Not a Villainess but a Maid

#009 17 Years Old

Four years had passed since the incident of Ruby’s awakening.

She and I turned 17, and Ruby had already entered the academy.

As for what had changed for me, it was almost the same.

I had grown a little taller and now covered my forehead, which had been clearly visible before, with bangs.

Of course, I was still clumsy.

***

It was Ruby’s first morning as a 17-year-old, but her expression was not good.

Drinking the tea I had prepared, Ruby looked at an unexpected visitor and spoke.

“…Amber. I don’t recall inviting such a woman to the mansion.”

“Hello to both of you!”

Boldly crossing the mansion’s fence and greeting us through the window, it was the second princess, Amethyst Lupin.

I responded with a face that said I had expected this.

“Now it’s been three years already. And that’s three times a week.”

“…Lock the window.”

As Ruby instructed, I locked the window, but unable to resist the pleading gaze as she tapped on the glass, I eventually allowed her entry.

Amethyst, brushing off leaves stuck to her hair, greeted me with a satisfied expression.

“Good morning, Amber!”

“Good morning, Amé-nim.”

Amé was the nickname she was called by.

At 17, she had become much more spirited than when she was younger.

Not only had she grown significantly taller, but in other aspects too…

Amethyst possessed an open personality to the extent that she could be counted on one hand among those I knew.

Her friendliness was unbelievably high for someone in her high position.

The only hitch was that Ruby didn’t seem particularly fond of her.

Ruby, setting down her teacup, sighed and said, “Amethyst. Can’t you stop crossing the mansion’s walls now?”

“Just let me see it one more time. It’s not as bothersome as the noble visit procedure.”

“You always say that with words…”

Seeing Amethyst take a seat, I addressed both of them.

“I’ll prepare some snacks for you two to enjoy. Please wait a moment.”

“Thanks!”

After Amber left the reception room, the two of them exchanged knowing glances, laughter bubbling up.

“Amethyst, I’ve told you before. No matter how much you try to convince me, I have no intention of surpassing or overtaking Amber.”

“What are you talking about? I just came to have some fun with Miss Ruby.”

“Instead, you came to see the foolish maid of this mansion.”

“…Caught.”

There was always a tense atmosphere between the two.

Amethyst, who innocently wandered around the mansion, confirmed Amber’s absence and spoke.

“Miss Ruby, it seems there might be a misunderstanding. Let me clarify, I have no intention of forcefully taking Amber from you.”

“…What do you mean?”

“The important thing is Amber’s feelings. Bringing in a maid using power is nothing, but what’s the meaning in that? I’ll wait until she decides for herself.”

“…You’re saying Amber should be the one to change her feelings first.”

“Correct! Ruby, you catch on quickly.”

Despite Amethyst’s bright expression, Ruby’s face became even more contorted.

“As long as I’m here, it won’t go according to your thoughts, Princess Amethyst.”

“Will it indeed?”

***

“Those two still seem to get along well today.”

Approaching the two in the tense standoff, I carried tea cups and some snacks.

As I said that, placing the plates down, they both recoiled with a forced cough.

“Yeah, Ruby and I have been friends for 3 years!”

“…I don’t have memories of having a friend like you before.”

Ruby didn’t seem particularly thrilled about Amethyst visiting the mansion, but I felt content whenever I saw them playing.

Unlike Ruby Sarca, who grew up thoroughly as a loner in the game, she now had a friend.

Amethyst picked up a snack from the plate I had set down and asked me, “Is this made by Amber?”

“Yes. I tried making it by following a cookbook I read last time.”

She put it in her mouth without hesitation and chewed. “How is it? Is it okay?”

She briefly nodded expressionlessly, then smiled at me. “It’s delicious! You’re talented.”

“Really? I’m glad. I was worried.”

-Clang Clang

At that moment, the sound of a bell, announcing someone’s visit to the mansion, echoed.

I looked towards the door and said, “Ladies, I’ll be back in a moment!”

I had a rough idea of who the guest might be.

***

As Amber left, Amethyst, with a serious expression, looked at the snacks.

“…Ruby, how have you been eating this kind of stuff until now?”

She barely managed to hold back the urge to vomit as soon as she put the snack in her mouth.

“If you’re considering Amber as a maid, you’ll have to endure that much. Eating it every day has made me somewhat used to it.”

