11. Stellaria’s Shockingly Sensible First Love

“Mimosa is with child. Now that we’ve found ourselves short a maid at the Fisalis manor, we need you to come back home.”

I received this message from Rohtas just as the war with Aurantia had entered full swing. It might have been cause for celebration, but I had to wonder if quitting my job at the royal palace was really going to be that simple. After all, it was only at the staff’s behest that I had begun working there in the first place.

My parents were both servants of the Fisalis family, and I myself had been born and raised in their manor, so I had always assumed I would go work for the duke upon graduating from my vocational school. That was a great part of why I had striven for success in all my classes and held onto the top spot in every subject; it was both a non-negotiable requirement and my first step toward becoming a servant of the duke’s manor.

However, when it came time for me to actually find a job, the royal palace had asked me to come work for them.

“They’re looking for an accomplished lady-in-waiting, from the sound of it,” Rohtas had told me.

“I don’t mind either way, I suppose.”

“Hmm... Though you’re already quite skilled, perhaps you ought to consider this another part of your training. Rest assured, we’ll call you back to the manor before long.”

“Hee hee! Understood.”

And with that, I left to go work at the royal palace.

Ultimately (or “at long last,” perhaps), I was able to return to the Fisalis manor.

It apparently took quite a bit of squabbling between the manor and the royal palace to reach that point, but I’d rather we turned a blind eye to that. For my part, I was simply glad for the opportunity to finally work in the very same manor where I’d grown up.

* * *

It was around the same time the young master—pardon, Master Fisalis came home from the war that I arrived at the manor.

In the time I’d been away, the atmosphere there had completely changed. For one thing, the master had gotten married, meaning the house now had a “Madam.” Secondly, the master’s toxic “companion” (by which I mean girlfriend) was finally gone. Though I’ll admit I never had the chance to interact with her myself, a mistress never had any place in a happy household.

I’d heard about the changes in passing, but there was nothing quite like seeing it for myself.

The Madam—the “Duchess Fisalis” who I’d heard so much about from both my parents and the rumors floating about the royal palace—turned out to be a wonderful person, and she converted me into a fan in no time at all. What a world of difference from that self-centered princess back at the royal palace! She would even go to her dance and etiquette lessons without being nagged...but then again, perhaps that had more to do with Rohtas and my mother ruling over her with an iron fist.

Apart from that, as a lady of the house, she could be rather unconventional...but seeing as those eccentricities were another part of her charm, that only served to boost her popularity.

Most notable of all, however, was the change she had brought about in Master Fisalis. Before anyone realized what was happening, he’d become the very picture of a love-struck husband! Make no mistake—that was a good thing. A wonderful thing, in fact.

The way those two changed must have shifted the mood of the mansion as a whole.

Just as I’d grown used to my new, stress-free—why, I’d even say enjoyable job, the master brought a few guests home with him.

“As you can see, we have some unexpected guests. Sorry for springing this on you.”

After the master apologetically explained the circumstances behind the unannounced company to his wife, she simply said, “Goodness!” As surprised as she was by the large crowd of visitors, she never stopped smiling for a second.

Said guests were the master’s boss and subordinates from his workplace, it seemed. If these were his colleagues, I assumed Sir Corydalis must be somewhere among them; however, I couldn’t spot him from where I stood.

Of course, this was no time to be looking around for him either.

While the madam talked with the guests, the rest of us went about the preparations to entertain them.

“There’s eighteen of them in total,” said Rohtas, counting up the number of visitors in a flash.

“Got it.”

One servant went to the kitchen to relay that information, while the others split up between the dining room and the parlor to get those rooms ready for company. Everyone moved smoothly into position, mindful of exactly what it was they had to do.

Seeing as I was the madam’s personal maid, I stood by and awaited her instructions.

As I stood alongside Rohtas and watched over the commotion in the entryway, I eventually heard the madam say, “Show our guests to the parlor, Rohtas.”

That’s our cue.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Rohtas was the first to act, moving to hold open the door. “This way, please. Stellaria, escort them inside,” he said, handing me the next order.

“Certainly. Follow me, everyone.”

I stepped forward, ready to guide the guests to their seats. But then...

“Corydalis? Is something the matter?”

“What’s gotten into you, Corydalis?”

That was when I heard the voices of the duke and duchess ring out in unison.

Oh, it sounds like Sir Corydalis is here. But whatever could be the matter with him?

The rest of the guests had paused to stare at Sir Corydalis, so I likewise cast him a glance over my shoulder.

Despite all the eyes on him, he remained frozen in place.

My, is that me he’s pointing at?

“What happened to him?”

“Don’t ask me.”

Madam and Master Fisalis both stared at him blankly.

“So you don’t know either, hm?” Likely assuming there was no point in asking the paralyzed knight himself, the duchess looked to see who he was pointing at before inquiring of me, “Do you and Corydalis know each other, Stellaria?”

