"Congratulations, Sister-in-law Ingrid."
"Thank you very much, Elsa-sama."
"Please take good care of Moritz-niisama."
"Yes, of course I will."
"...By the way."
"Yes?"
"How did you and Moritz-niisama first fall in love?"
A little tipsy from the alcohol, Elsa asked a question she would never normally dream of asking.
"Oh, I would love to hear that too."
Empress Emerita Hilde chimed in as well.
"E-Eek, Your Majesty?!"
"...Good grief..."
Watching Elsa and Empress Emerita Hilde, Jin shrugged his shoulders and sighed.
"Jin, what is the matter?"
"Reinhard, huh?...Take a look over there."
Following Jin's gaze, Reinhard spotted Elsa and Empress Emerita Hilde cornering Ingrid.
"Good grief."
"Right? That's the only natural reaction."
Elsa had never possessed much of a tolerance for alcohol. Since tonight was a celebration, she was only supposed to have had about two glasses of easy-drinking, sweet white wine... and yet, here she was in this state.
Empress Emerita Hilde appeared only slightly buzzed. In all likelihood, she was merely amusing herself.
Given the celebratory setting, her attendant Flora stood quietly nearby without intervening.
"Come now, do tell us."
"U-Um..."
Yielding to Empress Emerita Hilde's relentless pressure, Ingrid hesitantly began her tale...
Ingrid first entered service with House Randol—a branch house—when she was thirteen years old.
That was back in 3455, a year before Jin was summoned to this world.
Having lost both of her parents in rapid succession to an epidemic when she was ten, she had been taken in by her aunt and uncle. Once she came of age to enter domestic service, she sought work, and by a stroke of good fortune, House Randol happened to be recruiting lady's maids.
Ingrid spent a rigorous year undergoing thorough education as an apprentice under her senior maids, and in 3456, she was officially retained as a full lady's maid.
In the Shouro Empire, lady's maids—maids in general—were considered servants and belonged firmly to the working class.
Their social standing was by no means high. At the very least, they were often regarded as lower in status than independent shop owners.
Naturally, in a world lacking labor standards or trade unions, their treatment varied wildly depending on their employer.
While some households treated their staff like family, others forced them to labor in squalid conditions bordering on slavery.
At that time, House Randol was headed by Elsa's father, Georg Randol von Amber.
Under the sinister influence of Marcosius of Frenzy—a radical faction of what was then called the demon race, or the Northern People—who went by the pseudonym Marcus, and combined with the lingering aftereffects of a mild stroke, Georg's demeanor had grown rough and tyrannical.
Furthermore, the second son, Fritz Randol von Grosch, had also suffered a severe personality shift under the effects of Seduce magic orchestrated by the shadowy cabal known as Unifilar.
It was in the midst of this turbulent era that Ingrid entered the household's service.
Naturally, she endured many hardships.
While the fundamental working conditions—such as wages, time off, and living quarters—were reasonably fair, the personal treatment she received from Georg and Fritz was abysmal.
The slightest mistake invited harsh reprimands and punishment.
To be sure, Ingrid was not singled out; the other maids suffered the exact same fate.
Even so, the compensation was decent, so virtually no one resigned.
Yet, despite the harsh atmosphere in House Randol, the eldest son, Moritz Randol von Amber, and his mother, Viscountess Randol Marlene, treated her with kindness.
In 3455, the very year Ingrid joined the household, Moritz lost his wife, Helena. Seeing the young master so heartbroken, Ingrid found herself quietly drawn to him.
There is an old proverb: A woman with ailing eyes, a man with a cold.
A woman suffering from eye trouble has a moist, tearful gaze that appears seductive, while a man burdened by a cold carries a melancholic aura that is similarly captivating.
While the reasons behind the saying's allure are open to interpretation, the essence remained the same.
Regardless, witnessing Moritz steeped in sorrow over the loss of his wife and experiencing his gentle nature firsthand, Ingrid developed a tender affection for him.
(The Young Master... seems so downcast lately. He barely touches his meals... I'm so worried about him.)
From then on, Ingrid carried out her duties while keeping her feelings for Moritz locked deep within her heart.
Sometimes, she would encourage him to stay active.
"Young Master, it is a lovely day outside. Why not take a stroll through the garden?"
Other times, she made sure to brighten his study with the season's blossoms.
"Young Master, I gathered some fresh roses from the garden. Allow me to arrange them on your desk."
Then came a momentous turning point.
Georg was officially censured for his erratic, treasonous behavior, resulting in the ruin and dissolution of House Randol.
At that point, every other maid secured employment elsewhere and departed. Yet Ingrid alone chose to stay by their side.
Marlene spoke to Ingrid, deeply moved by her decision to remain.
"We are no longer nobility, you know. We cannot even guarantee we will be able to pay your wages."
"No, Madam. This is where I began my service, and this is where I grew into a capable maid. I am who I am today because of this house. Please, allow me to repay that kindness, even if only a little."
"Oh, Ingrid, you dear child..."
It was said that Marlene wept tears of gratitude at Ingrid's devotion.
Before long, another great turning point arrived.
In 3457, upon her marriage to Jin, Elsa relinquished the title of Baronet to her older brother, Moritz.
House Randol was once again elevated to titled nobility as a branch house.
With their restoration came the need to recruit a new contingent of maids.
At just fifteen years of age, Ingrid was appointed Chief Maid.
It was Moritz's heartfelt gesture of sincerity and gratitude toward the girl who had refused to abandon his family in their darkest hour.
Though several former maids eventually returned to the household, Ingrid's position as Chief Maid remained undisputed.
Even the returning staff readily acknowledged her standing, and from that day forth, Ingrid remained the head of the domestic staff at House Randol.
Admittedly, in those early days she was still young and inexperienced, and the weight of the title somewhat outstripped her abilities.
However, as she devotedly looked after the grieving Moritz following the house's near ruin, the distance between them closed rapidly.
Ingrid eventually took on the role of Moritz's personal secretary, throwing herself into her studies with fierce determination.
She managed to master the essential fundamentals of territorial administration.
"You are truly a lifesaver, Ingrid."
"Not at all, Young Master. This is merely my duty."
Being relied upon by Moritz was Ingrid's greatest joy.
Then came the crisis when an unidentified flying object appeared in the skies above the Shouro Empire, dropping an unknown device into Magiroots that rendered magic and magi-devices completely inert.
The disruption rippled across both the eastern and western shores of Magiroots, throwing the populace into widespread panic.
Within the Randol estate, the magi-devices abruptly failed. Unsure of what was happening, the household staff were gripped with terror and confusion.
Yet Moritz's steady voice cut through the despair.
"Everyone, remain calm! No one has come to harm—that much is certain. Keep a level head and act sensibly. If you panic and injure yourselves, that will only make matters far worse."
His words were simple and unpretentious, but perhaps for that very reason, they miraculously dispelled the anxiety that hung over them.
The phenomenon subsided after roughly half a day, but the entire household came away with a renewed appreciation for Moritz's steadfast reliability, unassuming though he may have seemed.
Ingrid, naturally, felt it most of all.
When Moritz gently soothed her panic after the familiar magi-devices suddenly ceased functioning, he became an utterly irreplaceable figure in her life.
And Moritz, too, had long held a deep affection for the maid who had stood loyally by his side through thick and thin...
It was not long after that their relationship blossomed into something far more intimate.