“Miss Elisa, you truly are perceptive and quick-witted.”
In the dining room, Elisa was enjoying afternoon tea with her etiquette instructor as they discussed the matter of Butler Sheldon.
Elisa said modestly, “It was all just a coincidence. I originally only wanted to investigate an incident involving a male servant harassing a maid.”
“Without sufficient insight, even if your investigation had led you to the butler, you still wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss,” the etiquette instructor praised her.
Elisa blushed a little.
In truth, the entire affair had nothing to do with her. It was the male servant Simon who had uncovered everything.
Besides, at first I really did think it was nothing more than a harassment incident. I was even prepared to have the butler handle it.
If [Simon’s Log] hadn’t happened to mention the bacon, I would’ve been completely kept in the dark. Then I would’ve become the laughingstock of high society at the salon.
The terrifying part was that none of the young ladies attending the salon would’ve told me about it. I would’ve cluelessly been gossiped about behind my back for ages.
And a whole lot of my gold pounds would’ve been embezzled too!
At the thought of those gold pounds, Miss Elisa broke into a smile.
The night before last, she had paid a visit to the former butler’s residence and acquired 83 pounds, 4 shillings, and 7 1/2 pence in cash, along with luxury goods worth around 100 pounds.
Robbery really is the fastest way to make money!
“Your handling of the matter was also very appropriate,” the etiquette instructor continued. “I’ve heard that in the archipelago, masters will simply execute their servants.”
Elisa felt a pang of guilt. She might not have executed the butler, but she had taken every last bit of his money without leaving so much as a single coin behind.
“Lady Helen.” Elisa changed the subject and took out an invitation to the salon. “May I invite you to attend this literary salon?”
The etiquette instructor Helen accepted the invitation. “It would be my honor.”
***
Between the food, drinks, carriages, and bonuses for the servants, a single literary salon cost 15 pounds. It was the same amount as the annual salary of an ordinary male servant.
Simon marveled at the extravagance of the nobility.
And that 15 pounds wasn’t even the full cost. There were also appearance fees, or rather sponsorships, for the three female authors, as well as a small gift for each of them.
The sponsorship was 5 pounds per person, while the budget for each gift was no more than 1 pound.
Is it too late for me to become a female author? I could write a book called Breaking Through the Heavens about a young female Transcendent whose engagement is cruelly broken off before she makes a triumphant comeback.
How did the first chapter go again? Damn it, I’ve forgotten everything.
With his dream of becoming an author regrettably ruined, Simon could only find other ways to make money.
[Simon negotiated lower purchasing prices and inflated the salon expenses, earning a profit of 13 shillings.]
What?!
Elisa who had just woken up stared at the screen and clutched her head.
I knew this day would come eventually, but I never thought it would come this soon!
And since when did you have purchasing authority?! Isn’t Maria supposed to be in charge of purchasing?! Have you two gotten together… Pah! Have you two joined forces?
After washing up with the help of her personal maid, Elisa went to the dining room and found the head maid there.
Before she could even ask, the head maid took the initiative and handed her something. “Miss Elisa, this is the gift we’ve prepared.”
So this is the thing that cost me 13 shillings?
Elisa accepted the wooden box and immediately noticed that there was something unusual about it. The box was decorated with a thorn-like pattern, and instead of opening by lifting a lid, a gentle push caused it to unfold like a flower bud.
It instantly looked much more luxurious!
“The pattern on the gift box is based on the thicket behind the estate. We thought we could use it as the estate’s emblem and engrave the same pattern on the gifts as well. It represents the estate while also reminding whoever uses the gift of this salon,” Maria explained.
Those were all Simon’s exact words. It was essentially a brand logo, something that had yet to appear in this era.
“Whose idea was it?” Elisa got straight to the point.
“Simon’s,” Maria replied.
I knew it was you!
Elisa picked up the gift box and examined it. Strangely enough, she actually felt those 13 shillings had been money well spent. It would be even better if it came with a free point of Intimacy.
This male servant is pretty capable!
Maybe I don’t need to be so wary of him. The value he brings me outweighs whatever he embezzles.
Elisa set down the gift box. “Let’s go with this.”
Maria nodded but continued looking at her.