Well now—how to answer that question?

We’d spoken to each other quite a few times in the royal palace, and I’d even given him one of my father’s handmade caramels when I noticed he was looking haggard, but I doubted that would constitute a noteworthy encounter for someone as popular as Sir Corydalis. What’s more, being a man of both position and prestige, I could hardly expect him to remember a mere lady-in-waiting like me.

“Oh, yes, I’ve known of him for a while now. He’s made quite the name for himself—not to mention he’s our master’s subordinate. Plus, we ran into one another several times in the royal palace.” I went with the safest answer I could think of, so as not to come off as overly desperate.

“Oh, I see!”

“Yes. Though perhaps ‘ran into each other’ is putting it too strongly—we’ve merely passed each other in the corridor, that’s all.”

I assumed he must have pointed at me and frozen up because he did remember me, and he was just shocked to see a lady-in-waiting from the royal palace hanging about the Fisalis manor.

Really, I’m just touched that he remembered me at all.

* * *

A good deal of time had passed since my reunion with Sir Corydalis. I had the day off from work, so I decided to go out on the town by myself.

Back at the royal palace, I was always so busy dealing with that selfish princess, that terror of a prince, or whatever other work I had on my plate that I spent most of my rare days off simply lazing about in my room. I would only leave the palace a few times a year—whenever I went to visit my parents back at the Fisalis manor, mainly. My co-workers who had a little more time to spare would often go out on the town, but I rarely went anywhere unless I had an errand to run.

Still, I can’t deny that I was curious about those cafés and bakeries the girls would always talk about.

Since starting work at the duke’s manor, I was still plenty busy, of course—but thanks to our lovely Madam, I had a little more room to breathe. How wonderful it was that I could shoo—ahem, encourage her to attend her lessons without any pushback! How much easier I had it now that I didn’t have to run around trying to catch that slippery prince!

Oh, dear. It would seem my bar for amazement was on the floor.

At any rate, now that I had both physical and mental energy to spare, my plan was to spend the occasional day off going out into the city.

In the time since I had last strolled these streets, many of the shops had turned over. That made my excursion a fresh, new experience.

Oh, that’s the bakery everyone says is to die for! I remember Father bought a few goodies from there on the sly for research purposes. And there’s Rohtas’s favorite café. I really love that secluded feel it has... The last time I pestered him to take me there, he dodged the question with a “maybe when you’re older.” Hee hee, I should have him bring me along sometime soon.

Taking my time to look every which way, I made my way to the establishment I was looking for.

Today’s destination was a confectionery shop called Lemon Myrtle’s. It was the most popular shop of the moment, highly acclaimed by both my co-workers and the ladies of the chivalric order. It was always quite crowded, so I was prepared for a long wait. Luckily, I’d made sure to carve out plenty of time in my schedule.

Eventually, the adorable, apple green sign of Lemon Myrtle’s came into view. Just as I’d heard, it looked to be a sit-down restaurant that served seasonal sweets—-no takeout options.

Hee hee! I’m excited for this.

“Hey there.”

Just as I was walking over to the café, Sir Corydalis popped up out of nowhere to say hello. He was wearing a simple ensemble of grey trousers and a white shirt—a charming contrast to his formal, uniformed look.

“What a coincidence to run into you here,” I said. “Are you off work today?”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to waste my holiday loafing around in the dorms, so I decided to go for a walk and grab something to eat.”

“I see!”

“Erm... And you are...?” he mumbled, scratching awkwardly at his cheek.

Oh, he’s looking for my name! Come to think of it, we have yet to introduce ourselves.

“Apologies for not introducing myself sooner. I’m Stellaria, a maid currently in service of the Fisalis family. How strange to only be telling you this now, when we’ve run into one another so many times. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, in any case.”

“Uh, same here. My name’s Corydalis Cashmeriana Pulcherrima. I used to be the lieutenant commander of the Special Ops Division, but I was reassigned to the Royal Guard as a platoon leader a little while back. My title’s a real mouthful, though, so you can just call me Cory.”

I’d never bothered telling him my name—under the assumption that he had no use for that information—but now he knew that I was called “Stellaria.”

After that, we shared some delicious sweets and tea in Lemon Myrtle’s. We had so much fun conversing that time passed in the blink of an eye.

Once this was over, the two of us would go back to being “Corydalis, Master Fisalis’s subordinate” and “Stellaria, a servant of the Fisalis family.” Just as that realization was getting me down, however, Sir Corydalis suggested that we see each other the next time our schedules aligned.

Could he possibly feel the same way I do? As happy as the thought makes me, I mustn’t get ahead of myself.

Sir Corydalis was Master Fisalis’s subordinate, and now a platoon leader for the Royal Guard. What’s more, he was the son of Marquis Pulcherrima. It would be unthinkable for him to return the feelings of a lowly servant like myself.

