wouldn’t be bad.
But even so, an increase in affection, no matter how small, won’t get me to join in this.
The reason lies within the Shianella family members in the dining hall.
The physical abilities of those who possess Mana are beyond imagination.
Their senses are sharpened, and their abilities far surpass those who lack such gifts.
The same goes for hearing.
Complaining about nobles from such a close distance is practically equivalent to openly badmouthing them.
The head of the family, a Master Swordsman, and Siabel, who has just as much prowess.
If they wanted to listen, it would be only natural they could simply hear the chatter of mere attendants and servants regardless of how quiet we might try to be.
In such a place, no matter who it is, disparaging Shianella is akin to asking for my own demise.
Of course, it doesn’t seem like this is the first time such things have happened, given I’m still breathing right now, it seems to have been tacitly tolerated.
It’s best not to create animosity from the outset.
“Say, even if today is your first day serving her, she is Shione… did something ever trouble you today?”
I smiled at his words.
Seeing me smile seemed to make him flustered, as he wiped the wary expression off his face and finally put on a hopeful look.
Siabel’s attendant wasn’t much different either.
But unfortunately for them, my answer was contrary to their expectations.
“Ha ha, what kind of joke is that? Surely nothing like that happened?”
“Of course not… wait, what?”
“What unwholesome intentions led you to say such a thing? Are you trying to sow discord between me and Princess Shione?”
“N-no, sow discord? What do you mean—”
“If that’s not the case… you surely wouldn’t dare to utter such words against a noble while being an attendant, now would you?”
I scanned them with a disapproving look.
Then, I directed a pointed comment at Siabel’s attendant, who had just locked eyes with me.
“Isn’t that right?”
“Ha ha… well, that’s true. It seems we momentarily lost our judgment and spoke carelessly. Could you forgive us?”
“I understand. Just be more cautious moving forward. You never know who might be lurking around listening to our private conversations.”
“…Of course.”
Although Sion’s attendant smiled, his eyes were filled with undisguised discomfort.
It felt strongly like I had been branded along with my master.
It’s rather sad to be treated the same as Shione, but her gaze on me seemed not much different from how I view her.
…Even so, that hurts a bit.
With a gaze that looks at me with irritation beyond just irritation, I responded with a sly smile of my own.
No matter my status as a slave, I am currently an exclusive servant to Shione Shianella.
Though I might be disliked, I am in a situation where they cannot outright eliminate me.
“At the very least, I hope you understand that the Princess Shione I have seen is not the kind of noble you are complaining about.”
What do you plan to accomplish by glaring at me like that?
If you are dissatisfied, how about taking off your pants and facing me like a woman?
Or go tell your master.
Regardless, those who are trying to disparage Shianella won’t have the courage to speak so carelessly.
As I indulged in this small act of revenge, I felt some of the accumulated stress wash away.
As I awaited the completion of the quest under the burning gazes of two men, my master, who was almost the topic of their gossip, started to walk out of the dining hall.
Before the eager gazes of those men, I bowed my head deliberately in front of Shione.
“Shall we return to the room?”
A brief moment of silence hung between her and me.
Shione locked eyes with me instead of answering.
Earlier, when I mentioned that it was time for dinner, she glanced at me with a frown as if it were a bother.
But now, it seemed she looked at me with the same gentleness as before, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she had heard what I was saying.
“…Yes, let’s return to the room.”
With a short reply, Shione walked past me.
This time, her words were less condescending than before.
After all, even Shione couldn’t just spit in the face of someone who stood up for her.
Thank goodness some sense of decency still remains.
As her servant, I hastily followed behind her, and only then did the quest completion occur.
[Quest Completed.]
[Princess Shione’s affection for you increases.]
The corners of my mouth tugged up ever so slightly.
What perfect timing.