Chapter 8

After easily overcoming the nonsense coming out of her aunt's mouth, finishing her tea with her, and making it clear that she had no intention of backing down from her course of action, Alica finally reluctantly took her leave to return to the orphanage as Leonora led her outside.

Now that she was alone, Arisella had time to think about several strategies to follow in the future regarding the Duke of the North.

Since she couldn't simply tell any high-ranking noble about the crown prince's planned disaster without potentially causing an armed conflict, Arisella had to personally approach the duke himself, Astrian, to tell him everything.

After all, the dukes and the emperor were the only ones who could peacefully stop the crown prince's plans with their powerful commanding skills as sovereigns at their disposal.

To achieve this, she had to gain enough trust for him to be willing to listen to what she had to say in private. Being a Master Prophetess would definitely work in her favor, as the Fifth Rank is so important, let alone a prophetess of such power…

There was just one problem with that idea.

He had just recalled a problematic scenario that he had once thought was a good idea, but which now clearly threatened to seriously derail that plan.

And the Duke of the North, widely known by all as a barbarian, admired by swordsmen as the youngest sword king, and feared and respected among his knights as the {Silver Reaper}, had a great secret that only a few trusted people knew: he was afraid of women.

Or, more specifically, the man suffered from venustraphobia, which is an irrational and unjustified fear of beautiful women.

In Astrian's case, however, his venustraphobia focused exclusively on women of great sexual attractiveness in general....

––Like the woman who kidnapped him and tried to rape him when he was just 13 years old.

Because of that incident, Astrian felt extreme panic around particularly erotic-looking women, and although outwardly he acts cold and distant around them, Astrian always feels a strong desire to run away, as if they were the most terrifying monsters in the world.

After all, what little boy who hadn't yet had proper sex education would fondly remember waking up in a panic in a dark, unfamiliar room, feeling weak from a sedative, with his naked body tied tightly to a bed and a sexy-looking noblewoman nonetheless staring at him with a predatory expression that made her look ready to devour him alive, while he was completely naked?

At least for Astrian, instead of awakening his lust, it was a rather stressful and traumatic situation... Enough to awaken his divine powers early on as a descendant of Ares, the Olympian god of war, and free himself from his bonds while killing his captor in the process by mere accident.

It's worth mentioning that he also developed a second personality that only awakens when a woman tries to seduce him with her sensuality, which was extremely aggressive and tyrannical toward the female gender... and what was the true cause of his kidnapper's death?

It was easy and potentially lethal to try to set a honey trap for this man.

And even trying to start something more than a conversation would be useless if you were a particularly attractive girl, because out of fear of it she would try to ignore your existence or speak in a cutting tone to scare you while giving you her intimidating (actually desperate) and hostile (pleading) look to tell you to get lost.

The only exceptions to this trauma are girls like the heroine, who do not have the greatest sexual appeal, although they are pretty and charming in appearance and personality.

How could the girl have children under those circumstances? Arisella honestly had no idea, as she'd never explained that detail in her past life... she'd forgotten to, if she were honest.

The exact details of the process that led to the conception of the future protagonists of this world, at this time only Heavenly Father could tell you in great detail.

Faced with this situation, Arisella thought the only way to approach Astrian without frightening him was with the help of her face. Her face, which looked pretty and sweet like a heroine's rather than seductive, was her only hope for dealing with this troubling situation.

And the rest?

...If I dress and act cute similar to Yulia, perhaps Astrian will be more willing to let me be around him instead of treating me like one of those "scary" Femme Fatales?

Arisella wasn't sure, but she had to try. After all, there was no time for venustraphobia therapy. Of course, it never occurred to her that imitating Yulia to get closer to Astrian might increase Astrian's dislike of her.

Well, that would never happen anyway.

Hmm... although it is a little funny to imagine the powerful Duke becoming so sensitive and cautious over something as silly as the presence of a beautiful lady~

Arisella grimaced amusedly as she recalled the fierce appearance of Astrian she drew as Amael.

