Chapter 98

Sasha graduated from the magic academy two years ago. She is the third daughter of a viscount's family and, after graduation, she served at the royal palace, where she was both a lady-in-waiting and on the lookout for a suitable husband. She was assigned to the knight's quarters as a senior maid, considering the need to find a husband. However, the reality of living with a group of men—sweaty, dirty, smelly, annoying, and intimidating—led her to lose her desire to marry.

At that point, Sasha changed her future plans and decided to serve a cute young lady and fulfill her life as a super maid. She applied for a position as a maid for the eldest daughter of a duke, which was currently open, and that led her to where she is now. Her hobbies are reading and watching plays, and she is a member of a fan club for an all-female opera troupe. It seems she is a fan of the tragic love stories between knights and princesses performed by the troupe, especially the knights played by cross-dressing beauties, as her school friend mentioned.

"That's what I found out about Sasha, Lady Dianna."

"Thank you! Iru-kun."

Dianna makes a fist pump after hearing the results of Iruvaleno's investigation into Sasha. Since she behaves properly as a lady in public, Iruvaleno no longer comments on her fist pumps when no one is around.

"If she likes knights played by cross-dressing beauties, wouldn't she love female knights?"

"I don't think 'love' is the right word... but there is a possibility."

"Maybe if I lend her the book about the young knight Nina and get her to read it, she'll become an ally?"

"That seems a bit simplistic... Lady Dianna can't openly claim to be a young knight, after all."

"Hmm..."

Dianna folds her arms and tilts her head, thinking. To bring Sasha over to her side, she wants to reveal that she is a young knight (or aspiring to be one) while maintaining the facade of a lady. However, Sasha is as strict about etiquette and manners as Mr. Silas.

"To get her to accept both the facade and the true self, we need to become closer friends or find a weakness to exploit, don't we?"

"Exploiting a weakness isn't a good idea. It can make it difficult to build trust, and there's a risk of betrayal when needed."

"Even if we have the weakness?"

"Yes, if a more powerful entity discovers the same weakness, there's a chance of betrayal. Or if someone persuades her to solve the weakness, she might betray us."

"Hmm. Then, maybe becoming closer friends is better."

"Since she enjoys watching plays, how about going to the theater together? As Lady Dianna's companion, the cost would be covered by the duke's family, and Sasha would likely be pleased."

Watching plays is an expensive hobby. Not only are the ticket prices for each performance quite high, but some theaters have dress codes, making it impossible to attend in casual attire. There are also instances where women who enjoy watching plays compete in showing off their dresses, such as "Oh, that's the same dress as the one worn at the previous performance, ho ho ho" or "Today's performance is a tragedy, so I'm wearing a sad blue dress, ho ho ho ho."

As a lady's maid, Sasha would naturally get a good seat when accompanying the eldest daughter of a duke to the theater, and she would be expected to take care of her mistress during intermissions, but the benefits would outweigh the drawbacks if she enjoys watching plays.

"Is there a play about Goro-ko and Shokoku-man-yu?"

"...I doubt it. I'll check, but it's probably not there. It's a story told by Cain."

There is no book about the story Cain told. Dianna and Iruvaleno searched Cain's bookshelf, the manor's library, and the capital's library but found no book about the story.

"I just had a great idea!!"

Dianna opens her eyes wide, claps her hands, and exclaims. She picked up this phrase from Cain, who used it whenever he had an idea, and it has now become a common expression for her. Iruvaleno now hears this phrase more often from Dianna than from Cain.

"Let me ask, what's your plan?"

"If we can't find what we want, we can make it!"

"...Are you going to create a play?"

"Yes!"

"Creating a play is difficult, isn't it?"

"That's why we'll start by making a book. We'll turn the story of the facade that my brother told me into a book."

Saying this, Dianna takes out a bundle of papers tied with a string from her desk.

"First, I need to remember the story my brother told me. Then, if we buy a blank book and copy the story, we can make a book."

"Ah, I see. So you want to create a single copy for Sasha to read?"

"Yes!"

Having received Iruvaleno's agreement, Dianna hands him the bundle of papers with a smile.

"...I have a bad feeling about this. What is this?"

"I'll write the story of Goro-ko and the playboy Golden, and you write the story of the unruly king, Iru-kun."

"Eh..."

Iruvaleno reluctantly takes the bundle of papers and looks dissatisfied.

"Will Lady Dianna do the final copy for the blank book?"

"You have nice handwriting, so it's okay!"

"Eh..."

"Come on, Sasha will be back soon. Let's clean up! We need to pretend we're studying!"

Sasha is out on an errand for Dianna. As someone aspiring to be a super maid, Sasha is strict about Dianna's etiquette and her role as a maid. She tries to anticipate Dianna's needs, such as preparing the clothes that match Dianna's mood for the day, and she closely observes Dianna. However, while Iruvaleno can predict what Dianna means by "get that" 100% of the time, Sasha can only do so 40% of the time, which has made Iruvaleno a rival in her eyes. When given an errand by Dianna, Sasha often returns a bit late to show that she has completed additional tasks.

"I wonder what Sasha is doing today."

"I asked her to send a letter, so she might buy more stationery for the next letter."

"Since the scented ink for letters to Mr. Cain is running low, she might buy more of that."

"Oh, right. I'd be happy if she brings it back. I write a lot of letters, so it runs out quickly."

As if on cue, Sasha returns to the room, saying, "I'm back." She has bought hand cream for Dianna's fingers, which have developed calluses from excessive writing and studying. Dianna and Iruvaleno communicate silently with their eyes, saying, "That's what she bought," and greet Sasha with, "Welcome back."

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