Volume 1 Chapter 3 Once You're Onboard, You Don't Get Off
Randy learned that it was Elizabeth he had saved, but there was no way he could just leave the situation as it was──after all, leaving 2 women behind in the Beast Forest was out of the question. In the end, he decided to take both of them back to town in his carriage.
Usually, they would face a few monster attacks, but this time, the journey went smoothly, and they arrived at the capital of the Victor territory by early afternoon. Their destination was a small, old mansion located on a hill in the quaint little town.
Cutting through the empty main street, Randy literally rolled out of the carriage when they reached the mansion.
He hesitated slightly while holding the still unconscious Elizabeth.
"Young master, you were already carrying her in the forest, right?"
"I know that."
Randy frowned and whispered to Elizabeth, "This is an emergency, so it doesn't count," as he lifted her and slung her over his shoulder.
"Why over your shoulder?"
"Isn't a princess carry a bit much?"
"I feel like that would be worse."
Ignoring Harrison's dissatisfied expression, Randy headed toward the mansion with Elizabeth still on his shoulder.
"It's Randolph. I'm back now."
Seeing Randy carrying the young lady, the mansion erupted into chaos, like a beehive that had been disturbed. It was understandable since he looked just like a kidnapper.
Harrison seemed to want to say, "I told you so," but he left the handling of the maids to them and strode confidently into the mansion. As he passed by people, he reassured them that everything was fine and quickly reached the more luxurious of the two guest rooms.
"I want to lay her down first... um──"
"I'm Rita," said the brown-haired maid.
Randy asked Rita, who introduced herself, to quickly make the bed. Other maids who were watching joined in, and together they prepared the bed. Randy gently laid Elizabeth down on it.
Watching her slowly rising chest, he could tell she was just sleeping.
"Now then... I have so many questions──."
Why was she in that situation?
The transformation he saw in Elizabeth in the Beast Forest.
Wanting to sort out the situation a bit, Randy sat down on a chair beside the bed. Elizabeth, still breathing steadily, didn't seem to be possessed by anything.
(At least I want to know why she was in that situation──)
Just as Randy thought about asking Rita, he noticed the maids staring at him and turned his gaze toward the door. The maids were looking at him intently, and Randy furrowed his brow and asked, "What is it?"
"...Young master. We need to change the young lady's clothes right away."
Feeling their intense gaze, Randy forced a smile and stood up. As they said, Elizabeth's dress was torn, and parts of her porcelain-like skin were visible. It was definitely not good to leave her like this.
"Sorry, but I'm counting on you."
With that, Randy stepped outside the room, swapping places with the maids who entered.
"Young master..."
"Keith?"
Outside the room was Keith, the steward of the Victor family. He was a thin old man with a distinguished beard and monocle. However, his demeanor was sharp, giving off the air of a seasoned expert.
"What about the young lady?"
"Elizabeth von Braubelg... the daughter of the Marquis from the great kingdom of Alexandria."
Randy shrugged, and Keith rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. From Keith's reaction, it seemed that the news about Elizabeth being exiled had reached this territory as well.
"Minimal luggage. No maid, just one maidservant, and the guard is a 'rude idiot', to top it all off."
Randy sighed as he leaned against the wall, and Keith silently stared at the door.
"It looks like they wouldn't mind if she died... in fact, it seems they intended to kill her."
With a sharp gaze, Keith replied, "It's disgusting."
A noble lady from the Marquis family was traveling without her own guard or even a chamberlain. Instead, she had only one maid with no experience in guarding. The fact that Keith only knew rumors about her meant there had been no prior notice to this territory.
Even if she was being exiled, a noble lady from the Marquis family should have gone through proper procedures. Skipping those steps meant the kingdom had no intention of helping her at all.
"How far do you think 'this will' go?"
"...I can't say. For now, I would like to hear your opinion, my lord."
"That's true."
As Randy nodded, the door to the guest room slowly opened. A maid peeked in and cheerfully made a circle with her fingers.
After parting with Keith, Randy entered the room, where Elizabeth lay in a nightdress, softly breathing. Nearby were Rita and a few other maids from the mansion. For now, Randy lightly waved to the maids.
"I'm sorry. I appreciate your hard work."
"No, no. We were just bored."
"That's good to hear. Thanks, but please step back for now."
The maids bowed and waved back at Randy as they disappeared outside the door. Rita, the maid Elizabeth had brought, watched this with a blank expression.
"What's wrong? You look like a pigeon that just got hit by a bean."
