My Maid is Cute Chapter 67 : In the Library (Patreon)

In the Library

Rebecca and Wendy lay on the bed, holding each other tightly.

Wendy, who had cried aloud, seemed to have calmed down a little, but she was still trembling faintly. She hugged Rebecca’s body as if clinging to her. Rebecca also wrapped her small arms around Wendy and gently stroked her back. Pressed together without any space between them, they were so close that Rebecca felt she could even hear the sound of Wendy’s heartbeat.

The warmth was precious to her. Just as Rebecca closed her eyes, Wendy suddenly spoke in a small voice.

“…You know.”

“Yes?”

Rebecca opened her eyes and looked at Wendy’s face. Wendy continued, gazing blankly at Rebecca.

“…If you hadn’t come back here, Becca, I was thinking of looking for you myself.”

“Eh?”

“Once I graduated from school and saved up a lot of money… I planned to leave this house and go search for you. Since you ended up coming back here, that plan disappeared, though.”

At Wendy’s words, Rebecca opened her eyes wide.

“That is… amazing.”

At those words, Wendy smiled just a little, and spoke while looking at Rebecca.

“…Becca, listen. You really didn’t do anything wrong, okay?”

Wendy slowly sat up. Rebecca also wiggled and slowly sat up. Facing Rebecca, Wendy squeezed her hands tightly and continued.

“This is a problem between me and my brother… So, Becca isn’t at fault at all. You don’t need to feel guilty.”

“Um, Milady…”

“I know.”

Interrupting Rebecca, Wendy said this and looked down.

“…I know I have to face it. But… right now, no matter what, I can’t forgive him… and I don’t want to talk to him.”

Wendy grimaced slightly, then turned her face to Rebecca again.

“…Someday, definitely… we will talk properly. I’ll settle things… So, it’s fine. Don’t worry about anything, Becca.”

“Milady…”

Wendy slowly hugged Rebecca, enveloping her.

“Becca… sorry, and thank you…”

To Wendy, who said this in a whisper, Rebecca couldn’t answer anything.

The next day, Carrie spoke worriedly to Rebecca, who was working with a pale face.

“Rebecca, seriously, what’s wrong since yesterday? Are you feeling sick?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Rebecca answered in a small voice and let out a big sigh.

She had spent the whole night thinking if there was anything she could do regarding Wendy and Christopher, but she couldn’t come up with anything. Since she was the cause, she felt she had to do something, but as long as Wendy refused Rebecca’s intervention, there was nothing she could do. Feeling pathetic for her inability to act, she sighed.

Just as Rebecca was overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness, she was suddenly called from behind.

“Becca.”

“Yes?”

Hearing Wendy’s voice, she turned around in a hurry. There stood Wendy with a somewhat subdued expression.

“Milady, is something the matter?”

It was rare for Wendy to come out of her room. While Rebecca tilted her head, Wendy gently touched Rebecca’s apron.

“I have a small favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Come here.”

Wendy pulled on the apron. Rebecca hurriedly called out to Jeanne.

“I’ll be gone for a bit.”

“Okay, take your time~”

Grateful to Carrie, who nodded cheerfully, Rebecca let herself be pulled along by Wendy.

Where Rebecca was brought was in front of a large brown door. It was a room Rebecca had never entered.

“Here is…?”

Instead of answering, Wendy opened the door. The sight on the other side of the door entered her vision, and Rebecca opened her mouth involuntarily.

“Wow…”

In that room, several large bookshelves and more books than she had ever seen were lined up.

“Come in.”

Told so by Wendy, she stepped in timidly.

It was a slightly dim, spacious room. It was filled with the smell of paper and ink. Large, tall bookshelves stood throughout the room, filled with books from corner to corner. It’s like a library, Rebecca thought.

“This place is…?”

When Rebecca asked, Wendy smiled a little and opened her mouth.

“My personal library. I made it about two years ago.”

“Are all of these Milady’s books?”

“Yes.”

“That’s amazing…”

Rebecca muttered while looking around the room. It was truly a room full of books from top to bottom. She knew Wendy had liked books since long ago, but she didn’t know she had collected this many.

“Becca.”

Wendy called Rebecca. When Rebecca hurriedly turned her gaze to Wendy, Wendy crouched down on the spot with a gloomy expression. She looked straight into Rebecca’s eyes.

“Milady…? Is something wrong?”

Rebecca looked back at Wendy blankly. Wendy bit her lip a little, then spoke slowly.

“…You see, in three days, I… have to go to the school dormitory.”

At those words, Rebecca gasped and opened her eyes wide.

