Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 41: You’ve Worked Hard!

“Lie down, Amber.”

She gently pushed me down and rested my head on her lap.

At first, I was slightly flustered, but as soon as I buried my face in Ruby’s soft skirt, all such thoughts vanished.

What I felt was the soft texture of her hem and the faint, soothing scent of tea emanating from Ruby.

Just burying my face like this seemed to wash away all the fatigue in my body.

Ruby looked down at me slightly and asked in a small voice.

“Is this uncomfortable for you?”

“No, it’s nice.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

Ruby, showing a gesture of relief, gently cupped my head with her palm.

Her touch was as cautious as if she were handling a baby.

“Sorry. My hands must be cold.”

“It’s fine. They’re my favorite hands in the world.”

They were white, dainty, and lovely hands.

Ever since I was young, I had seen Ruby’s hands countless times, and to me, no matter what anyone said, they were the prettiest.

Whenever she pressed down on piano keys with her neatly trimmed fingers, I would unconsciously hold my breath and watch her.

Now, instead of piano keys, those hands were stroking the top of my head.

She moved her fingers tenderly along my hair, carefully avoiding any tangles.

The occasional direct touch of her fingertips was dangerously pleasant.

Was it really okay for me, as a maid, to be like this?

Lying on the mistress’s lap, receiving her caresses like this?

If Merilda were to see this, she would surely faint on the spot.

I could vividly imagine her panicking and desperately trying to stop Ruby.

Ruby, unconcerned about any such thoughts, continued to gently stroke my head.

Pressing just firmly enough to feel pleasant, she carefully opened her mouth to speak.

“I still can’t believe I get to be with you like this, Amber.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve always been with me.”

She paused for a moment in silence, then stopped her hand and spoke again.

“Bringing you to the academy was entirely my selfish decision. You might have wanted to stay at the estate instead.”

Hearing Ruby’s words, memories of the Sarka estate started to surface.

The unnecessarily vast yard, the kitchen I lit fires in every day—

Even the times I was scolded by the head maid Merilda while busily working; all of it had become cherished memories now.

The sound of Ruby’s piano playing echoing through the halls every morning, the soft fur of the white cat brushing against me for food—I loved all of it.

…But now, the most important thing was missing from that estate.

“…You’re not there, my lady.”

“…”

An estate without Ruby was nothing but lonely and desolate to me.

After hearing my words, Ruby’s hand began to move again.

She stroked my hair with care, speaking in a kind voice.

“You’ve worked hard, staying by my side.”

Why did that single sentence make my eyes water?

It felt like all my efforts up to now had been acknowledged, and for some reason, tears welled up in my eyes.

“I was all alone until Amber came…”

Perhaps it was Ruby’s unique atmosphere—

Her outward appearance, which gave the impression she was hard to approach, and her timid personality often led to misunderstandings.

Even Merilda, who had spent more time with Ruby than I had, said they never spoke unless absolutely necessary.

So, from Ruby’s perspective, I must have seemed very peculiar, showing interest and striking up conversations with her.

“Thank you for staying as my maid.”

Hearing her gratitude, I couldn’t lift my head.

In truth, I only clung to her side to survive.

Back then, there were no other options available to me.

“….”

I wasn’t a good enough person to deserve your gratitude.

Ruby, whether she understood my feelings or not, continued to stroke me gently.

Worried that she might notice my tears, I kept my face buried for a long time.

Since Ruby’s incident had been resolved, it was only natural for Amethyst and Diana to return to their own rooms.

Ruby, wearing a lighthearted expression, shoved Amethyst’s bags and belongings at her, saying,

“Alright, it’s time for you both to return to your own rooms.”

Amethyst, whose back was being forcibly pushed, had a face full of regret.

“Aww, I wanted to stay a few more days.”

When she tried to resist leaving, Ruby pushed her with all her might.

“I think you’ve stayed more than long enough…”

“There’s still so much I haven’t done, like bathing with Amber… or bathing with Amber!”

“Enough talking, just leave already.”

Watching their playful bickering, I laughed awkwardly.

“Haha…”

But seriously, Amethyst, you were really planning to bathe with me?

When I followed them to the entrance, Diana was already there, ready to leave with her luggage.

Hugging her bag, she smiled brightly and said,

“It’s a shame we can’t stay longer, but I’m glad Ruby is safe.”

