Chapter 17 Guest At The Earl Of Markwood'S Mansion

 Guests at the Earl of Markwood's residence

 The capital of the Kingdom of Crescente, the Crescent City.

 The Earl of Markwood's mansion, which had been rapidly making a name for itself over the past few years, was in turmoil in the morning.

"--Hey, this is the first thing I've got!"

"What? I don't think you can make tea."

"I'll take care of this. I'm not old enough, I'm not old enough."

 A dozen or so maids with rooms (parlors) gathered in the pantry next to the kitchen, and the air was filled with a sense of dread.

"Hey, hey... what the hell?"

 Roy, the cook, murmured in disgust, and Mona, the maid, came over.

"Didn't Roy tell you we were expecting a guest? Oh, that's right, you're not serving dinner, so you don't have to worry about the kitchen."

"What does this guest of honor have to do with the maids acting like demons and fighting over the tea cups and leaves?"

"Well, you'll see me when I make tea, so you'll want to get to know me."

"......"

 Roy was dumbfounded, but his mouth fell open and he couldn't even speak.

"...Nina has been doing that job until now, but those maids have been talking behind her back and telling the head maid that she's monopolizing it. I don't know why Nina was doing it, or why only Nina could do it."

"They're the ones who only care about marrying the right person rather than getting a decent job. How would I know?"

 Then Toms, the gardener, comes in and says.

"I heard the maids are having a hard time now that Nina's gone."

"Well, it's all right for me to just do my job, but the Count, the lady's wife, the boy's wife, and the girl's wife are pissed off every day. I can hear them shouting, "We don't have it, what's wrong with it, it's wrong..."

"...Hmm. I've heard rumors that the Count's failures are increasing outside the mansion as well."

 Roy said as he regained his speech.

 Roy has many acquaintances in the kitchens of other houses and royalty through his association with cooks.

 They say,

 --It's rumored that the Earl of Markwood's plating has come off.

 It's called.

 The Count has become a household name in the aristocracy over the past few years, but he's been making a lot of mistakes lately.

 He made some ridiculous policy proposals, was caught with a forgery of an art work, and found a frayed dress of his wife in a social gathering.

 Apparently things aren't going well not only inside the mansion but outside as well.

"Well... it's not like the Count's failure outside was Nina's fault either."

"......"

"......"

"Hey, Mona and Tom's geezer, don't you shut up."

"...No, I think Nina could do that."

 The three of them don't know everything about Nina's work.

In response to the changes in the politics of the Crescent City, Nina was also the one who had prepared the relevant history books and reports on the Count's desk.

 The Count's fondness for vases was well known, so many merchants came to sell him art, and Nina was the one who drove away any forgeries in advance.

 Nina was the one who secretly got rid of the outdated motifs, not to mention the hemming and unraveling of the dress that had become a problem the other day.

 The head butler is good at calculating money, but he doesn't know much about politics or art, and he doesn't know what Nina is doing.

 The maidservant was good at calling up seamstresses to work for her, but she didn't know how to balance and fix things when she didn't have time, and she didn't know much about fashion trends.

"Well, I guess the Count wants to treat this guest well and recover his lost ground..."

 That's when Roy said.

 GUSHAN.

 A teapot fell on the floor and broke.

"It's your fault!"

"Huh? You're the one who was touching me last!"

"--You don't look good in that makeup, so stop it!"

 The maids do not pick up the broken pot and continue to fight.



"What?"

"You... you quit at the right time."

 Mona's wedding retirement is in two months.

"You'll have to keep me posted on what happens after I quit, right? It'll be fun in the countryside where there's no entertainment."

 Saying this with a serious face, Mona left to do her job.

 The Earl of Markwood welcomed the guest with a big smile.

"Welcome again today. You are one of the Five Wise Men, the pinnacle of mages..."

"No, no need to be so formal. I've been here many times before."

 Their appearance is no different from that of a human in her twenties.

 But he has already lived for more than 300 years, and his speech is somewhat aged.

 Her long blond hair is slicked back, and her ears are long and pointy - the hallmarks of a true elf.

 Her eyes are green and covered with long eyelashes.

 Not a speck of stain on her white skin.

 A robe made of white and bright green cloth is a sign of a mage, and anyone who sees it will know that the cloth is made of a rare material. It stores magic power to support the mage's movements, and is also a stab-proof sama that will not allow a blade to pass through.

"Yes! That's it. I am very happy to know that Tuilede-Fal-Wilhelm Scott-sama has visited my house again this year."

 Out of the carriage came the elf, Tweed.

 There were a number of noblemen who followed him like attendants, but they looked at the Earl of Markwood with annoyance.

 Because I can't keep up with you from here on out.

It's not because it's the Count's house, but because Tweed wants you to leave him alone and relax.

 So much so that Tweed is delighted to be staying at the Earl of Markwood's estate.

"I'm a little tired from the long trip. Do you still have that terrace?"

"Of course, sir. Since you liked the tweeds-sama, we've been tending the garden very carefully."

"That's good. I'm sure you'll be able to see the gold lily now..."

 Tweed happily stepped into the mansion with the Earl of Markwood.

 The terrace we were shown was the same as the one we were shown last year,

(Hmm...? Looks like you've got bad taste.)

 Tweed noticed that the vase on the shelf was a shiny gold one.

 It's a jar with no artistic flair.

(This has never happened to me before...)

 I had some misgivings, but I shook them off.

 There aren't many places where a globetrotting tweener can find peace of mind.

 One of them is here.

 I don't want to devote my attention to trivial things.

"Oh, your garden looks great this year."

 When Tweed saw the garden, he was delighted.

 Last year, the same sama, a beautifully manicured garden, was in full bloom, just as Tweed had hoped it would be.

 Many golden flowers bloom in such profusion that one wonders how they are supported by their slender stems.

 But there are also many colorful flowers and lush greenery to complement the flowers.

"Of course! No, but if Tweed-sama wanted the golden ripple flower, we should have prepared more of them!"

"......"

 The Earl of Markwood laughed, but Tweed did not,

(As I thought, the master doesn't seem to understand.)

 I sigh inwardly.

 Tweed believes that a beautiful thing is not just its own thing, but is born in harmony with other things.

 This is especially true for nature-loving elves.

Just as a "peaceful place" is not just a place with a good garden, but also requires many other elements, such as the hospitality of the host and the tea that is brewed.

"So...Count, can I be alone for a moment?"

"Yes, yes, of course. --Hey, Tweedledee-sama's going to bed! Prepare the tea!"

 The good thing about the Count is that he doesn't talk to me too much, thought Tweed as he sat down in his chair.

 I knew this garden would be nice.

 I can also see that they put in a lot of green for the elves, the tweeds.

(A good gardener, and a good--)

 There was a rattling sound, and a wagon with a tea set came in.

"Tweed-sama, I'll make you some tea."

"......?"

 There was a maid with a strange face.


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