No doubt it was a casual proposition—he had enjoyed our conversation, so he felt like meeting up again. I was sure that this was all just a fun distraction to him.

So long as it was a harmless dalliance, I was willing to go along with it... though I couldn’t deny the pang I felt in my chest.

* * *

I’d believed that Sir Corydalis had been inviting me out on a whim. I’d been so certain of that.

No matter how hard I tried to convince myself of that, however, he was always so kind to me, and I enjoyed every minute we spent together—to a degree that felt almost cruel. More and more, I started to dread the day he would get engaged to a nobleman’s daughter and tell me we couldn’t see each other anymore.

And yet...!

“I hate beating around the bush, so I’ll get straight to the point. Stellaria, will you permit me to court you with an eye toward marriage?”

A proposal?! I didn’t see that one coming!

Given all that time I’d spent dwelling on our difference in station and preparing for our relationship to end at any moment, what instinctively left my mouth was: “I’m afraid I must decline.”

The initial shock of my refusal was enough to drain the blood from his face, but he was quickly inspired to bounce right back, throwing out every argument he could think of to change my mind. Why, he was even willing to dig up the “men-only” incident to do it.

Don’t remind me of that rumor! You’ll make me burst out laughing during this perfectly serious moment! But if that hearsay was what made his parents say that “anything goes, as long as you bring home a girl,” then I suppose I really ought to be thanking the Master.

Oh, don’t worry, Sir Corydalis. I know none of it is true.

* * *

Not long after his proposal, I was invited to the Pulcherrima manor, where Sir Corydalis’s family lived.

Now that I think about it, I’ve yet to tell my parents anything about Sir Corydalis. I never really found the right opportunity to bring him up... Or rather, I was sure they would be opposed to our relationship. Given how fussy they are about rank, I can already see them saying, “It would be beyond inappropriate for a servant girl to be courted by the son of a marquis—let alone marry him.” I know they’re right too. I tried to remember my place. Sometimes things just escalate beyond anyone’s control, that’s all.

Thinking about my parents’ reaction usually made me gloomy, but today it was more depressing than ever.

What if his parents are actually thinking, “A servant girl? Surely you jest!”

No, no... Judging by the way Sir Corydalis is smiling at me, it’ll be fine. I’m sure it will.

When I introduced myself to the marquis and his wife, my heart was thumping wildly in my chest—and yet, they gave me a warm enough welcome to take the edge off my anxiety.

Perhaps predictably, Marquis Pulcherrima even said, “Well done, Corydalis! I’d been agonizing over what I’d do if you brought home a man, but I see you actually managed to nab yourself a woman!”

Oh, stop that! I’m really going to laugh! I’m sure this is going to haunt him for as long as he lives. Poor Corydalis... That Master of ours really is something else.

With that, we had successfully completed our mission to introduce me to the Pulcherrima family and get their blessing. Our next adversary would be my very own family.

The same day Sir Corydalis came by the Fisalis manor, I told my parents about our relationship.

“One of the master’s subordinates, Sir Corydalis, has begun courting me—and marriage is our end goal.”

“Whaaat?!” My father’s reaction was to be expected, but even my unflappable mother couldn’t hide her shock.

“That’s one big catch you reeled in,” said Father, almost incredulous.

“I can still hardly believe it myself! But it’s true.”

“His family is never going to approve,” my mother contended, heaving a sigh. Look, I get the feeling...

“Well, you see... We already went to see them...and not only did they accept our engagement—they welcomed me into the family with open arms.”

“Whaaat?!” they both cried out in unison. That marked the second time I’d heard that exact reaction.

“I realize it’s not our place to argue if the marquis has already given his blessing...but why on earth would they allow their son to marry a lowly servant girl?” my father wondered out loud, cocking his head to one side.

“They only cared that his wife was a woman, so—uh, wait, forget I said that!”

“Ria? What did you mean by that?” Mother asked pointedly, not one to let my slip of the tongue slide. Considering how intimidating she could be, there was no way I was going to be able to keep it a secret. I reluctantly told my parents the story of the “men-only” incident.

“Ha ha ha... Oh, Master...”

“What does that boy think he’s doing?”

My parents did their best to hold back their laughter, their shoulders shaking with the effort.

Oh dear... It would seem I’ve let his embarrassing secret spread that much further. I’m sorry, Sir Corydalis!

* * *

Rolling with the momentum he’d built up the other day, Sir Corydalis convinced my parents to give their blessing. Contrary to my expectations, Father was the one with more reservations about our relationship, but Sir Corydalis managed to break down his resistance without much difficulty.

“We’re officially engaged now,” my fiancé said, giving me a brilliant smile.

“Indeed we are.”

Of course, no matter how overjoyed he looked, in that moment I was certain that there was no one happier than me.