Chapter 166: Rain Yesterday, Rain Today

The next morning it was raining from the start, so all plans were canceled. I simply delivered the usual medicine to the Queen in the morning and that was the end of it. Just walking inside the Royal Palace and Rear Palace drew too many eyes, so I couldn’t walk much; she was left to practice on her own. As a result, I studied. Tohoho.

The following day the rain was even stronger. The walk was of course canceled, the restaurant visit was postponed yet again, and my departure to the Mainz Kingdom was also postponed. Was this really all right? I wondered, but it seemed it was fine. No matter how much I fretted, everything was settled once His Majesty the King (or Lord Richelieu?) gave the word. I was merely moving on the palm of their hand. As an unnecessary aside, they must have been preparing the ingredients for the Queen to eat at the restaurant — what were they doing with them? If everyone was enjoying them, that would be fine, but maybe someone had stored them in a magic bag.

The rain continued the next day as well. The only one who was happy was probably the Queen, who could drink more of my homemade youth-rejuvenating medicine. Whether thanks to that or not, the Queen’s rejuvenation was remarkable. Even I could tell. Because only the Queen had been drinking it so concentratedly in such a short period, the sample size was n=1 and there was no way to verify it. The night-shift maids Linda and Debbie stopped coming; instead Lily and Stevie began to come.

The night Stevie came, she was so pure and fresh that it felt like my eyes had been opened. I don’t think she was acting on Lily’s words, but from the moment she entered the room her face was bright red. Even though she knew what was expected, she sat primly on the chair by the entrance. Wasn’t she here for night service as well as the night shift? I thought, and said,

"Stevie, come over here."

She replied,

"I was only called for the night shift."

"Don’t say that. Come here!"

When I said that,

"I... received Your favor once, but you never called for me again after that, so I thought you no longer needed me..."

She was sulking — even though she was Stevie, she was sulking.

"That’s not true. I just thought it would be bad if I only called for Stevie, so I didn’t call you."

I bent the facts a little. Deception was working hard. But Stevie said,

"But, but, Robin-sama has been happily walking with the Queen every single day..."

Ah, so she had been watching carefully. Stevie was a woman after all. But from the beginning I hadn’t done anything improper! I had the feelings, though.

"That was because the Queen ordered me to do it, so I had no choice!"

I declared it with my chest out and a loud voice.

"But! Everyone is saying that since the Queen started walking with Robin-sama, she has rapidly become younger and more beautiful! They’re saying Robin-sama must be doing something to the Queen!!"

Ohhh! Quite sharp opinions were flying around! The correct answer was not that I was doing something, but that I was making her drink something.

"That’s the first I’ve heard of such a rumor (though I had expected it). The truth is..."

At this point I had no choice but to tell the truth. If I asked Stevie to keep it secret, she was the type who would protect it, so it was fine!

I explained everything from the beginning — how the Queen had heard the rumor of the youth-rejuvenating medicine and so on. For that, I also told Stevie the story that Linda might have gotten an effect from drinking my semen. I thought Stevie might snap at that part, but she held it in and said,

"I understand. But, but!" ℯℯ𝘭.

Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"I understand what Stevie wants to say. But I have decided to take Stevie and Lily with me to the Mainz Kingdom. That is the entirety of my feelings. I haven’t spoken to anyone else about it, so please understand that."

It had somehow turned into the lines a man with two, three, or four women uses to talk a woman around. That said, such things were normal for princes and high-ranking nobles in this world, so as a mere servant Stevie had no choice but to endure. The aristocratic class in a male-dominated society was such a convenient world for me.

"I understand."

Whether Stevie forced herself to accept it or reluctantly fell silent, I didn’t know, but the conversation was over for the moment.

Or so I thought, but Stevie, with a determined expression, said,

"But..."

"What?"

"I admire Robin-sama!"

She appealed with eyes full of tears. I walked briskly across the room to where Stevie sat on the chair, stroked her head, and held her.

"I know. I like Stevie too. Continue supporting me from now on. Help this still-childish me."

Stevie, while sobbing,

"Yes, I understand. I will protect Robin-sama forever. Even if it costs me my life, I will protect you!"

Umm... a little heavy... but considering the relationship between me and Stevie, this was probably how it was. Anyway,

"Yeah, I’m counting on you."

"Yes!"

At last Stevie smiled. The Stevie I usually saw only had a sad expression; I felt like I rarely saw her smiling.

When I stood Stevie up, took her hand, and invited her to the bed,

"I will take off my clothes, so please get into bed first, Robin-sama."

She began removing her maid uniform. When she reached her chemise, she made a face as if wondering what to do, so I said,

"Just come like that."

She looked relieved, trotted over with small steps, and slipped into the bed. Did she not want me to see her cute breasts? After getting into bed, she said,

"Excuse me!"

Then she pulled the blanket up to her nose and said,

"It smells like Robby-sama!"

But Stevie, this blanket is changed every day. The sheets and pillow are changed too!

Still, were the sheets and blanket exclusive to me? Surely they weren’t mixed up so that today it was me and tomorrow it would be Prince Alan... No, no, no, I shouldn’t think about such things. There was no need to enter that kind of darkness.

Stevie’s face emerged from the blanket. Normally her bangs were cut straight across just above her eyebrows, but now they were parted to the left and right, exposing her forehead. The hairline of her sky-blue hair was visible, and her sky-blue eyebrows as well. The eyelashes under her eyebrows were also sky-blue. Her blue-green eyes blinked as they stared at me. It was so cute that I kissed her forehead.

"Ehehehe."

Stevie laughed, happy.