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Elegance As A Maid
Ra-chan and Gideon decided to accompany me in going shopping and we decided to travel to the royal capital with the Misfid house’s carriage. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
A Misfid house servant is sitting on the coachman's seat, while Ra-chan, Gideon, Loretta, me, and Mina sit inside the carriage.
In the midst of all this, only Mina is sitting stiff.
「Mina, why are you nervous?」
「B, but, there is the next head of the Misfid house sitting here, you know?」
Mina doesn’t seem nervous as she met Ra-chan and due to her young age but she seems to be very nervous as this is also the first time she met Gideon.
Certainly, Gideon feels more noble-ish than we imagined.
「It’s fine. The person himself will only show interest in things he is interested in」
He won’t show any interest in you unless you are a magician of a certain level so she should be unmistakably ignoring Mina’s existence. He probably won’t say anything about the servant of another house. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Ha, haaa」
「Just think of him as a more important and handsome Eric」
「Isn’t that no longer Eric-sama?」
「Indeed. I don’t have any more examples to pick」
A handsome, important-looking Eric, that’s no longer Eric already.
Mina’s shoulders relaxed a little as we smiled at each other at the thought.
「Alfried, what food do you plan on treating us to tonight?」
「It’s deep-fried skewers」
「What kind of food is that?」
「It’s a dish where you cut various ingredients into bite-sized pieces, skewer, and coat them in batter, and then fry them in oil」
「What kind of food will be skewered?」
「Meat, seafood, vegetable, anything you like」
「You can use anything?」
「Un, it suits almost anything」
The abundance of variety could be said to be one of the charms of deep-fried skewers.
「Then, I want some tamagoyaki!」
「Ranna-sama, I do not think that will fit with the dish」
Hearing Ra-chan’s request, Loretta - who had actually eaten fried food - tries to advise while smiling wryly.
「You can also use tamagoyaki, you know」
「Eh!? You can!?」
Loretta looked surprised when I nodded as if there was no problem with that.
It’s possible to make fried skewered tamagoyaki.
I’ve had it in my previous life as a variant of deep-fried skewers.
It’s something that will take a bit more time to make, but it can’t be helped if Ra-chan says she wants to eat it.
「Then I would like seafood」
「I recommend fish and shellfish as they will definitely go well together. But, were there any good seafood shops in the shopping street? 」
I’ve gone shopping in the royal capital several times, but I feel like there were barely any stores that sell seafood.
「You can find seafood if you go to the shopping street in the Northern district」
「Heeー, so there is also a shopping street over there」
Although the scale is not as big as the one on the main street, it seems that there is a high-class shopping street in the Northern district that caters to the nobles and merchants.
「Since the royal capital is not close to or facing the sea, seafood has to be purchased frozen. Only high-class stores have plenty of commercial-use freezers to maintain the freshness of the ingredients」
「I see」
I’m impressed by Loretta’s additional explanation. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
Even among nobles, it is a struggle to obtain the likes of refrigerators since people who can manufacture Ice magic tools are quite limited. Not only do you need enough financial power to have several of them, but you probably wouldn’t be able to get your hands on them if you don’t have personal connections.
It’s no wonder you don’t often see them in normal stores.
「For no,w let’s roughly get the ingredients from the stores in the main street, while the other ingredients we will us,e like seafood and such,h will be from the Northern district shopping street」
There were no objections to the shopping plan I set up, and Gideon conveyed that as it is to the coachman.
●
We got off the carriage when we arrived at our destination.
There are a lot of people coming and going on the main street, and stores are lined up on both sides of the street.
I’ve only been going to stores that cater to the wealthy recently so the unorganized hustle and bustle of the place feels quite refreshing
「It’s the main street!」
「It has also been a while since I came here!」
I feel moved to think that this is the place where I met the then-lost Ra-chan. Has it been nearly a year since that time? Time sure flies.
「Che, there are a lot of commoners」
Gideon muttered in displeasure as soon as he got out of the carriage.
That’s of course. This is a place mainly for commoners to go shopping after all.
As I was retorting like that in my mind, I felt a sign of Gideon activating the mana inside his body.
「Hmm?」
I watched him wondering what he was going to do, and then Gideon released his mana into the surroundings.
When he released such a thick mana wave, the surrounding commoners were startled and turned around to look at us.
There was a man who clearly looked like a noble and a resident of the royal capital who made his way toward us with a pale face.
「Hey! What are you doing!?」
「I was just intimidating people to get them to clear the way since they were in the way. Look, now the path is clear」
The commoners are looking at him with looks of fear on their faces but Gideon walks ahead completely unconcerned with that. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
By any chance, maybe he’s knowledgeable about the stores around here?
「Are you familiar with this area?」
「There is no way I know about it, right? So you walk ahead and lead the way」
「Ehー」
I already knew about it but, what an unreasonable person. I have only regret for letting him accompany me.
「Then, I will walk in front!」
She must have realized that things would get terrible if we allowed Gideon to take the lead.
Looking flustered, Loretta walks in front and leads the way.
Certainly, this is more comfortable, but the gazes from the people around are painful.