Imagining Astrian acting cold and distant on the outside, wanting to stay away but afraid that she would try to use her allure on him to entice him... was surprisingly endearing.

What is this cutie? I feel like making fun of him now...

She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help but imagine the Duke as a silver rabbit who fears being eaten by a brown-furred wolf and runs away from her while the wolf simply plays with him.

Although Astrian's personality and physical appearance were generally more similar to a lion's than a rabbit's...

Noticing that her imagination was going in a strange direction, Arisella shook her head and in the midst of that, she realized something.

…And what will I do after all this? Leave here? That seems obvious, but… What if Astrian doesn't bother to hide from the emperor that I was the one who predicted the disaster his foolish son would cause? Won't the madman come to my door seeking revenge?

That's not right, I can't tell Astrian everything so easily... Before that, I must make sure that I have sworn to protect myself and the village from any threat, be it from the prince or other nobles... and perhaps convincing him to protect us from bandits and mercenaries would not be out of place... although the village must show him something that will make him see that making such an oath is worth it.

After all, a sovereign's oath is trustworthy, so I'm glad I've developed such a fine skill    . For once, since realizing the origins of this world, Arisella was grateful for one of the configurations she created as Amael.

The passive skill in question had a fairly simple and self-explanatory name. It was [The Oath of the Sovereigns], which had the effect of severely punishing the sovereign if they broke any oath they made in their lifetime with a curse of any kind, depending on the oath itself.

A sovereign should not swear in vain; the ability was designed with that in mind. And it's that same ability that could save Arisella and her family from death should the prince attempt revenge, forcing Astrian to act as a caped hero in the face of the danger the citizens face (?).

"Psss!" Arisella laughed at the sudden sight of the duke dressed as a superhero, coming to the rescue and saving the beauty from danger.

Hey, but who will be the beautiful one?

Of course it's me, who else, Lucelle Unnie?….

"...Why the hell did I just imagine being rescued by a handsome ML? Let's leave that to the heroine... or no, I'd rather such dangerous things didn't happen..."

Arisella sighed, going back to planning the things she needed to do, before finally giving the orders that would mark the beginning of her imminent departure... Not before meeting the local heroine, of course .

♦♦♦♦

A particularly elderly woman walked with calm and elegant steps through the silent corridors of a mansion.

His short gray hair was held back by an ash-gray cap that accentuated the stern impression conveyed by the icy gaze of his wrinkled face. His eyes were piercing and intimidating, like those of a predator in search of prey.

Her almost monochromatic cotton dress, in various shades of black, looked comfortable and practical, being adorned with white lace and embroidery.

Her lace collar and the white tablecloth she wore were so free of stains and wrinkles that she seemed the very personification of cleanliness and order. Her bodice was sewn to her neck, covering her décolletage, along with a cape of the same color as her cape.

Around his waist he wore what looked like a cloth belt, from which hung a chatelaine with the bunches of keys to the mansion, as well as a bag of alms and a handkerchief.

Regardless of her age, this woman was the very definition of a servant… or more precisely, a housewife.

And of course, it was she, the housekeeper of that small mansion, who personally inspected every corner of it to make sure everything was in order.

In the great noble houses of the Terra Empire, the housekeeper held the highest rank in all domestic service. She served as the lady of the house, managing the servants and governing the family's domestic life.

She was an outstanding professional, as she could efficiently manage up to two hundred servants.

A housekeeper who could not properly manage a nobleman's other servants would never have become a housekeeper in the first place.

And that was obviously not the case for the woman, who diligently searched the entire place, looking in great detail for any problems the maids might have missed.

He checked the entire interior of the first floor for things that didn't match, such as the bedrooms and the basement. He also checked stained-glass windows, ceiling panels and beams, wall paneling, sinks, and a rather luxurious bathroom with a bathtub that, as he confirmed, was diligently maintained by the maids.

