The maid saw it happen
As long as she could remember, the girl had been living in the slums with her mother, in a certain brothel.
The women in this particular brothel had been brought to the slums for various reasons, and although the girl didn't know all the details, it seemed her mother was one of them. Despite the circumstances, her mother always wore a peaceful smile. Among the tired and lifeless women in the brothel, her mother was the most popular. Men with tainted desires flocked to her day and night, all of them under her spell. Yet, outside of work, her mother was always kind and taught the girl many things. The girl was proud of her intelligent and loving mother.
But then, her mother was bought by one of her clients. The man who purchased her had ties to a powerful organization that controlled the slums, and this marked a dramatic change in the girl's life.
She was suddenly introduced to unfamiliar but luxurious clothes, warm meals, and soft beds. These were all rare luxuries in the slums, and at first, the girl was overjoyed.
However, her joy quickly turned to regret. In exchange for these comforts, her mother had given away everything. Her wise and beautiful mother was now reduced to a desolate figure, selling her body, her heart, and even her dignity to these vile men just to please them.
"Yes, ■■■■'ll understand once you meet someone like that," her mother had once told her.
The girl had shared her feelings with her mother at one point. In response, her mother had simply smiled, gently patting her daughter's head, and never made any attempt to leave the man.
As a young girl, she couldn't comprehend the meaning behind those words. Men, in her eyes, were vile, rough, and brutish creatures who saw women as mere tools.
— Entrusting oneself entirely to such individuals was unthinkable.
So, shortly after her mother's passing due to an illness, the girl escaped while her new stepfather wasn't looking. She now had to survive on her own, armed with her inherited magical talent and the magical gemstone ring left behind by her mother.
She had been mistaken, though. Regardless of how powerful her abilities might be, she was, after all, just a child. Moreover, she had grown up under the protective care of her mother and was ill-prepared to face the harsh realities of life in the slums, where she was nothing more than easy prey for potential threats.
"Hey, you're causing trouble, huh?"
"Eek!"
The girl was kicked by the man and tumbled on the ground. After escaping her stepfather, she wandered aimlessly through the alleys and soon found herself cornered by three men. She tried desperately to resist, but despite her ability to use magic, she lacked real combat experience, and the odds were against her as she faced multiple adults.
Taking advantage of a brief moment, she was easily subdued.
"Wow, she's got quite the high-quality magic gemstone, huh? This one's a real find."
One of the men who had kicked her earlier approached the fallen girl and took the ring hanging around her neck.
"Give it back! That's my mother's!"
"Shut up, kid!"
"Guh... cough, ack...!"
The girl reached out desperately to retrieve her mother's cherished ring, but the man pressed his foot against her abdomen. He continued to apply pressure, causing the girl to cough violently.
"Hey, ease up on her. We don't want any evidence for later, you know?"
"You're still into that, you lolicon."
"Shut up! You think I should just thrust into this little body?"
Another man stepped in, putting a stop to the one who had been bothering the girl. He'd been leering at her for a while.
This second man wore a lecherous grin and loomed over the girl, who lay helpless on the ground.
"No, please, stop!"
"Hehehe, I find it enjoyable to force resistance like this," the man remarked.
The girl is no child; it's clear she understands what the man is trying to do. She struggled, swinging her arms desperately, but with her magic gemstone stolen and her battered state, she lacked the strength to resist.
Her wrists, which she tried to free, were caught by the man and held firmly above her head.
"Don't overdo it; we'll sell her later."
"It depends on this girl's efforts. Now, let's get those clothes off!"
"No, nooo!"
Restrained and unable to resist, the man used a knife to brutally tear apart the girl's clothing, exposing her immature chest. The man, his excitement evident in his flushed face, panted heavily.
Feeling a primal fear from the man's demeanor, the girl averted her gaze, not wanting to see his face. Through the gaps in the shoddily constructed building, she could see a starry night sky with the moon shining brightly. It felt surreal, as if what was happening to her couldn't be real. The moon's glow in her blurred vision only added to the misery of her situation.
However, she found herself in a helpless situation.
With resignation in her heart, the girl slowly closed her eyes, attempting to block out the world around her.
...Then, she glimpsed a dark figure.
"First, one down."
"Huh!?"
In the next instant, a young boy descended from a rooftop, silhouetted against the moonlight. With a knife in hand, he swiftly severed the neck of one of the men who had been focused on their victim.
"...Eh?"
The warm, fresh blood splattered across her face and the lifeless body of the man slumping over her. Faced with this sudden twist of events, the girl could only widen her eyes in astonishment.
