Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 9: Age 17

Four years had passed since Ruby’s Ability Awakening Event ended peacefully.

She and I were now seventeen years old, and it was finally the year for Ruby to enroll in the academy.

If anything had changed about me, it wasn’t much.

I had grown slightly taller and now used bangs to cover the forehead I had previously left exposed.

Of course, my clumsiness hadn’t changed one bit.

***

The first morning of Ruby’s seventeenth year dawned, but her expression was far from pleasant.

Ruby, sipping the tea I had poured her, frowned at an unexpected visitor.

“…Amber. I don’t recall inviting a woman like that to the estate.”

“Good morning, both of you!”

Cheerfully greeting us through the window after jumping over the estate’s wall was none other than the Second Princess, Amethyst Lupine.

I responded with a face that showed I’d anticipated this.

“It’s already been three years now. And she does this three times a week.”

“…Lock the window.”

As Ruby instructed, I locked the window, but I eventually relented to the pleading taps of Amethyst and let her in.

Amethyst entered, brushing leaves off her hair, and greeted me with a satisfied smile.

“Good morning, Amber!”

“Good morning, Lady Ame.”

“Ame” was a nickname I used to address her.

At seventeen, she felt much bolder than when she was a child.

She had grown remarkably taller, and other aspects of her too…

Amethyst was one of the most open and outgoing people I knew.

Her friendliness was almost unbelievable, given her high status.

The only issue was that Ruby didn’t seem particularly pleased with her.

Setting down her teacup, Ruby sighed and said,

“…Amethyst. Would you please stop entering the estate by climbing over the walls?”

“Cut me some slack! The formalities for visiting a noble household are such a hassle.”

“You always say that, and yet…”

Seeing Amethyst take a seat, I addressed the two of them.

“I’ll prepare some snacks for you both. Please wait a moment.”

“Thank you!”

***

As I left the drawing room, the smiles disappeared from their faces, and they stared at each other with palpable tension.

“Amethyst, I’ve already told you. No matter how much you try to convince me, I have no intention of handing Amber over to you.”

“What are you talking about? I only came to visit you, Lady Ruby.”

“Is that so? But isn’t it more accurate to say you came here to see the estate’s foolish maid?”

“…You caught me.”

There was always some underlying tension between the two of them.

Glancing around the room with an innocent look, Amethyst spoke once more, confirming Amber wasn’t present.

“Lady Ruby, I feel like there’s been a misunderstanding, so let me clarify: I have no intention of forcibly taking Amber away from you.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is that Amber’s feelings are what matter. Using power to snatch away a maid would be easy, but what would be the point? I’ll wait until she decides for herself.”

“…So you’re saying you’ll make her change her mind first.”

“Bingo! I like how quick you are to understand, Ruby.”

Despite Amethyst’s cheerful tone, Ruby’s expression darkened even further.

“…As long as I’m here, things won’t go the way you want, Princess Amethyst.”

“Are you sure about that?”

***

“You two seem to get along as always.”

Approaching the two of them with a tray of tea and snacks, I interrupted their standoff.

At my comment, they coughed lightly and pulled back.

“Well, Ruby and I have been friends for three years now!”

“…I don’t recall having a friend like you.”

Although Ruby seemed unhappy about Amethyst’s visits to the estate, I couldn’t help but feel content seeing them interact.

Unlike the Ruby Sarka in the game, who grew up completely isolated, she now had a friend.

Amethyst picked up a snack from the tray I had placed down and asked me,

“This looks delicious. Did you make it, Amber?”

“Yes. I followed a recipe from a cookbook last time.”

Without hesitation, she popped it into her mouth and began chewing.

“How is it? Is it alright?”

She briefly lowered her head with a blank expression, then looked at me and smiled.

“…It’s delicious! You’ve got talent.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I was worried.”

Jingle-jingle.

At that moment, the sound of a bell announcing a visitor to the estate echoed through the air.

Looking toward the door, I spoke.

“Ladies, I’ll be right back!”

I could already guess who the visitor was.

As soon as Amber left, Amethyst looked at the snacks with a profoundly serious expression and said,

“…Ruby, how have you been eating things like this all this time?”

The moment she put a snack in her mouth, she barely suppressed a gag and managed to swallow it.

“If you plan to keep Amber as your maid, you’ll have to endure it. Eating it every day has made me somewhat used to it.”