Other features of the mansion he inspected included a central heating system, a magical tool, which was powered by three spirit cores in the basement and could heat the entire mansion in winter by generating warm air, being properly maintained by the only magic user housed in the mansion.

So far, the housekeeper didn't find any problems in these places and continued her way to the second floor to check if everything was okay in her mistress's mansion as well.

However, she would soon encounter two lazy maids in the second-floor hallways; a Bestian and a Nox gossiping among themselves instead of doing their chores, leading her to fake a particularly loud cough to get their attention.

The two demi-human women were startled as they turned around in curiosity and saw the highest authority behind the lady of the mansion fixing his stern and terrifying eyes on them.

"What are you two doing, wasting valuable time with idle chatter? Get back to your work!" he exclaimed in a scolding tone, a frown increasing the intimidation on his face.

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

"As you ordered, Lady Leonora!"

"..."

The maids responded and nodded with some fear and embarrassment, bowing to the housekeeper before immediately setting off to perform their respective tasks. The housekeeper, Leonora, simply watched them silently as they walked with slightly hurried steps, before sighing and shaking her head.

"Not quite…"

…They must have been so scared…

Anyway, she was already used to being feared even when she tried to be nice. The only thing that consoled her was that there were still two people she could talk to without being treated like a ghost in this mansion, and one of them happened to be the mistress of all the servants in this house.

When she thought of that girl who only put on airs regarding her physical appearance but was strangely humble in everything else, a soft smile appeared on Leonora's wrinkled face.

She never thought that she, who served several nobles in the past, would be devotedly serving a woman from a small town all her life.

But there she was, the housekeeper with an excellent work record now living and working in this rural manor far from where she normally should be, working for a semi-noble of baronial rank.

Anyone who knew her, and understood not only her skill but also her obsession with the virtue of true nobility, would be astounded. "What's someone like you doing here?" they would say in utter disbelief.

This is because this woman, Leonora Jurein, was a professional and highly experienced housekeeper, coming from a company that was dedicated solely to providing cleaning services to high society.

Throughout the Terra Empire, there were many similar companies dedicated to providing quality servants to the upper class, whether aristocrats or wealthy merchant families. These companies helped powerful families find qualified people to perform the work of servants and maids, and they were also able to hire experienced butlers and housekeepers who had retired from other households.

Within these companies, large numbers of commoners were trained to become good servants. From how to clean a mansion or even a palace to efficiently organizing banquets for the nobility, they provided a comprehensive teaching method that could transform the most ordinary commoner into an elegant and refined servant with a certificate attesting to their domestic skills.

These companies also helped arrange meetings to get to know the housekeeper or butler candidates better before hiring them; many nobles used this to conduct certain tests that might or might not make sense depending on how eccentric they were. This allowed them to make an informed decision that left them satisfied with their choice and leave with a satisfied servant ready to go.

In all this, what noble families and powerful merchants seek most are housewives of excellent reputation.

The housekeeper is an essential figure for the smooth running of great noble families. Reaching this position was not easy, and young women underwent years of apprenticeship in an extremely hierarchical service, which began when they began working as maids.

But to prosper on this difficult ladder, it wasn't enough for them to clean well or dust thoroughly; they had to cultivate their manners, read to increase their knowledge, and have moral convictions at least as firm as those of their teachers.

Loyalty must also have been one of his greatest virtues.

And Leonora Jurein was not only known for having great knowledge, excellent manners and satisfactory moral convictions, but she is also famous throughout northern high society for being so faithful to her former lover that she abandoned the well-paid job of a marquis's housekeeper to live as the humble personal maid of a count's future wife.

Eventually, Leonora demonstrated her excellent ability by quickly rising to the position of county housekeeper to help her mistress gain greater freedom of action, only to be ousted from the mansion when the Count began to consider her an obstacle.

From that moment on, Leonora was never able to establish contact with the young woman she admired as the personification of her ideal of nobility. She heard rumors that she was pregnant, but afterward, there was a great deal of silence about the matter; there was no news that she was carrying the count's heir or even a daughter.