Elisa fell silent for a moment before saying painfully, “Reward Simon with a set of presentable summer clothes.”
I’m the one being embezzled from, yet I still have to reward the corrupt official doing the embezzling!
Miss Elisa viciously chewed on her muffin.
……
….
The salon was scheduled for the afternoon. At the suggestion of her etiquette teacher Helen, Elisa invited several neighbors from around the estate and had the three sponsored female authors write invitations to young ladies they knew.
Eight guests attended. Together with the three female authors, Elisa, and her etiquette teacher Helen, there were thirteen people in total.
The maids bustled about preparing tea and refreshments, with the head maid personally pitching in as well. Simon and his two subordinates worked around the edges of the drawing room.
As male servants, they couldn’t approach the young ladies as closely as the maids could. They could only watch the ladies enjoying themselves from a distance.
Elisa didn’t consider this enjoyable in the slightest.
To play the part of a proper young lady, she had to stay completely on her toes, mentally rehearsing every word and every expression before letting it show.
It left her mentally and physically exhausted. And all those novels she’d crammed beforehand? Aside from a couple of remarks when the salon first started, no one mentioned them again!
Does this literary salon not discuss literature at all?!
When afternoon tea arrived, the pastries and ice cream finally kept the young ladies’ mouths occupied. Holding a cup of black tea, Elisa at last got a moment to herself.
She sighed. I’ve said plenty, but everything we talked about was so superficial. I haven’t managed to truly fit in with these young ladies at all.
The atmosphere of the salon is also far too formal. It isn’t lively enough.
After all, I’m a stranger. I don’t know any of the three female authors or any of these young ladies. Lady Helen has been helping me along, but there’s only so much she can do.
This literary salon has basically accomplished nothing. At most, it’s a first ste….—a declaration that I’ve entered the social circle.
What a waste of 33 pounds.
She sighed and opened [Simon’s Log], planning to glance through it for a little relaxation.
[Simon observed the young ladies with some disappointment. Not a single one of them was as beautiful as his own Miss Elisa.]
Elisa blinked, straightened in her seat, and glanced toward the male servant.
You have quite the discerning eye for a servant!
[Unfortunately, Miss Elisa’s figure leaves something to be desired. She is far inferior to Lady Helen in that regard.]
The smile on Elisa’s lips froze. She began plotting a nighttime raid on that insolent male servant so she could drain every last drop of his blood!
My figure is perfectly normal! I’m still young! Lady Helen is already a mother!
Besides, a large-chested woman can’t make a good adventurer! They can’t disguise themselves as men, and that causes all sorts of trouble!
[Simon was surprised to discover that Miss Mabel’s figure was actually even less impressive than Miss Elisa’s.]
It took Elisa a full minute to remember who Mabel was before glancing at the other woman’s chest.
Huh? Aren’t hers bigger than mine?
[Using breast padding is a form of dishonesty. Simon firmly condemns such behavior.]
What? She’s actually using breast padding?! In weather this hot?!
My god, these high-society young ladies really go all out.
[Miss Mabel seems to be competing with Miss Eleanor. Perhaps she padded her chest because she refuses to lose to Miss Eleanor.]
Elisa froze. She hadn’t noticed that at all.
[Miss Lillian is Miss Eleanor’s follower and has constantly been watching Miss Eleanor’s reactions.]
[Miss Marianne doesn’t have much of a mind of her own, nor does she like novels, but she seems very interested in Miss Mabel.]
[Miss Eleanor’s expression whenever she looks at Miss Mabel is complicated. There seems to be some history between them.]
[……]
[At the beginning of the salon, when the conversation turned to the novel Blizzard Manor, both Miss Eleanor and Miss Mabel became somewhat uncomfortable and changed the subject. Since the two of them are central figures in the group, the salon consequently drifted away from discussing novels.]
You actually noticed all that!
After reading through every entry, Miss Elisa marveled at her male servant’s powers of observation.
So the reason no one was talking about novels was that the two young ladies at the center of the social circle had steered the conversation away from them. They shared some complicated history involving Blizzard Manor and now had a relationship somewhere between friends and rivals.
Huh.
Elisa blinked. Wasn’t this exactly what she wanted? A topic she could really dig into?
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