บท 9: Chapter 9: A wife’s job
Chapter 9: A wife's job
{Sorceress's POV}
Vuong had already left on the carriage with the princesses' henchman, leaving me in the mansion alone. Well, not precisely "alone", there were other servants within the mansion, but I disregarded them. They were not sufficiently important and/or close enough for me to even care about them. Vuong would be a concern if I got rude to them… So I had to play nice. At least they had accepted the part that I preferred to be alone for the moment.
Then, I found a problem: I had nothing to do. Normally, I would pass the time by reading or listening to music… or on the days when my mood really pressed me, I would stalk Vuong with my magic. Too bad, he was too paranoid and skilful sometimes, I rarely had the chance to sneak in his house or capture the image of his abs. I knew I had yandere streaks, and I simply accepted that – it would be worse if I suppressed my own feeling and had it blown up right in my face.
A while ago, my boyfriend had told me to go to bed early, but it is unlikely that I would simply comply. I had a problem finding the urge to sleep. That, and I disliked being told what to do, and Vuong was not an exception. Sure, I would pout at him, but for others, it would be somewhere between a death glare and a punch in the face. Everyone said that I was a stubborn girl, and that was an understatement…
I would not follow his words, not a single chance. There was no school, no homework, no deadline, and definitely no warm hugging pillow. For obvious reasons, the last one was the most critical to me. The last few days sleeping together had already made me addicted to his body scent and warmth, well, not as bad as some drug addictions, but quite close. Still, even with that, I would have trouble sleeping without him nearby. Perhaps I should have some light exercises? Meh, I hated having sweat.
I wondered if I should send a message to the two princesses. They seemed to be very interested in making an alliance and companionship with Vuong. Perhaps it was not clear enough that he was mine, and mine alone. Still, he would be disappointed if I got reckless immediately, something about the low profile and PR. I got lost halfway during the pillow talk due to his exotic feeling that night…
Meh, after all, what could possibly happen? I got in a jealous mood and bitch slap an elf princess who was here for negotiation?
It was a depressing thought though, so I should probably cheer myself up. Maybe I could dream about what I wanted Vuong to do with me when we were completely alone in a sound-proof room? His laptop was a real trove of treasure, who knew he was that kinky? He was good in hiding his porn stash – a five-level folder structure, with two as decoys, hidden view setting and a few other tricks. Well, I was better at digging in his computer, and he took my birthday as his password. To be fair, he was a hormonal teenager… and the last time I checked, I was the same. Well, it would just make our romantic life much more interesting, but it would be way longer than in the future.
Was I getting a bit too passionate here? Well, it was not a real excitement per se, it was rather the opposite, boredom. With Vuong around, I could always find something to do, either plotting our advance, building up an army, or simply just cuddling. He was a pleasant company to stay around… Now, with him being absent, I should probably find something else to pass the time. Going to bed early was a chore, and it was simply a selfish desire of mine to greet him when he got back. I could totally drop in an invitation to the bed though, just like some Japanese girls on his laptop's videos: "What would you like first? Bath? Dinner? Or me?"
I just knew that he would claim me for himself, some heavy and intense snogging sessions would be made soon… It was a pity that Vuong would only stop at that, he would not have sex with me, at least, not now and not soon. How he was able to control his own demons was a mystery to me, though I would not be surprised if it was a combination of his own discipline and, well, self-released. Boys would always be boys, and he had zero ideas on how keen my nose was.
Chuckling, I called the maid to make me a teapot. Nothing was better than a warm cup of tea in one hand and a good book in the other. Maybe I should really start my training as a "Lady of a Mansion". She would be refined, elegant, well-versed in home economics… and probably she was capable of kicking the Master over the yard and back. My classmates had already accepted the fact that Vuong was their leader and I was his girlfriend, so it would take little to convince them to be henchmen and underlings.
"My lady, what kind of book would you like?"
The serving maid asked after putting the tea tray on the table. She was good, even putting biscuits and some other snacks in it. Well, this was a luxury life after all, and it was good to be rich and powerful.
"Actually, I have not learnt how to read with your alphabet. Would you mind teaching me with a simple book for kids?"
"What do you mean My Lady? Books for kids?"
"Yes, ones with colourful pictures and simple phrases. Don't you have them?"
"Unfortunately not My Lady. Papers are very expensive, and books are extremely valuable. They have only used to records the wisdom of God and Sages, and I'm afraid that there are no books for youngsters."
