Puhaaaa~ What a good cup of tea~ It makes me want to laze around on my bed~
I looked to the side and saw Maria-chan standing beside Anne, nervously looking at me with expectant eyes.
Ufufufu~ How cute~ I'll wink at her to let her know she did a great job~!
*Wink*
Ah! She blushed!! Aaaaahhh!!! How cute~!!!!! You wouldn't have guessed she's such a cute girl in maid uniform was an orphan I met in an alleyway!
It has been a month since Lu-nii and I met Vincent, Iris, and Maria-chan in the alleyways of the commoner's district.
Since then, Vincent and Maria have been training to become the servant of the ducal household while Iris trained to become my guard.
They all showed amazing prospects, surprising many of the maids and knights training them, my family, and I!
I thought, with their time here, they'd receive at least some experience in doing housework, etiquette, and some academics and knowledge that are useful in their lives even if they failed to qualify to become a servant of the Lorya ducal household. But halfway through, we found out that these three children are... exceptional.
Vincent showed a remarkable talent in business as well as manners and disposition of a noble. He's very eloquent, smart, mannered, and has the talent and instinct that could make for an amazing businessman.
Iris was extremely athletic and physically adept. She was very strong for her age, and she was also extremely flexible and agile. From what I heard, she was widely praised for her unique yet powerful fighting style with the sword! In contrast to regular knights, who focus on strength and technique, she focuses on her speed, techniques and utilizes her flexibility, allowing her to attack from unexpected angles and positions. I was also amazed when I saw her duel against a knight from our household! Even though she lost, she was able to put up a great fight! Our knight only manages to defeat her because of his superior range because of his size! She's so cool!!! Her future image as a cool, chivalrous, and noble female knight is becoming clearer and clearer now!!! Ufufufu~ I can't believe I will have such a beautiful knight!!!
Lastly, Maria-chan. Just like her sister and Vincent, Maria had shown incredible progress, especially with her etiquette lessons and skill in housework! The tea I'm drinking right now is brewed by her!!! I can't believe she could make such delicious tea in such a short amount of time!!!
She has also been learning how to read, write, and the general knowledge, she has been absorbing her lessons like a sponge. Ufufufu~ What a smart girl~
But, there's something even more surprising about Maria-chan. Recently, she has been occasionally joining her sister in physical training. During her first training, she showed an incredible display of agility, just like her sister, and reaction time.
Our knights were very shocked and asked her if she wanted to join her sister and become my guard, but apparently, she refused since she wanted to be my maid.
Hm... I feel like her talent is wasted for only being my maid... With that kind of physical prowess, I'm sure she could become an incredible... assassin...
...Wait!
Maid... Assassin...
W-W-Will I have a maid assassin?!?!?! UWAAAAA!!! That's so cool!!!
If Maria-chan becomes a maid assassin, then she could become my "secret" guard! After all, no one would expect a maid to be able to protect me!!! Moreover, since she was my age, she could maybe join me to the royal academy and protect me during my stay! We can stay together and I won't need to worry about having knights following me all the time!!! All I need is Iris and Maria-chan!!!
A cute little assassin maid in one hand. A beautiful and cool female knight in another.
Guhehehe... Guhehehehe.... GUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! YES! THIS IS PERFECT!!!!
"What is wrong, Risa? You've been making a weird face for a while."
Oops! I forget Alexus is in front of me. My bad...
"It is nothing. I'm just happy to see how well Maria-chan, Iris, and Vincent have been doing."
I looked towards Maria-chan, who blushed when our eyes meet, and then towards Iris a few distant away from us.
Mm~ A beautiful black-haired sword girl in black crop top and short pants training with a wooden sword and sparkling sweat all over her body~ What a delicious sight~
Ufufufu~ It was the right decision to ask Iris to stay when she was about to leave, after all! Because of that, I get to see this masterpiece of a sight.
I wonder why Alexus doesn't seem to care about such a delicious sight in front of us though. He only glanced at her once when he came and never look at her again.
Hm~ It seems he doesn't have an eye for art. Iris's figure now is more beautiful than any art piece you have in your castle now, you know? After all she is REAL and STUNNING at the same time. Can't you see those sparkling sweet of youth! That slender yet firm figure hugged by a crop top and short pants! SHE'S SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! How can you beat that?!
"...I feel like you're thinking something rude to me."
"Hehe~ How could that be, Alex~? I never think of anything rude to you~"
"...I will leave it at that for now."
Hehe~ A fine evasive maneuver if I say so myself~
Kekeke~ You won't be able to read this actress that easily you know, little prince~? This is the power of the "Prince of the drama club"!!! Remember it well.
"Still... I never thought you would find such... talents in your outings to the commoner's district."
Alexus muttered as he glanced towards Maria-chan and Iris.
"Fufufu~ There are always diamonds in the rough in the cities, Alex. Children like them, unbound by a path set by their family, position, and birth, could become anything given the chance. I was just lucky enough to meet Maria-chan, Iris, as well as Vincent."
"A-Alterisa-sama..."
I turned and smiled softly at Maria-chan as tears began to flow down her cheeks.
