Happy Days of the All-around Maid and the Duke - Chapter 4

Wilgia-sama’s mansion is worth cleaning.

The thick layer of dust could not be cleaned just by wiping once, and it was necessary to scrub the same spot over and over again to make it shiny.

The dining room, dressing room, bathroom, kitchen and other minimal rooms necessary for daily life were kept clean, but the rest of the house has not shown any signs of having been touched for decades.

I couldn’t help but think that they should at least clean up the entrance hall, but what they didn’t do was inevitable.

So Ririka’s life as a live-in servant began with cleaning up this mansion.

She decided to start by opening the windows of the rooms other than the study and the hallway windows, which she was not allowed to enter, but the window had been so poorly cleaned that accumulated dirt was clogging the sashes and preventing the windows from opening. Ririka suddenly changed her plans and decided to clean the windows starting with the dirt that had clogged them.

Even though the house is surrounded by forest and gets little sunlight, it is built with so many unnecessary windows that it takes a long time just to clean the dirt off the windows. But that’s the thing. Ririka had learned various techniques from her grandmother, so cleaning the dirt from the windows was a piece of cake.

In addition, since the master of the mansion, Wilgia-sama is not here, I can save myself the trouble of preparing meals. I can devote myself to cleaning as much as I want, so I can make progress on my work.

Ririka cleaned the dirt from the sashes of all the windows in the mansion and wiped the glass while she was at it, then opened the windows wide. Although the forest was surrounded by dank coniferous trees, a fresh breeze entered the house and dispersed the stagnant air.

?Okay, now let’s clean the floor!?

Ririka scrubbed the entrance hall with a mop. She scrubbed the hallway. She scrubbed the unused rooms. Since the dirt would not come off in one pass, she scrubbed the same places over and over again with a mop soaked in water and wrung out. If the mop couldn’t reach a spot, she scrubbed it with a rag, scrubbing as hard as she could.

That’s why Lilica kept on cleaning while Wilgia was not home.

She took off all the curtains in the house, jabbed them with a washboard, found a sunny place to hang them, cleaned the inside of the fireplace by removing soot, and swept the chimney.

The food is prepared every day so that the master can come home whenever he wants. If he doesn’t come home,  it is a waste, so Ririka was grateful.?It’s a perk!?I thought.

Thus, as a result of Lilica’s dedication to her duties without being discouraged by the dreary woods and dilapidated mansions, the house became so beautiful that she could not recognize it, and looked as if it had just been built.

It was ten days after Lilica had begun working at the Wilgia’s mansion.

Satisfied with my work as usual today, I was about to prepare for dinner …… when I heard a noise in the entrance hall.

When she rushed toward it, she found a young man standing there, dressed in shabby clothes. Ririka thought that he must be her master, so she greeted him anyway.

?Dear Wilgia-sama, I apologize for the delay in welcoming you. Welcome back.?

?Who are you??

Wilgia asked in a voice oozing with agitation.

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

When she said her name, Wilgia looked at Ririka seriously.

But this master’s face doesn’t look at all like Wilgia-sama, Ririka thought to herself.

The messy blonde hair has long bangs up to the nose, so I have no idea what he looks like. It’s a bit of a problem that I don’t know my master’s face. I secretly swear to my heart that I would make a suggestion for a haircut at some point.

After some hesitation, Wilgia hesitantly opened his mouth.

?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?

Ririka received a tattered robe. The black robe was made of fine material, but it was wrinkled all over, the threads on the cuffs were frayed, and the embroidery was almost removed. She is determined to mend the robe after the laundry is done.

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

?Ah?

?Very well?

And so Ririka prepared Wilgia for his bath.

Water is poured on it, and when she goes outside, she quickly heats the wood to a temperature suitable for bathing,  then takes out a change of clothes and leaves them in the changing room. His dress was also washed and ironed by Ririka while Wilgia was in the bath.

When he was done, he went to the dining room to get ready for dinner, I put some wood in the fireplace to warm up the room, and then went to the kitchen.

I was not sure of his food preferences, but he said he would eat anything, so I prepared a full course according to the nobleman’s eating habits.

Although she is unaware of it, Ririka’s cooking skills are as good as a professional.

While Wilgia was taking a bath, she made a bright appetizer, finished the meltingly delicious tail soup she had prepared since morning, cooked fish dishes and grilled meat. While Wilgia was eating, The dessert tart was made from plenty of seasonal fruits and coffee was ground from beans. It was perfect.

Then, after finishing her meal, Ririka suddenly asked Wilgia.

?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.?

She is convinced that this could happen. Anyway, she was glad to hear that he was satisfied with the meal.

Ririka boldly speaks to Wilgia, who seems to be in a good mood, although she cannot see his face because of his bangs, thinking that she might be able to get his permission now.

?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 at Ririka seriously. Ririka kept smiling, not wanting to lose here. The lack of sunlight is a matter of life and death to her. The laundry would not dry, the curtains in this house are very thick, so it’s hard to dry them plus I didn’t want them to smell funny when they were freshly dried. Even Wilgia-sama’s clothes in a crisp and pleasant way.

After a short pause, Wilgia gave her permission, saying, ?Please don’t get hurt? to which Ririka replied, ?Yes!? With the desire to shout ?All right!?.