Blyat. Vuong had his suspicion on this matter, but I had no idea that it was this bad. The literacy level of this world was low, probably non-existent. A normal boy would care more about swords and magic, but not Vuong, who would hate to kill with such inefficient manners. He would build guns and artilleries, and such weapons could not be useful without tactics, which would need input from a literate force.
Perhaps it was due to the expensive cost of paper and books, or it could because of the imperial (and/or the church's) policy, something about keeping the people stupid and hungry. Classic tricks of keeping power in their own hands. This led to a rarity of books… Now, with no book within reach, how could I relax and find solace? And more importantly, how could I learn new cuisine? How could I keep my boyfriend exclusively mine? He was still a young man, one that baptized and trialled under fire, but still a young man nevertheless. With no oversight and no Damocles blade, he would quickly let himself loose. Considering his status as a Hero and he was getting chummy with the Emperor…
I would NOT let him build a harem.
I sneered, which then made the maid tensed up… Crap, I lost control right there, which was a big problem. The Lady of the Mansion could not simply lose her composure over such a trivial matter. She would be able to keep calm, being a stable and trustworthy base for the Master to focus on his own work. Besides, there was simply no benefit in scaring my own personnel in the future.
"Sorry, that's my mistake. Reading is a hobby of mine, and I cannot simply stand being unable to have a book on my hand."
"My Lady, you know how to read?"
"Yes, literacy is a given right back on my home. No one, and I really mean no one, has the right and power to keep anyone from school."
The maid was surprised after that, which was not that surprising in the first place. Girls were not that respected during the ages of old. Even a princess was little more than a bargaining chip for a political marriage. It would not be an exaggeration to have just a single "outstanding" woman for every two or three hundred men…
"Then… your home must be a nice place to live in, My Lady."
Terran Federation could be described with many words, but "perfect" surely was not one of them. There were still too many problems left standing, and surprisingly enough, the sentiment of World War Three was not the biggest concern. However, my homeland surely sounded like a paradise to this maid – no more hunger or starvation…
"For you, it would sound like heaven. But for us, it is a duty to make our home better."
She just nodded at that, too stunned to make any meaningful response. Ignoring her, I reached out and picked up the teacup… while secretly using my magic to check the drink. Called me paranoid, but recent events had shown that it was always better to be prepared. The result came back clean, which was a good sight at first glance. However, my knowledge of magical poisons was low though, and I had to take the risk that I failed to detect them.
The risks were plentiful, and painfully slow death was just a tiny part. There were also poisons and artefacts capable of rewriting one's personality after prolonged exposure, there was also magical meth, and I had heard about "flesh-eating drugs".
If that was the case, Vuong would avenge my death in the most spectacular way possible. I had faith in him.
So, for now, a leap of faith…
To be honest, the tea was good. The aroma accompanied the brown crystal liquid gave off a pleasant feeling. The warmth and the sweetness eased down the agitation in my heart. The biscuits were not only good-looking, but they also tasted well. There were less butter and milk compared to what I knew, but I preferred them that way.
I should give the maid a commendation. She was quite helpful already, it took skills to make a tea tray this good. Even the stereotype British Royal would have troubles meeting this challenge head-on. Besides, as far as I knew, there were no poisons in the drinks and biscuits, and it was good enough for me. However, life never went the way I wanted. The moment I turned my head towards her, the door flushed opened:
"Why do you lowly girl serve her such a lowly dish? Do you have any shame at all?"
The maid instantly tensed up, but it was nothing compared to me. I had already stirred up my magical storage, ready to unleash my attack if needed. The tone of the newcomer, a middle-aged male, was definitely not friendly. There was no guarantee on the part that he would be co-operative… Still, why did I have the feeling that I knew this voice somewhere else?
The door had finally opened, and the figure revealed himself. It was no one other than the butler of this mansion, and he was a low-ranking noble by himself, a baron if I remembered correctly. He was such a sticker to rule, and it was not that hard to see how much he valued magic. The moment he knew that I had it in my blood, his attitude shifted one-hundred-and-eighty. From sneering, he became extremely obedient to my wishes and my wimps, from a distant noble, he had become little better than a crawling coward.
I hated such people, they would be the very first people to switch side when things got hairy. With such a high degree of unreliability, it would be a bad idea to keep such people close, especially when Vuong was about to shift the balance of power very soon. Best case scenario, he would delay our work, and in the worst case, he would be the one who sabotaged it so that he could "protect the nobility of magical power". Things were getting progressively worse, and I should ask for a new butler soon.
