Episode 22: The Mansion of Dreams

Lake Roden. The clear, azure lake is shrouded in mist during the mornings and evenings, creating a fantastical atmosphere. Standing on its shore is a luxurious stone building—one of the villas belonging to the Arving Marquis family, known as the “Roden Mansion.”

Boasting a stunning landscape and situated near a major city with excellent transportation, the villa was rarely visited by Patrick during his lifetime, with only a handful of trips to its name.

Though he had built a villa near the renowned Lake Roden to show off, Patrick simply couldn’t comprehend the refined hobby of appreciating nature’s beauty.

Into this Roden Mansion stepped a middle-aged gentleman dressed in the attire of a merchant.

The mansion’s doors opened. And the one to greet the middle-aged gentleman was…

“Welcome back, Master♪”

Beyond the door stood several maids.

One of them, a woman with flaxen hair tied into twin tails, approached the gentleman with a bright smile.

“Please, take a seat here.”

On the first floor, in the entrance hall, tables and chairs were neatly arranged. Guided by the maid, the gentleman sat at one of them. Around him, other gentlemen could be seen relaxing in a similar manner.

“What would you like to order, Master?”

“Let’s see… I’ll have the ‘Love-Filled ♥ Earth’s Bounty Omelette’ and the ‘Tapinoka Milk Tea Made with Roden’s Pure Stream.’”

“Understood, Master.”

The maid gave a polite bow and disappeared into the kitchen, returning shortly to stand before the gentleman once more.

“Here is your ‘Love-Filled ♥ Earth’s Bounty Omelette,’ and this is…”

After placing the dishes in front of the gentleman, the maid flashed him a radiant smile.

“Now, Master, to make your omelette extra delicious, I’ll cast a special spell! Here we go—together now! Moe Moe Kyun♪”

The maid formed a heart shape with her fingers. The gentleman, slightly embarrassed, mirrored her gesture and made a heart with his own fingers.

Watching this scene from a distance was Irma Shire, the chief maid in charge of overseeing the others.

(To think they’d use us maids in such a way…)

This was Siegfried von Kreving’s idea—a “maid café.” A novel concept where maids would serve and entertain the guests.

Originally, Irma and the others were genuine maids. While the recipients of their hospitality had shifted from their lord to customers, their skills in service were impeccable.

(And that’s not all… Lord Siegfried is making full use of this villa…)

The entrance hall on the first floor had been transformed into a maid café, while the second-floor guest rooms and study were repurposed as rentable meeting rooms for merchants to conduct business. The former bedrooms had been converted into lodging facilities. In short, the villa had been reborn as a café, conference center, and hotel all in one.

At first, Irma had been skeptical about whether such a place would attract visitors. But the results far exceeded her expectations, with the mansion bustling with activity.

“Irma, thank you so much!”

The maid who had just been attending to a customer ran over to Irma, beaming with a smile.

“Thanks to you, Irma, I didn’t lose my job!”

She was one of the maids who would have been dismissed when the villa was sold off.

“And this job… it’s actually really fun once you get into it! Before, all I did was maintain an empty villa where no one ever came, and I kept wondering what I was even doing. But now, making our customers—no, all our ‘Masters’—happy feels so rewarding. Thank you so much, Irma!”

Irma shook her head at the maid’s gratitude.

“No, I didn’t do anything. This is all… part of Lord Siegfried’s plan.”

And then, she recalled a conversation with Siegfried at the Kreving household.

◇

“A maid café…?”

In the reception room of the Kreving household, Irma couldn’t help but question Siegfried after he explained the concept of a maid café.

“Forgive my ignorance, but I’ve never heard of such a café. Will people… really come?”

“Irma, have you ever thought about merchants?”

“Huh…?”

Caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, Irma blinked behind her glasses.

“Merchants are fascinating beings. The most successful among them can wield their wealth to negotiate with nobles on equal footing. But no matter how successful they become, in this country, they can never escape the label of ‘commoner.’”

That was true. But Irma couldn’t see how it related to a “maid café.”

“Those merchants likely yearn for a ‘noble lifestyle.’ The life of the upper class is always an object of envy. Yet, living like a noble isn’t something they can easily achieve.”

That made sense. Maintaining a grand estate and employing numerous servants was no small feat.

The reason nobles could live such lives was due to their privileges—namely, the right to govern their subjects and collect taxes. A lord could demand unpaid service from their people, and taxes would flow in without effort.

Merchants, however, were different. Even if they amassed wealth, a portion had to be paid as taxes to the state, and hiring servants required wages.