"You...!?"
"Two down."
"Gyah!?"
As the girl managed to push the man's body aside and tried to stand up, she witnessed the boy, his black hair flowing as he effortlessly evaded a knife strike from another man. The black-haired boy then swiftly severed the man's neck with his own knife.
The boy, wearing a ragged cloak, seemed to be of a similar age to the girl. However, what astonished her even more was the fact that she couldn't sense any magical power emanating from his body. The girl couldn't help but be entranced as she watched the boy effortlessly dominate the adults, all without using any magic.
"How dare you!"
"Look out!"
In an instant, the first two men were taken down, leaving only one.
The last man, possibly a magic user, fired a magical projectile at the boy who had just defeated the second man. The girl couldn't help but cry out, but the boy skillfully dodged the magical attack and threw one of his knives.
"Ugh!?"
The knife deeply pierced the man's right hand, the one he had used to cast the magical bullets. The pain made the man hesitate, giving the boy an opening to close the distance quickly.
"Now, what was next...?"
"Don't underestimate me!"
As the opponent entered close combat range, the man drew a sword from his waist with his uninjured hand. However, the boy easily deflected it with one of his knives, closing the gap and entering the sword's effective range.
"Shit...!"
"Oh well, it's over."
"Ugh!"
Without hesitation, quicker than the opponent could pull back his sword, the boy swiftly climbed the man's body and severed his head.
"...."
"Damn, these guys are worthless. They don't even have anything decent on them."
In the blink of an eye, the boy defeated all the enemies, and the girl remained frozen in place, unable to move. The vivid scenes of the fierce battle from moments ago were seared into her mind, and her heart was pounding like a drum.
He was supposed to be just another despicable man in her eyes, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from him.
She wondered what happened to herself.
"Hmm? This guy..."
"T-that's!"
"Huh?"
The girl, who had been bewildered by her own reactions, finally found her voice when she saw the ring the boy retrieved from one of the men's bodies. Her voice caught his attention, and for the first time, he looked in her direction.
"Oh..."
The moment she met his pitch-black eyes, she was struck with a shock as if lightning had hit her. The significance of the heirloom ring, the recent attack – all of it faded into insignificance, and her thoughts were consumed by him.
Unidentifiable emotions swirled deep within her chest, and her face grew warm.
"..."
"Wait, please!"
However, the boy seemed disinterested in her and quickly averted his gaze, moving to leave.
Of course, why would he be interested in her? He had merely hunted down his prey.
Her rescue was just an incidental outcome, and from the beginning, she had never been in his sights.
The girl realized she felt sad about something.
As she realized it, she thought, 'Oh no.'
She wished he would notice her more, see himself in her eyes.
She wanted his strong hands to touch her, to say he needed her.
She was ready to do anything for that.
Her body, her heart, everything, she'd give it all.
'Ah... So that's what it meant,' she thought.
Finally, the girl understood what her mother had said long ago.
Her mom must have felt the same way about her stepfather as she does now.
The girl, holding her torn clothes, stood up and started running, her gray hair flying in the wind.
Her emerald eyes were fixed on one thing – the 'master' she wanted to serve.
◇◆◇◆
"Nghh..."
Eins slowly regained consciousness with a quiet groan.
When she opened her eyes, she realized she was in her own room in the Duke's mansion, not the dim slum alley she had grown used to.
"Was it just a dream?" she wondered.
As she got out of bed, she thought back to the dream she had just had, a precious memory of her first meeting with Crow, her master. She could still vividly picture his face in her mind.
She figured her recent visit to the slums had stirred up those memories.
(Thinking back, I can't help but feel embarrassed.)
It was a memory from a time when she was inexperienced and impulsive. Eins admitted to herself that she had acted quite foolishly in those days, even when barging into her master's presence.
Shaking off the dream, Eins left her bed and walked over to a table where she found a bucket of water she had prepared the night before. Splashing her face with the cold water, she fully woke up.
(It's getting colder in the mornings. Maybe I should arrange for some hot water?)
It was deep into autumn, and she realized she should make some preparations for the colder days ahead.
With these thoughts in mind, Eins neatly put away the towel she used to dry her face and changed out of her nightwear. Her figure may not have been like a noblewoman's, but she felt comfortable in her simple undergarments.
Without worrying too much about her appearance, Eins headed to the closet in the corner of her room. From the collection of maid uniforms, she picked one, each tailored to fit perfectly.
