Frederica and Petra's Maid Days Part II

Frederica Baumann had worked as a maid for Count Roswaal L. Mathers since she was around eleven years old.

After ten years of continuous service, she prided herself in lacking nothing in ability to do her job, despite being only twenty-one.

In truth, considering everything including her loyalty to Count Roswaal, there were few now serving the Mathers family, or who had served them in the past, who could compare to her.

— A girl forgotten by the world might have been one of those, but there's no need to talk about that here.

Regardless, Frederica, with that many years of working as a maid, was in a position to provide outstanding guidance to junior maids, and she had instructed many new maids in their jobs and manners.

The number of maids she had thus trained was now more than she could count on her fingers and toes, but even to Frederica, this was a new experience — her student was too excellent, and she was having trouble deciding what to have her learn.

"Frederica nee-sama, I've finished my work. What should I do next?" When the girl found Frederica, she immediately smiled brightly and ran towards her. The very first thing she said was to announce the completion of her job, and then she cutely inclined her head and waited for her next instructions.

Her brown hair was tinged red, and she had fairy-like features. Her slender white limbs were long, and while it was still developing, her appearance hinted she would develop into a great beauty someday – a sigh escaped.

"Aw, you're so cute..."

"...? Frederica nee-sama?"

"Ah, oh, it's nothing, Petra. When you announced that you'd finished so quickly, I was a little surprised."

Laughing softly with a hand over her mouth, Frederica hid her admiration with a smile. This adorable, clever girl looked up to her greatly. Inadvertently revealing her honest opinion in the face of that admiration had to be carefully avoided.

As well, what she needed to be conveying now was not words in her own defense, but rather "Well, I can't just stand here being surprised. Petra, you've done your work well. You're quite skilled... as your teacher, I'm very proud of you."

"Ahaha... I did my best."

Frederica's large palm gently rubbed Petra's red-ribbon-decorated head. Smiling as though it felt ticklish, Petra did not reject that touch.

— Behold, this adorableness. One might want to have a younger Ram learn from this example.

"That girl never did speak with respect, and she would never call me nee-sama... This is so much nicer."

"Um, nee-sama, what should I do next..."

"Hm, let's see... Well then, all of the jobs in the mansion are taken care of for the moment, perhaps we should go shopping together in the village. Your friends in the village should enjoy seeing how cute you look in your uniform."

"Ummm... if you say so, Frederica nee-sama."

"That's a good response. Well then, let's be off."

For a moment, Petra's eyes were filled with hesitation, but the smart girl quickly covered that emotion and accepted Frederica's intention to visit the village.

In this way, too, she was a very "mature" child.

Holding a small hand in her hand, Frederica once again felt joy over how well her new favorite student was turning out.

To Petra Leyte, diving in as a maid in Lord Roswaal's mansion was a big decision that required a great deal of courage.

It's lord's relationship with Alam village was cordial, but it was not a relationship that would tolerate rudeness or recklessness. Even though she was still young, Petra understood that much, and she felt that it was unfair to live in a way that would use youth as a reason to seek tolerance from adults.

In the past, there was a time when she had taken that sort of attitude often. As a result, she now disliked her old self, and renewed her stance that being sly was inappropriate.

She, herself, wished to be in a position where she could seek the same accomplishments as an adult.

Hence, it wouldn't make sense to be using her youth as an excuse. That was her thinking.

Well, that's how Petra was, but before entering the mansion, she had an understandable fear. Even though her way of thinking was grown-up, she was still only twelve years old. It was only normal that she would, like anyone else, feel nervousness and fear about leaving her parents and starting 'work'.

Fears like 'What if the senior servant teases me?', 'What if the master doesn't like me?', and 'What if it seems like my heart will be crushed under a mountain of jobs more terrible than I could imagine?'.

However, Petra quickly came to think that each of those fears was a needless anxiety.

Petra's fears were gently, almost too easily, washed away by her tall, beautiful, golden-haired, perfect senior maid.

