To My Arrogant Master - Chapter 3

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Mary, who was in charge of guiding, hurried her steps while glancing sideways at the woman who was as stiff as a tree.

It was quite peculiar that she didn’t show any emotion even as she stepped into the splendid hall that would have left others gaping in awe.

‘She seems like a different person, being so docile now. I wonder who she is.’

Mary was extremely curious about the identity of the woman brought by that unsociable master who wouldn’t even meet noble young ladies who came up with various excuses just to see his face once, let alone allow other nobles into the house.

As she kept moving her lips incessantly out of curiosity, they soon arrived at the room. When she stopped, the woman slowly raised her downcast eyes.

“We’re here. For now, the aide ordered that you stay here tonight.”

After passing through the central staircase and several long corridors, they arrived at a small room with an attached bathroom.

In the center of the space, which was tiled with shiny white tiles, was a marble bathtub with a surface that looked slippery just by looking at it.

As the maid fiddled with a few shiny stones, hot water immediately began to fill the tub. It was only natural that Flora’s eyes widened, as she had only ever bathed in the lake near the garrison.

“Um… It seems you need to take off your clothes…”

Mary, who had been quietly observing the woman who couldn’t take her eyes off the water flowing from the magic stones, cautiously opened her mouth. Perhaps because of the memory of being thrown to the ground by the woman’s strength earlier, she hesitated to reach out.

Startled by the maid’s words, Flora clutched her collar as if it were her life.

When the woman, who rarely showed any change in expression, reacted so sensitively, it was Mary who was surprised instead.

Then, reading the question in the woman’s gaze as if asking her to leave, Mary smiled awkwardly.

“There’s no need to be so guarded. As Mr. Harriet said, I’ll help you. We’re both women, so what’s the problem? I don’t think you’ll know how to use this, so I’ll help just for today. Ah, if you’re still uncomfortable, I’ll turn around.”

Before even hearing a response, the maid quickly turned around, and Flora, pondering while looking at the maid’s back, hesitantly unbuttoned the buttons on her top.

After the sound of clothes falling to the floor had completely ceased, Mary turned around and opened her eyes wide at the sight of the naked Flora.

The woman’s body, slightly hunched with her arms crossed to cover her chest, instantly erased Mary’s assumption that she would just be skinny.

Despite being a woman herself, her figure was beautiful enough to capture all attention. Except for her perky breasts and plump buttocks that were enviable, there was no excess fat on her body.

Her slender arms and legs looked toned, suggesting she must have exercised, and her flat stomach also seemed to have well-defined muscles that looked like they would bounce if pressed with a finger.

Honestly, it was an enviable figure, but imagining what the process might have been like was an unpleasant thought. A sympathetic gaze swept over Flora once.

“Oh my, you must have suffered a lot. I guess your previous master treated you quite badly?”

Mary’s impression upon seeing her unexpectedly muscular body was that her former master must have been quite terrible.

“Previous master?”

Flora’s gaze lingered on the empty space to her right as she repeated her words. While it wasn’t exactly right to call him a master, recalling the fierce temperament of the administrator responsible for the 12th Division, it wasn’t entirely wrong either.

Even though Flora didn’t say much, Mary continued to ramble on about how sorry she felt.

“Don’t worry. Although the master might look cold, he’s a fair person. Unlike other nobles who immediately resort to beating for mistakes, he’s different.”

“……”

“Come on, get in quickly. Oh my, did you roll around on some dirt in the battlefield? This won’t be usable even after washing.”

Mary clicked her tongue as she looked at the dust-covered clothes neatly folded to one side. Just as she was about to pick them up to dispose of them, thinking it wouldn’t do, the clothes were snatched away.

Intimidated by the woman’s fierce gaze that seemed to say she wouldn’t stand still if they were really thrown away, Mary smiled awkwardly and reached out her hand.

“Ah… I understand. I’ll take these and wash them for you.”

Only after she spoke gently, as if to reassure her, did the woman relax her grip. How could she so completely forget what happened earlier just because she saw a gentle face for a moment?

‘Was she a hunter or something?’

It was extraordinary where such strength came from in that skinny body. Mary gestured for her to get into the bathtub quickly.

Urged by the maid, Flora got into the bathtub and awkwardly hugged her knees with both hands. Thus, Mary had no choice but to attend to her bath in that state.

Mary gently rubbed Flora’s skin with a soap-covered towel while observing her carefully.

At first, she hadn’t noticed because her appearance was so shabby, like a beggar’s, but the more she looked, the more she realized she was an extraordinary beauty.

