“It’s okay, everything’s okay……”

“No, it’s not okay.”

Elodie’s voice was filled with tears.

“Can you tell me why it’s not okay?”

“……I have to.”

Elodie mumbled, burying her face in my arms.

“I don’t want to sleep alone…… I want to sleep with Aria.”

For a moment, I felt flustered. Until now, I had been sleeping in the same bed with Elodie.

‘Well, that was because we couldn’t make a separate room for Elodie…… Even at the cafe, there wasn’t a separate space to stay.’

But this is the Duke’s mansion. If Elodie wants, she could occupy ten rooms by herself without any problem.

“Elodie, are you scared to sleep alone?”

“……It’s not that.”

Elodie sniffled. My heart ached at her attempt to appear composed.

“I just want to sleep with Aria. Can’t we sleep together? Just for tonight……”

“Let’s do that.”

When I readily agreed, Elodie looked up at me with surprised eyes. I bent down and whispered in Elodie’s ear.

“Actually, it’s my first night here too, and I’d like someone to be beside me. Will you stay with me, Elodie?”

“Yes!”

Elodie’s nodding was so adorable that I wanted to bite her cheeks.

“Where is my room?”

“Please follow me.”

My room was not far from Elodie’s room. Considering the size of the child’s room, it was practically next door.

‘Huh?’

I blinked. Although I was Elodie’s official guardian, I was still an accessory to her. The room given to me was too large and luxurious for someone in my position. It was like…

‘A room for parents to stay in.’

I swallowed hard. There was no need to read too much into it. Duke Baniche, feeling sorry for me, must have ordered them to give me the best treatment, and they were simply following that order.

“I like this one better.”

Elodie said firmly as she stepped in.

“As expected, young miss has good taste.”

Eric sounded genuinely impressed. I shook my head slightly, momentarily dumbfounded. Elodie just didn’t want to be apart from me!

Eric, quick to read the situation, finished his brief introduction and prepared to leave, allowing us to be alone soon.

“Phew……”

As the tension eased, a sigh escaped involuntarily. Elodie looked up at me with a curious face.

“Aria, are you tired?”

“No, why?”

“You always blow air out of your mouth like that when you’re tired.”

“……You’re perceptive. I guess I am tired, just as you said.”

“It’s okay.”

Elodie said firmly.

“I’ll put you to sleep.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Recently, Elodie had been stubborn at times, which was a very welcome change considering how she was when I first met her.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“Yes. Please do.”

I helped Elodie undress, change into the prepared pajamas, and assisted her with a quick wash. Elodie, who had climbed into bed by herself, looked at me with wide eyes.

“What about Aria?”

“Just wait a moment.”

I carefully removed the pins from my hair. Elodie might not know, but adults take twice as long to dress and undress. By the time I finished preparing and climbed into bed, Elodie was already fast asleep.

‘How cute.’

Thinking of Elodie, who had boasted that she would put me to sleep this time, I couldn’t help but smile. I pulled Elodie, who had fallen asleep without properly covering herself, into the warm blanket.

“Ah…… Aria?”

“Sleep more.”

As I patted her stomach, Elodie’s eyes closed again. I watched the child for a moment, then lay down and closed my eyes. Due to the exhausting day, sleep came quickly.

***

“Yaaawn……”

I woke up stretching to the sunlight pouring in through the window. It was a much deeper sleep compared to when I slept on the makeshift bed at the cafe. Glancing at Elodie, I saw her sleeping soundly, showing traces of having tossed and turned on the large bed.

Just as I carefully got out of bed, trying not to wake Elodie, someone knocked on the door.

‘What could it be?’

I approached the door, puzzled. I couldn’t think of anyone who would visit Elodie or me this early in the morning. As I carefully opened the door, I saw a maid with an innocent face.

“Ah, hello.”

Judging by her timid voice, she seemed to be quite shy. I couldn’t embarrass her.

“Hello.”

I responded with a gentle smile.

“What brings you here so early in the morning?”

“W-well.”

The maid stammered. I frowned. I couldn’t think of anything that would require a maid’s assistance.

If the Duke wanted to summon me, he would have sent a valet or butler, not a maid whose name I wouldn’t even remember. And this maid looked too young to guide us around the mansion or help us adjust.

Could there be a servant trying to assert dominance by using a new maid?

Fortunately, the maid’s words were completely different from my expectations.

“From today, I’m Sonya, assigned to serve the young lady and Miss Bertin.”

“To serve Elodie?”

I asked, dumbfounded. Of course, Elodie, being a Duke’s daughter, would need a dedicated maid or lady-in-waiting. But I thought they wouldn’t assign one right away, given her young age and need for an adjustment period…

“I’m assigned to serve both the young lady and Miss Bertin. If you need anything or if there’s any inconvenience, please let me know anytime.”

To be honest, my first emotion was bewilderment. Given that she mentioned serving me twice, it was clear that Sonya was also my dedicated maid.

‘What would I need a maid for?’

But I couldn’t just send her away and embarrass her. I invited Sonya into the room. She would be close to both me and Elodie from now on. It would be better to greet her properly from the start.

“Would you like something to drink? I saw a pretty teapot here earlier……”

“I-I’ll brew it!”

“It’s okay.”

Sonya stood up in surprise, but I quickly stopped her.

“I’ll serve you this time.”

Having quickly found the teapot, I put it on the stove to heat the water. Sonya sat quietly without saying a word until I poured the tea into pretty cups and handed it to her.

‘She must be nervous.’

I discreetly observed her. She looked like she had just come of age. Normally, a more experienced maid would be assigned to a Duke’s daughter, but Elodie’s situation was far from normal.

Especially considering that I was staying with her, they probably avoided assigning a veteran maid who might be intimidating. I slowly opened my mouth.

“What are your working hours?”

“There aren’t any specific hours.”

Sonya answered immediately.

“I’ll be on standby at all times. So if you don’t see me, just ring this bell……”

She pulled a cord next to the bed, and a dull bell sound rang out.

“I’ll come running right away.”

I nodded. It wasn’t a device I particularly liked, but it would be useful if Elodie was alone and got hurt.

We engaged in small talk. As it turned out, Sonya had just finished her apprenticeship and this was her first time being assigned as someone’s dedicated maid. Her eyes sparkled as she said, “I’ll do my best,” which was even cute.

‘I see why they assigned this maid.’

Sonya would be a good big sister figure for Elodie.

“……ria……”

In the middle of our conversation, a mumbling sound came from the bed. I turned my head slightly and spoke to Elodie.

“Elodie, do you want to get out of bed now? There’s someone I want to introduce you to.”

“Who is it?”

Elodie’s voice was clearly wary. I gave a bitter smile.

“Sonya.”

“Who’s Sonya?”

“Your dedicated maid.”

“I’m also Miss Bertin’s dedicated maid.”

“……Okay.”

Aria carefully got out of bed, and upon seeing Sonya, her eyes widened.

“It’s an honor to serve you.”

Sonya greeted politely, but it seemed to only increase the child’s anxiety. Elodie ran to me without even putting on her shoes properly and hid behind my back.

While it wasn’t necessarily good to blindly trust strangers, the fact that this wariness stemmed from the wounds Elodie had received left a bitter taste in my mouth.