EIITAB - Chapter 77
Even if it is Trampled and Broken
"Why am I kicking you out...?"
"Then hurry up and take a shower. It seems like our Princess hasn't woken up yet. Madam Philippa, will she be here soon?"
"....Yeah, I got it."
Hestia belatedly dipped her hand into the basin and wiped her face. As she was finishing washing her face, she heard a knock.
The person who came inside was Madame Philippa.
"Did you wake up, Ma'am?"
"Good morning, Lady Philippa."
Hestia, who had been changing into her everyday clothes while waiting on Angela, stuck out her face above the partition and gave her morning greeting to Madame Philippa.
Madame Philippa placed the tray she had brought with her on the table.
"I have prepared a meal. Would you like to eat it right away?"
Hestia looked embarrassed.
"I don't have any particular thoughts... I'm not even hungry. As I said, I don't usually eat breakfast."
"If you keep doing this, you will lose her health to this cold."
Because of her rather strong attitude and knowing the hard work Philippa puts in every day, Hestia ate just enough breakfast to not feel embarrassed.
As she was doing the news, she usually drank tea and small portions of dry biscuits, boiled eggs, or scrambled eggs. Even that didn't seem to satisfy Lady Philippa's passion, but she seemed to think it was better than not eating at all, so she only sighed lightly and didn't open her mouth any further.
'Lady Philippa, she is an upright person.'
In her mind, Hestia's opinion of her went up. She must have been out of her mind on the first day, so even if she hit it, she would have heard it soon. She knows that Hestia is the niece of King Yorgos and that she is the Saintess who predicted the great invasion of the North and announced the oracle that closed the capital's gates.
'You won't open your heart.'
But contrary to Hestia's expectations, Lady Philippa did not show her hostility towards her. She just seemed to be examining herself.
Of course, a week is not enough time to look inside a person clearly. She doesn't deny that. But Hestia also trusted her intuition.
"If you have any inconvenience or need anything, please let us know at any time. I will correct it."
Lady Philippa served Hestia in a polite manner without any disturbance. Lady Philippa's attitude and the seriousness of her words, she thought, revealed the sincerity of her feelings toward her.
Moreover, Lady Philippa took great care of Angela's comfort. She was such that others could say she was privileged. As a result, Hestia's caution has eased a lot. Because she felt relieved to know that even her own person cared about her.
'And she can't ask why she is nice to someone who is nice to her.'
Nothing could be as ridiculous as that and crush the sincerity of her partner. Therefore, Hestia did not ask any questions, and she gratefully accepted the favor with a somewhat sorry heart.
"You have a hard time every morning."
"You're welcome. Of course, I'm just doing what I have to do, so don't worry about it."
Hestia raised her voice from inside the partition.
"Thank you for saying that. But I always feel sorry for the chef because my mouth is short. They prepare it with so much care, but I don't actually touch it."
Hestia briefly trailed off her words before she added in a cautious manner.
"Lady Philippa, as I said last time, from tomorrow onwards you will simply pay. Tea, biscuits, or boiled eggs are enough for me."
But Madame Philippa shook her head resolutely.
"That is unacceptable. You might lose your appetite again one day.'
"But isn't there too much food left?"
It wasn't that I didn't want to hear people talking about me behind my back. Kalathi is a land where food is scarce. Hestia truly hoped that the food she left behind would go to more people. She wast the type of person who didn't really enjoy eating, so her guilt when she saw her leftovers was even greater.
But Madame Philippa acted as if that was no problem either.
"Do not worry. Don't you not even touch anything else and eat it very cleanly? I'm sorry to break it to you, but thanks to that, other users are feasting on it like never before."
Hestia thought to herself.
'In that case, wouldn't it be okay to send only the food I would eat in the first place and have them eat the rest?'
But the moment she said those words, she knew that Madame Philippa would give her a stern look and tell her that she couldn't say that, so she didn't bother to open her mouth.