A few years later, he heard the news that his beloved lady died in an accident while traveling with her unpleasant husband—who unfortunately did not die—and some unfortunate concubines, who suffered the same fate as the lady.

This depressed her greatly, because the only noblewoman who embodied her ideals of what an aristocrat should be died without leaving a legacy in the Empire.

At that time, many nobles flocked to the company she was part of in order to establish contact between them and Leonora, but none of them could get what they wanted, as Leonora was no longer interested in working for any of them; well, the remaining "nobles" were far from being true aristocrats in her eyes.

Although furious, the nobles could do nothing to her; for these organizations had powerful merchants or other nobles behind them, and if they allowed someone with such an excellent record as Leonora to suffer at their hands without consequence, no one would want to join their ventures ever again.

For this reason, Leonora easily rejected many of these 'false aristocrats' and lived away from anything related to high society for years.

However, one day, a mysterious, black-haired man, common in the East and South, suddenly appeared at her house and asked her to serve a baroness named Bluen. Of course, Leonora refused, reasoning that if the most influential nobles in high society didn't fit her ideal of nobility, then any random baroness would be worse off.

Furthermore, he did not even request his service through the proper channels.

But despite her adamant refusal, the man did not give up, but showed her a "little show" that left her "amazed" and "wondered," and then "kindly" asked her to follow him to the village of Taylan to meet with the woman, a minor prophetess, so that he could meet with her and see if she might reconsider.

Outraged but fearful of this individual, who seemed unconcerned about the consequences of his actions, Leonora was "peacefully taken" to the mysterious village of Taylan where she would finally meet the Baroness in question.

When she entered the Cesna Range and saw that everything seemed lifeless even compared to the rest of the north, Leonora's expression couldn't have been darker... but as they went deeper, she was stunned by the lands teeming with life in the depths of Cesna.

The beautiful, lush forests, the grassy fields without a single speck of snow, the farmland controlled by several farming families, and even the warm, slightly humid air that made her feel very comfortable; it was as if she had suddenly traveled to the Southern Duchy out of nowhere, something that was immediately denied by her kidnapper—I mean, companion—with a mighty laugh.

Not only that, the sight of a village that could have been a very lively and energetic city, along with a beautiful church with many devotees and a splendid mansion with beautiful maidens, left her deeply moved by scenes that were drastically different from the rest of the north.

At the same time, he also realized that this place wasn't easy and that he probably wouldn't be able to leave easily... not that he'd believed it at first, anyway.

So upon entering the mansion, while waiting inside a surprisingly beautiful guest room, Leonora once again felt a strong sense of indignation and apprehension about the situation. However, when she saw Baroness Arisella Bluen, those negative emotions flew out the window.

——Her ideal of nobility had manifested itself before her again, as if she were still alive.

♦♦♦♦

Her fine brown hair was elegantly styled, and her hazel eyes were soft and bright. The girl's expression revealed a faint smile on her tender and charming lips, filled with sweetness, making her look like some kind of mystical work of art.

Had it been designed to fit her slender body? Or because she originally had a good figure? The beautiful white one-piece dress she wore emphasized her breasts to the point of protruding, which would easily draw the attention of several gentlemen if they met her on the street.

Her dress created a relaxing atmosphere and appeared high-quality. Combined with her beautiful appearance, it gave an impression of virtuosity and elegance.

Her gait was neither too swift nor too smooth, but full of self-confidence; with excellent balance, she maintained her upright posture and a sense of refinement that should only be seen in women born into nobility.

With both hands clasped, wearing good quality gloves and a posture worthy of an aristocratic woman, she greeted Leonora with her sweet smile and a slight bow, who looked at her with wide eyes.

"Good afternoon, I'm Arisella Bluen, the prophetess of the Taylan people. Have you come to apply for a position as my housekeeper?" Arisella asked as she sat down on the blue sofa opposite Leonora. Leonora couldn't help but notice that Arisella didn't rest her back against the backrest, as if she had been taught deeply that she should never do so.

