CH 13

Half a year has passed since Helmut and Isabella began to serve me. Both of them are competent and I’ve come to understand their personalities. First of all, my older brother Friedrich has made huge mistakes. Helmut is super talented and he should have taken him as a servant, even if it meant having to bow his head and plead with him.

It seems that Helmut has a sick family member and he didn’t intend to accompany Friedrich when he left for the royal capital, but since Friedrich had no intention of taking him in the first place, so it’s a problem before Helmut’s feelings and thoughts about serving.

For sure, Helmut might be a bit rude even though he looks like a cool, handsome man who can do anything perfectly. But he’s got more than enough good to make up for that, and he’s a person you should definitely have on hand. If it were up to me, I would definitely take him to the royal capital with me, even if I had to be indebted to him for life. If he can’t go to the royal capital because of his sick family member, I’ll make certain to solve that problem.

Isabella is also showing excellence beyond just being a veteran. If she was just a veteran, she might be about to retire because she is about to decline due to age, but Isabella is different. Isabella could do by herself all the jobs my brothers had dozens of maids do for him.

Well, of course…these two are too talented and I don’t need other people, so I can’t get a chance to say something like needing a young apprentice maid I can do “tee-hee, ha-ha” time with if I don’t get any other personnel…

But these two are too good. Friedrich is an idiot for letting these two go. I don’t know what happened, but if it were me, I wouldn’t have done the same.

And about Friedrich and Helmut, I can see a part of Father’s thinking. Perhaps he deliberately attached Friedrich to Helmut, who was the same age as him. He must have wanted Friedrich to have a confidant who grew up with him from childhood and built a relationship of trust.

If, as my father had intended, the two of them had opened up to each other from their early years and had grown up as true friends, then in the future, Friedrich would have created a capable confidant who would trust and support his master from the bottom of his heart.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Friedrich didn’t give Helmut much importance, and in the end, he even chose to let him go. If the two had a strong friendship, they would have been able to solve Helmut’s problem and take him to the capital. I think that Friedrich threw Helmut away because he thought he was useless, unable to see any of his value.

Since the relationship between Friedrich and Helmut didn’t go well, I think Father changed his policy and didn’t give Georg and me an attendant of the same generation as us. If the Friedrich ploy had succeeded, Father would have hired us an attendant of the same generation as a confidant like Helmut, because he was intended to become Friedrich’s vassal if everything had gone smoothly.

All that said, I have no intention of letting go of Helmut. Maybe in the future, I will be forced to go to the royal capital and go to a school or something like that. At that time, I want to take Helmut and Isabella with me. It’s not just because they’re my first attendants, but because these two are truly excellent.

Then there is one thing I should do. When it’s time for me to leave for the royal capital, if Helmut has a sick family member he can’t leave in the Margrave’s territory, he won’t come with me even if I asked him to. So let’s solve that problem now.

People around must think it’s because I’m crazy about the handsome Helmut, but they’re wrong because I’m not… it’s true that I’m a woman in this life, but I’m a man at heart… I don’t intend to romantically touch another man, much less have a child… or make a child. Well, I guess I will have to, but…

If I get married to the Third Prince Ludwig at this rate, I’ll definitely be ordered to make an heir… it doesn’t have to be love, so it should be said that you should always give birth to an heir by your first wife. His royal status should remain, whether the third Prince Ludwig succeeds to the throne or not… even if he doesn’t take the throne, he can still be appointed as a duke and start a new House, or he can be adopted by some other high-ranking aristocrat. No matter what, heirs are absolute.

No, it’s fine now. Forget it… it’s too disgusting…. even if there comes a time when I have to overcome it, right now I can’t do it unless I can dream of a future where I can just have “tee-hee, haha” time with cute girls.

That’s why I want to go to Helmut’s house and meet his sick family member. There’s a high possibility that there’s nothing I can do about them once we meet. After all, I’m neither a doctor nor a healing magician. But if I have more or less modern knowledge, I might know some effective measures for Helmut’s family member’s illness.

If I can save Helmut’s family member, someone who’s been suffering from illness for a long time, I want to. Even if I get rid of his relative’s illness, it doesn’t mean that Helmut will automatically accompany me to the royal capital. I want to save them for their sake.

“Father…I want to go out, but will that not be allowed?” I asked.

“…………”

I’m in my father’s office now. It’s because I want to visit Helmut’s family to find out about his relative’s illness. For nearly eight and a half years since I was born, I have never left the manor’s premises. There is a large training ground behind the mansion, and there are forests and lakes behind it, so I can do anything from hunting to combat training. There is no need to go outside our mansion, and so I have never left it.

Lately, I’ve come to think it’s a little strange. At first, I thought that’s what nobles were like, but it’s a little strange that even though I was a noble daughter of eight years old, I’ve never left the house’s grounds. In the first place, other families usually go out. It’s kind of strange that he can’t let me out alone.

“Why for?” Father asked. “Where are you going?”

