ㅤChapter 5
ㅤA fluffy blanket, soft light streaming in from the window. A delicious aroma stimulating the nostrils and stomach.
ㅤRuby, waking up, didn’t know where she was for a moment.
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ㅤ”……That’s right. I came to the Langley Empire as a bride.”
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ㅤShe got out of the pure white bedding, changed her clothes, and headed to the living room. A maid was preparing breakfast.
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ㅤ”Ah…… I apologize for not being able to help you change. Good morning.”
ㅤ”I can get dressed without help. Because, look, this is just a pull-over. It’s easy, isn’t it!”
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ㅤRuby was wearing a simple one-piece dress, something you wouldn’t expect a princess to wear. The maid opened her mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it.
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ㅤ”Thank you for preparing the meal. It’s kind of Emperor Theodore-Heika to provide me with meals in such a lovely house! By the way, will you tell me your name?”
ㅤ”It’s Emma.”
ㅤ”Emma, huh. Oh? I thought there was another one yesterday……”
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ㅤShe looked around for the red-haired Emma and the other brown-haired maid, but they were nowhere to be seen.
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ㅤ”……The other maid was transferred to a different department. I will be attending to you, Ruby-sama.”
ㅤ”That was rather sudden. Well, alright. Emma, please take care of me from now on!”
ㅤ”I will serve you to the best of my ability.”
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ㅤUntil yesterday, being a caretaker for “Princess Aquamarine” was the most popular position within the castle. If you were favored by the princess and promoted, you could quickly climb the ranks.
ㅤHowever, when it became clear that the princess who arrived was an imposter, the number of applicants quickly dwindled. The truth of the matter was that these two were the ones who were left behind and forced into the role.
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ㅤServing the “imposter princess” was a losing role to begin with. On top of that, with the presence of those unidentified creatures called Poison Rats, it was no wonder that the unmotivated maids ran away.
ㅤEmma didn’t want to be here either. She only stayed because her salary slightly increased with one less person, meaning she could send more money back home to her family.
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ㅤThe breakfast Emma prepared was a feast for Ruby.
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ㅤ”This bread is so soft! The steamed sweet potatoes are also delicious. Eh, there’s even soup? This is an incredible feast. I’m sorry.”
ㅤ”……”
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ㅤEmma’s feelings were extremely complicated. This breakfast was standard by Langley Empire standards, but it was generally unpopular with foreign guests. Emma had never been abroad, so she hadn’t seen it firsthand, but she knew that normal royalty ate more luxurious breakfasts. Envoys from the central countries even brought their own cooks and ingredients, refusing to touch the food of this country at all.
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ㅤ”The Langley Empire is covered in miasma and the soil is poor, so only these Hoffen Potatoes can be reliably harvested. They are included in all three meals, so I believe you will soon tire of them.”
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ㅤThis imposter princess must only find them novel. Perhaps because of this thought, Emma realized with a start that her words had become a little spiteful.
ㅤHowever, Ruby didn’t seem particularly offended.
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ㅤ”Is that so? But they’re much more substantial and nutritious than grass, so it’s enough. I won’t be so extravagant as to get tired of them.”
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ㅤGrass……? Emma wondered, but she dismissed it as a noble’s joke.
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ㅤ”Come on, Emma, let’s eat together. Just being warm makes it taste even better!”
ㅤ”I am a maid, so I do not share a table with my master.”
ㅤ”Don’t worry about it. There’s only you and me in this house. Or have you already eaten?”
ㅤ”No, not yet……”
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ㅤOr rather, Emma skipped breakfast due to financial circumstances. She lived day to day on the two meals provided by the castle, lunch and dinner.
ㅤTo tell the truth, her stomach had been growling quietly for a while now. She was desperately tensing her abdominal muscles so Ruby wouldn’t notice.
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ㅤ”Then it’s perfect! It must be hard for a maid to work alone, so let’s eat breakfast together.”
ㅤ”B-But……”
ㅤ”I don’t know how long I’ll be here. Can you tell me about this country while we eat?”
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ㅤRuby pulled Emma’s hesitant hand and made her sit opposite her.
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ㅤ”Besides, I can’t eat this much. Emperor Theodore-Heika is so generous to provide me with what seems like a whole day’s worth of food just for breakfast.”
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ㅤI think it’s a perfectly normal single serving…… but she couldn’t say that.
ㅤFrom the “grass” comment earlier, Emma felt something was off about Ruby’s words and actions.
ㅤWas it true that she was “confined” as the maid who was present at her arrival had said? That maid had said, “It must be a lie to attract His Majesty’s attention”…… but even without any proof, Emma didn’t think so.
ㅤWhile she was lost in thought, a plate was placed in front of Emma and the food was served.
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ㅤ”Let’s eat! Ah, the fluffy bread makes me happy……”
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ㅤRuby held her cheeks with a happy expression.
ㅤWhile bewildered by her master, Emma quietly reached for the steamed sweet potato.