One day had passed since Megiddo-san’s storm-like arrival. It was now the 17th day of the Month of Water.
After making as much of a fuss as he pleased, Megiddo-san had departed with a boisterous "I’ll be back!"... He truly was a man like a tempest.
Since the 16th had been a peaceful day, I had hoped today would be equally tranquil... but it seemed that wasn't meant to be.
"Please, Master. Your tea."
"Eh? A-Ah... Thank you."
"Master, I have brought you some cookies."
"...Ah, right. Before that, can I ask you two something?"
"What is it?" they asked in unison.
After hesitantly accepting the tea and cookies offered from both sides, I turned my gaze toward the two figures standing before me. Both were dressed in maid uniforms.
To be honest, I didn't understand the situation at all. I had no idea why these two were dressed as maids, nor why they were calling me Master.
"...Why are you two here? Eta-san? Theta-san?"
"Master, honorifics are unnecessary. Please, call me simply Eta."
"Please address me as Theta as well, without any formalities."
"...Right. Okay. So, Eta and Theta, why are you calling me Master?"
The two girls were the red-haired twins who had attacked us previously. For some reason, Eta and Theta had shown up at the Albert mansion this morning in maid outfits, and for some even more inexplicable reason, they were now referring to me as their Master.
Since I couldn't wrap my head around it, I tried to ask for an explanation. Eta and Theta immediately dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.
"This life was saved by you, Master... Therefore, I wish to spend the life you spared in your service."
"I shall serve you, Master. I shall be devoted... I offer you my everything."
"...Ah, right, um..."
"Y-You lot! Showing up out of nowhere and talking such nonsense!"
As I stood there, stunned by their blunt declaration of loyalty, Anima approached them, her shoulders trembling with indignation.
The atmosphere was certainly tense, but since I felt like I was about to be swept away by the momentum of the situation, I really wanted Anima to put her foot down and say something firm.
However, Eta and Theta simply bowed their heads toward Anima while remaining on their knees.
"Forgive our late introduction, Head Attendant Anima!"
"H-Head Attendant?"
"The Head Attendant is Master's most trusted confidant... Please, give us your guidance."
"M-Most trusted confidant..."
Ah, this was no good. Anima clearly had a look of pure joy on her face. Her mouth was twitching, and her cheeks were flushed as if she were in a state of absolute euphoria.
"...To recognize Master as your lifelong lord, it seems you two have a keen eye for discerning true greatness. Very well! Strive with all your might to become subordinates worthy of Master's name!"
"Yes, ma'am!" they shouted.
"...Hey, wait a minute..."
It seemed Eta and Theta were now completely intent on serving me, and at this point, they weren't likely to listen to any objections.
As I let out a heavy sigh, I heard a similar sound from nearby.
"...Three high-ranking demon subordinates and a Behemoth... Honestly, Kaito-san, you’re practically a major power in your own right now. Seriously, what is with this person..."
"Now, now, Lili. That just proves how much charm Kaito-san has. Besides, having so many powerful individuals staying at the mansion is a distinct advantage."
"That... may be true, but..."
"Being too serious is a flaw of its own, you know? You’ll never survive as the Head of a Ducal House unless you have the mindset to exploit Kaito-san’s connections. Come now, have some confidence."
Sieg-san, standing beside her, gently comforted the head-clutching Lilia-san.
As expected of childhood best friends, the two of them were perfectly in sync. Unlike Lunamaria-san, Sieg-san didn't tease her, offering gentle support instead. Her presence must have been a great comfort to Lilia-san.
Thanks to Sieg-san, Lilia-san quickly regained her composure. She told Eta and Theta that if they were going to live at the mansion, she expected them to help with the household chores.
Eta and Theta didn't possess a personality as fierce as Anima's. They followed Lilia-san's instructions obediently and were led out of the room by other servants to begin their training.
"...Anima."
"Y-Yes?! I-I am so sorry! I acted on my own without consulting Master's wishes..."
Once I confirmed the twins had left and called Anima's name, she flinched and hurriedly knelt, clearly expecting a lecture.
I gave a wry smile at her reaction, then reached out and placed my hand on her head—adorned with those bear-like ears—and stroked it.
"I forgot to say it, but thank you for the other day. I was really glad you were there, Anima."
"Fuwaaa... Mas-Master, you're stroking my head... I-It is the ultimate honor!"
She tended to run wild, but in truth, Anima had done so much for me. To convey my gratitude, I continued to pet her. Anima took on a dazed, blissful expression with tears welling in her eyes. Her reactions were always so over the top.
"...He says things like that so casually, which is exactly why people keep flocking to him..."
"Sieg, you have it rough too, don't you?"
"I’ve already made my peace with that."
After stroking her head for a while, I pulled my hand away. Anima looked slightly disappointed to lose the contact, but she immediately shifted into a highly motivated state. She gave a sharp salute, announced she was going on patrol, and marched out.