At the moment she arrived at the village together with Frederica, Petra's friends – Lucas, Mild, Meina, and the others who were always together – surrounded her before she knew it.

"Have a good time. You must always cherish your friends. I wouldn't want those children to be upset with me for taking you away from them."

Frederica said this as she couldn't bear to see Petra, surrounded by her friends, looking troubled as she was about to use her job as a reason to turn down their invitation.

As she was seen off by Frederica with a small wave, Petra, feeling a little like her hair was being pulled, was taken around the village by Lucas and the others.

As Frederica took a step ahead and blocked the path, Petra hesitantly came to a stop. She turned her face away, and tangled her fingers in her short brown hair. Such a cute gesture. No, no, cute is for later.

"Petra, I know you've heard this many times before, but you must always cherish your friends."

"That's.... But..."

"When I was little, I lived in a unique place. There wasn't anyone my age, and my younger years were a bit lonely."

Trying to help the stammering Petra understand, Frederica spoke about her own childhood.

She remembered often playing by herself. So once she came to the the mansion, and became involved with all the people there, she was almost overwhelmed.

"But, life at the mansion is something I treasure. I am so very fortunate. So, I hope you can feel the same way, too."

"Nee-sama..."

"I couldn't bear it if you were to let go of something for the sake of the mansion. Friends are a treasure for your whole life. So, Petra, you must..."

She understood that it was a difficult environment. Despite that, Petra didn't have to let go of either life. Frederica held that hope for Petra. After all,

"As far as I can tell, you are an exceptional girl, Petra."

"......"

As they'd been talking, Petra had tightly gripped her uniform's apron, and looked downward. However, at Frederica's final words, she raised her head and looked straight back with her jade eyes.

Her big, round eyes were a little dampened by tears.

"But, Frederica nee-sama... Everyone, they were mean... and so, I..."

"You quarreled with them. Can I ask why it started?"

They made fun of her uniform? They complained that she couldn't play? Or maybe it was when they were complaining about half the villagers still being gone.

Frederica felt uneasy as Petra hesitated. Then, slowly,

"Th... They said that Frederica nee-sama's mouth was scary..."

"......"

At the teary-eyed Petra's words, Frederica received quite a shock.

To think that the cause of the quarrel between Petra and her friends was the shape of Frederica's own face – the fangs that she was self-conscious about.

"That's, ah... um, I'm sorry. I was speaking so presumptuously..."

"No, that's not it. It's not your fault, nee-sama! It's their fault! Frederica nee-sama is beautiful, and kind, and warm... and they..."

Interrupting Frederica's apology, Petra denied her self-reproach with a raised voice. Red-faced, and using all the energy of her small body, Petra heaped praise on Frederica.

"......"

Listening to those words, Frederica unwittingly stared at Petra, wide-eyed.

What on earth was this little, cute, dear child? Was she an angel?

And, listening to that angel's words, Frederica suddenly noticed.

"Petra, look."

"Huh...?"

Patting Petra's head, Frederica pointed behind her. On hearing those words, Petra turned around slowly and opened her eyes wide. There were the children from the village, looking upset.

Every face bore an expression that was sad, and wanted to apologize.

"Go patch things up with them, Petra. They're very good friends, after all."

"Frederica nee-sama..."

"And, if it's acceptable, could you introduce me as well? If they're Petra's friends, I'd like to be friends with them, too."

As Frederica smiled, and winked, Petra wiped her cute face with her sleeve. Then her face brightened, and...

"Yes! Everyone, let me tell you about how nice Frederica nee-sama is!"

With that, holding Frederica's hand tightly, Petra walked briskly forward. Pulled along by that small body's limitless energy, Frederica was a bit surprised as she followed.

Well now, these were her cute Petra's good friends.

...Compared to the etiquette of noble society, this meeting made her quite a bit more nervous. Grinning a little from that nervousness, Frederica softly, gently returned Petra's clasp on her hand.