「This is awkward, please don’t intimidate the people around anymore, alright?」
I warned Gideon as we quickly made our way through the intimidated area.
「This way is much more efficient, but fine. It should be enough with Loretta walking in front」
「What do you mean?」
「Can Loretta also intimidate people?」
「Umm, Ranna-sama, I will not do something that outrageous」
While there were question marks above Ra-chan and my head, Loretta - who walked ahead of us - denied it.
A servant said it was ‘outrageous’ but Gideon only snorted at that as if he didn’t care at all.
Even so, what does he mean by ‘it should be enough if Loretta is walking in front’?
Just when we were tilting our heads in confusion, Loretta stood up straighter than usual and walked while having her eyes fixed straight ahead.
Not only it is clear to see that she is someone who wears well-tailored maid clothes, but her dignified yet elegant demeanor makes it clear to the commoners at a glance that she serves a high-ranking noble.
As soon as they see Loretta, the commoners understand that there is a noble, and they naturally make some space to not get in the way.
「Ooh! There is a space so we can naturally pass through now!」
It was a smart method that didn’t pointlessly trouble others, or even intimidate the surroundings just like a certain next head of a Duke’s house.
「Loretta, amaziiーng! She doesn’t intimidate people, so how?」
「I wonder if it’s her appearance as a servant? It subtly informs the surrounding people that a person of high status is here」
「Hee, so it’s like that! I’m going to make Loretta walk in front from now on!」
「Umm no, I am Ranna-sama’s personal maid so doing that is.....」
Ra-chan tries to make her personal maid do that so she can walk comfortably.
For Loretta - whose main duty is to serve and follow her master - walking in front of her master would be something unthinkable. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
To begin with, doing this kind of thing are not the job of a maid but of escort knights and the like.
「Even so, why is the situation different even when the same maid is standing in front?」
Back then, I met Ra-chan, and there was a time when Mina walked in front of us, but such a thing didn’t happen.
「Mu mu mu! Alfried-sama, are you saying that I lack the dignity of a servant serving a noble? I can’t overlook that!」
「In that case, then Mina can try walking in front next」
「Fine! I will do it!」
Mina took the lead and changed places with Loretta due to my provocative remark.
「Hu-hum, I will show you my elegance!」
Speaking enthusiastically, Mina straightened her posture and walked down the main street.
The sounds of pumps clicking echo throughout.
Everyone was amazed by her graceful gait―.
「Ow!」
「Oh, sorry」
「I, it’s fine. I also apologize」
The throng of people in front didn’t split as she hit a passerby ojisan instead.
「See」
「T, this is」
When Loretta was walking in front, the throng of people split on their own to make way, but they began to pour out onto the split road the moment it was Mina’s turn. I can only think of this as the difference in their dignity as a maid.
「The center of gravity on the sole of our foot is from our heel to the base of our toes. Then please move from there to the tip of your toes. Don’t place your entire sole flat onto the ground and focus on the central outer side」
「Ye, yes!」
「Shift your center of gravity from the base of your little toe to the base of your big toe, and step forward with your big toe. The key is to keep your knee straight at the time your sole touch the ground」
Despite being confused, Mina receives Loretta’s teaching on how to maintain a good posture and gait.
「Slowlett house’s training of its servants was too lenient, huh?」
「Err, you are absolutely right. I feel ashamed」
Gideon frowns while watching Mina. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
From Gideon’s perspective - who has mastered the manners of the upper class -, Mina’s conduct appears far too unseemly.
I could just make excuses, but our family is just a low-ranking noble, and we live in the countryside, so such conduct wasn’t really required.
I’ve had no previous contact with a Duke’s house but somehow, things ended up like this, and now we’re in such a close relationship. There is also the joint business with Gregor and Schugel, so rather than ‘contact’, our relationship should become even closer in the future. The Slowlett house has few servants, and Mina might have been called for work.
Let’s talk to Nord-tousan and Elna-kaasan about Mina’s training as a maid later.
「Turn your gaze 30 degrees higher and keep your back straight」
「Y, yes!」
「Widen your stride just a little bit and walk in a straight line!」
「Yes!」
Mina walks down the main street, being instructed by Loretta at the same time.
Ra-chan and I reflexively applaud seeing her gait that is completely different from before.
「Oohー!」
「Mina looks like a maid!」
「It’s not ‘looks like a maid’, I am a maid!」
The way she walked now was really neat.
「I knew it, the way a person walks is important」
「People judge a person’s character by their conduct after all」
Gideon made a comment that seemed full of meaning when I shared my heartfelt thoughts.
Gideon’s bearing is always refined even just his standing looks good.
But, Gideon - who has such a bearing - has the least common sense so the authenticity of his previous comment was questionable.
「Well then, Mina-san. Please pay attention to your gait now and continue walking」
「Heeh!?」
「I will point out each time your posture falters so let us correct it and learn the proper way to walk」
Loretta has completely entered teaching mode.
She probably has some thoughts about Mina’s bearing as a fellow maid.
「It is said that it’s important to make this kind of thing deeply ingrained into one’s body, so do your best」
Mina was voicing her complaints about it but I gave her a half-hearted yell of encouragement. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
