Friendly Terms
In order to grow closer to Catherine, Joan decided to take a chance and ask her directly.
“Um… Young lady Catherine?”
“What is it?”
“I was wondering if I could call you in a more friendly way, to help us get closer… Would that be alright?”
“Eh? Call me?”
“Yes. I feel like calling each other without titles or using nicknames might help us become better friends. For example, what does your family call you?”
“My family… calls me Cat…”
“Cathy… That’s adorable! It suits you perfectly, Young lady Catherine.”
“Eh? Th-Thank you.”
“May I call you that too? Oh, but I’d feel bad if I used the same name your family or your fiancé does, so how about Cathy? And maybe, tone down the formal speech too?”
“Cathy? … Well, I suppose that’s fine…”
“Yaaay! Thank you, Cathy!”
“… You’re welcome. Do you think this will help us become better friends, Joan?”
“Yes!”
“By the way… I’m not engaged yet. Joan, do you ha—have a fiancé?”
“Eh? You’re not? I don’t have one either. In my family, we’ve always married for love, so there’s no such thing as political marriages. My two brothers don’t have fiancées either.”
“I see… That sounds nice…”
“Do you have a fiancé candidate or anything?”
“Well… yes, but we rarely get the chance to meet…”
“Then why not make the opportunity yourself?”
“I’d feel bad, like I was imposing…”
Mmm, even when she’s troubled, Cathy is cute~
Wait, a duke’s daughter’s fiancé candidate… Could it be someone from the royal family? If it’s someone around our age… could it be Fred?
“Umm… about your fiancé candidate… could it be…”
“Prince Albert.”
That one!? Wait, that shady prince actually doesn’t have a fiancée!?
Ehhh, Cathy feels way too good for him. But as a duke’s daughter, I guess their ranks match perfectly…
“Joan? Is something the matter?”
“Ah—just thinking. I didn’t know you were engaged to… uh, I mean, a candidate for engagement to Prince Alb—”
“It’s only a candidate. We’re not engaged.”
“Really? Are there other candidates?”
“Yes. Actually, I thought you might be one, Joan.”
“Wait, wait, wait—nope, not me.”
She shook her head vigorously.
“You’re that against it?”
“Very much so. But I asked Her Majesty the Queen to remove me from the list, so it’s fine.”
“Eh? You asked the Queen? … Joan, you’re close with Her Majesty?”
“Yep. We have tea sometimes.”
“How? How did you get that close to her?”
“Well, my father was classmates with His Majesty and the Chancellor, so they’ve looked after me since I was little.”
“Ahh, that explains it… So, does Prince Albert come around then?”
“Hm—he’s not around during the academy term, but he was there during summer break.”
“I see… That sounds nice.”
“Ah, but he was usually away on official duties. Ga—uh, Prince Fred showed up more often. Even though I didn’t invite him…”
“Eh? Sorry, I didn’t catch the last part.”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Really.”
“Say, Joan…”
“What is it, Cathy?”
“Next time… oh, never mind…”
“Ehh? What is it?”
“U-Um… would you have tea with me again sometime?”
“Of course!! And this time, bring your maids too!”
“Eh? My maids too?”
“Yes! I thought it would be nice if our maids got along as well.”
“That’s true… But would that really be okay?”
“Of course! But would your maids not want to sit at the same table?”
“Eh? You sit at the same table as your maids?”
“Yeah. It’s way more fun to have tea with everyone. In our household, we even do BBQs together! That’s when we gather around a fire and grill meat outside, you know?”
“Everyone, as in… not just family, but the staff too?”
“Yes, our staff and private soldiers—all of them are family. Because I wouldn’t be who I am without them. I’m grateful to them all.”
“Grateful to everyone…”
“Exactly. Meals are more enjoyable when shared with everyone. Though it might be difficult in a ducal house… but even then, expressing gratitude or giving small gifts is important. Thinking, ‘it’s only natural for them to serve me because I’m nobility’ is absolutely the wrong mindset. If the roles were reversed, wouldn’t you rather work for someone who’s thankful than someone who isn’t?”
“… Yes. You’re right. I shouldn’t take things for granted.”
“Exactly… Oh, here—take this.”
Joan opened her bag—which had a storage function—and pulled out some cookies and a pound cake.
“What’s this?”
“Tea-flavored cookies and a dried fruit pound cake I made. They’re my maids’ favorites.”
“Dried fruit?”
“Ah, it’s fruit that’s been dried. Drying concentrates the flavor and nutrients. Here—this is dried Mirange. Try it.”
Munch. “Mmm? It’s delicious… I thought dried fruit would be all dry and shriveled, but this is moist and the flavor is even stronger than fresh.”
“The pound cake has grapes, pineapples, Mirange, and apricots in it. Please share it with your maid.”
“I will. I should thank her too.”
Cathy left with a beaming smile—completely different from the gloomy expression she had when she first arrived.
＊＊＊＊＊
Knock knock knock.
“U-Um, Young lady Joan? Young lady Catherine’s maid is here. What on earth did you do!?”
“Huh? Her maid? Why? I-I didn’t do anything!”
“In any case, I’ll show her in, alright?”
“Uh, yeah…”
Ehhh!? What!? A complaint!?
Is this because I called her Cathy!?
What, what? Whyyy!?
What do you think about this chapter?
