She motioned us to sit down as she pulled out chairs for us to sit on with Vera sitting across me. All the wooden furniture in the room was most likely a product of Forostar. We started eating and boy, was it good. There was just one problem, however. I couldn't focus on eating at all.
The maid was standing stock still beside the table. Her brown hair, tied in a bun, was taut. Her brown eyes was staring unblinkingly on the table. She was like a statue as she stood. I had to squint and focus my eyes to see the rise and fall of her breathing.
"Please stop looking at me."
"Sorry, it's just a bit uncomfortable having you stand and stare like that."
She didn't answer, but she did close her eyes. So there she stood, exactly the same as before, this time with her eyes closed.
"You can sit down, if you'd like. There's a lot of empty chairs anyways."
"I refuse."
I felt a little guilty having her stand up while we ate so, although I initially hesitated, I decided to use Lady Artanis' name. "I thought you were instructed to treat us like how you'd treat Lady Artanis."
"Even if Lady Artanis, herself, gave the order, I still refuse."
She was definitely hard-headed, I'll give her that.
Vera — who before this had been relatively withdrawn — finally spoke up. "Petra?"
The maid twitched. Vera carried on. "Have you eaten, yet?"
"Miss Artanis told me to let you know that she told me to tell her if you keep doing that."
"What?" I was the one to reply to Vera. "Please be a bit clearer Vera."
"Miss Artanis told me to snitch on Petra and to let Petra know I would snitch on her."
Apparently, Vera's threat of reporting to Lady Artanis worked. Petra sat down on one side of the square table and started eating together with us.
"Vera, what else did Lady Artanis tell you?"
"She told me lots!" Her enthusiasm was a bit of a surprise considering we were in the presence of someone else. "She pretty much told me everything I need to know about the people who work here and how to deal with them if they ever give me any trouble."
I nodded. "Petra's completely harmless! Well... as long as Miss Artanis is involved, that is."
That's probably why Vera felt comfortable enough with her around. "How about Mairen? What did Lady Artanis tell you about her?"
Vera's face fell. "Oh. Um. She's the head maid. And uh. Miss Artanis said to not make her mad."
"No way to deal with her?"
She timidly shook her head. This meant that we had to walk on eggshells around the platinum blonde snow elf.
"What about what makes her mad?"
"She said that the most important thing is to avoid being sloppy. We have to be on our best manners around her."
That would be a bit rough. Does that mean Mairen expects noble-like manners or do we just need to be respectful and not rude? She's probably not that unreasonable to expect us to act like nobles. Right?
Petra served up dessert as soon as we finished dinner. It was a small plate of pudding and a sponge cake filled with chocolate. This sort of luxury was kind of addicting. This was... dangerous. I don't think I can fulfill Vera's request at all. We'd be ruined as people if we stayed here for a long time. It's only been an afternoon, but the thought of staying here was already incredibly tempting.
The extremely soft bed, the delicious food, the relaxing smell permeating in the house, this level of service. Everything was great.
"Miss Petra, is there anything we should be doing?" Having finished eating, we had nothing particular to do for the rest of the evening.
"No."
"Is there anything we can do?"
"Read."
That's interesting. Lady Artanis' office already had a lot of books for its limited space. Just how many books could there be in this outrageous place.
"Can you please take us to the library?"
She stood up and quickly led us through the hallways, stopping at the wide double door at the far end near the back of the mansion. She pushed it wide open and rows upon rows of bookshelves greeted our eyes.
The library was much much bigger compared to the one we had at home. It was mind-boggling just how large it was. I didn't even know where to start.
"Ah! Petra, where's Miss Artanis' favorite book? I want to read it."
Petra took us to a special bookshelf at the deepest parts of the library. It was a stand-alone ornate white bookshelf with a glossy finish. It especially stood out as it was the only bookshelf that didn't have its natural wooden color.
"All of Lady Artanis' favorite books are here. You can read it in your room."
We were only going to be staying for the night, so we really only had enough time to finish one book. Petra took out a well-worn book with frayed pages.
"Lady Artanis asks everyone in her employ to read this. It's titled 'The Butterfly'. It's a story set in the past about an elf and her adventures. Her travels, hardships, and emotions are portrayed super well. Lady Artanis sees her as her hero and aspires to emulate her in her words, actions, and thoughts. Everything in this bookshelf pertains to her in one way or the other."
It was surprising to hear her speak so much. This was the most we'd heard from her all day. It seemed like Lady Artanis wasn't the only one passionate about this character. I couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."
Petra didn't react at all, neither to my laugh nor to my apology. She just didn't care.
We took the book back to our room and Petra left with a bow. Lying down on the bed together, we started reading.
Hi, hello! I'm __________. Welcome to my travelogue vel diary! Join me as I visit all the different sights this world has to offer! ( ⸝⸝•ᴗ•⸝⸝ )੭⁾⁾
First stop! Yggdrasil — my darling! No self-respecting traveler would go on a journey around the world and not visit this magnificent tree! If there is one, I'll beat them up myself! This cutie patootie of mine is a sight for sore eyes. No one can deny the inspiring feeling you get when you first lay eyes on this beauty.
Its hard thick branches, its wide girth, its massive roots. Everything about this tree is great! It's the best tree in the world. Everyone I ask, all say the same thing. That no other tree in the world could ever compare to Yggdrasil.
The cute forest elves have started congregating around its roots. They've incorporated their houses into the trees, hoping it makes them feel closer to Yggdrasil. I've taught them everything there is to know about taking care of my darling.
I'll also write down how to take care of Yggdrasil so that if those cuties ever forget, they can just buy and read this book to remember! Hehehe. Remember to buy this book through official channels, okay? (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)
First! Yggdrasil needs their leaves to be pruned once every year. Their canopy needs to be under control! If you don't, Yggdrasil will just kill off every other tree nearby by stealing their sunlight. Yggdrasil is mean like that, okay? Remember this! It's super duper important! Yggdrasil is prideful and selfish, and really doesn't like it when there are other trees around them. Make sure that their canopy doesn't exceed a radius of 100 kilometers from their trunk! (˵•̀⤙•́˵)૭
Second! You need to drain mana from Yggdrasil's roots everyday! You can also do this intermittently, but the amount of mana you need to drain also rises proportionally. It's much easier to have people drain mana every day, so you only have to drain a little! If you don't do this, Yggdrasil will just keep growing bigger and bigger! I love my darling Yggdrasil, but there's still a limit to how large they should be! No matter how much I want them to grow. ૮(˶ㅠ︿ㅠ)ა
Third — and most importantly! Yggdrasil needs a lot of affection! You have to love them and talk to them every day! It can be about anything inconsequential like how your day has been, etc. But!!! You have to keep your mouth clean! Yggdrasil is just like a child, okay? Don't teach them any swear words! Even if you forget the previous instructions, you have to remember this one! I don't want Yggdrasil to grow up lonely, alone, and loveless. ( •̯́ ^ •̯̀)
On that note, I was thinking of giving Yggdrasil a wife or something to give the cute snow elves snowies something to congregate to just like the foresties. Hmmm. Maybe I actually should! And then write down how to take care of them here to make them buy this book! Ygg! Your mom is super smart! The smartest ever! <(˘ ˘ ˘)>