My lady is being pampered.
"Careful now..."
With a plate of stew in hand, I carefully make my way through the campsite filled with tents until I reach our destination.
Yes, a house.
It's rather unexpected to find such an artificial structure in a wilderness supposedly inhabited by monsters. It's evident that Milady had it constructed exclusively for her use during our time at this campsite.
Within earth-based magic, there are spells capable of creating fortresses and walls, and this seems to be an application of such magic.
Although the structure they've made is smaller than a fortress, originally, it's a large-scale magic that requires the collaboration of several magicians to cast.
For apprentice students, using such advanced magic becomes a heavy burden. Once they completed the construction of this house, they were instantly drained of their strength.
This house, a result of the students' hard work, represents their blood, sweat, and tears. However, Milady didn't hold back her criticism, deeming it severely lacking in taste.
Given that they had pushed themselves to their limits due to their earth-based magic affinity and then received such harsh feedback, it's understandable if they shed a few tears.
"Milady, your meal is ready."
"Ugh... Just leave it there..."
Upon entering the house, Milady, still dressed as she was, sprawled herself on the bed. She probably leaped onto the bed as soon as she got inside, not caring that her skirt had ridden up, revealing her blue underwear.
Seeing her like this, I couldn't help but sigh.
The room was simple but had the basics, including a bed and a table. Although most of the larger furniture was shaped on the spot using magic, items like sheets and mattresses were carried by the chore students. Interestingly, about half of the luggage these students had carried during this training turned out to be Milady's personal belongings.
"Why are you dressed so casually? Come on, I've brought your meal, so please wake up."
"No, thank you. I'm not interested in livestock feed."
I tried to gently shake her shoulder to rouse her, placing the meal on the table. However, as she glanced at me, Milady buried her face in the pillow once more.
Referring to the meal as "livestock feed" was rather harsh, but given the circumstances, I understood that these training meals were unbearable for Milady.
During this training, students had to prepare their own meals. However, for nobles like Milady, preparing meals was typically the responsibility of servants. Most of them probably hadn't even held a knife properly before.
Would they really cook their own meals?
The answer was, of course, no.
So, who would be responsible for cooking their meals? It would be the junior nobles and baronial children who were participating in this group as chore students. While they were also nobles, they were a completely different class from the upper-class nobility, such as Milady.
Many of their families had only a small piece of land and struggled financially. Despite their noble lineage, they were essentially living modest lives.
However, they were able to live as nobles thanks to the protection and patronage they received from the upper-class nobility, such as the Valiaz family. Naturally, they had to work for the upper-class nobles in return, and in situations like this training, they were mainly assigned to do chores.
Now, despite their noble status, most of them lived lives that were not much different from commoners due to their financial constraints. Consequently, many of them had some skill in cooking. Therefore, in this training, they were primarily responsible for preparing the meals.
The problem here was the significant difference in the level of their meals.
In simple terms, the difference was so significant that a single dish from the Miladies' table could cover these students' monthly food expenses. Naturally, the dishes they usually prepared were budget-friendly, and such meals fell far short of satisfying Milady.
"Good grief, Milady... You'll be walking for hours again tomorrow. You must make sure to get proper nutrition."
"It's fine, really. I can skip a meal or two."
While Milady mumbled into her pillow, she cast a brief sulky glance in my direction.
Indeed, with their magical abilities, they could afford to skip a meal occasionally without significant consequences.
However, it was our duty to oversee Milady's health, and we couldn't allow her to do such things.
"Enough with these childish whims. Come on, please eat quickly."
"Mmmph!?"
Seeing no progress, I picked up the dish from the table and inserted a spoonful of stew into Milady's slightly open mouth.
"Mmm... Mm... Huh? Not... bad..."
Milady's expression shifted from surprise to anger due to the sudden intrusion, but as she tasted the food, it gradually changed to surprise.
"I see, I'm glad it suits your palate. Please, have another bite if you're satisfied."
"Wait a moment! Wait... Mmmpfh!"
Possibly intrigued by the meal, Milady sat up in bed, and I thrust the spoon into her small mouth once more.
Though she initially gave me a stern look due to the unexpected action, it seemed that Milady, with her good upbringing, decided to make an effort to chew the meal that had been put into her mouth.
As I watched Milady chewing away like a small animal, I couldn't help but smile.
I knew it was impolite, but for some reason, I was starting to enjoy feeding Milady like this.
"There's still plenty left, so please eat up. Here, say 'ahh.'"
Milady retorted, "Y-You don't need to do that! I can eat by myself! Give it back! Honestly, can't I just eat in peace!?"
Once I confirmed Milady had finished, I attempted to feed her more stew, but this time, she forcefully took the spoon, along with the entire plate.
Perhaps being treated like a baby was embarrassing because her face turned slightly red.
