The day after meeting Diora, a polite letter of thanks arrived for yesterday's tea party.
It continued with endearing words saying we hadn't talked enough.
However, there were also lines showing excessive concern—worrying about me and asking if there had been any rude remarks or behavior during the tea party.
Did she hear some rumor about me in the palace, perhaps?
"Well, I feel kind of bad reading it first."
"Then you shouldn't look."
"But it's work, so I have to swallow my tears."
As I was reading the already opened letter, Levan interrupted.
He probably wouldn't give me the information I wanted this time either, so I brushed him off casually.
Besides, seeing how concerned she was, I felt bad leaving her waiting, so I immediately began writing a reply to Diora.
"No, really, you have no charm when it comes to the princess."
"He's being noisy, so Ikuto, pinch his ears or something."
"Ah, no way! Wait! My ears! Totos-san? Totos-san, wait!"
The moment I thought Ikuto had silently moved behind him, he pinched Levan's ears with fluid movements and pulled.
Levan tried to resist, but Ikuto positioned himself perfectly so that Levan couldn't touch him except to hold his pinched ears, and he was led out of the room.
"Was it really that bad?"
I tilt my head at the reply containing thanks for coming to the tea party and a suggestion to continue correspondence.
I also added comfort regarding her worries about her older brother, and encouragement that she would surely do well at the academy.
"I think it's sufficient?"
"I believe the necessary things are written."
Helkov and Wearrel both say there's no problem.
But that Levan, he said it not as sarcasm but as something he truly thought.
He probably intended to distract me and interfere with my investigation of the criminal organization, but charm, or rather, consideration? Am I lacking it?
Becoming anxious, I called upon the only woman whose opinion I could ask.
"From the text, the word choice feels businesslike. For exchanges between men and women, one might use perfume, stationery with designs, or attach small gifts. In terms of text, even compliments spoken once before would not feel bad if written down again."
"Ah, come to think of it, I didn't compliment her dress or anything. It had really been a while, so I was focused on how she'd grown... Yeah, I see. Thank you, Nomariola."
Even cool-type girls are still girls; I'm glad I asked.
I added that the white flower hair ornament suited her orange hair well, and that her movements had become beautiful, captivating my eyes.
"Levan, here. Please handle the delivery."
"Ah, it's somewhat better now. Hmm?"
He glanced through it on the spot, then cast a glance at Nomariola who hadn't been there earlier.
That's right, I'm less considerate than Levan.
Under Ikuto's pressure, Levan left without saying anything more rude, and without dropping any information.
To suppress the criminal guild, personnel are necessary, and I cannot prepare that.
So I understand that for now I need to wait for Count Stratege's movements, but I'm getting impatient.
Yeah, but for now, let's face the problem that has newly arisen.
"Nomariola, are you feeling unwell? You seemed tired this morning too."
"...No, it is not something Your Highness the First Prince need concern yourself with."
So she doesn't deny feeling unwell.
The first time we met today was when she woke me up; it was dark, so I couldn't tell from her voice alone.
I noticed something was off when she was serving breakfast.
"Nomariola, if it's tough, you can rest today. Even if it's mostly standby duty, sometimes it's easier to just go home and sleep, right?"
Besides, Nomariola is in a double agent situation to begin with.
She might be in a state of tension even without doing anything herself, and it's not strange for fatigue to appear in an unfamiliar situation.
When I showed concern thinking that, Nomariola unusually raised her blue eyes.
"Is that acceptable?"
"Huh, are you feeling better?"
The gloomy atmosphere was dispelled in an instant, but it seems she does want to go home.
"Um, if there's a reason other than feeling unwell, could you tell me?"
"...My younger sister has been unwell since this morning. We only have one maid assigned to us, and there aren't always people watching over her."
So she was worried about her younger sister and had a gloomy atmosphere.
The image of Fer, who suddenly turned pale, came to my mind.
"What are the symptoms? Her lungs are weak, right? Does she have a fever? Appetite?"
When I asked out of concern, Nomariola, who wanted to leave, answered matter-of-factly.
There are abnormal breathing sounds, and she complains of shortness of breath, but it often worsens during seasonal changes.
Since there's no fever, it's probably asthma, and since she's ten years old, it's childhood asthma.
"Hmm... ah, that's right."
I moved from the Golden Room where I had been writing to the Emerald Room to search for what I needed.
Actually, my mother in my previous life also had asthma.
Unlike children, she was the type of adult who would hysterically claim she was going to die.
It must have been painful, but since she would get excited and angry even when worried about, I eventually started ignoring her.
Seeing Nomariola so worried, I somehow felt sorry for my own actions.
When I took out one medicine, Sephira, who had been quiet lately, asked a question.
(What will you do with the imperfect elixir?)
(Even if it's imperfect, don't you want to check how effective it is? We don't know if it will work on Fer either. And the test tubes are getting clogged just keeping them stored. Ah, maybe this too?)