“…To the dormitory.”

The days spent with Wendy were so fun that she had completely forgotten, but Wendy was still a student. Naturally, she had to return to school life.

Wendy nodded slightly and continued.

“Since personal servants are allowed to accompany students, I thought about taking you along… but taking you in your current state… well, you would stand out in various ways…”

Because Wendy made a face as if chewing on a bitter bug, Rebecca smiled wryly despite herself. That was true. If Rebecca came to school as a personal servant in the form of a little girl, people around them would definitely frown.

Rebecca tilted her head and asked Wendy.

“Then, will you go to the dormitory alone, Milady…?”

“No. Jeanne has been going with me to the school dorm since before, so I intend to ask her until graduation.”

“Ah, is that so.”

If the serious and hard-working Jeanne was going with her, that was reassuring. When Rebecca smiled in relief, Wendy held Rebecca’s hands with a serious face.

“…Of course, I’ll come back here for vacations… but there are still a few months until my graduation. Once I graduate from school, I will definitely return here. So, please wait for me.”

“…Yes. I will be waiting.”

Rebecca answered so, but unable to hide her sinking heart, she looked down. She was filled with a sense of loss that made her feel faint. The loneliness of having to separate from Wendy again felt like it would crush her.

Wendy had an equally painful expression. Slowly reaching out, she hugged Rebecca as if enveloping her.

“Sorry. For leaving you alone…”

“It’s alright. Many people will help me. Mr. Reed and Carrie are here, too.”

At those words, Wendy pulled away from Rebecca. Then, pressing her own forehead against Rebecca’s, she whispered as if peering into her eyes.

“…Never leave this mansion, okay? Promise?”

“Yes. I promise.”

Rebecca nodded greatly. Wendy finally showed a relieved smile.

“You see, while I’m gone, I want to ask you to manage this library.”

At Wendy’s sudden words, Rebecca voiced her surprise.

“Eh, here?”

“Yeah. I think other maids will do the cleaning, but…”

Wendy stood up slowly and smiled like a flower.

“There are a lot of books, right? You see, this is my favorite place in this mansion.”

Wendy, who continued to speak while gazing at the books, had a truly happy face. It was a lovely, graceful, and endlessly charming smile. While Rebecca was captivated by that expression, Wendy continued.

“Because it’s my precious place… so, while I’m gone, I want to entrust it to you, Becca. I’ll teach you how to manage it… Besides, you like books too, right, Becca? You can read any book here.”

“Eh, is that okay?”

“Of course.”

At Wendy’s words, Rebecca’s face lit up.

“Understood. In your place, Milady, I will protect this place.”

“Thanks. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes!”

When Rebecca answered loudly, Wendy giggled.

“If Becca manages it, I’ll feel at ease. Because they are all precious books…”

Saying that, Wendy held Rebecca’s hand. Like that, the two walked around the room while looking at the bookshelves.

“Even so, there really are a lot… It’s like a library. Did you read them all?”

“Of course.”

“That’s amazing…”

It was when Rebecca turned her gaze back to the bookshelf.

“Ah.”

A title she knew caught her eye, and she inadvertently cried out.

“What’s wrong?”

Wendy tilted her head. While approaching the bookshelf, Rebecca spoke to Wendy.

“Milady, do you like ‘The Sword of Elan’?”

“—Eh.”

Wendy looked back at Rebecca in surprise.

“This is a popular series right now, isn’t it?”

The “Sword of Elan” series was stored on the bookshelf in front of Rebecca.

“Umm… well… yes, I suppose.”

Wendy looked back and forth between Rebecca and the bookshelf in a bewildered manner. Rebecca continued, laughing.

“Actually, before coming back here, I saw a stage play of this ‘Sword of Elan’. I was a little surprised to find the original work…”

“Eh, ah, oh, is that so…”

Wendy made a troubled face and asked.

“…Was it interesting?”

“Yes?”

“That play… was it interesting?”

To that question, Rebecca nodded greatly.

“Yes!! It was very, very good. The characters were all unique, and the enemies weren’t just bad, they had various pasts, which were also sad… The scene near the end where the protagonist fights his betrayed friend while crying made my chest hot.”

“…I see.”

Wendy muttered shortly and glanced at the bookshelf. To such a Wendy, Rebecca spoke.

“The author, a person named ‘Ward’, seems very popular. I recently read ‘Finley’s Adventure’ too, and it was very interesting. Do you like them too, Milady?”

“…Like, or rather… I have all the books by that author, just in case…”

At Wendy’s words, Rebecca was surprised.