She quickly changed into the uniform, then spun around in front of the mirror one last time to check her appearance.
"With this, it's all set."
Eins thought with a satisfied nod. Dressed in her maid uniform, she felt ready for another day of service to her master.
She whispered, "I'm going, Mother," as she picked up a keepsake ring from the table. Securing it around her neck with a chain, she tucked the ring close to her chest.
As she opened the door to leave her room, she knew that her duties as a maid were about to begin once again.
"..."
Usually, Eins would go to Crow's room to wake him up, but today was a bit different.
Instead, she decided to visit Isabella's room.
She gently knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside, indicating that Isabella might still be asleep.
After confirming this, Eins opened the door and entered the room.
Stepping on the soft carpet laid on the floor, she approached the massive canopy bed positioned at the back of the room.
However, just one step away from the bed, Eins suddenly stopped.
During sleep, humans were at their most vulnerable.
No matter how strong a person might be, when they were asleep, they were defenseless.
And in a dangerous place like a slum where people frequently die, this vulnerability becomes even more critical.
That's why Crow always slept alone, ready to wake up instantly and defend himself if someone approached.
Even Eins, who had earned some trust, knew that getting any closer to Crow while he slept could lead to deadly consequences.
Therefore, the situation unfolding before Eins' eyes at this moment was truly exceptional.
"Mmm..."
On the bed, Isabella and Crow were cuddled together, and Crow was softly snoring. Normally, Crow would never share a bed with anyone, but he could sleep peacefully when it was the lady he trusted.
His sleeping face looked unusually serene compared to his usual self.
"Good morning, Sir Crow"
"Nh...? Is it morning already?"
Eins wanted to keep watching Crow's calm sleeping face, which she rarely saw, but it was time to wake up.
Feeling a bit reluctant, she called out to him. Crow slowly opened his eyelids and looked at Eins with a dazed expression.
"Hmm... Where are you going?"
"Oh...!? "
Crow tried to sit up but was pulled back by an arm extending from the bed, causing him to fall backward again. Isabella, still half-asleep, tightly hugged his arm, leaving him unable to move.
"Milady, could you please release me?"
"No..."
"It's not that I don't like it, but..."
Crow attempted to free himself from the restraint, but Isabella shook her head, refusing with reluctance while still holding onto his arm. Unable to force her to let go, Crow scratched his cheek, looking somewhat troubled.
"I have some preparations to make, and you should get up soon, Milady, or you'll be late for school."
"Then... I'll skip today..."
"Skipping...?"
"Stop... being so noisy... This is... an order..."
Even Crow's efforts to persuade her to wake up were in vain. Isabella who had given her command went back to sleep peacefully, ignoring his attempts.
"Well... She's asleep."
"What will you do, Sir Crow?"
"Milady stayed up late last night, so she must be tired. It wouldn't be right to wake her forcibly. Let her rest."
Unable to move from the bed, Crow sighed in resignation. He used his free hand to gently stroke Isabella's golden hair as he looked at her sleeping face with tender eyes.
"Very well. I will inform the school that she won't be attending today."
"Thank you. I'll stay here until she wakes up. Yawn..."
Perhaps still feeling the fatigue from the previous night, Crow let out a big yawn and lay down on the bed, pulling Isabella closer to him. Leaving the two of them in their close and affectionate state, Eins exited the room.
"Saay..."
"What's going on, Drei?"
Some time had passed since the morning incident, and it was now tea time. Eins had finished preparing tea and snacks, and both of them were in the room. Drei leaned over and spoke quietly to Eins.
"What is master doing?"
"As you can see, he's in the middle of receiving punishment from Mistress."
"No, I mean, is that really punishment?"
In the direction of the maids' gaze, Crow, with a bright red right cheek, was sitting on the sofa with Mistress on his lap. He held her slender waist and fed her snacks, wearing a cheerful smile, hardly looking like someone receiving punishment.
Earlier, after waking up, Mistress had misunderstood the situation when she saw Crow lying next to her and had promptly given him a resounding slap on the cheek. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up, but Mistress wasn't one to easily regain her good mood.
This time, feeling embarrassed, she had ordered Crow to be punished, and the scene unfolding before them was the result of that.
"Mistress ordered it as punishment, and Sir Crow accepted it. Therefore, it is undeniably punishment."
"I see... is that so?"
"Yes, that's how it is."
"I see, that's how it is!"
"No, it's not like that! It's so obvious they're just a couple in love, isn't it?" Drei interjected, cleverly mimicking the conversation of the two carefree maids. Zwei, another maid present in the room, joined in as well. These three, including Zwei, were among Crow's longest-serving subordinates, so they often worked together.