Her skin, though slightly tanned by the sun, was obviously fair originally and soft beyond words. Her hair, after being washed vigorously in the water like laundry, revealed itself to be beautiful platinum blonde with a bright sheen.

Inwardly marveling at her beauty, which anyone would mistake for a noble lady if properly cared for, Mary casually broached the subject.

“What’s your name? How old are you? You seem about my age… Oh, I’m Mary.”

“…Flora. I estimate my age to be twenty.”

While the tone of her voice seemed quite low when she had answered Harriet earlier, now she spoke with a feminine voice fitting for her age.

Not only her face but even her voice is pretty. But if she’s 20, why estimate?

Mary, tilting her head, thought back to the peculiar clothes they had a slight scuffle over earlier.

“So where are you from? You don’t seem to be from here in Fashante.”

Suspecting she would have been quickly arrested by the security forces if she had been walking around like this in the capital, Mary asked, and Flora, wet like a mouse, hesitated for a moment before saying quietly.

“I came from Filheim in the west.”

“Filheim? Oh my, that’s on the border, isn’t it? No wonder…”

It seemed like she had passed through a battlefield. Unlike the capital where normal life was still possible, the border region was practically in ruins, and this fact made Mary feel even more sympathetic.

Concluding that her circumstances were more pitiful than expected, Mary put a bit more effort into washing Flora.

* * *

“You look much prettier now that you’re clean.”

Even as the maid looked at her freshly bathed appearance with a pleased expression, Flora silently stared at her reflection in the mirror, dressed in a one-piece dress.

She had only worn skirts briefly as a child when running errands in the barracks, but never once since becoming an adult.

In the garrison, she mainly wore tight-fitting pants like other female knights, so the current skirt outfit felt not just unfamiliar but almost ridiculous.

Honestly, she didn’t like it, but she had no choice as the maid had taken away the clothes she came in, saying she would wash them.

“…Are there no other clothes?”

This time, interpreting her gaze somehow, the maid slightly twirled her tightly tied curly hair around her finger and gave an ambiguous smile.

“I brought my clothes in a hurry, but they’re a bit small, aren’t they? Bear with it just for today. It’s the first time the master has brought someone, so your clothes will probably be ready by tomorrow.”

As expected, although their builds were similar, Flora had such good volume that the clothes looked a bit small.

Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed about this, Mary was about to ramble on again, but her eyes met Flora’s as she turned away from the mirror.

As she stood there dumbfounded, marveling at the blue eyes like hydrangeas blooming by the water, Flora asked.

“When can I see him?”

“Him? Oh! You mean the master? He’ll call for you when the time comes, but probably not today. He went to bed early as soon as he arrived, seemingly exhausted.”

Leaving Flora deep in thought, Mary readjusted her grip on Flora’s worn-out clothes in her arms and gestured towards the inner part of the room.

“It’s late today, so just rest here for now.”

As Mary left the room with a gentle smile, Flora looked around the clean bedroom she was seeing for the first time.

The smell of a noble house was distinctly different from the start.

If the musty smell of dust was the scent of rooms she was familiar with, this place was enveloped in the fragrant scent of flowers. Even the silky smooth sheets were worlds apart from the stuffy blankets she used to cover herself with at night.

Unlike the knights, the supplies allocated to soldiers were often subpar. With the severely lacking war supplies, having one’s own share of daily necessities was a luxury.

Therefore, anyone from the 12th Division would have widened their eyes in amazement if they saw this place, but Flora felt rather uncomfortable. She lay down on the floor right in front of the bed, not even glancing at the soft bedding.

The beige rug woven from wool tickled her cheek. Flora closed her eyes completely. Right now, her mind was once again contemplating her current situation.

The real reason the duke brought her here. Whatever the intention, the fact that the duke chose her meant that there was something useful about her somewhere.

Would she become a guard knight to protect him?

Flora shook her head at the thought that came to mind. There were plenty of strong and capable knights to guard the noble duke.

Then would she be used as a spy to infiltrate other noble houses?

There was a high possibility that he brought her to use her abilities. He might make her do dirty work to deal with opposing noble factions. Perhaps she might even be mobilized for more severe illegal activities.

Whatever it was, she intended to do as she was told.

In fact, whether there were valid reasons for the given instructions or not, Flora, who actually had to carry out the tasks, didn’t care either way. Her only concern was protecting her own life and surviving.

The continuing thoughts were erased as she succumbed to the oncoming drowsiness.