Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“Grandfather was truly a wonderful man. So was my great-uncle.”

Ekaterina smiled.
That sounds just like Grandfather. Moore, the manager of that restaurant in the Imperial Capital where I went with Onii-sama, told me Grandfather loved nurturing talent. Was Raisa also part of Grandfather’s training program?
Hobby: Talent development. Truly meaningful, Grandfather.

“Lord Sergei was still the heir apparent at that time, not yet the lord of the domain. But even then, he was already governing the territory. It was Lord Sergei who arranged for children to be taken in by wealthy families in the provincial capital. He was my benefactor.”
“Well… that’s Grandfather alright.”

If Great-Uncle Isaac was eighteen, then Grandfather Sergei, five years his senior, would have been twenty-three at the time. In my past life, that’s the age when you’d just graduated college and were in your first or second year of work, still fresh and new.
And yet, he was already this capable as a lord. Truly impressive, Grandfather.

By the way, Grandfather was twenty-three when Raisa was eight. She’s probably fifty now? She doesn’t look it at all! Actually, I bet she looked mature even when she was young and is the type whose appearance hasn’t changed much over the years.

“But you are quite impressive yourself, Raisa. You had more sense as a child than most adults do. You didn’t join everyone else in mocking Great-Uncle; and actually explained things to him instead.”
“I’m flattered. But I was just a child. I didn’t understand many things.”

.

You explain things well. I don’t know much about laundry, so if we meet again, would you teach me more?
When Sergei said that, eight-year-old Raisa was over the moon.
Next time we meet, I want to teach him so much. Completely elated by this thought, she worked even harder than before. She asked about washing the Duchess’s clothes, which she wasn’t yet allowed to handle. Women’s clothes were difficult because they had so many decorations.
And whenever she had free time, she wandered around the garden. Hoping she might see Sergei.

How much that wish must have warmed the heart of a child who had lost her family and lived alone in an unfamiliar environment.

But. When Sergei did appear in the garden as she’d wished, Raisa hesitated just as she started to run toward him. She didn’t yet know the term “social niceties,” but she understood that adults sometimes said things they didn’t mean just to please someone in that moment. Could such a distinguished person really want to hear about laundry from a child?
Raisa’s thoughts were perfectly reasonable. But when Sergei spotted her, he smiled and waved.

*“Raisa, I’m so glad to see you. Do you have a moment?”*

And Sergei truly listened to her talk about laundry. He was impressed by the laundry room’s facilities, and she told him about the servants’ gossip and relationships. And he didn’t simply listen; he asked questions as well, saying things like, *“I’d like to know more about this—could you tell me more when you find out?”* Raisa grew more enthusiastic, eagerly asking people questions and listening in on conversations around her, diligently answering Sergei’s queries. They met many times in the garden and talked. Their topics expanded beyond the laundry room to cover various departments of the servants.

.

Cutting the story off there, Raisa directed Ekaterina with a smile.

“Do you understand what that meant, my lady?”

Ekaterina could only offer a wry smile.

“Grandfather… he regarded Raisa as his own eyes, didn’t he?”

To put it bluntly, one could say he used her as a spy. There must have been some cause for suspicion at the time. For Sergei, who normally couldn’t speak directly to servants, Raisa’s sharp child’s gaze—free of calculation or social entanglements—must have been an invaluable source of information.

Hmm, that’s a bit troubling. To think Grandfather would naturally use a child’s innocence like that… He was born to be in a position to use people, after all. But could he really pull off something like that so casually at twenty-three?

Raisa’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, then she smiled softly.

“You consider a child’s feelings? How kind… That’s why His Grace Aleksei cherishes you so dearly. Just as I’d heard, you are truly wise. What Lord Sergei did is only natural for one destined to be a duke. A laundress like me is simply grateful to have been of service. And you are indeed like Lord Sergei. He, too, treated the laundress that I am with unimaginable kindness.”

.

*“Do you wish to learn to read and write, Raisa?”*
*”I do! I think I could be more useful if I could write letters… But it’s a luxury for a laundress, isn’t it?”*

Raisa hung her head beside Sergei. Her hands, looking down, were cracked and chapped. Still, she considered herself fortunate to have food and a bed.
Several months had passed since arriving at Jurnova Castle. She had grown accustomed to this environment and her work. Though her interactions with Sergei remained secret, she felt proud of them and still believed herself fortunate. She thought so, yet little by little, a hope began to sprout within her—a hope that she didn’t want to end up as just a laundry maid.

*“You’re a smart girl. And you’re dedicated, always giving your all. I enjoy talking with you.”*

Sergei said that, and then, the next time they met, he said something astonishing.

*“Raisa. Would you leave the castle and become a child in the home of someone I know?”*

There was a house that had produced knights for the Jurnova Knights for generations. Both of their sons had become knights, but they had died in the line of duty without ever marrying. The heartbroken parents had intended to let the line die out, but they grew lonely and began to think they might like to take in and raise a girl. If it were a boy, they would inevitably raise him to be a knight, but with a girl, they reasoned, if she married, she could stay by their side forever.

*“But I’m not good enough. They’d be disappointed.”*

A house with a long line of knights would never take in someone like Raisa. Even if she weren’t an orphan from a poor village, they could surely choose any suitable foster child of matching status.
But Sergei smiled.

*”Well, you see, they say you’re the one they want. —Besides, I want you to become part of that house. And once you’ve studied and learned many things, I want you to come back to work in this castle in a different position. Having you here gives me strength.”*