“Every day…?”

Amethyst, pondering how a cookie could taste as if it were made with ground-up monster meat, rinsed her mouth with tea.

Outside, at the estate’s main gate, I greeted a familiar face with a smile.

“I thought it might be you, Dia.”

“It’s been a while, Amber.”

Seventeen-year-old Dia had matured considerably.

Yet she still retained her characteristic youthful freshness, looking exactly like how she appeared in the game.

When I brought Dia into the drawing room, I was greeted by the sight of the other two alternating between putting cookies in their mouths.

Both holding a cookie in hand, Ruby looked at Amethyst with a relaxed smile.

“Surely this isn’t too difficult for you, Amethyst?”

“…I can still eat a lot more… Ugh.”

“You don’t seem fine.”

“…Not at all.”

Finally, when Amethyst placed the last remaining cookie in her mouth, the plate was left completely empty.

Dia bowed slightly toward them and greeted them warmly.

“Good to see you. The Second Princess Amethyst is here as well?”

“It’s been a while, Lady Dia.”

After exchanging greetings with Amethyst, Dia turned to Ruby with a smile.

“Ruby, did you invite Lady Amethyst to coincide with my visit?”

“…She entered on her own.”

It wasn’t common for the three of them to gather in one place, but it did happen occasionally.

Seeing the empty plate, I exclaimed in surprise.

“Oh…! You’ve already finished everything. Now there’s no snacks left for Lady Dia.”

I picked up the empty plate and moved quickly toward the kitchen.

“I’ll whip up a fresh batch right away, so please wait a moment!”

In response, Ruby and Amethyst answered almost simultaneously.

“We’re fine now!”

Seeing that, Dia, seated nearby, tilted her head in confusion.

Before long, spring arrived, bringing the month of March.

The snow had completely melted, and flowers began to bloom one by one.

However, this spring held exceptional importance for me.

‘The time has come—Ruby’s Academy Enrollment Event!’

It was the time for seventeen-year-old Ruby to finally enter the academy.

The educational institution Ruby would attend, and one of the main settings in the game, was [Magical Academy].

In a world where only women could use magic, all the academy’s students were female.

The academy operated on a three-year system and was relatively egalitarian compared to other institutions, which strictly separated nobles and commoners.

At [Magical Academy], dormitory assignments and classes were conducted equally, regardless of status, and student council members were selected based on grades to promote fairness.

‘I need to make sure Ruby doesn’t get influenced by the wrong kinds of nobles.’

While packing her belongings, I couldn’t stop worrying about her.

On her first day at the academy, Ruby would inevitably come into contact with her followers.

They were mostly a group of fallen nobles who clung to Ruby, trying to curry favor with her.

These followers would manipulate Ruby’s power and influence within the academy, committing all sorts of bullying and misdeeds.

Eventually, they would betray her, shift all the blame onto Ruby, and contribute to her downfall, culminating in her ruinous ending.

Although I would accompany her as her maid rather than as a student, I couldn’t let my guard down regarding her relationships.

As I packed with Merilda, I found what appeared to be Ruby’s uniform and held it up.

‘Ruby’s academy uniform. It’s exactly like what I saw in the game.’

A jet-black sailor uniform.

At [Magical Academy], nobles wore black sailor uniforms, while commoners wore white ones.

This system made it easy to identify someone’s status at a glance.

Folding the uniform neatly into her bag, I noticed an unfamiliar piece of clothing.

‘…What’s this?’

It was a white sailor uniform, starkly contrasting Ruby’s.

‘Is it a spare? But why is the color…’

As I held it up, puzzled, Head Maid Merilda noticed and spoke.

“Isn’t it lovely in white? It should fit you perfectly, Amber.”

‘Fit me perfectly…?’

As I examined the garment and held it against myself, I cautiously asked Merilda,

“…Wait. Does this mean I’m…?”

Noticing my confused expression, Merilda explained.

“Oh dear, I must have forgotten to mention it to you. The young lady expressed her wish for you to enroll as well, so arrangements were made for the two of you to enter as classmates.”

“All of a sudden…?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve ensured that attending the academy won’t interfere with your maid duties.”

Hearing this, I sat on the floor, clutching the uniform.

“…So much for my vow to never study again in this lifetime…”

Four years after being reincarnated into this game, that vow was utterly shattered.