“Fufu, as expected, you restless like usual, Shia.”
“!!”
The ceiling was a U-shape with considerable depth. Large stained glass windows lined up in a row. A chandelier was hung to illuminate the entire spacious room, and multiple paintings adorned the walls in ornate frames.
In the gorgeous school cafeteria, where people could enjoy the atmosphere, Elena and Shia started eating while talking.
“You look surprised, but your attitude was obvious enough, you know? After taking a bite, you always look around.”
“Huh? Ah… hehehe.” Shia’s eyes were wide, and she had a puzzled look on her face. Then realizing what she had been doing, Shia gave a wry smile, understanding that Elena was right on the mark.
“But I guess it can’t be helped. It must be awkward for you to suddenly lose the job you’ve been doing regularly since middle school.”
“That’s right. Since middle school, I’ve been serving meals to Beret-sama, so it had become a part of my daily life…”
“It must be hard for you to suddenly be told you have freedom. Beret has always been strict.”
“Y- yes…”
Unable to criticize the person she served and unable to ignore Elena’s comment, Shia’s only response was to let out a small breath to avoid replying. Though perfect in its avoidance of both affirmation or denial, the fact she did not deny it implied that Beret had indeed been strict.
“Hehe, well, you’ll have to get used to it sooner or later, for Beret’s sake. After all, he’s giving you this free time for your own good.” At the end of 4th-period class, she had heard directly from Beret about how he felt about Shia. That’s why she was able to speak so strongly.
“Um, Elena-sama. About that…”
“W- what? Why the serious face?”
“Is Beret-sama really thinking of me, and made this time for me…?”
“Huh? Why would you think that?” As she asked that, Elena realized that the lovely expression Shia had always worn was now a frighteningly serious face. It was so serious and Elena could sense that the relationship between Elena and Beret had become strained.
“Um… this morning I was so excited that I didn’t notice it, but when I became calm, I realized that it’s strange to have free time for lunch. No matter how you look at it, it’s too luxurious for a reward…”
“Is that so? Certainly, there aren’t many nobles who let their maids have free time… but I don’t think it’s that strange.” Elena stopped eating and leaned forward to listen intently.
Shia, sitting directly in front of her, shrunk and explained the reasons while shrugging her shoulders. “Being a maid is about supporting your master, doing what’s expected of you. So, receiving a reward like this doesn’t seem appropriate for a maid, don’t you think…?” Shia tilted her head, looking up at Elena with worry.
“I see. I understand what you’re trying to say. So you think Beret is testing you… If you accept the reward, you’re average. If you don’t, you’re excellent.”
“Yes. That’s right…” Shia had a hypothesis. She wondered if the fact that he was kind to her this morning, that he didn’t get angry about her mistake, and that he praised her were all just for this “test”.
Beret had said that the reason he had been so strict up until now was because he wanted to make sure that she would be fine if she became a maid or servant for another noble. But what if he had said that to let her guard down and that it was just a test?
Passing meant being reserved and not receiving the reward.
In other words, Shia, who was currently spending her free time, had failed. She had fallen short of expectations. It was only natural that she couldn’t take it lightly. Shia was trembling, but Elena had a look of disappointment on her face.
“The effects of all that unreasonable behavior are showing. I wonder if Beret was being mean to you, like dangling bait in front of you and then yelling at you when you took the bait.”
“…”
“Yeah. Same old Beret.” Such tests are sometimes given to servants and attendants to confirm their trustworthiness, but there’s no need to do it to Shia… at all. No matter how you look at it, she’s not the kind of person who would betray the Marquis’s family.
Elena let out all her feelings with one sigh. “Shia, listen carefully.”
“Y- yes.”
“If Beret is not testing you, and is truly letting you do as you please for your own good, then what you are doing is truly disrespectful to your master.”
“B- But… But… I’m just doing what is natural…”
“It may be natural to you, but what is natural to Shia can’t be natural to Beret, right? Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.”
Elena, speaking slowly and calmly, continued. “In other words, if Beret thinks you’re amazing and is giving you this reward because he respects you, then it can’t be considered extravagant or too expensive, right?”
“W- wh- what are you talking about, Elena-sama! That’s absolutely impossible. Beret-sama would… like that about me…”
Elena was smiling with a proud expression on her face, and Shia, who was panicking, was waving her hands in denial.
“You can’t say it’s completely impossible, right? You work a lot, don’t you?”
“Me…?”
“Yes. You get up earlier than Beret every day, make all kinds of preparations, do your schoolwork, and no matter what complaints you get, you keep working hard. And you’re cheerful too. Even if you accept that it’s just work, there aren’t many people who can do that, especially at your age.”
“…”
Elena’s words, full of emotion, touched her heart. Shia carefully digested every word and became quiet, as if the switch of a doll had been turned off. Instead, she started blinking more frequently, her blue eyes sparkling as she loosened her mouth. “I- I guess so…”
“Yes.”
“To think that Elena-sama thought that…”
“Yes. I think so too.”
“Hehe… I see. I’m really happy about that…” Shea, who was genuinely so happy, didn’t realize that Elena said “too”, and nonchalantly handed her dessert. “Here… here you go, Elena-sama.”
“You eat it. I have my own.” Elena smiled and pushed it back. “So, do you feel a little better?”
“Y- Yes! I feel more confident now that Elena-sama said that. Now, if only Beret-sama isn’t testing me… I guess.”
“Is that all you want?”
“Ah… I know it’s a bit much, but I’ll do my best to get the same praise from Beret as I did earlier!”
“Hehe, that’s wonderful.”
Shia nodded to reply to “wonderful”, but she had misunderstood.
Elena said “wonderful” because Shia had said what she most wanted to hear.
And now for the reveal.
“By the way, Shia. The compliment I just said came from someone else.”
“… Huh!? By someone, could it be…?” Shia leaned forward and bit her lip. There was only one person she could guess.
“Hehe, well, maybe. I don’t know why, but Beret dared to speak up, saying, “I respect Shia. She’s really amazing, isn’t she?”
“Eh, ah… ah… you’re lying… T- that’s not true…” It was something that Shia couldn’t take seriously, but her resistance was instantly destroyed.
“It’s true. If you think it’s a lie, just ask Beret.”
“Ahh… I, I don’t want to…”
“Geez, you get embarrassed so easily.”
Shia looked straight down, making a voiceless noise. Her small ears, cheeks, and neck, visible through her hair, were bright red.
“Oh, Shia, aren’t you going to hide your cute double teeth? You don’t want anyone else to know about your complex, do you?”
“M- mou…”
“Fufu, I wonder what’s gotten into you.” Elena peeked in and teased her, then took a sip and quenched her thirst.
Then came the bad news.
Shia, who had lost her appetite, couldn’t even get to the dessert she was looking forward to when lunchtime came to an end.