What I brought out while making excuses to Sephira was an imitation elixir I had made thinking it might cure Fer's allergies.
The materials and manufacturing method are still lacking, so it's just for show—or rather, the ingredients listed are normally poisonous, so I'm scared to use it.
This one uses substitutes for all the poisonous ingredients, so it should have some healing effect.
"Nomariola, if you just take time off and leave the palace, you'll probably get entangled in things, so go on an errand for me and then you can go straight home."
Saying that, I held out the imperfect elixir.
"Take this and have an apothecary acquaintance appraise it somewhere. If you get confirmation that it's effective against illness, you can use it on your sister and see how it goes, or you can sell it to check how much it fetches. I'm not familiar with the common market, so I'll leave that to you."
"Y-yes?"
I had her hold the test tube anyway, even though she didn't understand.
"Ah, return the glass container of the test tube later. And since this is something I made as a test, I'll give you this too. Take a sniff."
What I took out next was oil in a very small glass bottle.
If you smell it, a refreshing scent runs through your nostrils.
It's what's called peppermint oil.
I made it to add scent to alcohol, but it was too strong after all.
So I thought I'd use it as peppermint oil and add it to baths on hot days, but here it doesn't even reach 30 degrees in summer.
"Some people hate this smell, so only if she likes it. You could apply a little to the chest or hands. Best is to soak cotton with it and just let her inhale the scent. If you leave the lid open, the smell will dissipate immediately."
At my explanation, Nomariola still looked like she didn't understand the situation.
"Anyway, it's a trial of my alchemical products. It's just an errand where you get it appraised and tell me the results. Once you're done, you can go straight home."
"Y-yes?"
"See, you're worried about your sister, right? Go to her quickly."
"Yes."
This time she responded firmly.
She's the cool type, but seems like a good older sister.
I saw off Nomariola as she withdrew to the Red Room.
"Asha-sama, was that the imperfect elixir just now?"
"It's a good opportunity to test it, but I wonder how much will be reported."
"We don't get sick or injured, after all."
As Ikuto said, it had been kept until now without opportunity to test.
They had even considered testing it by striking Levan rudely.
"I hope the younger sister gets a little better."
"Indeed. ...However, I cannot stand that smell."
"Me too, impossible."
Actually, the peppermint oil was very unpopular with the beastman-type Wearrel and Helkov.
Regular update
Next time: Cool-type Maid 4
This looks good. I'll make sure to output only the translated text as requested. The day after meeting Diora, a polite letter of thanks arrived for yesterday's tea party.
It continued with endearing words saying we hadn't talked enough.
However, there were also lines showing excessive concern—worrying about me and asking if there had been any rude remarks or behavior during the tea party.
Did she hear some rumor about me in the palace, perhaps?
"Well, I feel kind of bad reading it first."
"Then you shouldn't look."
"But it's work, so I have to swallow my tears."
As I was reading the already opened letter, Levan interrupted.
He probably wouldn't give me the information I wanted this time either, so I brushed him off casually.
Besides, seeing how concerned she was, I felt bad leaving her waiting, so I immediately began writing a reply to Diora.
"No, really, you have no charm when it comes to the princess."
"He's being noisy, so Ikuto, pinch his ears or something."
"Ah, no way! Wait! My ears! Totos-san? Totos-san, wait!"
The moment I thought Ikuto had silently moved behind him, he pinched Levan's ears with fluid movements and pulled.
Levan tried to resist, but Ikuto positioned himself perfectly so that Levan couldn't touch him except to hold his pinched ears, and he was led out of the room.
"Was it really that bad?"
I tilt my head at the reply containing thanks for coming to the tea party and a suggestion to continue correspondence.
I also added comfort regarding her worries about her older brother, and encouragement that she would surely do well at the academy.
"I think it's sufficient?"
"I believe the necessary things are written."
Helkov and Wearrel both say there's no problem.
But that Levan, he said it not as sarcasm but as something he truly thought.
He probably intended to distract me and interfere with my investigation of the criminal organization, but charm, or rather, consideration? Am I lacking it?
Becoming anxious, I called upon the only woman whose opinion I could ask.
"From the text, the word choice feels businesslike. For exchanges between men and women, one might use perfume, stationery with designs, or attach small gifts. In terms of text, even compliments spoken once before would not feel bad if written down again."
"Ah, come to think of it, I didn't compliment her dress or anything. It had really been a while, so I was focused on how she'd grown... Yeah, I see. Thank you, Nomariola."
Even cool-type girls are still girls; I'm glad I asked.
I added that the white flower hair ornament suited her orange hair well, and that her movements had become beautiful, captivating my eyes.
"Levan, here. Please handle the delivery."
"Ah, it's somewhat better now. Hmm?"
He glanced through it on the spot, then cast a glance at Nomariola who hadn't been there earlier.
That's right, I'm less considerate than Levan.