"But… but…"
"No, but, no if. You should serve her with a feast, not some dry and tasteless peasant's bread like this. How long have I been teaching you that?"
"The feast would…"
"I don't want to hear your petty reason, silly girl. She is a mage, she deserves special treatment. Surely you are aware of what would happen when you make her, and by extension me, unpleasant?"
I should intervene quickly. The poor maid was about to bust, and the butler had already switched for lecturing to outright sneering. Granted, I had no idea about the power dynamic here, but they should be informed about a single fact – it was me to be the Lady. If they had trouble with that, well, I always had enough strings to pull.
"It is me who asks her to arrange this for me. Is there a problem, butler?"
The man instantly stopped his tirade and looked at me with a ridiculed look. Apparently, he did not believe that such a meal was fitting for me.
"My Lady, such a meal was not befitting a woman with a status such as yours. This is just a peasant's meal, not for a noble to enjoy."
"So? What is the problem, I'm neither noble nor a peasant, and I like this meal."
"My Lady, you are magical, that makes you a noble."
"And my fiancé, one that has no magical power, has been protecting his home for more than five years. He even risked his life once to save more than three million people. Does that make him a noble?"
That question caught him off guard. In his mind, he believed in the supremacy of magic and disregarded the value of brain and brawl. Many magical backs on Earth had made the same mistakes, luckily, most of them died before they were able to rectify it.
Besides, I was pretty sure that no lone mage was able to save a few million people here on Ashka. From that alone, Vuong was already better than every single one of them combined. From the look of both the maid and the butler, it looked like I had made my impact.
To further infuriate the bastard, I picked up my cup of tea, which was now empty. The maid, seemingly being able to catch on, quickly filled it up. I kept my eyes on the butler, observing his reaction. The man was now trying hard to control his jaw, which was slagging further downward with each second, especially when he found no fault with the graceful action of the maid. And to top it up, I even calmly sipped the tea and took a small bite over a biscuit.
"Let me repeat it, it is me who ask her to arrange this for me. Is there a problem with that?"
That line had pretty much shut him up already. A confirmation explicitly came out of my mouth, which was used to protect the maid standing diligently next to me. He would have no ground left to reprimand her, or as I suspected, he would not be able to punish her anymore.
Knowing the defeat, he quickly bid a retreat, but not before throwing a dirty eye at the young girl. I knew that look, it meant "things were not finished yet". That look meant troubles, and troubles were the last thing I wanted here in this mansion. I glanced out of the windows toward the faint traces of the palace under the night sky. There, Vuong was using his wit, his raw talent and perhaps his cynical view of politics to earn support from the Emperor. Normally, it was a challenge big enough, but he would not do it in the conventional way of the local but using foreign ideas and techniques. It would make the problem even more challenging. The last thing he wanted to have was more burdens on his shoulders.
As his wife, it was my job to keep this from happening. I would take care of the home front, I would deal with the staff here, just to make sure he had a nice place to sleep and relax. The incident just now made up my mind – I would do whatever it took to keep the staff here friendly and homogenous. It was simply unwise to have the butler being hostile to the common goal, or at least, being obstructive.
Maybe, it would be a good idea to recruit more common-born people. It was a challenge, but to keep Vuong focused on his main duty, I had no choice but to do it. Taking a deep breath, I turned to the maid by my side with the first question being already on the tip of my tongue. It was a challenge, for sure, but it would be nothing compared to a complete overhaul of war doctrine like what Vuong was planning to do.
Let the Master focus on external matters, and the Lady would deal with internal matters. That was a wife's job, that was her duty. And that was my job.
"So, girl, tell me, what's your name?"
"Alicia, my Lady."
"And it appears that you are a… peasant-born. Am I correct?"
"Yes, my Lady. Both of my parents were poor farmers, and they had to sell me to the Empire because they were too poor. At least I was treated well with warm food and a roof over my head."
To be fair, the definition of happiness was sometimes that simple. It was even more correct for people of early Renaissance era. Food was still scarce and civil engineering was not for normal people. Vuong would launch a few programs to fix that on a large scale, but he would need a pilot first.
And what was better than this his own mansion? I would have to cut off a few legs – but it would still be profitable in the long run.
"Please take a seat. This will take a while."
"MY LADY! That… that is highly improper!"
"But it was not as improper as this meal. Trust me, just take a seat, you and I would have a long talk, and I prefer you being relaxed to tired."
"… A question, if I may, my Lady."
"Speak."
"Why do you want to help me?"
"Because, little girl, it is a wife's job."
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