And so Allen picked up the stranded young lady.
　Three days later...

"Well, it's done, ......?
Great!

　Allen shouted in delight at the cleanliness of the living room.

　The hellish dump had now become a habitable environment.
　He could see the floor and there was not a speck of dust on it. Soft sunlight streamed in through the polished windows, indicating the time of day.

It's a wonderful job. I can't believe you're a duchess.
I've been helping out a lot at ...... your house.

　Charlotte chuckles.
　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web. Her hair was shiny, and she would have looked great in a dress.

　But for now, she was wearing ordinary clothes that made her look like an ordinary village girl.
　She wore a dull colored blouse and a long skirt.
　She also had a rag in her hand and her arms rolled up. It looked so good on her that it made her forget that she was a noble woman.

She is a good cleaner. (Did you say "concubine"?) She cleans up very well, which shows how she is treated at home.

　She may have been a duke's daughter in name only, but she may have been a servant in the house.
　But she didn't want to pursue the matter.
　Charlotte also didn't want to say anything more. She gave a wry smile to cover it up.

But I just scrubbed the floor. But I only scrubbed the floor. Didn't Mr. Allen take care of all the luggage with his magic?
Well, yeah.

　All the garbage on the floor was incinerated by magic. All the trash on the floor was incinerated by magic. Since all the ashes were burned, all that was left to do was to clean up the dust and soot.

You helped me clean the floor. ...... Am I even worth it?
"Of course you do.

　Allen nodded with great seriousness.

"As you can see, I'm not very good at living. I can't even think about cleaning up when I'm alone. If you hadn't come along, I'm pretty sure I'd be living in that trash heap until the day I die.
I don't think that's something to be proud of. ......

　Charlotte smiles a little tightly.
　I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.

But for now. What's the next job I should do?
"Well...

　Allen pondered for a while.
　Then he simply said...

I'm done for today.
What?
You're free to go until dinner.

　Charlotte is confused, but Allen lies down on his favorite sofa.

You can bring me a book from the study, or you can tinker in the garden. Do what you want.
"...... What if I steal?
That's okay too. I don't have a lot of cash in this house right now.

　Yesterday, I went into town to buy some clothes and household items for Charlotte.
　I was a little reluctant to buy women's clothes, but I didn't care if I got a bad reputation or two now. I asked the shopkeeper to help me find something suitable and bought it as I was told.

　So, due to sudden expenses, we had very little cash left in the house.
　When I explained this to Charlotte, she shrunk as if she was afraid.

"I'm sorry, ......, it's my fault, .......
Don't worry, it's just an initial investment.

　She waved her hand appropriately and took out a thick stack of papers from her pocket.
　It's a research paper on magic theory that was published the other day.
　It was one of Allen's few hobbies to make red-pencil corrections to the paper and send it back to the author. It is said that he is feared so much in academic circles that he is called 'the devil of the red pen', which makes him even more determined to correct the paper.

Anyway, I'm going to work for a while. Please don't call out to me.
"Yes, sir. I understand.

　When Charlotte nodded, Allen looked down at his paper.

(Well, it's going to be a short relationship, so ...... this is a good distance.

　After making a good amount of money, she would disappear from Allen's life.
　I can't leave a person in trouble alone, but I'm not good at socializing. At the moment, Charlotte's attitude is soft because she still feels indebted to him, but she will soon grow to hate him.

(When the time is right, I'll put a bunch of money in a place where it's easy to steal. ......)

　Laughing at himself for thinking such a thing, Allen continued to work on his paper.



　By the time he realized it, the sun had set.
　Before he knew it, the light coming through the window had turned a fiery Akaneiro.

"Oops, it's getting late. ............

　Getting up from the couch, Allen froze.
　The floor of the tidy living room. Charlotte was sitting there.

　She was motionless, slumped over, staring at the floor. The way she was lit up by the setting sun was a strange sight.



Oh, hey, Charlotte, ...... what are you doing?
"Oh, Mr. Allen.

　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.
　She has the same innocent smile as before. But then she scratches her cheek as if she's in some kind of trouble.

I'm not sure what to make of it.

　And then she said it without hesitation.

"I was counting the grains on the floor!
"The grain of the floor.

　Allen couldn't help but gulp back.