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That day, when I went to the Amukham House to meet Papa Howard and the others, I was told that Papa and, of course, Mama Sonia, were both too busy to return home. And not just Mama Sonia, even Miss Elrose was called away. Because of the emergency, her skills as a former housekeeper were apparently in high demand again.

So, as a result… I was told I’d be home alone for a while! Well, technically not completely alone— there was still Anne-Marie. But still! Miss Elrose said that with her current level of housekeeping skill, leaving just the two of us unsupervised was too risky.

So Mama Sonia decided, “We’ll have the bedrooms at the Amukham House ready by tonight, you can start staying there from tomorrow.”

Which meant that, for tonight only, it’d just be me and Anne-Marie spending the night together. And when she heard that… I could’ve sworn Anne-Marie looked oddly happy about it.

Maybe I imagined it, though. Anyway! That’s when Mia suddenly raised her hand and said, “Then let her stay at my house tonight! I’ll take care of her!” Mama Sonia looked visibly relieved and said, “That would put my mind at ease,” clapping her hands lightly against her chest in approval.

So that’s how I ended up sinking into Mia’s big, soft bed that night. Mnyaa~. Though… when Anne-Marie heard I’d be staying at Mia’s house, she looked absolutely crushed for a moment. Maybe I just imagined that too…? Nya?

From the next day on, I started living at the Amukham House. The room they gave me was huge, so big it actually made me a little uneasy.

The bed was king-sized, with a canopy and everything! Well, the pale pink lace made it cute enough, so I guess that was fine.

But seriously, the whole place was ridiculously “princessy.” It was so fancy I almost started thinking I really was some noble’s daughter or something!

Since I’d be staying there for a while, I decided to help out around the Amukham House too.

Mama Sonia and the other maids were all working full force to prepare the place. There wasn’t much I could do, but at least I could help serve meals to the workers handling the construction.

Basically, my job was serving and cleaning up after meals, taking care of food-related things. After all, Amukham didn’t have any large dining halls or anything! There was no facility here that could feed all the craftsmen at once.

They couldn’t all fit into the Amukham House’s great hall. Luckily, the kitchen staff could still somehow prepare enough food for everyone, so they built a temporary dining area. That’s where the workers came to eat, and since the maids were all busy with chores inside the Amukham House, there was hardly anyone left to help there. And so… I ended up running around that makeshift dining area instead!

You know, I took orders, carried dishes, and cleaned up afterward. I was basically a waitress! I had never done this kind of work before, but I was somehow managing!

I wore a big apron, a triangular kerchief on my head, sleeves rolled up, and a tray in my hand. I was the spitting image of a cafeteria lady.

Sometimes, a few of the older guys tried to sneak a pat on my backside, but those got kicked promptly and efficiently, so no problem! Absolutely no problem!

In these three days, I really got close to Magritte and her team. They always ate here, so we naturally ended up chatting. When they were off-duty or on break, we talked even more.

Magritte, as expected, was the reliable big-sister type. She organized meetings efficiently, kept the work moving smoothly, and remembered every craftsman’s name. She really was the kind of responsible leader everyone respected.

Djimon was exactly what he looked like. Calm and competent, the perfect deputy. He relayed Magritte’s instructions clearly and covered any gaps. With him around, it was no wonder Magritte could work with such peace of mind.

And Raisa… Well, she was always in a hurry. She was one of those people who already knew what to do next before anyone even told her, so she was clearly capable, just always fluttering around in a rush. Magritte and Djimon often told her to calm down first, but she was still perpetually busy. Still, that smile of hers was just so cute… Her cheerful grin brightened the whole place; she was totally the idol of the worksite!

But I really wished they’d stop calling me princess. I was not a princess. No matter how many times I told them that, both Magritte and Raisa just kept doing it. And due to that, before I knew it, even the workers started calling me that.

When I was working in the dining area, I would hear things like:

“Princess! Three lunches over here!”
“Make that one a large serving, Princess!”

I just wished for them to stop. And no matter how red my face got or how many times I pleaded, they all just grinned and kept calling me that! What even was this? How did it come to this?!

Still, I got along well with the three knights. According to Raisa, the main corps of the knight order that was coming soon was full of friendly, down-to-earth people, and their Knight-Commander was a strict but incredibly cool, dignified older gentleman. It would be my first time seeing a full knight order assembled, so I was really looking forward to meeting them all!

Oh, and Magritte told me she was actually an old colleague of Ryder’s. Apparently, when they both first joined the order, they were stationed together for two years in the western frontier. She hadn’t seen him since he was transferred to the royal capital after his exceptional promotion, so she was really excited at the thought of seeing him again this time.

“I see… so Ryder went west. I’m glad. That means… he’s finally moving forward again.”

When I told her Ryder had gone west earlier this year, Magritte lowered her gaze and smiled faintly, her voice soft with relief.

(Good grief, Ryder. Making a beauty like her smile like that… how unfair can you get?)

Three days after I started working as a waitress, the lunchtime rush finally eased up, and I got to share a late meal with Magritte and her two companions. Over lunch, Magritte told me stories from Ryder’s early days.

Apparently, to become a full knight, one normally had to graduate from an academy’s knight class and then complete a two-year training program. But Ryder had been granted a special exemption and joined the order early, basically skipping a grade. So, although he was part of the same cohort, he was younger than the rest and naturally drew a lot of attention. But, according to Magritte… he was insufferably cocky.

“At first, I tried to look out for him since he was younger, but he had this strange, unapproachable air about him. On top of that, he was curt, bad-tempered, and never listened! Eventually, he rubbed a lot of his peers the wrong way. But… his swordsmanship was unmatched, and he was absurdly strong. I never managed to beat him, not even once. Helplessness, I finally understood the true nature of that word.”