After that, Diana was lectured by Yuri and the maids of honor. Today's rescue of Shayla was perfect up to the middle, but she couldn't forgive herself for taking on the role of Shinshin at the last minute.

He told me that the palace was peaceful because of Deanna, and that he was worried about leaving her alone, but all in all, he said, "I'm worried about you, so please stop. Apparently, to the girls who know Deanna's true nature, Deanna seems to be the kind of person who, because of her strong sense of responsibility, takes on everything on her own and is reckless. The fact that she is now recognized as someone who cannot be left alone because she is worried about her makes Deanna happy and complicated.
For the first time since her debut in the social world, so many people have gotten to know her. It's hard not to be happy, but it's complicated because I'm not used to ...... being treated like a very nice person. I feel very uncomfortable and itchy.

The maidservants who gave Deanna her first tickle in this way went back to work as if nothing had happened after a brief sermon. They are truly professionals, and their change of mind is top-notch. Deanna was stunned to see him change his mind so quickly.

"Everyone's so busy...
"Today's commotion has slowed down our work.

As usual, Rita was the only one left around Deanna. The reason why Deanna and Rita were often alone together was because the maids were taking care of them for 30 percent of the time, and the other 70 percent was simply because they were too busy to be in their rooms. The Crester family has very few servants, so Deanna had lost track of them, but if you think about it, it would be unusual for the Red Rose, the first in line to the side of the family, to have only seven maids. No wonder she is so busy.

"But the Master-in-Chief is also a contradiction, isn't she? If I were the daughter as they say, I would be rather angry at the lack of maidservants.
I'm sure you're not the only one. I'm sure you've been thinking about it.
I'm sure you're not the only one.　Didn't they ever think of increasing their staff?
That's what I thought.

I'm not sure what to make of it. But even so, there is a possibility that the daughter will be dissatisfied with the small number of maids. It's not often that you'll see the headmistress, but what is she thinking? The only thing we know is that the way she treats ...... people is quite rude and reckless.

There wasn't a lot of information available on the matriarch, was there?
I've prioritized gathering information on the lady-in-waiting first. Today's events have increased the urgency of investigating the maidservants, maidservants and the head mistress as well...
"Yes...

I'm sorry to say that the burden of the darkness will increase again, and Diana sighed.

"I can sort of see it...?

And then, with a voice, a figure suddenly fell from above.

"Huh?
"Master Diana, your leave!

Unlike the normally surprised Deanna, it was Rita who suddenly became tense and took out her weapon. The next thing I knew, I was being protected, and Rita's murderous spirit was really radiating from her.

"Who are you? How the hell did you get here?
"...... I mean, what the hell is going on with the Cresta family? It's impossible for them to have a top-notch covert unit, but even their maids can fight?
Answer the question!
No, I just walked through the attic.

The tension between Rita and Kai is completely out of synch. The tension between Rita and Kai is completely out of sync. ...... It's no wonder. I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.

What do you mean, "normal"?
What, since we don't need to be on the lookout for you anymore, did you go around gathering information on our people?
Yeah, maybe.
"Master Diana!

Rita looked back at Deanna in surprise. Deanna smiled and stepped forward.

"Don't worry, he's on our side. ...... maybe.
"Jesus, don't you need that last bit?
"You can't say he's on your side. I mean, look at the situation.
Oh, yeah, that's true.
...... What's going on?

Rita is in a bad mood. She doesn't like the fact that Diana has become friends with someone she doesn't know.
I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it'll help. Deanna chuckled and looked at Kai.

You know what ...... is, don't you?
I'm not sure what to make of that. How can he be an ally?
Is he treating me like property?
Calm down. You've taken advantage of Master Deanna's kindness to behave so rudely.
What do you mean, "rude"?

Deanna's head tilted. Rita's eyes widened.

"The language, the attitude, and first and foremost the way you appear!　You are rude in every way!
"...... denies everything!
"Yes, calm down a bit, Rita. I'm not sure what to say. You don't have to be polite to me.
"......, sir!


I'd rather be able to be rude and be honest with you than have you put up walls just because of your position or appearance.

This may be the reason why I wasn't that wary of Kai, Deanna thought vaguely. I think I've developed a good eye for people. I've always felt that Kai has been very easygoing with me, and I've always felt that Kai has been very easygoing with me.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I've been so impressed with your work. But that doesn't make you an ally, does it?
That's not going to happen. Well, to sum it up in a nutshell, he's worried about his future if he's still employed by Peony, so he wants to be taken care of by us in case of emergency. And in return, he promised to give us information about Peony.
...... Double-crossing. Can you trust him?
Trust is not about what you can or cannot do, it's about what you do or don't do.　And I've decided to trust anyone who looks at me and talks to me.

Deanna's words, without hesitation. Rita holds her head and Kai chuckles. It's not going to change the way they feel about each other.

I've always thought it was a miracle that the Cresters survived for three hundred years.
It's true that not being fooled by Deanna's face is a good indicator, but it's not a good indicator of a person.
Both of you are so rude. You're both rude. You're not judging people based on that. I'm not judging them by that.

But that's not the point," Deanna said, straightening her posture.