“Every day like this…?”

Amé contemplated how monsters’ meat could be ground into cookies while rinsing her mouth with tea, feeling perplexed.

***

Leaving through the mansion’s main gate, I greeted a familiar face standing outside.

“I thought it would be you. Dia.”

“It’s been a while, Amber.”

Seventeen-year-old Dia exuded a more mature aura.

While retaining the girlish freshness peculiar to her, she had the exact appearance I saw in the game.

Entering the reception room with Dia, I noticed two people inside taking turns eating snacks.

Holding a cookie in their hands, Ruby and Amethyst, with leisurely smiles, exchanged glances.

“I hope it’s not too difficult for you, Amethyst.”

“…I can eat a lot more… Ugh…”

“You seem in danger?”

“…Not at all.”

As Amethyst finally put the last remaining cookie into her mouth, the plate emptied.

Dia bowed to them with a lowered waist.

“Nice to see you. Princess Amethyst has also graced us with her presence?”

“It’s been a while, Miss Dia.”

After exchanging greetings with Amé, Dia smiled at Ruby.

“Ruby, did you also call Amethyst to match my arrival time?”

“…That woman just came in on her own accord.”

It wasn’t common for all three of them to gather in one place, but it happened occasionally.

I looked at the empty cookie plate in surprise and said,

“Oh…! You’ve already finished them all. Now Diamond doesn’t have any cookies to eat.”

Grabbing it, I immediately moved my steps.

“I’ll make more right away, so please wait!”

In response to my words, Ruby and Amethyst almost simultaneously replied,

“It’s okay now!”

Witnessing that scene, Diamond, who was sitting, looked puzzled and tilted her head.

***

Before I knew it, March, when spring arrived, had come.

All the snow had melted, and slowly, flowers were blooming one by one in this season.

But this spring was more crucial to me than anything else.

‘Here it is, Ruby’s Academy admission event…!’

It was the time when 17-year-old Ruby finally entered the academy.

The educational institution and the main backdrop of the game she would enter was the [Magic Academy].

In a world where only women could wield magic, all students were female.

Operated as a three-year program, unlike ordinary academies that strictly divided noble and common groups, the [Magic Academy] implemented a relatively equal system.

Dormitory assignments and classes were conducted equally for nobles and commoners alike, boasting fairness by electing student council executives based on academic performance.

“I need to be careful so that Ruby doesn’t get involved with bad nobles.”

Even though I was still packing my belongings, I was full of worry for her.

When Ruby entered the Academy, she came into contact with followers who followed her on the first day.

Most of them were a group of fallen nobles, who gently pleased Ruby and stuck to her.

Then, using Ruby Sarka’s power and influence, they didn’t hesitate to engage in all kinds of harassment and mischief within the Academy, and in the end, they betrayed her, blaming Ruby for all the sins and leading her to a disastrous ending.

I was just going to follow her as Ruby’s maid, not as a student of the Academy, but I couldn’t let my guard down for a moment in her social circle.

While packing with Merilda, I found and picked up what looked like Ruby’s uniform.

“It’s Ruby’s Academy uniform. It looks exactly the same as what I saw in the game.”

Pitch-black serabak.

In the Magic Academy, nobles wore black serabak, while commoners wore white serabak.

It was a system that allowed you to determine the other person’s status just by the clothes they wore.

I carefully folded it and put it in the bag, when I noticed a piece of clothing I hadn’t seen before.

“…What is this?”

It was a white serabak, contrasting with Ruby’s clothes.

“Is it a spare? But why is the color…”

As I was looking at it in confusion, the head maid, Merilda, looked at me and said,

“Isn’t white pretty? It will fit Amber perfectly.”

“It will fit me…?”

As I examined the clothes, I quietly asked Merilda,

“…Wait. Does that mean that I…?”

Meryl noticed my puzzled gaze and spoke.

“Oh my, I forgot to mention it to Amber. Since you expressed a wish for Miss Amber to join the academy as well, both of you are now enrolled as classmates.”

“Suddenly…?”

“Don’t worry. I made sure to inform her that you can still handle maid duties while attending the academy.”

Upon hearing those words, I clutched my clothes and sank to the floor.

“…My vow to never study again…”

After four years of being immersed in the game world, that vow crumbled disappointingly.