"Back in the mansions, when young Zane was recovering for close to a month, somehow you didn't visit him once then. What's different now?"
The maid pointed out with a little shake of the head, presenting a good point.
...a good point from her perspective of being stubbornly clueless about the true nature of the connection her lady had with the monstrous white-haired man...
"Psh!"
But Melinda merely scoffed at it and looked away.
"Back then, I could sneak into his room and watch him sleep for as long as I wanted at any given time! Here, the security doesn't even have a proper schedule of patrols - I had to retreat so many times before catching even a glimpse of Zane's sleeping face because of the random guards showing up without any warning that it's not even funny! The build-up stress is almost killing me!"
"...wh… what…?"
The gold-haired girl grumbled, nuzzling her face against the pillow and leaving her maid completely dumbfounded at the revelation.
"...hmm…?"
Melinda glanced at her maid—still upset—but then she was once again reminded that Adrianna seemed to subconsciously reject the idea of the feelings between her master and Zane.
"Oh, shi...!"
Which caused said gold-haired girl to let out a panicked gasp and jump right out of bed.
"As you said, today my class is finally getting the magic theory lecture for healing spells! I mustn't be late!"
Melinda declared, throwing the pillow next to the other one back to its rightful place, and cheered out while hurriedly changing the subject.
"That's… that's right, my lady."
Adrianna gulped down her saliva and nodded, but her eyes remained full of suspicion.
Even though the maid definitely wanted some answers or at least the tiniest bit of clarification, Melinda simply shut her mouth and didn't touch the subject again.
"Hey, Adi. Silly question, but how are you spending your time when you're not doing the maid duties?"
After breakfast from the cafeteria, Melinda sat by her desk and asked while watching Adrianna clean the room and change the bathtowels.
"I… don't understand the question, my lady. I always am on duty."
The brown-haired maid slowly straightened her back and pointed out hesitantly while putting aside the towels meant for the laundry.
"I know, but... Like, this isn't the mansion… a lot of free time should come as a perk of being a personal maid of a girl in the Academy that provides the meals… You know… do you go around the city, maybe you picked up some fun books or… OH! I-if you just want to keep your activities private, I totally understand and won't pry! Sorry if I came out as too nosy!"
The gold-haired girl breathed out, tilting her head to the side with a concerned expression before a jolt of realization made her gasp and hurriedly assure.
"...?"
The brown-haired maid furrowed her brows, looking to the side while repeatedly blinking as if trying to figure something out.
"...is it okay for me to spend the time when I'm done with the chores and waiting for you to finish lectures however I want…?"
"Y-yeah. Obviously."
Adrianna gulped down her saliva and asked hesitantly, making Melinda furrow her brows and point out just as hesitant…
"Hold on! Adi! Were you, like, waiting back in your room watching the clock so you could come to greet me when my school day is finished?!"
"N-no...! I mean... m-maybe…?"
The gold-haired girl flinched and gasped, straightening her back and staring in disbelief at the troubled maid, who nodded her head awkwardly as she revealed after denying it initialy.
"Every day for two whole weeks?!"
"...yes…?"
Melinda called out to clarify, and the maid once again nodded, now blushing from embarrassment.
"Oh, for the love of…! Adi! I'm sorry for not making things clear!"
"!?!?"
Meldina gasped and got up from the chair, picking up the bracelet of the scout as well as her own guild card and walking up to the shocked Adrianna.
"Here. Take this and this…."
The gold-haired girl put the bracelet on the brown-haired maid's wrist and then pushed the green identification card into her hands.
"You can go whenever you want. With the bracelet on you can go up to the spot where we encountered Kirr Harpies without being forced out of our party. The card is just in case you would actually go hunting and try to sell the monster copses… Do not take that as an order to go out to hunt, though! You can do whatever you like. The card can also be used just as a proof of identification if someone would try to make some stupid accusation about you."
Melinda declared with a serious expression. Even though Adrianna's hair shared the color with most of the Emeraldios Empire's population, her facial structure made it blatantly obvious she wasn't a native. That said, any potential problems that could come up becsuse of that would be solved by flashing the other party with the green guild card.
Hopefully.
In any case, it was the best solution that Melinda could come up with on the spot.
"My lady… are you sure?"
"Adi, don't say it like that! Personal maids should have at least that much freedom! Especially one as great as you!"
Adrianna fidgetted, holding on to the items Melinda had given her, and asked, to which the gold-haired girl reassured her even more.
"Oh. Just one thing - once again, not an order! But! In case you would get out there hunting, remember not to accidentally kill Zane's Pigkin friend… and do memorize its location in case you do encounter it. You aren't required to search for it, though! This instruction is valid only if you chance upon it!"
Melinda added, insisting on making her point as clear as possible without leaving a hint of doubt for misunderstanding.
"I'll keep that in mind, my lady… I thought about exploring the area more, but that's not for today. Last time I spotted a shop I'd like to visit, and given the chance, that's how I will spend the day."
"That's the spirit!"
The brown-haired maid smiled, pocketing the guild card and making sure the bracelet of the scout stays securely on her wirst, to which Melinda cheered out encouragingly.
"In that case, I'll excuse myself, my lady."
"Bye-byeeeee~!"
Adrianna bowed her head to the gold-haired girl with a smile while taking the bathtowels and leaving the room to Melinda's cheerful call.
Sometime later, Melinda joined Catherine, and the two girls walked together to the main building for their lectures.