Oh? But it looks like he’ll listen to me. I thought that I would be told that it was no good because there was no need to ask questions, but Father would listen to me if my appeal was reasonable. This case in his study is probably the same thing. Normally, you wouldn’t think that such a young child would be allowed to enter the study with expensive books just because they wanted to read them, even if they were accompanied by a companion.

It doesn’t mean I can’t do anything, that it’s forbidden, but rather that he’ll listen to what he needs to hear. There are many things that I wonder about Father, but as a lord or ruler, he might have a good attitude.

“I heard that Helmut’s family member has been ill for a long time,” I said. “I would love to visit them and…”

“Are you really going to go out of your way to visit your butler’s family, just because they’re sick?” Father asked.

In the middle of my words, Father interrupts. I’m sure he doesn’t understand what I’m saying. If I become the Head of the House like Father, there will be a lot of retainers. Butlers, maids, secretaries, administrative officers, generals, soldiers, and all sorts of other subordinates. If I went to visit their homes one by one just because they were sick, I would end up spending one season just visiting them during the cold season. Even so, there is no way you can tell a sick person to come and visit you because you want to see them personally.

“Certainly, from your position, Father, I can’t visit all of my subordinates’ families just because they are sick,” I said. “But for me, they’re the precious family of my two sole attendants. Most importantly, Helmut doesn’t intend to leave the margrave’s territory because he has to take care of his family. I want to continue to make use of Helmut in the future. When I leave this territory one day, Helmut told me that he can’t follow me because of his aforementioned sick family member, so it’ll be a problem for me.”

“I can understand that you’ve become dependent on an older man for the first time in your life, but…” Father said.

“That’s not it!” I cried.

Did this stupid old man think that I fell in love with Helmut and wanted to get closer to him? I can’t laugh at this. If Helmut was a cute girl, it might be possible, but I can’t have such feelings for a man.

“I have never thought of Helmut as just a man,” I said. “Helmut and Isabella are very talented. This is something I say too much of… but Big Brother Friedrich was an idiot for dismissing them, he’s a poor judge of character. I don’t know the details of their dismissal, but if it were up to me, I’d certainly take them with me to the royal capital. I can’t take them to the royal capital if I don’t solve this problem. Hence, my wanting to visit his family.”

“…………”

Father stares at me silently, I stare back at him with a strong will. If I look away here, I won’t be able to convey my seriousness. In the end, if people think that I just want to keep Helmut by my side because I’m in love with him, I won’t be able to solve the problem.

“… I understand,” Father said. “Marius, take care of the transportation for pick-up and drop-off. Flora, you haven’t asked Helmut if you can visit his house yet, have you? If Helmut says yes, discuss the schedule with Marius. And be sure to listen to everything Marius says. Is that clear?”

“Yes! Thank you very much!” I said.

“Then have an agreement,” Father said.

It seems that my father has given up and I will be able to go outside the manor’s premises for the first time in my life. Marius, the majordomo, seems to be making arrangements for how I’m getting there and back. I’ll listen to what Marius says, probably because Marius will be my watchdog. Even I know what it means to make sure I don’t do unnecessary things or go somewhere without permission.

I left Father’s office and went to find Helmut. First, I went to Father to ask for permission to go out, so I haven’t consulted Helmut, the person in question. As Father said, I have to check if I can visit Helmut from now on and decide on a date…

“Ah! Helmut!” I cried.

“… Miss Flora, it’s unbecoming of a lady to raise her voice too loudly,” Helmut said.

I found him walking across the hallway, ended up speaking louder than I should have, and was scolded. But, I’m shorter and I can’t walk as fast, so there’s no way I could catch up to him if I don’t call out to him like that.

“If I let you out of my sight here, I don’t know when I will be able to talk to you next,” I said. “Helmut, I would like to visit your family, if that’s alright with you?”

“… Huh? What? My family… you want to visit them?”

Helmut is dumbfounded, with a face that says he doesn’t understand what I’m saying. This is the first time I’ve seen Helmut with such an expression. Normally, it is unlikely that the master would go to visit the family of a vassal. For example, if the injury or illness is caused by the master, he may go to visit one of them, but even so, usually, he will send an agent or send a sympathy gift. It is rare to go to see him directly.

“That’s right,” I said. “I heard that your family member has been ill for a long time. I would like to visit them at least once.”

Surprised by my words, Helmut was about to refuse, but he finally gave up because I showed an attitude that I would not give up. Thus, with Helmut’s permission, I decided to go to visit after confirming the date with the majordomo, Marius.

We arrived at our destination after riding a carriage for the first time. Helmut’s parents’ manor was located just a short distance from Margrave Carruther’s manor. Being a butler or a maid is not a job that ordinary citizens can easily do. You must be highly educated, and the family must be fairly wealthy to be able to educate their children to that extent.

Helmut’s parent’s house is also a family lineage of lower nobles who have served the Margrave Carruthers across generations, and so they live here in the center of the Carruthers’ territory in the capital city of Carruzan. In the Kingdom of Ploiss, the town where a territory’s lord lives is declared that region’s capital. Hence, it was named Carruzan, derived from Carruthers.

