I am Maria Stella. I was born a noble.
I lived happily with my father, an exceptional knight, my mother, strict but full of love, and my younger brother, so cute I could never get enough of him.
In the past, my family was close and we lived peacefully, but that peace crumbled when my father and brother fell ill.
It was a difficult disease to treat even with recovery magic, and no treatment had been established.
Desperate to cure the illness, I borrowed money from everywhere and tried to treat them with high-ranking priests and potions, but in the end, I lost both of my beloved family members. Afterwards, my mother, in despair, took her own life, leaving me with only debt.
I didn’t have the option of following after my father and brother. I didn’t want to repay the people who lent me money to save my father and brother with ingratitude, and I vaguely felt that I still had something I had to do.
I gave up the family heirloom that I was supposed to inherit from my father, the 【Stella Sword】 imbued with 【Unique Magic】, and even after selling all the household goods, I couldn’t repay the debt. The territory was returned to the country, and I was sold off as a slave.
My promised future as a knight, my daily life with kind parents and a cute younger brother, had been destroyed.
Sold as a slave, I was bought by Absolute Ark, son of the Ark House, and began working as a slave and maid.
When I first saw him, I thought he was a very unpleasant child, even though he was about the same age as my deceased brother. Little did I know that he was from the infamous Ark House… The Ark House was at the top of the nobles who handled the Rainana Kingdom's shady businesses, and I’d heard they were doing some pretty dangerous things behind the scenes.
To be honest, at first, I wondered what kind of dirty work I would be forced to do, but the job was that of an ordinary maid. Mito-san (48 years old), a senior maid, was also kind enough that I couldn’t believe she was from the Ark House, and she treated me very well.
However, because I am Absolute’s, or rather, my master's slave, I inevitably spend a lot of time with him. That time alone was painful. I didn’t want to take care of someone I hated, but since I was a slave, I couldn’t disobey, and I had no choice but to obey.
However, after watching my master's life for a while, I found it was surprisingly quiet for the son of the Ark House. Arrogance could be glimpsed in the corners of his words, and his expression was basically expressionless, with the occasional ferocious look on his face being impressive, but he never laid a hand on the servants or the nobles under his command.
I was also surprised that he used recovery magic first, rather than scolding Uru, another slave, for breaking a vase.
(He's giving off such an unpleasant vibe, but something feels off…)
I couldn’t understand Absolute.
◆
Some time after coming to the Ark House, I was summoned by Mito-san, the senior maid, and told that Mito was resigning and that I would be taking over Absolute’s care.
I had heard in advance that once I got used to it, I would be placed in Mito-san's position, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon.
"Maria, you learned the job quickly, and Uru can do all the cleaning now, so my role is over. Please take care of Absolute-sama."
Finally, I asked her something that had been bothering me.
"Um, aren't you afraid of Master?"
Even I, who had trained to some extent, felt a chill down my spine around him. I was curious as to why Mito-san was interacting with him without showing any signs of fear.
Mito-san began to speak sadly.
"...It would be a lie to say I'm not afraid. But, when my mother passed away, Absolute-sama quietly cried for me. And, some time after I started working at the mansion, I heard about Absolute-sama's 【Skill】. Then, I felt more sympathy than fear. I'm sure all the servants of the Ark House feel the same way."
"【Skill】? This is the first I've heard of it."
I indirectly attacked her by hinting that I hadn't heard about it.
"I'm going to tell you now because you're officially becoming Absolute-sama's maid. But, you never showed any unpleasant feelings on your face or in your attitude when you were taking care of Absolute-sama, so I was wondering whether I should tell you or not... All the servants of the Ark House sympathize with Absolute-sama, so they inevitably end up treating him like a sore spot. Because of that, the young Absolute-sama became sensitive to the atmosphere of the mansion and stopped smiling much. It's our responsibility as adults... I know it's cruel to ask you, who are still young. But, please continue to treat Absolute-sama the same way as always."
Then, Mito told Maria everything about Absolute.
(To think… his skill makes the impressions the worst…)
Maria was told everything about her master.
About Absolute’s 【Skill】. About how he had never had friends because of his skill. About how he had finally made friends who understood him recently.
(He's been hurt a lot… even though he's still young.)
Maria lamented the current situation of Absolute, who was about the same age as her former younger brother.
Then, Maria went to Absolute’s room and told him that she had taken over the job from Mito.
"I will be taking care of you from now on, replacing Mito-sama. And… um, I was told about your skill when I took over the job."
Master's expression remained expressionless.
"I see…"
He said only that and returned his gaze to his book.
He didn’t seem very interested.
“…Aren't you suffering?”
I had asked something I shouldn’t have. Maria regretted it a little, but time could not be turned back. Master answered her.
"Who knows? I don't care about other people's opinions. Whether everyone hates me or not, I am Absolute Ark. That alone will not change. I will never be changed by the eyes of others, never."
(What a great resolution. And it's also sad, to make such a resolution at such a young age. I'm sure Master will continue to live while being hurt… that's not fair!)
Before I knew it, the dislike I had when I first met him was gone. Now, I felt sad and even fond of Master, who was trying to act tough so as not to show his wounds.
His figure overlapped with my bratty younger brother from the past.
Before I knew it, I was hugging Master from behind.
"Hey, what are you doing… let go of me."
I didn’t loosen my arms. I managed to hold him in such a way that he couldn’t break free even if he was stronger than me. Perhaps understanding this, Master's resistance weakened.
"Master, from now on, I will be by your side as a slave, as a maid, as an older sister, and as family. I will never let you be alone!"
"I get it already… just let go."
From now on, I would heal the heart of this clumsy and wounded boy, I vowed.
"Haa… dealing with you has worn me out. I'm going to take a bath and rest now. Prepare the bath…"
"...Shall I join you?"
"No!"
After this, I barged into the bath and we ended up bathing together.
