Chapter 14 Roland Eleanor the Head servant

The carriage rolled through the towering gates of the Kyros Estate as night settled in. The manor glowed under the soft radiance of countless magical lamps, casting a warm golden hue across the grounds. Home. On any other night, Amos might have felt a sense of relief. Tonight, though, all he felt was exhaustion—the kind that comes when you realize the world is just a bit more broken than you’d like to believe. The kind that no amount of sleep could fix.

The carriage came to a halt, and a servant quickly swung the door open. Amos stepped out first, with Lisa following close behind. An old brass compass was still clutched tightly in her hands; she hadn’t let go of it once.

An elderly man stood waiting at the entrance, his white hair and neatly groomed beard framing a face marked by time. His posture was perfect, undiminished by age, and his suit was immaculate, as always. A faint smile played on his lips, the knowing smile of someone who had seen it all and no longer feared a thing.

"Young Master."

The old man bowed politely. Amos immediately relaxed.

"You are back, Roland."

Roland Eleanor, the head servant of the Kyros Estate and Elena’s grandfather, was one of the rare few in the manor who had known Amos since he was a baby. Even fewer earned Amos’s genuine trust, but Roland did. To Amos, he was less a servant and more a grandfather figure—one who brewed a truly exceptional cup of tea.

Roland’s gaze flicked to the black-haired girl, then to the suppression collar on her neck, and back to Amos. It was a sequence he knew all too well, one that usually spelled trouble by him.

"May I ask what happened this evening, Young Master?"

Amos considered several answers.

Then settled on the simplest one. Occam's razor is the best in such situations.

"I went to an auction."

"I see."

"I bought a compass."

Roland nodded.

"Of course."

"And her."

He pointed toward Lisa.

Roland blinked once, then twice, a faint smile curling wider on his lips. He wasn’t surprised—just calmly accepting reality, like a man watching the rain fall, knowing there’s nothing to be done to stop it.

"I see."

There was a pause.

"May I ask who she is?"

Amos answered immediately.

"Ambrosia's personal maid." Lisa blinked.

Roland blinked. "Personal maid?"

"Yes."

Amos nodded confidently.

"Ambrosia currently doesn't have one."

"That is true."

"So now she does."

The logic was flawless—at least, according to Amos. Roland stared at him for a few moments before slowly turning his gaze to Lisa. She stood there quietly, compass in hand, clearly wondering how she’d ended up as someone’s maid in the last ten seconds.

Then Roland chuckled, a soft, amused chuckle.

The kind belonging to a man who had long ago accepted that fighting Amos' decisions was usually pointless.

"Very well."

He bowed slightly.

"I shall arrange accommodations."

Amos frowned.

"Aren't you're accepting that awfully fast?"

Roland laughed again.

"Young Master."

He folded his hands behind his back.

"In the past year, you even dared to cause trouble to the royal family. Compared to all that, hiring a maid is remarkably normal."

Amos opened his mouth.

Then closed it again.

"That's fair, I guess"

Roland nodded.

"Indeed."

The old servant’s gaze drifted back to Lisa, this time with more care, more intent. He took in the way she stood, the grip she had on the compass, the weariness clouding her eyes, and the subtle strain in her shoulders. A thoughtful glimmer crossed Roland’s face, only to vanish a heartbeat later.

"Miss Lisa."

The elderly man spoke gently, and Lisa visibly flinched.

"You are welcome within the Kyros Estate."

The girl stopped in her tracks, utterly still, as if she hadn’t heard him right. Roland just smiled, wearing that same calm, grandfatherly expression. Then, with an easy motion, he gestured toward the manor.

"Come."

"Let us get you fed and cleaned up before Young Master finds another child to bring home."

"Hey."

Roland ignored him completely.

A skill perfected over many years.

***

The moment Amos entered the sitting room, a small pale blonde-haired blur immediately looked up from her book.

"Brother!"

Ambrosia hopped off her chair and hurried over. Amos barely had time to react before she wrapped her arms around him.

"Hello to you too."

Ambrosia smiled brightly.

"You were gone all day."

"I know."

"You disappeared."

"I know."

"You didn't tell me."

"I know."

Ambrosia nodded seriously. "You should tell me next time."

Amos accepted his defeat. "Yesyes, Lady Ambrosia."

Satisfied, she released him.

Nearby, Elena sat calmly with a cup of tea.

Exactly where she always seemed to be.

Amos was starting to suspect she had a habit of appearing next to tea tables whenever no one was paying attention. Her gaze shifted to him, then to his clothes, then to the faint dust of travel clinging to him, and finally back to his face.

"Safe."

"How did you know?"

"You are still alive."

Amos dropped into a chair dramatically.

"I bring gift."

Ambrosia's eyes sparkled. "You do?"

"Of course." Amos pointed proudly toward himself.

"What kind of brother would I be otherwise?" Then Amos straightened.

"More importantly." He pointed toward Ambrosia.

"I done got you a personal maid."

Ambrosia and Elena blinked.

"You what?"

"I got you a personal maid."

"From where?"

"The auction."

Elena slowly lowered her teacup.

"The auction."

"Yes."

"You purchased a maid."

"Yes."

"You."

"Yes."

"A maid."

"Yes."

Elena stared at Amos, who met her gaze without flinching. Ambrosia glanced between them.

"Why?"

Amos folded his arms.

"Because every noble young lady needs a maid plus it's not mine, I already have you."

Ambrosia looked down at herself.

"I do?"

"You do now."

That seemed reasonable enough to her.

"What is her name?"

"Lisa."

Ambrosia repeated it quietly. "Lisa."

Then smiled. "I'll be nice to her."

"Good. Excellent. I have a feeling you will. You two are really similar in my eyes."

Elena's gaze narrowed slightly but before she could ask further.

Amos remembered something.

"Oh right."

He looked toward Elena.

"Do you know where Roland is right now?"

The reaction was instant. Elena tensed, just a little, so little most people wouldn’t have noticed. But Amos did. He’d known her too long to miss it.

"Grandfather had returned?"

"Yep."

Elena's expression became noticeably more guarded. The equivalent of a turtle retreating into its shell.

"I see."

"He's just outside."

"I see."

"You don't want to go meet him?"

"...I see."

Amos almost laughed.

Elena and Roland had a strange relationship. Not bad but very complicated. Roland was kind, patient, and wise, the sort of man most people adored, the kind of grandfather anyone would be lucky to have. Unfortunately, he was also extremely strict with Elena. Unlike everyone else, he expected a lot from her. He trained her relentlessly, corrected her mistakes on the spot, and to Elena, it often felt like constant criticism and a never-ending list of standards she had to meet.

What she didn’t understand was the reason. Roland was old not really weak, but undeniably old. He talked often about the future, about what would when he was no longer there. He wanted Elena to take his place, to have security, status, and a place in the Kyros family, a future no one could strip away from her. For him, affection was shown through careful actions, though sadly, it came across all wrong.

Elena looked down at her tea.

Amos sighed.

"He's worried about you, you know."

"I know." Her answer came too quickly like she didn't actually believe it.

"No."

Amos shook his head.

"I mean genuinely worried."

"Do you know what one of the first thing he asked me was?"

"No."

"'Has Elena been sleeping enough?'"

"'Has Elena been eating properly?'"

"'Is Elena still overworking herself?'"

Amos smiled faintly.

"Not exactly the questions of someone who doesn't care."

Then Ambrosia innocently tilted her head.

"Why doesn't he just tell her?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Finally, Amos sighed.

"Because he is a tsundere I guess."

Ambrosia tilted her head in confusion.

"Sun de re? What is that?"

And somewhere else in the manor Roland had sneezed.