“Eh, you have all of them? That’s amazing.”

“…Everything here is by that author.”

At Wendy’s words, she looked over the bookshelf again.

Looking closely, about 20 works by “Renatoa Cel Ward”, including “The Sword of Elan” and “Finley’s Adventure”, were lined up on that shelf.

“To collect them all, you must really like them.”

When Rebecca said that with a laugh, Wendy nodded vaguely.

“If there are any books you’re interested in, you can take them. As many as you like.”

“Is that alright?”

“Yes.”

At Wendy’s words, Rebecca’s face broke into a smile.

After that, borrowing about three books from the library, Rebecca left the library with Wendy.

Seeing Rebecca holding the books as if they were precious, Wendy laughed.

“You look happy, Becca.”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to reading them.”

While gazing at the beaming Rebecca, Wendy continued with words that sounded just a little lonely.

“…Once you read them, let me know your thoughts. A letter is fine. I’ll write letters too.”

At the word “letter,” Rebecca’s heart was filled with loneliness again. Soon, Wendy would be gone from this mansion. Being able to talk only through letters was unbearably lonely.

Hugging the books in her arms, Rebecca glanced at Wendy. Her eyes swam as if hesitating for a while, and finally, as if making up her mind, she opened her mouth.

“U-Um…!”

“Hm?”

Wendy looked back curiously at Rebecca, who suddenly raised her voice.

“…Becca, is something wrong?”

Rebecca looked away for a moment. Then, she opened her mouth timidly.

“Um… about Marquis Lambert’s son…”

“What about him?”

Wendy tilted her head in wonder.

Rebecca hesitated, but continued.

“…Um… Marquis Lambert’s son, I mean.”

When Rebecca broached the subject boldly, Wendy opened her mouth with a surprised face.

“Eh? Colin? Why do you know Colin, Becca?”

At Wendy’s words, Rebecca was dumbfounded.

“C-Colin?”

At Rebecca’s reaction, Wendy frowned and continued.

“By Marquis Lambert’s son, you mean Nicholas Lambert, right? I call him Colin, though…”

“Are, are you acquaintances?”

“Well, I know him…”

Wendy added with a complicated expression for some reason.

“He’s a student in the same class at the academy… and a friend.”

“F-Friend…”

Rebecca muttered, dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe it. That misanthropic Wendy acknowledged him as a friend and called him by a nickname.

Was it a special relationship after all?

“So? What about Colin? Or rather, why do you know Colin, Becca?”

Wendy asked suspiciously, and Rebecca hurriedly shook her head.

“Umm, well, I heard he was close to you, Milady… so I wondered what kind of person he was…”

Are you engaged? For some reason, she was scared to ask directly.

At Rebecca’s words, Wendy shrugged.

“…Right, I think we are reasonably close. Well, he’s not a bad person.”

At Wendy’s curt words, Rebecca could only answer in a small voice,

“Is that so…”

Returning to her room, Rebecca sighed and jumped onto her bed.

In the end, she couldn’t ask Wendy about the engagement. She muttered absently.

“Engagement…”

Will they really get engaged?

Will she eventually get married and leave this mansion?

“…Ugh.”

It should be a joyous thing. She must offer her blessings. Because Wendy will become happy.

And yet.

And yet, why?

Why is it so painful?

Not understanding her own feelings, she shook her head strongly.

Right, let’s read a book. Rebecca picked up one of the books she brought from the library. Surely, if she concentrated on reading, she would be distracted. Shifting her gaze to the book cover, Rebecca suddenly remembered something and raised her voice.

“…Ah.”

Come to think of it, works by “Renatoa Cel Ward” were also lined up in Christopher’s study. Since there were many volumes on the bookshelf, surely Christopher had read them too.

“I wonder if Lord Christopher likes them too…”

Thinking that they were indeed siblings, Rebecca began reading the first volume of “The Sword of Elan” on her bed.

Background Info

• "The Sword of Elan"

Popular author “Renatoa Cel Ward”'s biggest hit. Total of 10 volumes.

The protagonist is a kind-hearted boy named Elan, whose family was suddenly killed by monsters one day. Elan takes up a sword and sets out on a journey to avenge his family. It is an adventure novel depicting Elan fighting while repeating many meetings and partings.

Originally released as a children’s book, it was popular mainly among children. Later, it gained popularity among adults after being adapted into a stage play, and the original books sold like hotcakes, becoming scarce for a time.

The stage version of “The Sword of Elan” has been confirmed for a long run. Tickets sold out immediately and are hard to obtain.