Like marriageable young women.

Or rather, like the young woman highlighted in his memory who so resembled Arisella Bluen.

W-what? How can they look so alike…? Although her face is more oval, her eyes are more gentle than sharp, she isn't as tall as her, and her breasts are a bit smaller, she definitely resembles my lady! Furthermore, her movements are so refined, and her atmosphere is so noble on her part… Just like that of a true aristocrat like her…!

How is it possible that a prophetess from an unknown village has the grace of a young woman raised in a noble family? How is it possible that she had access to such an education if she's supposedly an orphan living in a village she's never heard of before...?

Wouldn't it be possible that....!?

"Umm... Mrs. Leonora?"

—Ah… I’m sorry! M-my name is Leonora Jurein, Miss Arisella. It’s just that, well… I was really surprised by that dress. I’d never seen that design before in any boutique I knew, and I couldn’t help but try to remember where it could have come from, —Leonora hurriedly said by way of excuse, noticing that she had been staring at the young woman in front of her to the point of making her feel uncomfortable.

I can't tell you that you look like my old mistress. It wouldn't look right if I worked for her just out of nostalgia, after all...

Leonora hadn't yet realized that she had already begun to consider working for the Baroness on a voluntary basis for that very reason, and something else...

However, to divert their attention, Leonora pointed to the beautiful dress Arisella was wearing, which looked comfortable and elegant with colorful floral embroidery. The golden buttons on the front allowed the wearer to remove it easily without the help of a maid, and its skirt only reached her calves, revealing a glimpse of her attractive legs, covered by soft white stockings.

Her shoes appeared to be made of very beautiful leather, which gleamed faintly in the sunlight and had likely been polished. The color was slightly dark, which matched her white one-piece dress very well.

Arisella blinked, looked at her dress and with a wry smile simply answered Leonora… with something that was not at all simple, at least for Leonora.

—Oh... This? It's not much, but it's not something that's been made anywhere else either. The silk this dress is made from is so common and easy to obtain that the villagers have plenty of free time to experiment in the textile field.

"Yes? Experiment? With silk...?"

Leonora blinked, then looked more closely at the dress Arisella was wearing. Noticing the faint flow of ether in the material, her heart immediately filled with surprise.

That's it... A dress made almost entirely of the incredibly rare Tetran Silk? Leonora thought, completely stunned inside.

No wonder she was surprised.

Common silk could only be obtained from insects that lived in the Hassper forests of the Southern Duchy and other places with warm, humid climates. Therefore, silk was a very rare luxury product enjoyed only by wealthy northern nobles.

However, even in the face of this silk, that was nothing.

Because Tetran silk was a very rare and expensive type of silk that appeared only 4 years ago, which drove the mage community across the empire crazy.

This unique silk, rather than clothing, was used to create high-level magical enchantments due to its excellent conductivity of magical energy, something that until now was only thought to be possible with Demonic Beast materials alone.

Specifically, magicians could now design complex magical circuits of enchantments on the clothing of nobles and wealthy families using this special silk, which, by the way, was not only almost colorless, but also more fragile than normal silk.

Added to its rarity and usefulness in magic, it made it impossible to make entire garments from this material. Leonora couldn't conceive of the mere idea of ​​finding someone daring enough to use such a thing as a textile experiment...

—Because even a small amount of Tetran Silk is already prohibitively expensive, but the dress Arisella was wearing was almost entirely Tetran Silk with some high-quality fabrics, and through her magical senses cultivated as a housekeeper for powerful families she confirmed the existence of not just 1 or 2 magical enchantments, but 8 different kinds, something unprecedented as she had never heard of so many enchantments being performed on a simple dress, not even for princesses.

The truth is, even seeing her in that dress made Leonora tremble with nerves. After all, that dress could feed an entire large city for several years....