When I offered her the salary, Illness-san accepted it with surprising ease. I stood there, momentarily dazed by her unexpected reaction, until Lilia-san—who had regained her composure first—quietly beckoned me over.
"……Kaito-san. Come here for a second. Illness, please wait right there."
Wondering what she needed to discuss, I tilted my head curiously and followed her to the corner of the room, where Lilia-san spoke to me in a hushed voice.
To summarize the situation…… Lilia-san had always wanted to give Illness-san a higher salary, but since Illness-san had never consented to it, the money remained unpaid.
But now that Illness-san had agreed to accept a salary from me, Lilia-san didn't want to let this golden opportunity slip away.
Basically, she wanted to indirectly raise Illness-san's pay by bundling her own contribution with the salary I was giving her.
For my part, I was well aware of Illness-san’s overwhelming work ethic, and I knew Lilia-san had frequently tried to push a raise on her. If I could help, I was happy to do so.
After we settled on that plan, Lilia-san and I returned to Illness-san's side. I reached into my Magic Box, took out two Platinum Coins, and placed them on the table.
"For now, I'll calculate your official salary starting next month…… so for this month, please accept these two Platinum Coins. You might think it’s a bit much, but you’re essentially doing the work of a hundred maids, Illness-san……"
"Understooood. In that caaase…… I shall gratefullyyy accept 'one' thennn."
"……Eh?"
After listening to me finish, Illness-san offered a soft smile and picked up only one of the two coins I had laid out.
"……Um, Illness-san?"
"I was convinced by the ideaaa of receiving a salary from Kaito-samaaa…… but money 'from Milady' is a separate maatterrr."
"……Ah, yes."
……It was no use. She had seen through our plan with incredible ease—the fact that Lilia-san would later reimburse me for half the payment. Well, we certainly had been whispering right in front of her, and given Lilia-san’s track record, Illness-san probably could have guessed what we were up to even if she hadn't heard a word.
Actually, even if we had discussed it in total secrecy, I had a feeling Illness-san would have seen through it anyway……
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lilia-san’s shoulders slump in total defeat…… well, yeah…… considering who she was dealing with, it might be better to just give up for now.
Besides, I was personally just surprised that she had even accepted a salary of one Platinum Coin in the first place……
That night, once the matter of Illness-san's salary had reached a temporary conclusion, I was relaxing in my room, lost in a book. Incidentally, Kuro wasn't around today…… well, she had come by earlier, but a certain "incident" occurred, and I’d asked her to help resolve it.
The thing was, my mother—whose pride as a housewife had been shattered into pieces by Illness-san—had apparently been overheard muttering, "Maids sure are amazing~" ……and, well, the situation spiraled out of control.
My mother has a fairly honest—or rather, gullible—personality, and before I knew it, she had been brainwashed by that Proponent of the All-purpose Maid Theory. She had started saying things like, "When you think about it, there's no way a housewife could ever compete with a maid. Maids are the supreme practitioners of every possible skill, after all!" So, I had her guardian take the source of the problem home immediately.
Seriously, Ein is usually such a cool and reliable person, but I cannot understand her fanatical passion for the concept of "maids" at all, and I have no desire to start now.
Well, after all that commotion, I finally felt like I could catch my breath. Sitting in a quiet room with nothing but the sound of turning pages was remarkably soothing.
However, hmm. I was starting to feel a bit peckish. I felt like having a light snack. I wondered if I had anything left in my Magic Box.
Just as I closed my book and prepared to manifest the Magic Box, a rhythmic knock sounded at the door.
"Yes, it's open."
"Excuse meee……"
"Illness-san?"
In response to my call, Illness-san entered the room pushing a cart.
"I have brought some wineaaand light snacks to nibble onnn. Would you care for someee?"
She really was incredible; her timing was nothing short of miraculous. Being able to quietly provide exactly what someone wanted at the precise moment they wanted it was just another part of what made Illness-san so special.
And wine sounded perfect. I was a bit drained after the day's events, and I’d been in the mood for a light drink.
"Thank you. I was just feeling a bit hungry, so this is a huge help."
"If it makes you happyyy…… then I am pleased as wellll."
As she spoke, Illness-san removed the cork with fluid, practiced motions. After checking the bouquet, she handed me a wine glass and poured just a small amount.
