Later, as the two continued talking, a soft knock interrupted them. Yuzuriha tilted her head.
“Who is it?”
“Ah, that’s me. Come in.”
“…Mm.”
The one who entered was Kanade, Suzuha’s older brother’s maid. Alone.
“Did you tell Suzuha-nii?”
“No. A maid should never trouble her master.”
“I see.”
The reason Toko wanted to speak directly to Kanade—without Suzuha’s older brother’s present—was that the topic might make her hesitate if he were there.
“I’ll cut to the chase—how about becoming a royal maid?”
“…Huh?”
“Hey, Toko. Are you seriously trying to poach Suzuha-kun’s older brother’s’s maid? Not cool.”
“That’s not it at all!”
This time, Toko had reached out to Kanade with:
“I’d like to discuss your future. Suzuha-nii can join if you want.”
The reason she didn’t involve Suzuha’s older brother’s first was simply to hear Kanade’s own thoughts.
Not because she’d be embarrassed if he said no. Absolutely not.
“I asked Suzuha-nii, and apparently, you’re the only maid in the castle, right?”
“…Yes.”
“He praised you a lot, you know. Called you a perfect super-maid. Especially amazing at cleaning?”
“…Not that impressive. But Kanade is good at cleaning.”
Kanade’s face remained blank, but the slight puffing of her nose made it obvious she was secretly thrilled.
“But Suzuha-nii is worried. You don’t have any fellow maids or friends your age. He wondered if there was a good way to fix that.”
“…No issue. A maid walks the path of shadows. The way of the maid is to die undiscovered.”
“What kind of maid are you!?”
Yuzuriha couldn’t help but interject, and Toko felt the same.
“So I thought—why not bring you to our place?”
Toko’s plan was simple.
From what Suzuha’s older brother’s said, Kanade’s skills as a maid were undeniable.
So, the royal family would take her in, and in exchange, send a few royal maids to Lohengrin Castle.
The royal maid corps numbered over a thousand, with plenty of girls Kanade’s age.
Plus, Kanade seemed skilled at intelligence-gathering, and the royal family had its own spy division—if she had the aptitude, she could train there.
After a few years working for the royal family until adulthood, she could always return—
Kanade listened to Toko’s proposal, snorted, and delivered her verdict:
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, little girl.”
“Who’re you calling ‘little girl’!?”
“Kanade’s one and only master is current master. A brat like you isn’t even worth comparing. Also, Kanade’s intelligence skills are perfect. No need to learn.”
“Oh? Then what’s Toko’s current worry?”
“Her boobs lost to Suzuha’s.”
“Shut up, shut up!! I don’t care about that at all!”
Her deepest, most guarded secret—exposed in an instant. She denied it furiously.
“Don’t worry, Toko. It doesn’t matter. I’m still winning.”
“Don’t worry, Toko. Kanade is still growing. They’ll get bigger.”
“I’M STILL GROWING TOO, DAMMIT!!”
And just like that, the queen, the duke’s daughter, and the maid devolved into a full-blown catfight.
Meanwhile, one floor above—
“—Brother, can I sleep with you tonight? It’s been a while.”
“What’s this all of a sudden, Suzuha? You don’t usually ask.”
“Tonight’s the perfect chance—I mean, I might have a scary dream. Is that… not okay?”
“Fine, fine.”
And so, the little sister shamelessly got her brother to cuddle with her.
The next morning, when the three girls found out, they stomped their feet in frustration—or so the story goes.
4
After leaving the ducal manor, Toko and I headed for the Holy Theocracy.
That part was fine, but Toko had sent her escort unit back to the capital. When I asked if that was safe,
“Well, with Suzuha-nii and Yuzuriha here, my guards would just get in the way, right?”
she replied
I wasn’t sure about me being a factor, but Yuzuriha alone was worth a hundred men.
Plus, sending the carriage back meant we could easily travel off-road. The path to the Holy Theocracy was a long detour if we stuck to the main road, so this would save a lot of time. Unlike me, Toko was the queen—the longer she stayed away, the more work would pile up.