Hestia, who had finished changing her clothes, came to her table. She didn't have much of an appetite today, so she just wanted to drink tea, but unfortunately, she didn't have a teapot among the things Philippa brought. She had so much to eat and she didn't want to go through the trouble of asking her to bring it, so Hestia brought her scrambled eggs in front of me.
"Angela, I'm sorry, but could you please go to the kitchen?"
When she had half emptied her plate, she opened her mouth as if Madame Philippa had been waiting.
"I forgot to bring tea for you. I would like you to boil some new water and bring it to me."
"Ah! Yes. All right."
Angela answered bravely and bowed her head towards Hestia.
"Princess, please wait a moment. I'll get it right away."
Hestia glanced at Lady Philippa and then shook her head.
"No. Go slowly."
She had a feeling that Madame Philippa had something to say to her and that she was deliberately trying to send Angela away. She smiled to reassure her maid.
"If you rush to bring hot water, you could get hurt."
"As expected, the Princess is the only one who cares about me."
Angela smiled and left the room as if Angela was in a good mood. Even though only one person was away, the room became quiet as if it had never been so friendly.
The two kept their mouths shut as if they were having a battle words out, hestia took her dream away and opened her mouth first.
"Is this story related to Miss Dulcinea?"
They don't even know each other very well anyway. Moreover, if the speaker hesitated this much, it was clear that she wanted to bring up a topic that Hestia would find uncomfortable to hear, but she only brought it up because Dulcinea was the only such person at the moment.
As expected, Lady Philippa looked at Hestia with startled eyes and sighed as if her thoughts were correct.
".... That's right."
In fact, she should have said something earlier. Madame Philippa knew that too.
However, since Dulcinea was a child that she almost raised with her own hands, her heart was honestly weakened and she could not keep her mouth off Hestia.
She said, 'I'm older now!'
Lady Philippa mocked herself in her mind. The thought that she needed to make her attitude clear even now became even stronger. She was a servant of Kalathi Castle. The people who had to be served first were not Dulcinea, but Aslan and his wife, Hestia.
She opened her mouth with her solemn face. Anyway, she better tells Hestia about Dulcinea before it's too late.
"Lady Dulcinea is the only daughter of the Counts of Penlot, a vassal family of the Duke of Kalathi."
Hestia doesn't think she's going to recite Dulcinea's family history. Hestia looked at Lady Philippa for a moment as if trying to gauge her insides, and then gave her a nod and a chin gesture as if to ask her to continue talking.
Madame Philippa, who had been waiting for her permission, spoke in a very polite manner.
Dulcinea was the only daughter of Penrot, one of the vassals of the Kalathi duchy. Although she is two years younger than Aslan, she is the same age as Hestia, and she is 22 years old this year. Countess Penlot and her husband were all sword-wielding knights, and she is said to have helped the ancestral Duke, Wayne Calathi, protect Kalathi from winter.
"Count Penlot, before the current master inherited his title, he personally taught him swordsmanship."
"So you're saying he was Aslan's teacher."
"Yes, that's right. In private, he also called Count Penlot's uncle. Of course, they are not related by blood."
"...... Okay."
If so, their relationship would have been very close, beyond the simple relationship between lord and vassal. Hestia let out a long breath and nodded her head.
"Then I guess I'll be able to meet them soon."
In fact, she said it without much expectation. She also thought that maybe she wouldn't be able to meet Count Penlot. If Aslan does not lift the ban and continues to live in this room, she will probably never have to formally greet other vassal families.
But wouldn't there be a need to tell Madame Philippa all the details?
So Hestia thought to suit her and put those words into her mouth. However, Lady Philippa's expression was unusual.
After a moment of hesitation, her face became clouded and she opened her mouth to express her regret.
"Unfortunately, this is impossible."
Hestia looked at Madame Philippa as if there was something wrong with her. Madam Philippa chewed her lips as if it was very difficult to tell her story, and then. began to speak with difficulty.
"Count Penlot and his wife unfortunately passed away several years ago."
"What is that...! You mean both?"
When Hestia asked again in disbelief, Lady Philippa nodded her head with a heavy heart.
"Yes. They dealing with demonic beasts along with the late Duke during the Great Patriotic War..."
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