Chapter 249 Three’s Company
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The day after teacher visited the frontier settlement with Pius, and Estesia-san started staying at the mansion, I was facing a problem.
Actually, the frontier settlement had finally settled down recently, and it was said that the people who came to help from my family would be going back soon. This morning, Lucena-san (Diana’s mother) talked to me about it.
”Lucena-san, you all are going back by the end of next week, right?”
”Yes, that’s right. By the way, Neil-sama, do you have any plans for after we return?”
”Eh? Was there something happening after Lucena-san goes back?”
As I tilted my head, thinking there shouldn’t be anything busy coming up, a small sigh escaped from Lucena-san’s lips.
”Hmm… I thought you might not have made any preparations, but who do you plan to leave in charge of the mansion after we return?”
”Well, of course, I plan to leave it to the people who were already working here… oh.”
At that point, I understood what Lucena-san was trying to say.
With the increase in people coming and going due to the defense situation calming down, we were now sending extra hands to help in other places.
Since there were more people, many areas like the fields, dining hall, and the newly started bakery were short on staff. But when the helpers went back, I would have to bring back the people we sent to those places to the mansion.
I had completely forgotten about what would happen after the helpers left, thinking that things had settled down and stabilized.
So, we have to secure the missing personnel by next weekend, but as usual, I want to avoid hiring unreliable people.
There are many people looking for work in the current frontier settlement, so gathering manpower itself is easy, but considering the sl*ves working in the fields and the earth spirits, we should avoid bringing in outsiders.
”What should I do…”
While I was sorting through documents, worrying about where to find trustworthy personnel, a voice came from the front.
”If you want reliable workers, why not hire dwarves, Neil-sama? Zora, are there any available Sincere Dwarves?”
”There are a few who are free, but… Mei, we’re (Sincere Dwarves) not a general contractor, you know? Are you planning to have our rough-looking guys serve in the dining hall?”
”That sounds like a place some enthusiasts would enjoy. Neil-sama, why not give it a try?”
”Please, no.”
As I replied to Estesia-san’s joke, I looked at the 3 of them──Zora, Mei, and Estesia-san──relaxing on the sofa.
Just to be clear, this is not a reception room; it’s my office.
Recently, more people have been visiting my office, and I started to think it was a hassle to have standing conversations or move to the reception room every time. So, just the other day, I had a sofa and table set up, but now, looking at the 3 of them lounging around, I regretted that decision.
”How long are you 3 going to stay like that? Zora, is your work okay?”
”Well, I’m in charge of paperwork, so I hardly go out to the field, Neil. I finished my work for today already.”
”What about you, Mei? Is your research going well? You’re developing a new cosmetic, right?”
”I’ve made enough progress on that, so it’s fine.”
”Then, what about you, Estesia-san?”
”Me? I don’t really have anything special to do, and besides──.”
Estesia-san stood up from the sofa, placed her hands on the desk, and leaned forward.
”I said to call me Sia, right? And stop using honorifics. Talk to me like you do with those 2… I feel lonely being treated differently.”
Even if she said that, her sudden change was too much for me to handle.
As I struggled with Estesia-san’s behavior, 2 arms reached out from behind her and firmly grabbed her shoulders.
”Hey, let go! Neil is in trouble!”
”He’s my fiancé, so could you please back off?”
The arms belonged to Zora and Mei. Both of them were smiling, but the corners of their mouths twitched.
With them holding her shoulders, Estesia-san was forcibly pulled away.
”Ugh… you guys are so persistent.”
”Who’s being persistent here!?”
”Exactly.”
Ever since her attitude changed, Estesia-san followed me everywhere. Lucena-san asked her not to get too close, but she ignored that. The servants couldn’t keep bothering the guests, so Lucena-san decided it was useless to persuade Estesia-san and asked Mei to watch her instead.
Even though Pordhail is a Duke’s daughter, she didn’t hold back. Zora, who often visited my office, joined them, and the three of them continued this behavior.
They say 3 heads are better than one, but in this case, it was just noisy.
”Can you all keep your talk down somewhere else? I’m trying to figure out where to secure some talent here.”
”I’m not making a fuss because I want to, it’s these two who are getting in the way, Neil.”
”That’s quite a way to put it.”
”…Anyway, if you all are going to be here, at least come up with some ideas.”
”Well, even if you say that, our guys (Sincere Dwarves) are only good for building stuff… By the way, aren’t you looking for people to work in the cafeteria, bakery, and fields? Because you’re short on help at the mansion?”
”That’s true, but what’s your point, Zora?”
”If that’s the case, why not recruit people to work at the mansion?”
”People for the mansion? I see.”
Now that I think about it, they were originally servants who worked at the mansion, so I was considering bringing them back, but there’s no reason I have to do that.
However…
”But…”
”Is there a problem?”
”The servants working at our mansion are basically sl*ves, right? So I don’t want to hire anyone who looks down on sl*ves.”
The reason I assigned outside work to the sl*ves was, of course, because we were short on help, but it was also to keep some distance from the support servants sent from my family.
”I can’t just completely replace the mansion’s staff, and I guess half of them will have to go back.”
”So, you’re saying you won’t accept anyone who looks down on sl*ves. Hmm, but you can’t really tell until you actually hire them, right?”
