Chapter 81 - 8: Two Poor Little Things

Chapter 81: Chapter 8: Two Poor Little Things

Rebecca was used to being mocked or ignored by them, but she couldn’t stand it when they treated Lilia with the same disregard.

Amid the maids’ heated discussion, she mustered her courage and retorted, "That’s not true! Princess Lilia is the most powerful one!"

She thought about what had happened this afternoon.

’Princess Lilia is a Mage! A very powerful Mage!’

Although Princess Veronica graduated from the Magic Academy, could she conjure a fireball *that* big so easily?

Could she perfectly control the temperature of the flames, roasting the fish until it was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and cooked to perfection?

Obviously not!

Rebecca had found the perfect line of argument, and her whole demeanor turned fierce. "Miss Lilia is a powerful Mage—even more powerful than Princess Veronica!"

"I won’t allow you to belittle her!"

The sudden shout startled the maids.

They had never imagined that such a meek little maid would have a temper of her own, that there would come a day she would get angry at them.

After their brief surprise, their mockery grew even sharper.

"A Mage? You really think just anyone can be called a Mage? Sounds more like a con artist who knows a few party tricks!"

"If that Princess Lilia you’re talking about is so great, so nice to you, and even treated you to food, then why are you still squeezed into this dump with us? You should go find her! See if she’s willing to take you in!"

"Just ignore her. Let her wallow in her own fantasies."

The maids paid no attention to Rebecca’s protests, hurling a few more accusations before scattering.

One of them, who had long disliked Rebecca, simply rolled up the thin bedding from her cot and threw it out of the room. Standing in the doorway, she looked down on Rebecca and mocked, "Since you know a princess now, don’t stay here. Go serve your ’amazing’ Princess!"

SLAM!

The door to the room was slammed shut.

The maids’ voices could be faintly heard from inside, "Wasn’t it a bit much, throwing her out?"

"What’s wrong with it? She said it herself—she has a princess willing to help her."

"Why worry so much about her? A night sleeping in the doorway will be just the thing to clear her head."

"..."

Rebecca lowered her gaze, fighting back tears.

She sniffled, folded the bedding scattered on the floor neatly, and hugged it to her chest.

"Fine, I’ll go."

Rebecca muttered under her breath, partly in defiance and partly to convince herself, "The Princess will definitely take me in."

So she said.

But deep down, Rebecca was full of doubt.

She knew what kind of life that Princess led within the Royal Court: living in a rundown shack, with the steward only ever sending her spoiled food...

She even had to find ways to support herself. Did she really have the energy and kindness to take in a maid?

Rebecca stood before Lilia’s small hut, her light blue eyes filled with hesitation.

’Maybe... I should just forget it.’

She didn’t want to trouble Lilia any further.

’Just as Annie and the others said, I should just find some place to sleep for the night. It isn’t winter yet, anyway, so sleeping outside wouldn’t be that cold...’

Rebecca hugged her small bundle of bedding tightly and turned to leave.

Just then, with a soft CREAK, the hut’s door was opened from the inside.

Lilia looked at the girl at her door, who looked "all packed and ready to go," and couldn’t help but tilt her head. "...Rebecca? What are you doing here?"

Rebecca was so startled she almost jumped, whirling around to reply, "N-nothing...!"

Meeting the girl’s gaze, her thoughts grew even more muddled. She couldn’t organize her words at all, and the unvarnished truth just tumbled out. "I... I was kicked out by Annie. She said since I know a princess, why don’t I come to you for help..."

As soon as the words were out, Rebecca bit her tongue, hard. The pain that shot through her mind was the only thing that stopped her.

She looked up with teary eyes. "I’m sorry... that was all nonsense. I was just passing by. I’ll leave right now."

Lilia: "..."

She stepped aside. "Come in."

Rebecca froze, feeling as if a pie had just dropped from the sky and landed on her head.

She instinctively looked for Lilia’s expression, but the girl had already stepped back inside, leaving only an open door.

Rebecca stood frozen for a few seconds before realizing it wasn’t a dream. Suppressing her joy, she ran inside.

She closed the door behind her and suddenly felt a little awkward.

Lilia yawned.

She had already been getting ready for bed but had vaguely sensed someone outside. She’d opened the door out of caution... only to find a pitiful little thing who’d been kicked out.

’Well, this is just great.’

’The pitiful princess and the pitiful maid.’

’The two of them living together in this wreck of a hut... you could call it a fateful encounter.’

"Um..."

A timid voice sounded from the corner.

Lilia hopped onto her bed. "Find a spot to sleep. And don’t make any noise tonight. I have to wake up early tomorrow, so don’t disturb me."

"O-okay!"

The word was already out before Rebecca remembered the "don’t make any noise" part and hastily swallowed the end of her reply.

The hut was very small, just a single room. She chose a spot as far away from Lilia as possible and laid her bedding on the floor, moving softly.

After finishing, Rebecca let out a soft breath.

She looked around.

Even though the hut was even more dilapidated than the dorms, at this moment, it strangely gave her an indescribable sense of peace.

Rebecca’s gaze finally settled on the girl sleeping on the bed.

She seemed to be sound asleep, her chest rising and falling gently. With each breath, her dark eyelashes fluttered like the rich, dark feathers of a little bird.

Rebecca took a deep breath and tiptoed a couple of steps forward, but then, afraid she might wake her, she squatted down a full three meters from the bed and watched the girl’s sleeping face without blinking.

’...Thank you, Princess,’ she thought to herself.

’Princess Lilia really is the most powerful and kindest Princess of all.’

...

「The next morning.」

Lilia woke up early. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Rebecca sitting bolt upright in the corner.

She had been awake for a while. Her bedding was neatly folded, and she herself was sitting ramrod straight on it, like a primary school student waiting for class to start.

Seeing Lilia was awake, she immediately stood up and came before her. "The water is ready. Shall I assist you with washing up?"

Lilia: "...That won’t be necessary."

"Alright!"

Rebecca’s tone became cautious. "I wanted to make breakfast, but I couldn’t find any food in the hut..."

Lilia: "..."

’Don’t say it. You’re just making us sound more pathetic.’

She got up and put on her shoes. "Don’t worry. I’ll be able to get some food soon."

Rebecca’s eyes lit up.

She didn’t doubt it for a second. After all, she had seen Lilia come to her with two fish just yesterday.

’For a Mage, if nothing else, catching fish must be no problem at all!’

She nodded vigorously. "Are we having grilled fish again today?"

Lilia, of course, knew what she was thinking and couldn’t help but smile. "Not just grilled fish."

She left her in suspense. "If things go smoothly, we could be living in a big house by tonight."

"...A big house?"

Rebecca’s eyes were vacant with confusion.

’Even a Mage... can’t just conjure a big house out of thin air, can they?’

’Don’t tell me... Princess Lilia is going to use Magic to force someone to give up their house for us?!’

Lilia didn’t check her expression. She just told her to "look after the house" and left the hut.