Oh no, I don't mean to make you cry...
"I see... After seeing their progress, I truly can't refute your words."
"Hehe~ It's true after all~ They have infinite potential, but... Well, they are still potential in the end. Without an environment or people that could support them, these children may never realize their potential. Because of that, I'm starting to think that creating an orphanage would be a good idea to give childrens in unfortunate circumstances a chance to learn..."
"An orphanage..."
Hm... But without a person to educate them, it might not change too much. The most important thing is to have someone give them a chance and let them shine. An orphanage would help many children by giving them a better environment to live in, but without anyone to not only take care of them but also lead them in the right path, they would still grow up even without realizing what they want or what they can do in their lives.
"...Risa, do you want to open an orphanage?"
"...At this moment, I don't think I'd have the money, personnel, and knowledge to open one. But, there are merits to opening one not only for these children, but also for us."
"...Finding prospective talents like Maria, Iris, and Vincent, is it?"
"Yes. If you open an orphanage, you can scout talents that are not affiliated with any nobles, and maybe, some of the would shine like Maria-chan, Iris, and Vincent~ Right, Maria-chan~"
"A-Alterisa-sama~ T-Thank you very much for your praise~"
Ufufufu~ How cute~
Ahhh, I want to pinch those rosy cheeks right now~!!! She's so cute~!!!
"Hehe~"
I pick up my cup of tea and take a sip as Alex dazes off into his own thoughts.
Oooh, he's thinking hard about something. Whenever he becomes silent, I know he's scheming and planning something. It's a habit of his that I didn't know from when I was playing "Lovely Happening". Seems like as he grew older, his scheming ability levels up and he doesn't need that lull casting time anymore.
When he's like this, I'd usually just continue to drink my delicious tea and desserts prepared by my beautiful maids Anne and Maria~
After a while, he finally snapped out of it and smiled at me.
"Thank you for giving me an idea, Risa~ You really are amazing to be able to think of that. It seems that the time you spent in the commoners' district wasn't a waste after all."
"It's not a waste, either way! I also got some flower and plant oils that I've been using to make new scents for my shampoo and conditioner! Hmph!"
How rude! It wasn't a waste of time! Those delicious skewers and street foods were NOT a waste of time as well because they are amazing!
"Hehehe~ I'll leave it at that then."
Ah, he's giggling~ Cute.
"Then? What are you planning to do now?"
"Hm... Aside from my self defense, magic training, and my shampoo and conditioner development, I don't think I have anything I need to do particularly. Ah, Illya is also going to visit me this weekend to play. What's wrong?"
"Illya... Ah, the daughter of Marquis Luminum... I've heard about her rapid completion of her studies as well as skills with the sword. It was quite surprising, though not as much as you."
"Ufufufu~ We met during my debutante and we've been talking to each other through letters since then. I'm glad she's doing better."
"Mm... Being the daughter of a noble whose wife had already passed must be very difficult. I didn't notice it at first, but after you've told me how her sisters treated her, I do noticed signs of it at parties before."
"Yes... She's such a kind, beautiful, and honest child. But it seems her father has now been paying attention to her and has helped her relationships with her step-sisters and stepmother. Though I don't know the full details through letters, she had told me that they rarely bully her now and have been ignoring her..."
"...Considering the treatment she received before, I would say that is an improvement."
"Yes... But still... You can't even call such a cold place home and family..."
I sighed.
"...Don't worry. She's a strong girl, right? Then you should believe in her and just do your best to be by her side as her friend."
"...Uhn! I'll do my best to make her happy!!! I'll pamper her all day this weekend!"
If she can't feel at home in her own house, then I'll welcome her with open arms and give her the warmth of a friend!!!
"...Good to know."
Hm? Why did the air suddenly change?
In that moment, I heard a rustle from my side and a cute little yelp from Maria-chan.
I looked towards her and I saw Anne smiling softly while Maria-chan rubbed her hands with a pout.
"What's wrong?"
"It is nothing, Alterisa-sama~ Right, Maria?"
"Y-Yes!"
???
What just happened?
"Apologies. It was my mistake. I will do my best to not alert you anymore in the future."
"..."
Hm? What is happening? Why is Maria-chan frowning at Alex?
"What happened, Alex?"
"It is nothing. I'm sorry."
"If it's nothing, then why are you apologizing? You're acting strange."
"Is that so?"
Heh~ Well, it's nothing rare, I guess~ The Sun rising in the east, Alexus occasionally acting strange, nothing unusual at all~ Kekeke~
"Ah, Maria-chan~ May I have another cup please~"
"Yes! Alterisa-sama~!"
Mmmh~ A cup of tea brewed by cute girls are the best indeed~
Afterword
...I swear I saw something glimmering when Maria raised her skirt. Is that...
"What are you saying, you perverted author?! How can you look under a young maiden's skirt?!"
N-No, that's not what I meant. That's... That's a dag-
"I can't believe you! How can you look at Maria-chan like that!"
...I'm sorry.
"Good! You should repent!"
...... *Sweats heavily*
AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please comment your thoughts~! I would love to hear what you think about it~!!!!