"Heeeere you gooo."
"Thank you."
I assumed this small pour was for a tasting. If I recalled correctly, Lilia-san had taught me the basics of this at a party once.
First, for red wine, you tilt the glass slightly to check for cloudiness or sediment. Then, you bring the glass close to your nose to check for any off-odors.
After that, you swirl the glass in small circles to let the aroma bloom and take a deep breath…… yeah, it’s hard to describe with my limited vocabulary, but it was a deep, complex scent that felt incredibly refined.
Finally, you take a small amount into your mouth and let it roll across the tongue— This is delicious!? Whoa, this is incredible…… Since coming to this world, I’ve had wine fairly often at Lilia-san’s mansion, but this vintage was on an entirely different level.
It was second only to the Shallow Grande I’d shared with Alice; among every other wine I’d ever tasted, this was the undisputed champion. Even an amateur like me could tell this was a masterpiece of depth and flavor.
I couldn't spend all night lost in the aftertaste, though. If memory served, once I was satisfied with the quality…… I should look toward the server and give a light nod.
Seeing my signal, Illness-san arranged the snacks—various appetizers—in front of me. When I held out my glass, she poured me a more generous serving.
"……This is an amazing wine. I don't know how to put it into words, but even though the flavor and acidity are so strong, it goes down perfectly smooth…… This must be quite an expensive bottle, isn't it?"
"Yes indeedee…… it is a rare wineaaat rarely circulatesss. It was crafted with a special processaaand preserved with magiiic. For tonighttt…… I have prepared a '3,000-year-old wine' for youuu."
"Three thousand years!?"
Th-that’s insane…… I remember hearing about century-old vintages back on Earth, but three thousand years is unheard of.
"……I-Is this perhaps an incredibly expensive wine?"
"It isss…… it costs exactlyaaat 'about 100,000 R', you seeee."
"100,000 R!?"
That’s astronomical. That means this single bottle of wine costs one Platinum Coin…… ten million yen in Japanese currency. No, no, you shouldn't be serving such a high-class wine for a casual midnight snack— Wait. One…… Platinum Coin?
"……Um, Illness-san."
"Yesss?"
Thinking about it carefully, something was wrong. Unlike before, this wasn't Lilia-san’s estate; it was my house. I didn't have a wine cellar here. So where did this bottle come from?
There was a chance she’d brought it from the Albert mansion…… but Lilia-san isn't much of a drinker. She enjoys a glass with her meals, but I’ve never seen her indulge in late-night drinks.
Furthermore, while Lilia-san is a Duchess and surely has an impressive collection…… would she really have a bottle worth ten million yen just lying around? Even if she did, it wasn't the sort of thing a servant could just grab for a midnight snack.
Which left…… only one…… possibility.
"……Where did you get this wine?"
"I purchased ittt…… personallyyy. I happened to haveee…… a bit of temporary incomeee, you seeee."
……I knew it. That was it. In other words, this bottle was bought with the Platinum Coin I had just given her as a salary earlier today.
Eh? What am I supposed to do here…… The salary I just paid her has basically come right back to me in a different form. But I couldn't exactly complain about it.
Once I paid her, that money belonged to Illness-san. How she chose to spend it was her business, and I had no right to tell her otherwise.
Even if she continued to use her salary like this in the future, I had no grounds for objection. Moreover, Illness-san was providing this out of the goodness of her heart; refusing it would be incredibly rude.
But, man. This development just didn't sit right with me. Isn't there something I can do? Some way to handle this so that Illness-san actually gets to enjoy the benefit as well……
"……Illness-san!"
"Yesss?"
"Drink with me!"
"……?"
The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could finish processing the confusion in my head. Illness-san looked momentarily caught off guard, her expression flickering before she tilted her head curiously.
～Bonus: Scolding a Certain Maid～
Me-o: "Honestly! I’ve told you so many times that you can't just go off and act as a maid without permission! Bad girl!"
Maid: "……I apologize. I simply couldn't suppress my overflowing Maid Spirit……"
Serious-senpai: "Hey, you! Look at the title again! Wasn't this supposed to be about the housewarming party!?"
???: "Next Episode Preview: Let's Have a Drink at Home with Illness!"
Serious-senpai: "Stop it, stop with the title fraud……"