Happy Days of the All-around Maid and the Duke - Chapter 3

Wilgia Leclerc is the fourth prince of the kingdom of Ashbel and has a low reputation.

The three older brothers were capable, but Wilgia was the only one who failed.

He was poor at speaking, bad at socializing and perhaps because he wasn’t interested in anything, it was painful to even remember people’s faces. As a result, he was abandoned early when he was fifteen years old because they thought it would be a disaster if he became king.

He doesn’t care at all because he doesn’t want to succeed to the throne. Thanks to this, he was not allowed to use the surname?Ashbel?, which the royal family could call itself, and he was given the title of ?Duke of Leclerc?.The duke inherited only one mansion.

Wilgia’s only specialty was historical compilation, which unravels history and translates old books into modern languages. That’s why he holds a modest and unpopular position as a history editor in the Royal Library.

Thanks to this, even though he came from royalty, he was living the life of a retired old man, out of touch with the glittering world..

However, Wilgia was particularly satisfied with his life.

He doesn’t care about society or peerage.

There is only one thing he is interested in: deep history.

So today, as usual, he was absorbed in his book and immersed in ancient historical research.

Wilgia spends his whole day studying.

He reads through ancient books, scoops up lost history, translates it into modern language and writes it down in books.

He forgets to eat and sleep sometimes because he’s too immersed in it, but it’s okay because he’s still alive.

Thus Wilgia entered the great library of the royal capital for twenty days in a row, and finally decided to go home when he had almost finished translating the books he was currently working on and only had to finish writing them up in a book.

?Well… my back hurts.?

As expected, sitting down for almost twenty days is a real pain in his body.

He staggered to his feet, grabbed a bundle of paper, and left the dim room under the library. The nobles passing by on the way were startled to see Wilgia like a ghost, but Wilgia did not even notice.

?When I get home, I read it again, and then write it down in the history book I’m compiling…?

Everybody avoided Wilgia who muttered as he looked down. It was no wonder.

Wilgia’s face was completely obscured by his shaggy blonde hair, which had been unkempt for years; his black robe was worn out and shabby; and his poorly nourished body was as thin as a skeleton and he walked unsteadily. In addition, he smelled foul because he had not bathed in twenty days.

Having no interest in anything other than research, Wilgia never cared about his appearance, nor did he care what others thought of him. He was finished not only as royalty, but also as a person.

He got into a waiting carriage parked outside the Royal Library and told the driver where he was going. When he heard that the destination was ?Wilgia Leclerc’s mansion? he was taken aback, but with a silver coin in his hand, he had no choice but to head there.

Not looking at the scene outside the rattling carriage, Wilgia continued to think about the study which had just been completed in her carriage home after a long absence.

The only thing that Wilgia had received from the Duke of Leclerc.

That’s the mansion that stands in this suburban forest.

Originally, it was used like a villa of the Duke of Leclerc, but now nobody is visiting because they are tired of the dense and dense coniferous forest.

However, with its reasonable size and easy distance to go to the library, it is a comfortable home for Wilgia, who hates people.

The only problem is that the servants they hire quit one after another.

Wilgia, who is not familiar with common sense, could not understand the opinion, ?there is a limit to what a servant can do alone.?I mean, I didn’t want to leave too many servants in the house because I hated people.

I just need one person.

Even if the house was dusty, if the garden was desolate and dazed, it didn’t have to be ready to invite guests.

The basement of the library is dusty as well, and I don’t use the garden, and there are not many strange people who visit me.

Therefore, Wilgia should have had a servant who could do the least amount of?cleaning, laundry, and cooking?

The current servant also seemed to want to quit, so he told him she could quit if she could find a replacement. I wonder what happened to them.

A carriage arrived in front of the house, and as soon as she got off, the servant left.

and, hearing the roar of crows, pushed open the iron gate, through the desolate garden, pushed open the front door, and went in.

Then Wilgia came upon an unexpected sight, and was stunned.

?Wha, what is this…?

The front door shines brighter than ever.

The marble floor, which was covered with thick dust, has been polished cleanly and the curtains, which have been closed for many years, have a pleasant smell of soap and are open. The window was stained and the outside was clear. Not only were the chandeliers overhead lit by red-hot candle flames, but the silver candlesticks in the corner were polished and all lit and everything had been replaced with a new candle.