”Ah then, how about those people from that firm? I talked to them a bit during the attack incident… what was the name of that firm again? I remember they were pr**titutes.”
There’s only one firm that was left in the frontier settlement at that time.
”Are you talking about Toys of Preference (Shikou no Gigu), Zora?”
”Yeah, that was the name of the firm. We talked about it when we were hiding in the mansion together, and they were chatting normally with the sl*ves. I heard they often have a lot of free time during the day. So, I guess it would be more like hiring them as helpers rather than servants.”
”‘Toys of Preference,’ huh… I might want to consult them about it.”
Just as I decided to ask ‘Toys of Preference’ for help, Estesia-san jumped into the conversation.
”Wait, is it really okay to invite outsiders into the mansion? If the people in the fields find out, it could be a big problem.”
”Huh? There aren’t any special secrets in the mansion, though.”
”What are you talking about? Working in the mansion means you’ll have some connection with the servants, right? What will you do if they find out the true identity of that silver-haired elf?”
””Huh?””
”Hmm?”
The silver-haired elf, that was definitely about Lewya. Knowing Lewya’s true identity, both Mei and I made silly sounds at Estesia-san’s words, and Estesia-san looked confused by our reaction. But after a moment, she seemed to realize something.
”Oh, right, normal humans can’t tell races apart using magic.”
”Can you tell races apart with magic?”
”Yeah, I’ve never sensed an elf’s magic before, but it was similar to spirit magic. Plus, she’s using magic to disguise her ear shape, right? If she’s doing that, it’s hard not to notice. But I guess I’m probably the only one who can figure it out this way, so maybe there’s no need to worry about being found out.”
As Estesia-san concluded this, I was secretly sweating a little.
I never thought Lewya’s true identity would be revealed like this, but it wasn’t just Estesia-san who found out.
”Wait a minute, what do you mean by a silver-haired elf?”
That’s right, Zora is here.
Lewya hadn’t told even the people she trusted about her true identity because it wasn’t something to just talk about.
”Are you talking about the silver-haired person working in this mansion? You mean Lewya is an elf?”
”Um, actually──.”
”Oh, you didn’t know?”
Estesia-san interrupted me with a smirk on her face.
”I thought I was Neil-sama’s confidant, but I guess I wasn’t trusted enough to be told such an important secret.”
”No, no, Zora! I just didn’t think it was something to spread around, it’s not like I was hiding it from Zora!”
”Is that so? Well, Neil-sama is kind, but you’re (Zora) just an outsider from the Sincere Dwarf, after all.”
”Can you please be quiet for a moment!?”
”………”
At Estesia-san’s blatant provocation, Zora trembled all over while keeping her head down.
”Z-Zora…?”
”……become.”
”Huh, what did you say?”
”I will become a servant here.”
”What!? Wait, how did it come to that!”
”Shut up! If you say I’m an outsider, then I’ll just become family, right!? I’m going to Lucena-san’s place!”
Saying that, Zora tried to leave the office, but before closing the door, she turned around and glared at Estesia-san.
”From Neil’s perspective, you’re just an outsider too. It’s fine if you want to be treated like a guest forever! You big hat lady!”
”Wha!? Wait a minute! I won’t allow you to get ahead of me! And who are you calling a big hat lady!!”
Chasing after Zora, Estesia-san also rushed out of the office, leaving only me and Mei in the room.
”Are those 2 serious?”
”They must be serious. Seriously, this popular guy.”
”…Zora is one thing, but Estesia-san is a mystery.”
At first, Zora was misunderstood, but as we got involved, her attitude softened. I noticed she was showing some affection, even if she wasn’t straightforward about it.
But with Estesia-san, I have no idea why, and is that even affection?
If I had to say, it definitely seems like affection, but it feels different compared to what others show. It feels a bit sticky, somehow.
”Neil, you catch girls without even realizing it.”
”Catches? Isn’t that a bad way to put it?”
”Hehehe, well, as your fiancée, I’m proud that my future husband is popular.”
”…Mei, what do you think when you see other women coming on to me?”
”What do I think? Just as I said. I’m not trying to monopolize Neil, and it’s not unusual for nobles to have multiple wives. I’ll be the first wife, Diana the second, and Lewya the third──”
”Wait, wait! Why are Diana and Lewya becoming wives too?”
”Isn’t it obvious? I shouldn’t have to say it again.”
She was joking at first, but suddenly Mei’s expression turned serious as she began to speak.
”Neil, I think you should stop avoiding the feelings directed at you and face them head-on. I understand how scary it is to step into someone else’s heart, but I believe you can’t keep going like this. Especially with Diana; something seems off with her lately.”
”Do you see it too, Mei?”
”Yeah, Neil and I aren’t exactly good at picking up on other people’s feelings, but even we can tell that Diana is acting strange right now. And the reason for that is probably you. Even if you’re not the cause, you’re definitely involved in some way.”
Am I the cause? I had no idea, but I felt a slight sense that I might be.
Lucena-san had taken Diana’s place, and the time we spent together had naturally decreased. I had been putting off facing this, but now that Lucena-san and the others were leaving, maybe it was time to confront it.
As I wrote a letter to ‘Toys of Preference,’ I found myself thinking about Diana.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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