The room we were shown to wasn’t exactly what one would call nice.
The manor itself was already much smaller compared to other nobles’ mansions, so the guest rooms were in even worse condition. They were in fact worse than a second-class dormitory at the academy.
The only saving grace was that the place seemed to be cleaned often, as there were no signs of rats or dust.
Given that we had mentally prepared ourselves to possibly stay at a shabby inn, we felt rather fortunate.
“Mars, was that woman just now… your type, by any chance?”
After we unpacked in our respective rooms, Pollo came to find me and asked a strange question.
For reference, the men’s and women’s rooms were quite far apart. That was apparently because there were only so many vacant rooms available for last-minute guests like us, which is why we’d been split up this way.
Knowing full well that we had shown up unannounced, we felt grateful for Lady Lilia’s hospitality and agreed to meet again around dinner.
“What…? What kind of nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”
“Come on, you know what I mean. I’ve never seen you compliment a woman’s looks so openly before. But in front of the baron’s wife, you straight-up said she was beautiful.”
“Oh, that?”
Now that he mentioned it, I guess I did say that?
It had slipped out without me even realizing, so I didn’t think much of it at the time.
Pollo may have brought it up like that, but hey, I do have a sense of aesthetic appreciation too.
When I see a beautiful woman, I do recognize her beauty, and it’s not like I feel no attraction to the opposite sex.
It was just that I hadn’t yet met anyone who truly hit me in the heart.
Plus, hanging around three women who were arguably top-tier in this world when it came to looks had probably raised my standards. I was aware of that.
But when I looked at Lady Lilia, it strongly felt like the emotions I was experiencing weren’t actually mine.
My brain was simply recognizing that she was very beautiful. Nothing more.
Yet, while my heart was pounding like thunder and my blood felt like it was boiling, my mind remained ice cold.
That strange disconnect between reason and instinct made me suspect that something was interfering with my senses. And it was that suspicion that made me speak out and question the woman standing before me.
“Yeah, I did say that. But it was because the whole thing felt off.”
“Felt off? I mean, even I thought she was pretty.”
“Exactly. That’s the point. After hanging out with you and those three ladies, my standards for judging people’s looks have gone way up. So for me to be shaking and getting excited like that against my will? No way. She definitely pulled something.”
“W-Wait, you were actually that flustered?!”
“Yeah. But it wasn’t from my own will. My thoughts were completely my own, but my body reacted in a totally different way. I barely managed to hide it. If I hadn’t used my aura to suppress it, I probably would’ve acted like a dog in heat or something.”
“Th-That bad?!”
Did… he really get what I meant?
I left Pollo who was blushing and stammering, and walked over to the window to look out over the estate.
“That’s not all. Did you notice the servants earlier?”
“Oh, I saw them. Why?”
“For starters, they were all men. That woman gave us some strange excuse, but having not even a single female servant in a noble household? That just doesn’t make sense. If you went down into the village right now and said they were hiring maids, you’d have a line out the door.”
Being a maid was actually a pretty popular job.
Sure, if you ended up working for a nasty noble, it could be hell. But on the flip side, if you got lucky and served a decent one, it was a solid position.
For common women in this world, there weren’t many options.
Working under the scorching sun, doing sewing jobs that don’t pay well… maybe the best-case scenario was running a small inn or something?
Becoming a knight or a mage was pretty much impossible without talent, so even trying was out of reach for most.
But a maid?
You get a place to sleep, you get food.
Sure, you have to put up with the noble’s whims, but that’s a far cry better than sweating it out doing back-breaking labor outside. Smiling through a half-day of flattery sounds like the better deal.
Plus, if you were good-looking, there were plenty of cases where maids ended up becoming a noble’s mistress. So being a maid was actually seen as a highly desirable job for women.
“And not a single person in this small territory would take that job? No way.”
“But didn’t she say they were all on vacation or maternity leave?”
“Do you really believe that? Do you honestly think a noble household would give that many people time off all at once? Things would fall apart.”
Maybe that would fly in a duke’s mansion with dozens of servants, but for a backwater noble like this? Every pair of hands was precious.
Unless their head was completely empty, there was no way they’d just toss aside valuable labor like that.
“So what’s that woman up to, then?”
“That part, I don’t know. I mean, what would she even gain from deliberately keeping out women and only hiring men?”
“Well… maybe Mars is just being overly cautious after everything that happened recently?”
“Hmm…”
Not quite able to deny Pollo’s words outright, I shifted the topic to shake off the uneasy feeling. We chatted idly until dinner time.
***
Meanwhile.
The women had gathered together. They were sharing their thoughts while unpacking their things.
“Wasn’t that the first time we’ve heard him compliment someone’s looks?”
…The topic was very different from the men’s conversation, but the seriousness of it was no less intense.
“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I am beautiful. The same goes for the noble lady, and the saintess as well.”