As I stood stunned, I heard a dash from the corridor, and an unfamiliar girl came along.

?Wilgia-sama, I am sorry for the delay in meeting you. Welcome back.?

?Who are you??

?My name is Ririka, and I will be working at this mansion.?

and as she made a splendid bow, Wilgia stared intently through the gap between her drooping bangs.

Lilica, who is wearing a navy blue hem-length servant’s uniform, is only seventeen or eighteen years old. Her flax-colored hair was tied up tightly and her servant’s clothes were much more neat than his own, who had not even changed his underwear for twenty days. Her large eyes were a ruri color that seemed to draw in, and her face, with light makeup on, seemed to be able to work.Wilgia spoke nervously.

?Did you do this entrance hall…??

?Yes, I am. I’m sorry to be presumptuous, but I had to clean it up.?

?I see…?

?Would you like a bath??

?Oh, yes,?

?Then I’ll take your robe,?

When Ririka approaches Wilgia without hesitation, she receives a battered robe.

?Would you like to have a meal after taking a bath??

?Ah?

?Very well?

Then she followed Wilgia to the bathroom, and quickly prepared himself for the bath and went away.

When Wilgia got out of the bath, he found a well-ironed replacement, and when he put his sleeves through, he smelled fresh from washing.

I went straight to the dining-room, and it was surprisingly well-maintained along the way, as if I had come somewhere else.I felt uncomfortable even though I was at home.

When I opened the door to the dining room, the fireplace was filled with wood and a roaring fire was burning, and the carpet was as beautiful as new.

Wilgia wondered how on earth the huge carpet all over the dining room could be so clean.

?I have the impertinence to prepare your meal?

And the meal Ririka prepared was remarkable.

The meal, which began with the aperitifs, was rich and vivid, a soft, seemingly freshly baked bread, a tail soup boiled so smoothly that it melted with the tongue, a plumply baked fish dish, a juicy roast of birds, and a menu as if it had come out of the royal house.

While eating, I looked up at the face of the servant I met for the first time.

?Are you the one who made this dish …??

?Yes, I presume?

He must have been getting ready to take a bath before. It was really strange how long I had cooked this much food.

Ririka suddenly had a question, and pulled back the smile that had been on her face the whole time she was serving, and asked this question while serving the dessert tart and coffee.

?I have heard from my predecessor that Wilgia-sama will not let go of his books during the meal, but I hope you enjoyed reading today.?

?Eh, ah, yes. I’m almost done with my work, and I’ll be fine today.?

In fact, I was so amazed at the changes in the mansion that the idea of reading a book had been blown out of my mind. Such an event had not happened for the past fifteen years. For Wilgia, books were his best friends and irreplaceable companions, and he never forgot them, not even for a moment, but today she was more surprised than ever.

?Is that so??

Ririka smiles and, when she is finished serving, she stays in the corner of the room like a servant. As she stood silent and looked like an ordinary servant, Wilgia doubted whether the girl was really doing all the work by herself.

?Are you asking for someone else to help you??

?No, I’m the only one,?

?But isn’t it too much for one person to handle this amount of work??

?It’s a job I’ve been used to since I was a child, will Wilgia-sama is second to none in terms of reading??

?Of course?

?Then it’s the same thing?

?I see?

Wilgia, who was ignorant of the world, agreed.

This girl, Ririka, must be very capable. A good servant came in, Wilgia said in a good mood.

?By the way, I would like to ask Wilgia-sama for permission?

?What is it??

?May I cut down some of the conifers on the outside??

?…………?

Wilgia stopped his arm lifting the coffee.

?What is it now??

?Yes, I said I wanted to cut the tree. I need a sunny place to hang out the laundry. It will be good for firewood, and I would very much appreciate it if you would allow me to use a portion of the south side of the house.?

?Are you going to cut it??

?Yes, I once became a disciple of a lumberjack, so I’m pretty good at cutting trees.?

?Wilgia looked intently at Ririka. Ririka with a nice smile is thin and rather small. I wondered if such an ordinary-looking girl could cut down a tree, but I told her not to get hurt and gave her permission.