Somewhere in the Ernius household, in the living room, with a wide-opened window facing towards the exotic garden built at the back of the mansion. A dignified Lady and her diligent maid could be seen watching over two children as they played some sort of strange card game under the large banyan tree. They were laughing and chatting away.
She is 'Martha Ernius', the Lady of the Ernius household. Aria's mother. Her face is much like Aria's. Fair skin, long-dark eyelashes, glossy lips, and a fit body. She gives off a radiant aura around her, making her a natural born leader.
Her husband, 'Richard Ernius' is not the best leader. Despite having a kind and gentle personality, he is more suited for running a business, than managing the territory.
After marrying him, on Richard's request, Martha took it upon herself to manage and run the territory. Under her leadership, the Swindfort City and the surrounding area has flourished. Meanwhile, her husband Richard, handles the Mithril production, which is found in abundance in the recently discovered mines in their territory. Making him one of the biggest moneymaker in the empire.
Martha looks towards the window, seeing her daughter's smile, while sipping a cup of tea.
"She looks so bright lately. It's all because of the maid Richard hired a while ago."
"I was against it when he suddenly brought an orphan of no origin to be her personal maid. Thank God, he convinced me back then, and he certainly has a good eye for people"
The head maid replied,
"Your worries were reasonable, my Lady. After all, no parent would want their child to come into harm's way"
"Hmm, that's true. You know what? Increase that maid's paycheck twofold"
"About that, my Lady, she is not receiving any salary"
"What? Why?"
"All she asked for was a place to stay and food to eat in exchange for being young miss's personal maid while recruiting. The contract was finalized by the Baron himself"
"What? So she's basically working for free?"
"Yes, my Lady"
"Oh god, I'll have a nice-long chat with Richard tonight. From now onwards, give her double the average maid's salary. And also compensate her for the past months she's been working"
Aria's POV:
After Letty's last level-up, things slowed down with her system. She seemed pissed about it. I wonder why she's so obsessed with leveling-up. Most of the kids her age can't level-up even once, let alone unlock their first class-skill in such a short period of time. She didn't receive any new quests, and the existing quests stopped giving her EXP, stagnating her growth.
I feel like it's a good thing, that way we can waste all the time enjoying our childhood (well, my second childhood, but hey, I'm still just an 8-year-old alright). I wake up, eat, play, eat again, and play a little more, read something interesting, and fall asleep with Letty in my arms. Life's never been so peaceful.
It's been like this for a year now. Somewhere along the way, Letty came up to me with a small bag full of gold coins and asked me to hold on to it. Was this her salary? Damn, the maids in my house earn so much! This reminded me just how filthy rich we are. Anyway, I told her to use them as she deemed fit.
'Hah, I hope the status quo remains'
I didn't raise a flag, did I? Nah, probably not.
One peaceful day, I woke up with Letty still asleep in my arms. I turned to the other side,
"Eeep! Mom, What the f... are you doing here, Mom? You scared the life out of me"
I almost jumped on Letty out of fear. Jeez, who scares someone like that?
Letty woke up due to my yelling and panicked due to the scene before her eyes.
"Give us a moment, young Lady"
Letty excused herself.
"First of all, who taught you to use such words?"
"I read them in books" I brought out my best cute eyes in the arsenal.
"Sigh, don't use such words again. They are unbefitting of a Lady. Now on to the main issue. Aria, my daughter, I think it's best for you to put some space between you and your maid"
"Nope, not happening"
"Look dear, I am your mother. I always want what's best for you. You have become very dependent on each other over the past year. This isn't good for either one of you. Imagine what would happen if you awakened a rare talent in Swordsmanship of Mage craft? You might have to leave for the Royal Academy in the capital next year, where all the major Talents in the kingdom are nurtured. Her class is Servant or something, right? There is no way she would be allowed in there with you. It is a school for nobles and commoners alike, so maids or attendants are not allowed"
Well, she was right. I may not have the talent now, but after using Letty's skill. I would need to apply to the Academy for maximum benefits. And there is no way to admit Letty with me, because we need to keep her class a secret.
Albeit, not urgently, I need to put some space between us. Or we might get depressed without each other by our sides.
Marking my silence as approval, she started,
"So, I've invited a bunch of girls your age from nearing nobilities for a tea party at our estate this coming Sunday. Be nice to them and make lots of friends, okay? See you later, darling. I've got lots of work to do. I love you, goodbye"
Without giving her any chance to retort, Martha left the room. Leaving behind a dumbfounded 'Aria'.
"YOU DID WHAT????!!!"
I yelled at the top of my lungs, to no avail.
Letty entered the room in a hurry.
"Is everything okay, Aria?"
"Sigh, no, nothing is okay. My mom just dropped a bombshell on me and left"
I explained to her the whole situation.
"So from now onwards, I can't sleep with you every night. So, let's do that every other night"
"So it seems. But what about the tea party, you've never been to one before. Will you be alright?"
"Yeah, how intimidating can a bunch of 9 or 10 year olds be? The only person I'm worried about is the 'villainess' of the novel 'Beatrice Rose'. I hoped to avoid any encounters, but my mom must have invited her as well. Honestly, being a kid sucks. She thinks I need to socialize with people my age"
"But you don't need to worry about the novel's plot, right? After all, I am yours"
"I wasn't afraid of the plot. Just 'her', she is a scheming and manipulative bitch. That's why I didn't want anything to do with her. But now, I'll be obliged to"
"Off the topic, what you said was so romantic…you are mine… come here"
I pulled her head into a hug. I've grown to her height in the last year. While she stayed the same.
"I will never let you go, Letty"
"Hmm, I won't go anywhere either" She shyly nodded.
"Alright, call the head maid. She will handle setting up the venue"