Perhaps realizing how bold it was to call herself beautiful, the imperial princess’s cheeks flushed a faint red.
Still, she didn’t seem to mind and continued sharing her thoughts.
“But a guy like him just casually said someone was really beautiful. That has to mean something’s off!”
“True… Wait, then, Your Highness, have you never once been told you were beautiful or cute by Mars?”
“…You speak as if you have?”
“U-Um, just once, when he was helping me pick out an outfit, he told me I was beautiful, and that my smile was especially lovely. I think he even said I looked like a model because the clothes suited me so well~?”
“……”
The moment the noble lady said that almost like she was provoking…the princess’s expression darkened, and a subtle chill settled between the two.
“Um…”
Just then, the saintess who had been quietly listening to their conversation cautiously raised her hand while looking puzzled.
“Saintess? Is something wrong?”
“Um… I was wondering… do the two of you… have feelings for Brother Mars?”
“Wh-What?!”
“Th-That’s not it at all!”
The two flailed. They grew flustered and tried to deny it.
“We’re just upset that a guy like him showed zero reaction even when faced with women as beautiful as us, that’s all.”
“That’s right. You’re a woman too, Saintess. Don’t you feel a bit slighted when a man doesn’t compliment your appearance at all?”
“I… I’m not sure. Ever since that incident, I’ve been afraid of facing men… Brother Mars is fine, but… I don’t even know if what I’m feeling is affection.”
“Ah…”
The two had heard, albeit briefly, about the unpleasant incident the saintess had gone through.
Feeling that they may have unintentionally stirred up a painful memory, the noble lady and the princess were left awkwardly embarrassed.
“S-Sorry. We spoke without considering how you might feel, Saintess.”
“Mm. I apologize as well.”
“No, it’s okay. I actually got to see a new side of both of you today.”
So they weren’t interested in Brother Mars after all. Well, I suppose it makes sense. They’ve both had feelings for Brother Pollo all along, so they probably never paid much attention to him.
Phew—
Huh?
The saintess was startled to find herself letting out a sigh of relief.
Did I just… feel relieved? Why? Why would I?
Fortunately, the two in front of her were too preoccupied trying to cool their flushed faces to notice the sound.
Though the meaning behind that sigh only deepened the saintess’s confusion, she still hadn’t figured it out by the time dinner approached.
***
Evening mealtime came before we knew it.
Led to the dining room by the servants, the club members let out surprised murmurs at the unexpectedly atmospheric interior.
“Fufu, thank you. Well, we had some important guests coming, so I tried to put in a little extra effort~ There may not be much, but I hope you enjoy it~”
She made it sound like it was nothing, but the table she had prepared was surprisingly lavish.
Though the circumstances meant that expensive ingredients were out of the question, the care she had put into the meal was clear to see.
I took a spoonful of the soup placed in front of me, and once I was reassured there was no trace of poison on my tongue, I began to eat properly.
“Sir Mars? Is the food to your taste?”
Lilia had taken the seat right next to mine.
It wasn’t intentional, but since we had all quietly followed the servants’ directions to our seats, this was how things had turned out.
Perhaps trying to lighten the mood, she threw out a casual question to break the silence, since I was eating without saying a word.
“Yes. It’s delicious. The cook has great skill. And since I’m also the child of a baron, please feel free to speak comfortably with me.”
“Oh my! How could I speak so casually to the Empire’s Aura Lord~?”
Is that so?
Still, since our ranks were similar, I figured it wouldn’t be a problem….that’s when something warm suddenly approached my lips.
“Here, say ah~”
“……?”
“……?”
“……?”
“……?”
“……?”
Apparently I wasn’t the only one caught off guard by her sudden action.
Five pairs of dazed eyes stared blankly at her as she tried to feed me.
When we all stared at her in silence, she seemed to grow self-conscious, as if she was embarrassed by her own actions.
“Wh-What are you doing?”
“D-Did I come off as over-the-top…? I’m sorry. I don’t have any children, so… I’ve always wanted to try feeding a child… You were eating so well, and you just felt so familiar…”
She looked up at me with tearful eyes, trying to explain herself.
And yet, for some reason, the neatly held piece of meat still hovered near my mouth, as if she hadn’t given up.
“…………………………….”
The stares from the other club members felt piercing, but her words reminded me of my parents, and I found my resolve starting to waver.
My mother too would occasionally act sweet or try to feed me like that, and when I—a grown man—flatly refused, she’d get sulky in just the same way Lilia looked now.
“…Nom.”
“Oh my, how lovely~ Thank you for granting a silly old lady’s little wish, hmm? Fufu~”
Honestly, part of me had softened a bit, but the main reason I gave in was because I’d been ready to act the moment I sensed anything strange in the food…only to find it was just a perfectly ordinary meal.
And so, having unexpectedly accepted a “say ah~” from a married woman, I had to continue the rest of the meal awkwardly, enduring the sharp gazes of all the other women around the lone man at the table.
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