You're a valuable resource, Kai. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.
Oh, that's right. What can you tell me about the Chiefess?
It's not so much ...... about the headmistress as it is about the current state of the courtesans and maids.

It's going to be a long story. Deanna offered Kai a sofa and asked Rita to prepare tea. They had just run out of hot water, so she had to go to the kitchen to get some. Rita was reluctant to leave Deanna alone with Kai, but there was no way she was going to let Deanna go out, so she finally left the room, glaring at Kai.

I'm not sure what to say.　You don't like me much, do you?
"Don't worry about it. It's just that Rita doesn't really like men that much.
...... I think that's not the reason...
"What did you say?

I'm not sure what to say. I'm not going to get into it, but I'm going to go ahead and talk about it.

So, what's the situation with the maids and maids of honor in the palace?
I'm basically told to look for the Red Rose, but at the same time I'm also told to protect the lady, so I usually wander around the Red Rose and Peony at random. So the number of maidservants and the atmosphere were very different, and I was quite surprised at first.
...... That's surprising. I'm amazed at the number of maids and the atmosphere.
"Oh, you think so?　I think I'm amazing sometimes.

Well, that's beside the point, Kai continued.

In the future, there will be a lot of innovators in the palace, right?　So the power seems to be leaning towards the Red Rose. But the maids and maidservants seem to be overwhelmingly in the conservative camp.
Is that so?
Especially the ladies are mostly conservative. See, the current king himself is a conservative thinker, right?　Maybe that's why the people who work in the palace are conservative as a whole.
"......, but it can't be that obvious that conservatives are dominating. If it is too obvious, your father and brother will not fail to notice it, and more importantly, if you visibly treat the innovators coldly, this country will not be able to stand in the future. I'm sure His Majesty understands that, no matter how stupid he is.

Blessed with a large land and rich nature, the Kingdom of Elgrand is a wealthy country with high national power. However, the country is surrounded by steep mountains and wilderness, and in fact, until recently, it was a closed country with little interaction with other countries. For a long time, the country has gone through history without change or, worse, without progress.
However, human technology advances day by day. Even though the Kingdom of Elgrande has remained the same, many people from other countries have come to visit in recent years, crossing the wilderness and mountains. A completely different culture, new flora and fauna, and amazing technology. They brought with them, for better or worse, great changes to the Kingdom of Elgrand.

The number of people who went abroad and brought back new knowledge, technology, and goods increased exponentially. Some people began to do business with foreign countries, and began to live a much wealthier life than the nobility. Technologies far superior to those kept secret by the royal court began to flow out to the private sector. The power of the people grew stronger, and the authority of the nobles declined.
At this rate, the absolute monarchy would not be able to survive. In response to the growing sense of crisis, the royal court adopted a "knighthood system" in which those who had made outstanding achievements in the private sector were given titles and made nobles. As a nobleman, loyalty to the state is a must. No matter how powerful they are, they cannot do anything that threatens the country.

As a result, the number of nobles in the Kingdom of Ergeland has been increasing rapidly over the past few decades. The new nobles, as they are called, are now the key players in supporting the kingdom's economic industry. To anger them would be to lose the country's financial resources.

--And that much knowledge is common knowledge among the nobility. It's hard to believe that the king doesn't know that.

As expected, Kai nodded.

I've only seen the king a few times, but I don't favor conservatism in my work. So it doesn't look like there are a lot of conservatives in the palace at first glance. ...... But in the inner palace. You can see what people are really thinking because they are not under the king's supervision.


'Are there that many ...... conservatives out there?'
It's not that bad. A quick look shows that 60 percent are conservatives and 40 percent are innovators. But the lady-in-waiting, and more importantly the chief lady-in-waiting, are very conservative in their views.

Kai's tone was light, but his eyes were sharp. Apparently, he has access to a lot of information from his time running around in the ceiling.

Deanna, you rarely come to the Red Rose, do you?
"Neither does the headmistress. She really only comes when she needs to.
...... But she's always at Peony. You'd better be prepared for the fact that the lady-in-chief and the other ladies are Peony people.

I thought the reason why the headmistress didn't come was because she was scared of the Countess of Clester, but it seems that was not the only reason.

I'm sure you're not the only one. ...... So the lack of maids at the Red Rose is just a small way of harassing her?
"Of course. If Deanna gets angry about the number of maidservants and does something, she was going to use that as an opportunity to say, 'She's not worthy of the Red Rose! I think he was planning to say, "She's not worthy of the Red Rose! It seems to have backfired spectacularly, though.
I'm not sure what to make of this. That's a tough one.
I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one. I'll leave it to you to find out.
Well, thank you. Thank you very much for your help.

I thanked him and gave him a smile, and he chuckled. Deep purple eyes looked at Diana.

"What is it?
I'm not sure what to say, but you really don't seem like a noblewoman, Deanna.
I don't know.　Well, we're not normal.
We're not normal. ...... Oh, the cart.
Oh, Rita, are you back?

I suppose I should be surprised by superhuman hearing, but the Darkness generally is, so Deanna doesn't really react. She got up and headed for the door.

We're all done here, but we're going to have some tea, right?
Are you sure?
"No, of course not. You're the tea guest, Kai. You should drink it.

I'm sorry for the small thank you," he muttered, and received a silent but gentle smile.