Randy frowned, and just then, Rita hesitated, "Um──"
"It's rare to hear someone say 'thank you' to a maid."
A voice like rolling bells echoed from the bed.
"Milady!"
Rita panicked, but Elizabeth raised her hand and slowly sat up.
"First, I want to express my gratitude..."
"I'm Randolph. Randolph Victor. I'm the supposed heir of the Viscount Victor family in the Dukedom of Highland."
Randy bowed respectfully with formal words and gestures, and Elizabeth deeply bowed in return.
"Sir Randolph, you are my savior in life and dignity."
"Please, raise your head."
In a fluster, Randolph knelt to be at a lower level than Elizabeth. Realizing this was not a good position, Elizabeth looked up with a troubled expression. Still kneeling, Randy was asked by Elizabeth to sit in a chair if possible.
Though he was reluctant, he thought it wouldn't be a good idea to stay like this, so he reluctantly sat down.
(Now, this is a troublesome situation.)
As their eyes met, Randy instinctively returned a polite smile and a nod.
Randy sat down, but there was nothing he could ask Elizabeth. There was no way he could ask a silly question like, "What were you doing over there?" to someone of her high status.
That's why he wanted to hear from Rita before Elizabeth woke up, but she ended up waking up anyway, so that plan was ruined.
Randy couldn't ask her anything, and he didn't think Elizabeth would talk either. Realizing there was nothing he could do, Randy stood up from his chair.
"For now, I'm glad you're awake. I'll prepare a bath right away──."
Just as he said that and reached for the door, Elizabeth's curious voice came from behind him, "Aren't you going to ask?" Randy paused with the door half-open and turned back with a cheerful fake smile. "What should I ask?"
She was probably talking about the exile, but Randy wasn't insensitive enough to ask something so sensitive.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not good at asking women questions."
For some reason, Rita showed a strained smile at Randy's cheerful expression, but he ignored it and turned back to the door.
"Then, may I ask something?"
Randy turned back at the question thrown at his back.
"Anything."
As he shrugged and returned to his chair, Elizabeth finally showed a small smile.
"Why do you thank the maid?"
"Oh, is that what it is?"
Randy's shoulders dropped, thinking he would finally get to the main topic. However, in this world, it wasn't something that could be brushed off as "just that." Clarifying the relationship between social classes was normal for nobles in this world.
To avoid being looked down upon by commoners.
To clearly define the relationship between the user and the used.
Nobles don't thank their servants like maids; in fact, they shouldn't thank them at all.
But for Randy, who had been reincarnated, he didn't care about that. In his previous life, there was a saying, "The more fruitful the rice, the lower it bows." Although Randy had a bad mouth and behavior, he believed he had to express his gratitude as a matter of principle.
With that thought in mind, Randy conveyed to Elizabeth, in even more polite words, that their trust wouldn't waver just because he expressed gratitude... by the time he finished, he was completely exhausted.
(It would be easier to just kill some beasts in the forest.)
While he thought that inside, he was a little impressed by how Elizabeth was deep in thought in front of him. He had assumed she was a stiff noble, but it seemed she could listen to others' opinions.
In fact, Elizabeth turned to Rita and said...
"Rita, thank you for everything up to this point."
...she bowed deeply to Rita. Randy felt a bit bad for the flustered Rita, but he found himself slightly interested in Elizabeth. Just a little, though.
As if his role was over, Randy stood up again and reached for the door.
"Really, aren't you going to ask?"
At the words thrown at his back again, Randy turned back with a cheerful smile.
"I'm no longer a member of the Marquis family... so I don't need to hold back or speak so formally, right?"
Elizabeth, staring at Randy without changing her expression, truly fit the name "Ice Princess." So, just a little, just a tiny bit, Randy mischievously smiled back, wanting to break her expression.
"You're persistent. If I'm interested in you, it would only be about your measurements."
In front of the puzzled Elizabeth and Rita, Randy grinned.
"If you're willing to tell me, I'll listen carefully, okay?"
Seeing Elizabeth's face turn red, Randy thought she could make such a face too, and he returned to a more formal expression, bowing respectfully.
"I apologize for my rudeness. Please forget my earlier joke."
After bowing, Randy left the guest room, letting out a small sigh as he pointed to the door behind him.
"Sorry, but please help the princess with her bath."
"Leave it to us! We'll make her shine bright!"
The two maids flexed their muscles and hurried off down the hallway to get their tools, while Randy watched them with a sigh.
"Young master... your father is calling for you."
"Oh right, that too."
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