Currently, I and Aria are in a carriage, and heading towards Traumera City, the capital of Rose County.
Initially, Aria didn't want me to come along, as the fewer people who knew my identity, the easier it would be for us to introduce me as a foreign noble during the time of engagement.
About our engagement, after reading so many romance novels, I'm quite thrilled for the day to come.
I could have just accepted when she offered, but I'm not prepared yet. I just need a little more time to prepare everything, and prove my worth by working my best as Aria's assistant.
Anyway, I didn't like the idea of leaving her without a maid for the party. After all, if I don't go, she'll refuse the help of other maids and end up staying alone. And I can't let Aria prepare for a party by herself. If she's left on her own, she won't put any effort into maintaining her appearance. And we can't have that, so here I am.
Ever since that sleep incident, things have been kinda weird between us. On my side, I found it funny. But maybe Aria didn't tell me the whole story, because she keeps making this guilty face whenever we talk about it. Maybe something else happened too. I just hope we clear it up soon and get back to normal.
Since it's gonna take us a whole day to reach there, I prepared some light snacks to eat along the way. She must be craving some food since I got a '+50 SP' message just for offering her food. And another '+50 SP' when she learned that I made it myself.
Thanks to my new hard work as her assistant as well as her maid, I've accumulated a total of 2,769 SP. I'm over 1/4th of the way there for my goal of buying the 'Skill Share' skill, which costs 10,000 SP.
"Thanks for that, Letty. Your cooking's the best!", she said as we munched down the last bit of snack.
"It's my pleasure"
"So I was wondering– long ago, you said that Beatrice was a bad person, didn't you? Then how come you don't seem fazed about attending her party?", I asked.
"Well, that's what I believed back then, but I don't know anymore. Maybe she's a good person in reality", she said.
"What do you mean?"
"Nearly everything I knew about this world from the novel got derailed thanks to my actions, but I don't regret any of my actions. I mean, we've got a freaking cell phone here."
"I see your point. But what's that got to do with her?"
"Actually, she might have had a change of heart due to my interference. Let me tell you what happened at the academy…", she started explaining the events that happened at the academy.
"I see. You believe that because she made a genuine effort to befriend you and didn't even interact with the protagonist, there's a chance that she's not the person you thought she was. However, I want you to be cautious. If she was the reason for your downfall in the novel, I don't want you to be put at any risk"
"Don't worry. I'll be cautious. But I still stand by my previous statement, it's a bad idea to bring you along as my maid. You won't be able to enter the party with me anyway, it would have been best if you stayed home", she said, recalling the argument we had before leaving.
"Then just think of this as me being selfish. In fact, while you are attending your boring party, I'll be out having fun in the city. So jokes on you"
Honestly, I couldn't care less about sightseeing in the city. But for this excuse to work, I had to ask a guard beforehand to escort me around the city. Just so Aria believes this excuse and lets me come along with her.
"Sigh, alright. But try not to interact with any outsiders"
***
We reached our destination after a long day of travel. Since they had hosted a party on such a large scale, all the guests were accommodated in separate guest rooms for the whole day of the party.
Normally, such events are hosted in the capital, but due to some circumstances, this event is to be held here, in Traumera City.
After resting up until the afternoon, I began preparing Aria for the party. Due to her defiance, I had to hasten the process, but it all worked out in the end. She is looking breathtakingly beautiful.
Even though I achieved my goal, I couldn't shake the bittersweet feeling about the noblemen and women who would definitely try to make moves on her.
"Jeez, why do you have to put so much effort into dolling me up? It's pointless anyway", she said, scowling at me.
"You know what else is pointless, my dear mistress? Lying to me. I earned some SP, so I know that you liked it", I said in a coquettish manner.
"What? No, I was happy for some other reason. Why would I be happy to be dolled up?"
Heh, is this what they call deja vu? I'm glad I'm on the other side this time.
"Sure Sure. It's just like you say. But you can't refute the fact that you're looking gorgeous today"
***
After Aria left for the party with Teacher and Sir Baron, I met up with my escort and headed to the city.
Hah, since we are both dressed casually, I don't have to hide from anyone.