"I'm glad you understand" I said.
Although I couldn't continue feeding Milady, I had ultimately achieved my initial goal. Seated beside her, I watched as she consumed the stew with a bit of haste, maintaining a smile.
"Ugh... Have you been treating me rather roughly lately?" Milady questioned.
"It's just your imagination, Milady" I responded.
She pondered, "I wonder if that's true..."
Milady seemed displeased with my attitude and glared at me with a pout. In response, I raised both hands in a gesture of innocence, but she didn't seem to trust me and just continued to gaze at me with moistened eyes.
Oh boy... It's quite unfortunate that she can't seem to understand how much I care about her.
"Anyway, I'm surprised to find someone in our group with such excellent cooking skills. To be honest, I had given up on having decent meals during this training."
After devouring about half of her dish, Milady's mood improved, and she began praising the food. It was unusual for her to be so appreciative, clearly indicating her dissatisfaction with previous meals. All I could do was offer a wry smile.
Certainly, we couldn't bring a professional chef for a simple training, so there was no other choice. But receiving such praise made all the effort worthwhile.
"I'm honored by your compliments" I responded.
However, Milady looked puzzled. "...Why are you saying things like that?"
Does she really not understand?
Milady and other upper-class nobility couldn't cook, and the lower-class nobles couldn't prepare dishes that would satisfy her.
In that case, it should be evident that neither of those groups prepared this meal.
"Even if you ask me why, it's because I made this dish" I replied.
"...Crow, you can cook?" Lady Milady's eyes widened in surprise as if I had just revealed a well-kept secret.
Is it really that surprising?
"For a duke's butler, it's a basic skill. Though, I must admit, I used a recipe from our head chef, so it's not something to boast about."
Being a servant in a noble family, especially the duke's, requires the ability to meet all of the master's demands. In my case, as Milady's exclusive attendant, I had acquired various skills to handle any situation, including cooking, although it wasn't my primary duty.
"Well... If you can cook, why didn't you do it from the beginning? We've been suffering through terrible meals all this time!" Milady complained.
"I apologize, but this training is specifically for Milady and her companions... I didn't want to intrude as an outsider" I explained.
Milady had just praised me, but suddenly, she raised her eyebrows and began blaming me.
It was incredibly unfair.
Initially, everyone was too exhausted to prepare a proper meal, which is why I reluctantly took matters into my own hands. While I was here as Milady's guardian, I hesitated to interfere too much as an outsider due to the nature of this training. However, it seemed that Milady had a different perspective on the matter.
"Listen! You're my possession, so anything you do is essentially the same as me doing it! Do you understand?" She firmly pointed a spoon at my nose, forcing me to step back.
What an absurd argument. She treated me like an object and claimed all my accomplishments as her own.
Ordinarily, I would have been furious and contemplated discreetly getting back at her. However, at that moment, I felt no anger. Instead, my heart was filled with a strange joy.
Feeling delighted at being declared Milady's possession, I couldn't help but think I was quite twisted.
"Understood, Milady."
"If you understand, that's good. Also, starting from tomorrow, you'll be the one preparing the meals."
"Yes!"
With just these words, I continued to watch Milady as she resumed her meal.
"I'm satisfied. You can put it down now."
"Of course."
I took the empty plate and placed it back on the table. However, I noticed a slight stain near Milady's mouth.
"Milady, pardon me."
"Huh? N-No!"
"Geh!"
As I reached out to wipe the stain away with my finger, I was suddenly pushed away by Milady with both hands.
A powerful surge of uncontrolled magic-enhanced energy struck me, sending my body hurtling across the room. I collided with the wall and collapsed onto the floor, feeling like a squashed frog.
"Ugh... Milady... What just... happened...?"
Despite the pain wracking my body, I managed to lift my head. I was quite confused about why I had been forcefully pushed like that. Had I unintentionally offended Milady in some way?
"N-Now's not the time to... be sweaty! At the very least, let me take a bath before a massage...!"
Surprisingly, Milady didn't appear angry. Instead, she seemed flustered, holding herself and shouting with a bright red face.
"Ah..."
Upon hearing her words, I finally understood. It seemed Milady had misunderstood my intentions, thinking I intended to give her a massage. However, I had no such inappropriate thoughts, especially in this situation.
I could clear up the misunderstanding, but doing so might just embarrass Milady, leading to more complications.
Moreover, Milady mentioned it was fine after her bath.
It seemed she was in the mood for it, and refusing such an offer would be quite disrespectful.
"I understand. In that case, I'll prepare the bath for you immediately. Regarding the massage..."
"Eh! Um, yes... Please, let's do that later."
Milady softly added the last part, and a slight shiver went through her shoulders. While she tried to appear composed, playing with her hair, her eyes revealed her anticipation for the upcoming massage.
I couldn't help but find Milady very adorable.
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