After another wry smile at her antics, I turned back to Lilia-san and Sieg-san.
"Speaking of which, where are Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san? And Lunamaria-san?"
"Aoi-san wanted to study magic more deeply, so she went to the Magic Academy to attend some lectures. Hina-san is out for a run, as usual. Luna is off collecting the mail."
"Oh, Kusunoki-san is at the Magic Academy?"
"Yes, I wrote her a letter of recommendation. It seems she doesn't want to enroll formally, just sit in on the classes."
Kusunoki-san was at the academy, then. Since she already had a natural talent for Earth-attribute magic, she might become something truly formidable if she studied it seriously. As for Yuzuki-san... well, that was just her being her usual energetic self.
Right on cue, Lunamaria-san arrived, cradling a massive stack of envelopes. Lilia-san looked at the sheer volume of mail with a visible expression of dread.
"Luna, please tell me those aren't..."
"Many are addressed to Milady... but about half are for Miyama-sama."
"Huh?"
I thought Lilia-san had been hit with another deluge of letters, but apparently, half were for me. Why?
"For Kaito-san?"
"Yes, mostly from the nobility. Miyama-sama has become quite famous since the Treasure Tree Festival, and many nobles are desperate to establish a connection with him."
"...Yeah, I'm really not interested in that."
"I thought as much. I will go through them, verify the contents, and dispose of the opportunistic ones on this end."
"I’d appreciate that."
Truthfully, the idea of socializing with nobles held zero appeal for me. If everyone were like Lilia-san, it would be fine, but dealing with people like that "Toad" Earl sounded like a nightmare.
After putting my mind at ease, Lunamaria-san placed a single, formal letter in front of Lilia-san.
"Milady, this one is from the Royal Palace. It bears His Majesty the King’s signature, and it is addressed to Miyama-sama."
"...Dear Brother. I wonder what foolishness he’s dreaming up now... Kaito-san, may I check the contents?"
"Yes, please do."
For some reason, a letter had arrived from that sister-obsessed King. Lilia-san looked suspicious as she broke the seal and began to read. After a moment, she tilted her head in confusion.
"...What is the meaning of this?"
"Milady? What does it say?"
"Well... to summarize: he says he is deeply sorry for his previous disrespectful behavior toward Kaito-san. He wishes to apologize in person and is requesting that Kaito-san visit the Royal Palace."
"...Excuse me?"
I didn't quite grasp what he was getting at. Disrespectful behavior? What was he... oh, was he talking about how I wasn't invited to that evening party? But why bring that up now?
"...Luna, do you know anything about this?"
"According to my sources, the Underworld King-sama hasn't set foot in the palace since that incident, and His Majesty’s political standing has plummeted as a result. Furthermore, just the other day, the World King-sama visited the palace and reportedly gave His Majesty a severe dressing down over the matter."
"Lunamaria-san... how do you even know that?"
"There are many 'fellow devotees' within the palace staff. The information came from them."
By "devotees," I assumed she meant Kuro’s fanatical followers. I see; the reason Lunamaria-san was so well-informed was her network of fellow fans.
But still...
"I don't really care about that incident, though."
"Even if Kaito-san doesn't mind, the optics are terrible for the palace. At this point, Kaito-san is an individual the crown cannot afford to offend. They likely want to make a formal apology to salvage their reputation."
I had to wonder what Lilliwood-san and Kuro were up to. Especially Lilliwood-san—visiting the palace just to scold him? How did things even get to that point?
Still, this was tricky. I didn't have any strong feelings about the King, but if I refused, it might damage the country’s prestige, and Lilia-san probably wouldn't be happy seeing her brother's position get even worse.
"...All right. Could you send a reply saying I’ll visit at a later date?"
"Understood. I shall accompany you when the time comes."
"That would be a huge help."
And so, it was decided that I would visit the Royal Palace with Lilia-san. Afterward, Lunamaria-san placed a few more letters before me.
"These also seemed significant."
"Let’s see..."
The first letter was from Noin-san. We had talked about becoming pen pals, hadn't we? I'd have to read this and write back later.
The second one... was a pink envelope decorated with heart marks.
What was this? C-Could it be a love letter?
It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but I had never received anything like this before. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at what looked like my first-ever love letter.
Tense, I turned it over to check the sender. When I saw the name "Chris" written there, I immediately ripped it to shreds.
"...That woman, honestly..."
I tossed the remains of the honey trap letter aside and let out a long sigh. I picked up the third letter, only to see the words: "To Kaito-sama, who just ripped up my letter."
She had completely predicted my reaction and sent a prank letter to mess with me. That woman might actually be the most terrifying person I knew.
Dear Mother, Father—It seems that spending every day in peace is a difficult goal to achieve. Immediately after Megiddo-san’s visit, I’ve ended up scheduled for a trip to the Royal Palace. The next set of troubles has arrived.