She smiled at me, and I couldn’t help but admire her expression.

Diana, speaking as though the incident had been quite shocking, added,

“To think the culprit was Ruby’s rival from the concert… I was so surprised when I found out.”

As she mentioned the concert, a question I had been curious about popped into my mind.

“By the way, Diana, why didn’t you ever attend another concert after that one?”

Since her first concert with Ruby, Diana hadn’t participated in any other competitions.

She was as talented in piano as Ruby, to the point where it was hard to determine who was better.

Why did she suddenly quit playing?

“Ah… That’s…”

Diana hesitated slightly before continuing.

“Piano is fun, of course, but there are so many other things I want to try. I wanted to explore different things while I still have the time.”

“Ahaha…”

It was indeed a protagonist-like way of thinking.

Just as it’s rare to find a player in a game who only focuses on one stat, perhaps she also wanted to try various things.

In that sense, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable that she had given up playing the piano.

“Well then, take care on your way back.”

After waving goodbye to Amethyst and Diana and seeing them off, I returned to find Ruby wearing a somewhat bittersweet expression.

“My lady, are you perhaps feeling a little sad?”

“Sad? Not at all. It was too noisy, and I couldn’t stand it.”

She firmly denied it, leaving no room for argument.

Judging from the slightly forlorn expression she had just worn, though, it didn’t seem like that was entirely true.

After confirming the two were gone, Ruby turned around, clenched her fists, and muttered.

“Finally, just the two of us…”

“Pardon?”

Her eyes seemed to sparkle with anticipation for some reason.

As if she had been waiting for this moment all along.

Ruby placed her hands on my shoulders and, with an excited expression, said,

“Amber, since it’s just the two of us for the first time in a while…”

Knock, knock.

Her words were interrupted by the sound of knocking.

“Who is it now?”

“Maybe one of the ladies who just left? Perhaps they forgot something…”

“Stay here. I’ll check.”

With an irritated stride, Ruby walked briskly to the door and threw it open.

“What is it now—”

The person standing behind the door was neither Diana nor Amethyst.

It was Coral, hesitantly standing with her hands fidgeting.

“Excuse me… Ruby.”

“…”

Creak.

Ruby stared at Coral for a few seconds, then quietly attempted to close the door again.

“Wait…! Please hear me out!”

“What is it?”

Coral, intertwining her fingers nervously, spoke.

“Well, it’s about the Amber rental coupon you gave me…”

Coral pulled out a pink ticket from her pocket.

“It turns out the expiration date is today.”

“Oh.”

The Amber Rental Coupon.

It was a bribe Ruby had given Coral back when the club was being formed, in exchange for using the library as their clubroom.

The effect of the coupon was that Coral could “rent” me for 24 hours.

Who would’ve thought Ruby would actually set an expiration date on it?

Ruby took the ticket from Coral’s hand, trembling as she asked,

“…Coral. Are you really going to use this?”

“Yes, I am!”

“…Ha. Wait a moment.”

Ruby closed the door gently, then began pounding her fists against the wall.

“We finally had time alone…! A precious weekend…!”

“My lady, please calm down…”

“Haa…”

As I approached her to soothe her, Ruby relaxed her fists and spoke to me with a resigned expression.

“Amber, spend today with Coral.”

“Are you sure? I am your maid…”

“A promise is a promise. I’ll be fine, so go.”

Though she seemed a little reluctant, Ruby pushed me out the door, insisting it was fine.

‘I’m not sure this is okay.’

After all, I had already witnessed Ruby and Coral’s feelings for each other during the previous retreat.

The atmosphere between them had just started improving, and now it felt like I was interfering.

Having no other choice, I changed out of my maid uniform and into my school uniform, heading toward the hallway where Coral was waiting.

“I’m off, my lady. Please don’t skip any meals!”

I called out toward the room, but instead of a reply, I heard Ruby pounding the wall again.

Slightly unnerved, I quietly closed the front door and stepped outside.

“Hello, Amber.”

When I came out, Coral greeted me.

“Hello, Coral. It’s the first time we’ve met on a weekend.”

“Yes. I really wanted to go out with you, Amber.”

“Going out sounds great! It’s been a while since I’ve gotten some fresh air.”

“Really? I’m glad…”

Coral shyly grabbed my sleeve, smiling bashfully as she said,

“Well then, please take care of me today, Amber.”