And when I say the center, I don’t mean the center of town construction. Just because it’s the political center, doesn’t mean that Margrave Carruther’s residence and the aristocratic district are in the innermost part of the town. However, the back of the town is only a road coming from the royal capital, and if you look at it the other way around, Margrave Carruther’s mansion is the closest to the border, and the mansions of the nobles under them are in a line next to them.

The design of this town was intentionally made so that Margrave Carruthers’s manor and the other noble families’ manors would be the first to face the border. It is a manifestation of the heart and pride of House Carruthers as the protectors of the frontier and is also the basis of the family precepts and philosophy of territory management.

I got off the carriage with the help of a platform prepared by Helmut and by taking his hand, as well. It seems that Marius will drop me off and return to the mansion at once, so I’ll say goodbye here and he’ll pick me up again once he returns.

It seems that Helmut’s parents are almost always away for their duties, and they weren’t even there today when I visited. They said they could have come taken the time off their work, but I declined, saying that they didn’t have to go that far because someone was coming to visit their child.

The ones who welcomed me were the butlers and maids who serve Helmut’s House. There are more butlers and maids than the ones serving me… well, right now I only have two attendants, so it’s only natural, but…

Maids are always at home to take care of sick family members. Although Helmut himself is a butler, you might think that there are people like him in his House, but that’s relatively normal even on Earth.

For example, many of the butlers and maids who work in the royal castle and royal palace are children of high-ranking nobles. And the butlers and maids who work in the houses of those high-ranking nobles are children of middle-ranking nobles. In this way, butlers and maids gradually work from the houses of the lower ranks to the houses of the higher ranks.

Many of the lowest rank, Baronets, and Knight’s Houses are poor and cannot hire butlers and maids, but even in such places, children of wealthy merchant families serve as their butlers and maids. In any society, a pyramid-shaped power structure and population distribution are naturally created.

That’s why I came to the back room on the second floor with Helmut and a young maid. Since they’re sick, I guess they decided to assign a room far from the main street.

“Katharina, Miss Flora has come to visit you,” Helmut said as he knocked. “May we open the door?”

“Yes,” someone said from inside.

Helmut opened the door, I found a young girl inside. She’s about my age. I had heard that the sick family member of Helmut’s family was his sister. The girl sitting on the bed tries to move, so I stop her by greeting her.

“It’s fine if you stay as is,” I said. “Good day, Katharina. I am Flora Charlotte von Carruthers. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

From the looks of it, she’s very young and is probably Helmut’s younger sister, and this isn’t an official visit, so I’ll just give her a casual greeting. Katharina would probably be in trouble even if I gave her a formal greeting.

“Woah!” Katharina cried. “A Princess really came!”

Katharina smiles happily and reaches her arms out toward me. I approached the bed and hugged Katharina. Finally… finally, I feel like I’ve finally been able to “tee-hee, haha” time with other girls for the first time since I finally came to this world!

Don’t think it was just a hug! I couldn’t do anything like it! I didn’t have anyone to do it with! The only time I’ve ever hugged a family member was when Emma held me when I was changing clothes or being picked up!

“Katharina! You must greet Miss Flora properly. If you can’t even say hello correctly, she’ll never want to visit you ever again!” Helmut yelled.

“It’s alright, Helmut,” I said.

I protect Katharina while calming down Helmut as he’s unusually angry. According to what I’ve heard, Katharina had been sickly since she was young and had hardly ever left her room. Not only that, but she doesn’t seem contagious, and the name of her illness is unclear. No matter how many doctors and magicians she sees, she never gets better.

As far as I looked around the room, Katharina seems to have distracted herself by reading, and there are a lot of books. There are a lot of dolls and books, and the contents are wide-ranging, but there is one thing in common: so many of Katharina’s picture books are about princesses. Many of the dolls are dressed up in princess clothes.

Apparently, she admires princesses, and since I’m the eldest daughter of Margrave Carruthers, she considers me a princess. Actually, I’m far from being a princess, I’m just an old man inside…

Anyway, I take a closer look at Katharina to fulfill the purpose of my visit. I’ve heard the symptoms. Her brown hair and eyes are similar to Helmut’s, and she should have a beautiful face, but her cheeks are hollow and her eyes are sunken, and her complexion is bad, so she doesn’t look like a beauty. The features should not be bad, but the disease makes her look so pitiable.

Her skin is sickly pale and her lips are dry. When I hugged her, her body was also quite thin. Her nails are thin, with splits, cracks, and streaks. Her hands are in tatters with calluses. From what I’ve heard, mouth ulcers are also common.

She also often suffers from diarrhea and symptoms of anemia such as lightheadedness. It seems that there are times when she suddenly has a tantrum because she has no strength. She is a picky eater and doesn’t eat much, only eating her favorites most of the time.

Without specialized medical knowledge, if it was a difficult disease for me, there would be nothing I could do in a world without testing equipment. But even I can understand the situation… it’s not necessarily the right one, but Katharina’s symptoms are… I had a good suspicion about Katharina’s disease and the treatment method.