Under Ikuto's pressure, Levan left without saying anything more rude, and without dropping any information.
To suppress the criminal guild, personnel are necessary, and I cannot prepare that.
So I understand that for now I need to wait for Count Stratege's movements, but I'm getting impatient.
Yeah, but for now, let's face the problem that has newly arisen.
"Nomariola, are you feeling unwell? You seemed tired this morning too."
"...No, it is not something Your Highness the First Prince need concern yourself with."
So she doesn't deny feeling unwell.
The first time we met today was when she woke me up; it was dark, so I couldn't tell from her voice alone.
I noticed something was off when she was serving breakfast.
"Nomariola, if it's tough, you can rest today. Even if it's mostly standby duty, sometimes it's easier to just go home and sleep, right?"
Besides, Nomariola is in a double agent situation to begin with.
She might be in a state of tension even without doing anything herself, and it's not strange for fatigue to appear in an unfamiliar situation.
When I showed concern thinking that, Nomariola unusually raised her blue eyes.
"Is that acceptable?"
"Huh, are you feeling better?"
The gloomy atmosphere was dispelled in an instant, but it seems she does want to go home.
"Um, if there's a reason other than feeling unwell, could you tell me?"
"...My younger sister has been unwell since this morning. We only have one maid assigned to us, and there aren't always people watching over her."
So she was worried about her younger sister and had a gloomy atmosphere.
The image of Fer, who suddenly turned pale, came to my mind.
"What are the symptoms? Her lungs are weak, right? Does she have a fever? Appetite?"
When I asked out of concern, Nomariola, who wanted to leave, answered matter-of-factly.
There are abnormal breathing sounds, and she complains of shortness of breath, but it often worsens during seasonal changes.
Since there's no fever, it's probably asthma, and since she's ten years old, it's childhood asthma.
"Hmm... ah, that's right."
I moved from the Golden Room where I had been writing to the Emerald Room to search for what I needed.
Actually, my mother in my previous life also had asthma.
Unlike children, she was the type of adult who would hysterically claim she was going to die.
It must have been painful, but since she would get excited and angry even when worried about, I eventually started ignoring her.
Seeing Nomariola so worried, I somehow felt sorry for my own actions.
When I took out one medicine, Sephira, who had been quiet lately, asked a question.
(What will you do with the imperfect elixir?)
(Even if it's imperfect, don't you want to check how effective it is? We don't know if it will work on Fer either. And the test tubes are getting clogged just keeping them stored. Ah, maybe this too?)
What I brought out while making excuses to Sephira was an imitation elixir I had made thinking it might cure Fer's allergies.
The materials and manufacturing method are still lacking, so it's just for show—or rather, the ingredients listed are normally poisonous, so I'm scared to use it.
This one uses substitutes for all the poisonous ingredients, so it should have some healing effect.
"Nomariola, if you just take time off and leave the palace, you'll probably get entangled in things, so go on an errand for me and then you can go straight home."
Saying that, I held out the imperfect elixir.
"Take this and have an apothecary acquaintance appraise it somewhere. If you get confirmation that it's effective against illness, you can use it on your sister and see how it goes, or you can sell it to check how much it fetches. I'm not familiar with the common market, so I'll leave that to you."
"Y-yes?"
I had her hold the test tube anyway, even though she didn't understand.
"Ah, return the glass container of the test tube later. And since this is something I made as a test, I'll give you this too. Take a sniff."
What I took out next was oil in a very small glass bottle.
If you smell it, a refreshing scent runs through your nostrils.
It's what's called peppermint oil.
I made it to add scent to alcohol, but it was too strong after all.
So I thought I'd use it as peppermint oil and add it to baths on hot days, but here it doesn't even reach 30 degrees in summer.
"Some people hate this smell, so only if she likes it. You could apply a little to the chest or hands. Best is to soak cotton with it and just let her inhale the scent. If you leave the lid open, the smell will dissipate immediately."
At my explanation, Nomariola still looked like she didn't understand the situation.
"Anyway, it's a trial of my alchemical products. It's just an errand where you get it appraised and tell me the results. Once you're done, you can go straight home."
"Y-yes?"
"See, you're worried about your sister, right? Go to her quickly."
"Yes."
This time she responded firmly.
She's the cool type, but seems like a good older sister.
I saw off Nomariola as she withdrew to the Red Room.
"Asha-sama, was that the imperfect elixir just now?"
"It's a good opportunity to test it, but I wonder how much will be reported."
"We don't get sick or injured, after all."
As Ikuto said, it had been kept until now without opportunity to test.
They had even considered testing it by striking Levan rudely.
"I hope the younger sister gets a little better."
"Indeed. ...However, I cannot stand that smell."
"Me too, impossible."
Actually, the peppermint oil was very unpopular with the beastman-type Wearrel and Helkov.
Regular update
Next time: Cool-type Maid 4