I spent some time roaming around the city while the guard followed me from a distance. I even did a little bit of shopping in the meantime.
But as I thought, roaming around the city alone was boring. So I found a spot near a small bridge going over a canal to rest up while grabbing a little something to eat.
As I was enjoying my bite, I felt a bump on the side. I turned, just to see a kid running off in the distance. Wait, did he just steal my purse? Oh no, I gotta catch him.
I got up and started chasing after him. If I had stood there and waited for my guard, the kid would have gotten away. I was able to keep up with him, but due to my average stats, he almost outran me. Thanks to Betty's training, my stamina wasn't any weaker than a guard's.
As soon as I got close enough to him to catch him, a man came out of the alleyway. I now realized that the boy led me to a deserted alley. Still, I am not afraid of such a weak-looking thug. I made sure that I could safely retreat in case of the unexpected and closed in on the boy, who hid himself behind the thug.
"Stupid brat, you failed to outrun a girl! Stay behind and let me take care of it", the thug sneered, his fist flying towards my face in a quick jab.
My heart raced as I dodged the attack with a skillful step to the side. I couldn't afford to let this guy get the better of me, especially after all the training I had gone through. I quickly retaliated with a fierce kick to his private area, just like Betty had taught me.
The thug's eyes bulged in pain, and he crumpled to the ground, clutching himself. I'm sure Betty would be proud when I tell her about this.
As I caught my breath and prepared for the next move, I heard footsteps approaching from behind. I turned to see that my guard had caught up to me with a worried expression.
"Miss Letica, why didn't you stop? I know that you heard me yelling like a mad man"
"Oh my, sorry I didn't hear you. My ears are kind of dull"
I did hear him, but he doesn't need to know.
"I'm sorry. He made me do it! I swear. Take your purse back and please spare me", the kid yelled.
"Yeah yeah, I've caught a lot of thieves back in the day. Everyone says the same story, the city guards are on their way, so save your explanation for them", my guard replied.
"Miss, allow me to escort you back. My Lady wouldn't spare me if anything happened to you"
After turning them in and retrieving my purse, we made our way back to the mansion. Sigh, he just had to spoil my already uneventful evening.
"It's fine if you report this to Teacher. But please keep Lady Aria unaware of this incident, I don't want to burden her with such small matters". On that note, I parted with the guard.
***
That night, after the party, in a fairly luxurious room,
Beatrice's POV:
After the successful conclusion of the party, my maid, Isabelle, came to my room as per my instructions.
"My Lady Beatrice, I have been keeping a close eye on that girl throughout the evening, and I have some important observations to share," she began.
I nodded approvingly.
"Firstly, the girl's name is Letica, and she works as Lady Aria's personal maid," Isabelle explained. "Despite being a mere servant, she seems to be on close terms with Lady Aria, often calling her by her name without any honorifics. Lady Aria, in turn, refers to her as 'Letty.'"
"Interesting," I mumbled.
Isabelle continued with her report. "Letica remained holed up in her room until the party began, and she didn't interact with any of the other maids. She eventually left her room, wearing civilian clothing, and met up with a guard who acted as her escort to the city market. There, she shopped around and kept her distance from the guard."
I was growing impatient with the details. "Get to the point," I urged.
"Apologies, my Lady," Isabelle said with a bow. "Letica's purse was pickpocketed by a child, and she chased after the thief. She managed to catch him and even defeated a thug. Her combat skills were not bad, but her strength was mediocre, leading me to believe that her class is not physical combat-related"
"And I'm pretty sure that she didn't use a single skill the whole time"
I pondered her words for a moment. "It seems clear that Letica is a powerful mage with unorthodox affinity, perhaps that's why they want to keep her hidden and have her act as Aria's bodyguard. We need to test her abilities, but we cannot reveal ourselves. Isabelle, I want you to make an offer to kidnap that maid or something similar. We just need some pawns for her to defeat, and we must leave no trace of our involvement"
"Our objective is to test her strength, so some foolish thugs from the slums should suffice. Tactfully decrease the security around the maid's quarters and put a target on that maid's back. I want to see just how powerful she is before enacting any of my plans", I ordered her.
"I'll do as you wish, my Lady"