This was the fundamental difference between the privileged ‘nobles’ and mere ‘wealthy commoners.’

“Of course, for the greatest merchant houses that represent the nation, it’s a different story… But for merchants with modest fortunes, a noble lifestyle is a distant dream. So, we’ll let them fulfill that dream, even if just for a moment.”

Visiting the maid café would allow them to be treated, if only briefly, as the head of a noble household.

Conducting business in a noble’s mansion would elevate the prestige of any deal.

In other words, it offered a chance to experience a taste of noble life, even if it wasn’t the full reality.

◇

(And everything has gone exactly as Lord Siegfried planned…)

Of course, it hadn’t been an instant success. But once influential merchants began visiting the Roden Mansion, others followed suit, drawn by their lead. Now, the place was thriving, with even regular customers frequenting the café.

(Though, well… I still don’t quite understand the whole Moe Moe Kyun♪* thing…*)

For some reason, the Moe Moe Kyun♪ chant was a huge hit, though Irma couldn’t fathom why. Naturally, some guests preferred a more dignified, authentic noble-style hospitality, and a more formal maid café catering to such tastes was already in the works. After all, the Arving Marquis family had plenty of other villas to spare.

As Irma pondered this, a sudden cry interrupted her thoughts.

“N-no… please stop!”

A maid’s scream echoed through the hall. Irma turned to see a portly middle-aged man grabbing a maid’s sleeve, trying to pull her closer.

“No need to be so shy. Come a little closer.”

The man’s face was flushed red, likely from drinking in the middle of the day. Irma hurried over and addressed him.

“I’m terribly sorry, but please release her. Physical contact with the maids is strictly prohibited in our establishment.”

“What’s that? A mere maid dares to lecture a noble like me!?” He pointed at himself. “I am Baron Hetayn von Hakusela!”

The man proudly displayed the crest sewn onto his clothing—a genuine noble family’s emblem.

In the Kingdom of Kirchen, the noble ranks, from highest to lowest, were duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron. A baron was the lowest rank, but even so, to a commoner, they were an absolute authority.

“Besides, I was quite close with the late Lord Patrick. What’s the harm in having a bit of fun with a maid? …Hm? Now that I look at you, you’re quite the beauty yourself. Come here.”

Hetayn reached for Irma’s waist. Irma couldn’t back away. He was a noble. Defying him could lead to unimaginable consequences. No matter how much she wanted to flee, she wasn’t allowed to. But then—

“I’m afraid we’ll have to ask you to follow the rules, dear customer…”

A silver-haired man in a butler’s uniform appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Hetayn’s arm. Irma caught her breath.

The butler… was smiling. A smile that seemed almost villainous.

“What’s that!? A mere butler dares to interfere!?”

Hetayn tried to shake off the grip, but the butler’s strength was unyielding.

“Oi! Beat this fool and drag him off!”

“Yes, sir!”

A tall bodyguard standing behind Hetayn stepped forward. While he carried no sword, his fists were fitted with iron knuckle-dusters to amplify his blows. But before the bodyguard could swing—

“Wha—huh…?”

The bodyguard, who had raised his fist, suddenly tilted his head sideways and collapsed to the floor, as if all strength had left his body.

The butler had struck the bodyguard’s jaw with a punch so fast it was imperceptible, resulting in this outcome. But no one in the room had the visual acuity to catch it.

“What…!? What did you do!?” Hetayn cried, then yelped, “Ow, ow, ow, ow!”

The butler twisted Hetayn’s arm upward.

“You think you can get away with this!?”

“No, the question is whether you thought you could get away with this.”

The butler leaned in, peering into Hetayn’s face. In the depths of his blue eyes lay an abyss as dark and unfathomable as the void.

“You laid hands on my subordinate… on what belongs to me.”

“Wha…?”

In the next instant, a fist slammed into Hetayn’s face.

“Bwegh!”

With a scream, Hetayn crumpled to the floor. His nose was crushed, blood gushing from it, but even this was the butler showing considerable restraint. Had he not held back, Hetayn would have died instantly.

“Y-you… you bastard! This kind of behavior… won’t be forgiven! I-I’m a baron…!”

“Hmm, perhaps it’s time to play the role of the ‘villain who crushes others with status’ for a change.”

“Fweh?”

The butler snapped his fingers. In an instant, a black cloak materialized over his butler’s uniform, and in the blink of an eye, the uniform transformed into the attire of a distinguished noble.

“I am Siegfried von Kreving, Earl. Now… remind me, between an earl and a baron, which one ranks higher?”