"Let's set Drei aside for a moment. But why does Eins, who's usually quite clever, act so... strangely when it comes to the master?"
"Am I being mocked here?"
"Perhaps it's just your imagination," Zwei replied.
Usually, their conversations didn't take this turn, but growing up in the slums had sometimes led Eins and her comrades to have peculiar thoughts. Zwei, having a relatively sensible perspective compared to her peers, sighed and adjusted her sliding glasses.
"So, what's the real story?"
"What do you mean by 'the real story'?" Eins questioned.
"The nature of their relationship. I understand that the master has feelings for Mistress."
"Well, considering how the master has never shown such attachment to anyone before, it's safe to say he's head over heels for her."
Indeed, as Zwei mentioned, Crow had an image of being aloof, preferring not to be part of a group during his time in the slums and showing no attachment to anything. That's why his attitude towards Mistress upon their reunion had been astonishing.
Especially recently, as he made no effort to hide his affection, these maids were treated to sweet scenes that were almost heartwarming on a daily basis.
"Or rather, it's become so late that my senses have gone haywire, but you're making advances on the daughter of the duke, aren't you, Master? You still seem fearless, as always..."
"Choosing an excellent female as a partner for an outstanding male to pass on their superior bloodline is only natural. What's the problem there?"
"There are plenty of problems! Ugh..."
For Crow, who even slew heroes, nobility was not something to be feared.
However, that didn't mean Zwei could blindly worship him like Eins did.
She worried that his arrogance might lead to his downfall someday, and that was her main concern.
"So, what about Mistress?"
"I'm sorry to say this about Master, but nobles and commoners are like entirely different creatures. For Mistress, Master might be more like a pet, don't you think?"
Although they were both human, the absolute difference in magical power between nobility and commoners couldn't be ignored.
Because of this, many nobles treated commoners like livestock, and Mistress from a little while ago was one of them, as fresh in their memories.
"Pet, huh... Is that what it seems like?"
"...I'm losing confidence,"
However, Zwei's response left Drei with a conflicted expression.
She was pointing at Isabella, who was affectionately nuzzling Crow's chest.
Seeing that, it would be hard to believe Mistress felt nothing special.
If she didn't have any feelings, that would be even more surprising.
"I hope Master and Mistress can be together."
"It's tough. In a kingdom focused on noble bloodlines, nobles marrying commoners is unheard of. Especially when the other person is the duke's daughter and the prince's fiancée."
As maids, they wanted Crow's seemingly happy love to succeed, but unfortunately, the circumstances were complicated.
Crow's strength alone wouldn't be enough in this aristocratic society where physical strength alone wouldn't suffice.
Maybe it could happen in the Empire, but in a kingdom focused on bloodlines, it seemed impossible.
"Well, it seems like the kingdom's society is the issue... In that case, maybe we'll have to change the whole country."
".......I see, that makes sense."
"Eins!?"
Their role was never to give up for the sake of their master.
Eins responded positively to Drei's radical proposal, and Zwei let out an astonished voice.
"Joking, of course... There just aren't enough good options in the current situation."
"That's true, it's just a joke... But, if it were possible, would you do it?"
"..."
"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? Come on, Eins!?"
Despite Zwei's immediate pressing, Eins remained as expressionless as ever, keeping her thoughts hidden.
But Zwei knew.
She was her master's most devoted follower, willing to do anything for him.
"Ng ah...!"
Interrupting Zwei's thoughts, a sweet and sensual moan filled the air.
"Milady..."
"Mmm, this...! Just playing with my breasts so much..."
"I apologize for my behavior."
"Eep!"
Perhaps they are unable to resist any longer.
When she looked, Crow had already begun caressing Isabella's body with his hands.
Initially, he was gently fondling her breasts, but at Isabella's request, he started exploring more intimate areas.
With each touch of Crow's fingers, Isabella's body quivered, and she let out passionate, trembling moans.
"Awa, awawawa..."
"Why are you reacting like such a shy girl all of a sudden?"
"W-Well, it can't be helped! Oh my, oh my... Mistress, you look so erotic..."
"Sir Crow, we'll take our leave now. Please enjoy yourselves."
With her face blushing and covered by her hands, Zwei peeked between her fingers to watch Crow and Isabella. Drei, on the other hand, looked at them with an exasperated expression.
With these two in tow, Eins left the room to avoid further disturbing their master.
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