Chapter 140 – The Servants Who Came from Across the Sea

Even after the family meeting, there’s still a lot to do.

It’s not something an elementary school student should be doing, but as the eldest child of the Ootori family, the “Dreaming Miko,” and above all, as the one responsible for the commotion I caused, I have to keep moving. 

That’s something I decided for myself.

But I’m not working, I’m moving.
Still, I wanted some rest, so I decided to take a day off after the meeting before starting the next task.

“I mean, seriously! I came back from a long trip, only took one day off, then had to report to Great-Grandfather and go straight into a family meeting? That’s insane!!”

I yelled out complaints while rolling around in my one and only paradise, my bedroom.
I had Shizu and the other maids wait outside, so I could shout as much as I wanted without worrying.

If I don’t do things like this once in a while, it’s bad for my mental health.

Especially this time, after such a shocking incident, I can’t keep going without some time to throw everything aside. If I were an adult, I’d probably be drowning myself in alcohol by now.

During the trip that ended up turning into a round-the-world journey, I spent about half of my time in America, and most of the long train rides, and especially the voyage back home, doing nothing in particular, just lazing around.
But even then, I didn’t scream out loud like this.

No, I had shouted several times from the deck of the ship. Singing and yelling at the top of my lungs was, for me, a major stress relief. In my previous life, there had been karaoke, a place to yell freely, but since there wasn’t one here, I suppose that was part of the reason.
In particular, the mental strain I experienced toward the end of my time in America was likely amplified by not being able to release stress properly.

And for the future, I was even thinking about building a soundproof room for music, though the idea was a bit off-topic.

There was a knock, three times. 

For some reason, at Ootori, the customary two knocks in Japan are replaced by three. The sound was definitely Shizu’s, and at the same time, I heard her voice, 

“Ojousama.”

“Please come in, ”

“Sorry to disturb you while you’re resting.”

“‘Sorry to disturb you’,” two voices harmonized in clear English following Shizu’s. 

If it had been only Shizu, I would probably have just continued staring at the ceiling of my bed, but I couldn’t help shifting my gaze.

And when I looked, two white women were standing behind Shizu.
One had beautiful straight blonde hair and light blue eyes, likely descended from Germanic ancestors. She didn’t look Slavic.

The other had slightly wavy red hair and green eyes. Now that I think about it, I heard somewhere that red hair with green eyes is rare even among white people. I’d also heard it called a “wizard’s color.” Since I remember hearing it, it was probably from my previous life’s memory.

“Shizu, if they’re new, at least give me a little time to put on a proper front.”

“Yes, I apologize. However, I judged that it would be better to show them your true self from the start.”

My protest was, as usual, brushed aside with a neat bow.
I had no choice but to sit up halfway in bed, turn ninety degrees, and sit properly. Shizu came over and adjusted the finer details for me.

By now, I was used to it, lazy as I might feel, I still looked every bit the young lady.

“So, who are the two of you? I don’t recall ordering a maid delivery.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Victoria Lancaster. Please call me Tria, Ojousama.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Elizabeth Norman. Please call me Liz, Ojousama.”

Immediately after I spoke, the two of them introduced themselves.
The blonde was Victoria, the redhead Elizabeth. Both had common names, each matching a queen’s name. Clearly aliases.

Their English was refined, but not the kind you’d hear from Britain’s upper class. 

Tria, in particular, spoke in the manner of the American East Coast elite.
Liz’s speech, on the other hand, sounded like carefully trained formal American English. 

And since both of them told me to call them by their nicknames right from the start, they were definitely Americans.

However, they weren’t among the Americans Sebastian had brought with him.
In that group, there had been people for rough work, some African American and some Native American. 

If these two were part of Sebastian’s selection, then these neatly uniformed maids were probably interesting people in their own right.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Ootori Reiko. So, you two are my new maids? Not many are allowed to come this far into my quarters, you know.”

“Yes, milady. We have received permission from Master Tokita as well,” Shizu answered as she gently brushed my slightly disheveled hair.

“So it’s just me left, then. If the others have approved you, do as you like. I’ll be counting on you, Tria, Liz.”

(Their names sound strange together, like a queen and a royal dynasty.)

“Is something the matter?”

Even though the two bowed seriously, something about it struck me as odd.

“No, it’s nothing. I just thought your names sound like queens’. So, which king sent his queens to me?”

“We serve Lord Stuart. We have come at your invitation, Reiko Ojousama.”

Tria was the one who answered, apparently acting as their representative.
But even if she was doing it on purpose, her delivery was obviously theatrical.

“That way of speaking definitely sounds like Sebastian. So, what’s the truth?”

“A certain party wishes to establish a direct means of contact with you, Reiko Ojousama.”

I’d asked just to confirm my suspicion, and sure enough, they dropped the act without hesitation. Still, their demeanor didn’t change at all. As for the details about these two, I could always tease the truth out of Sebastian later, he’d probably be delighted to talk.

“Don’t call them ‘a certain party.’ As long as you’re not here to assassinate or kidnap me, I won’t do anything to you. So, your masters are the American kings, right? Or since there are two of you, are you serving different ones?”

“Yes. I was sent by Lord Morgan.”

“And I was sent by Lord Rockefeller. However, unless you stray from your path, please trust in our loyalty, Reiko Ojousama. I am prepared to give my life for you without hesitation.”

Liz spoke firmly after Tria, her tone sounding like she had memorized the line word for word.

Well, that was fine.

(So basically, they don’t want anything happening to me until our business together is finished.)

“Understood. I’ll trust both you and your masters. So, how many years do you plan to serve? If you’re going to be my maids, I’ll need to think about things like the end of your term or your marriage prospects.”

Yes. For female servants of this era, that sort of thing was important. But the two of them looked stunned, so I added more.

“I don’t know how things work in America, but since you’re in Japan now, you’ll follow Japanese customs, alright? So, what’s the length of your contract?”

“Yes, please consider it to be three years. We may extend it depending on the circumstances.”

Tria recovered quickly and answered.

(So they’re expecting my shopping spree to take three years and are probably planning to use the leftover funds too. They’re definitely trying to squeeze out every last bit.)

“Alright. Stay as long as you like. Though we already have enough maids, so your main duties will probably be other kinds of work, is that fine?”

“Yes. I graduated from Harvard, so like Sebastian-sama, I can assist with American business matters. Liz will be in charge of protection.”

(Ugh. So they’re a strength-and-skill duo, huh? Well, I can put them to work then.)

As I gave them a quick once-over, assessing them, Tria added,

“As for matters like marriage prospects, I’ve already been married once and have a child, so you needn’t worry about that.”

(Oh wow, she looks so young. Beautiful white women really do age well. Honestly, she’s practically an elf at this point.)

“Got it. Tell me about your family sometime when you have free time, alright? What about you, Liz? You look pretty young.”

“There’s no need for concern. I have no partner, and in the States, people don’t worry about marriageable age. I’m not concerned either.”

“Must be nice. As for me, I’ll be expected to get married right after college, at the latest. Well, whatever. Anyway, I’m counting on you both. Also, as maids, Shizu is your superior. Shizu, make sure to guide them properly.”

“Yes, milady,” all three answered in unison.

“Oh, right, one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Today I’ve decided to just laze around alone, so unless I call for you, don’t come into this room except for meals or snacks. Alright, move out!”

“Yes, milady.”

The three of them bowed respectfully, and I regained my own time and space.
The quiet of my favorite room felt soothing.

“Huh? Was there really any need to introduce those two today?”

Of course, no one was there to answer such a reasonable question of mine.