Only one problem came from ditching the carriage:
“Hey, hey, Suzuha-nii—piggyback me!”
“What?”
Once we’d left the road and entered the forest, Toko made this bizarre request.
“Come on! The carriage is gone, and unlike you two, I’m a mage. My legs hurt from walking! Look, they’re all swollen. Yuzuriha, Suzuha, you agree, right?”
“Toko’s thighs are always rock-solid.”
“Also, Brother, Toko’s thighs are thicker than most knights’. She can definitely walk.”
“Shut up! I’m the queen! A frail mage! A humanities major!”
“Fine, fine.”
True or not, Toko had a point.
So, I hoisted her onto my shoulders and kept walking.
(That she looked nothing like a queen in this position would remain my little secret.)
Even with Toko along, the journey stayed uneventful.
Occasionally, a tiger or bear would appear—only to be one-kicked to death by Suzuha.
Occasionally, a large eagle would swoop down—only for Yuzuriha to nail it with a pebble.
Occasionally, a snake would slither by—only for Kanade to pummel it into paste.
They all seemed oddly motivated—probably because they wanted to impress Toko. After all, she was the queen. Me? I was just background noise.
With nothing else to do, I chatted with Toko as we walked.
“—So, you didn’t want to go to the Holy Theocracy?”
“Yeah. Their summons was obviously a power play. I almost ignored it, but that would’ve been bad.”
“What was their reason?”
“Obviously you, Suzuha-nii.”
“M-Me!?”
I panicked at the sudden mention.
I hadn’t done anything to draw the Holy Theocracy’s ire—I think. Certainly nothing warranting a royal summons—
“No, no, it’s not your fault.”
“Yuzuriha?”
“Just a guess, but your recent exploits were too flashy. The Theocracy’s higher-ups must’ve taken notice. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Exactly! Honestly, it’s way too late for them to be catching on to Suzuha-nii!”
“Don’t be harsh. For people with the authority to summon you, their reaction was quick.”
“No way! Even an idiot would’ve noticed after the orichalcum thing—Oh, Suzuha-nii, I forgot to mention something.”
“Yes?”
“The Holy Theocracy’s nominal leader is the Saintess, but… you might be surprised when you see her.”
“Huh?”
“Normally, if a queen visits, some bishop handles it. The Saintess never shows up. But with you there? They’ll insist on an audience. Especially with the orichalcum and gem restoration stuff. So… yeah, she’ll probably appear. Right, Yuzuriha?”
“That Saintess, huh? Yeah, you’ll be shocked.”
“Um, what kind of person is she…?”
“That’s a surprise for when we arrive.”
With that, further questions were off the table.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
5 (Yuzuriha’s POV)
Since we weren’t traveling by road, camping was unavoidable.
Deep in the forest, the steady breathing of a young man echoed softly.
This man—though you’d never guess from his appearance—was a margrave of a great nation and one of the continent’s most pivotal figures. His lack of self-awareness might’ve been why.
And clinging to his arm as she slept was a beautiful girl in a knight academy uniform. Though her face still held traces of youth, her chest was laughably large.
As she pressed her overwhelming curves against his arm, she murmured happily in her sleep.
“Onii-san, how’s my homemade cooking…? Is it really delicious? I’m glad… Eh? But the thing you most want to eat is me…? A-ah, yes, please eat until you’re full…!”
Meanwhile, two girls had clearly overheard this foolish sleep-talking.
Needless to say, it was Yuzuriha and Toko.
“Hey Toko, you know what? Suzuha’s cooking is… well, let’s just say it’s tragic.”
“Why would you know something like that?”
“I’ve seen her practicing in secret several times. It was basically a charcoal manufacturing machine. Not that I can talk—people have their strengths and weaknesses.”
Even Suzuha’s elder brother, who’s perfect at both cooking and combat, isn’t suited for noble negotiations or romance. Yuzuriha thinks it’s a matter of the right person in the right place.
“By the way, Toko. Since we’re on the topic, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“What is it?”
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