My Maid is Cute Chapter 73 : Happy News (Patreon)

—Lady

Please don’t cry

It’s all right

Because I will always be with you

Because I will always, always be with you

His sister had collapsed due to poor health.

Upon hearing the news, Nicholas Lambert immediately submitted a request for leave to the academy and used magic to return to his family home, the Lambert Marquisate.

Greeted by the servants, he exchanged brief pleasantries before heading straight to his sister’s private room. He walked silently through the vast mansion, and upon arriving at her room, he knocked slowly on the door.

“Sister Estelle?”

He called her name. But there was no reply.

“Sister? I’m coming in.”

After announcing himself just in case, Nicholas opened the door.

Beyond the door lay a room beautifully decorated in a feminine style. Lying on the large bed was a beautiful woman with blue-tinted black hair, the same as Nicholas’s. As Nicholas started to approach the bed, the woman’s eyes quietly opened. Seeing Nicholas, she broke into a happy smile, parting her red lips.

“Oh my, Nicholas, you came for me? I’m sorry, I was asleep…”

Estelle slowly began to sit up. Nicholas hurriedly raised a hand and spoke to stop her.

“Sister, please stay lying down. You’re still unwell, aren’t you?”

“I’m fine. I’ve just been busy lately, so exhaustion must have piled up…”

Estelle smiled to reassure Nicholas. Seeing her like that, Nicholas let out a breath of relief and sat down on the chair by the bed.

“Nicholas, what about school?”

“I heard you collapsed, so I slipped out.”

“Oh my, you shouldn’t have…”

“I submitted the leave request. So it’s fine.”

Saying that, Nicholas casually studied his sister’s face. Indeed, she looked somewhat tired. Moreover, he felt she looked thinner than the last time they met.

“…Where is Father?”

When Nicholas asked, Estelle shook her head with a wry smile.

“Father is busy… so it’s difficult for him to come here.”

At those words, Nicholas almost sighed but managed to hold it back.

Estelle and Nicholas had no mother. She passed away when Nicholas was five.

Their father, Marquis Lambert, was alive, but they didn’t have a very good relationship. As a marquis, he was a capable and respectable figure. However, since long ago, he was surprisingly indifferent to others, interested only in his work and his hobby of hunting. That exception did not extend to his own children, and the siblings had been left mostly neglected since childhood. He wasn’t suited to be a father; Nicholas had all but given up on him.

“…He could at least visit,” Nicholas muttered involuntarily, but Estelle laughed merrily.

“Because you came, I’m alright.”

Seeing Estelle’s smile, Nicholas thought, She’s a beautiful person, as always.

This sister, beautiful enough to be called one of the Three Great Beauties, had been popular with both men and women since she was young. Her appearance was splendid, but her personality was also bright, kind, and reliable; many people admired her. She excelled in her studies, her conduct was impeccable, and she had even served as student council president during her school days. She was truly a flawless woman. Her emotional expression was rich, and she was a charming woman whose smile alone could brighten a room instantly.

Pulling himself together, Nicholas smiled back at Estelle and added,

“…I’ll tell Brooks to stop by as well.”

At those words, Estelle shook her head in a panic.

“It’s fine. He’s busy too, so keep it a secret. Okay?”

“…”

Nicholas closed his mouth and frowned.

Estelle had recently gotten engaged. Her partner was Brooks Armand, who was two years younger than Estelle and a classmate of Nicholas.

To be honest, it was unexpected that Estelle chose Brooks Armand as her marriage partner. Brooks was the son of Baron Armand and an excellent student who was also on the student council. He possessed strong magical power and high technical skill in magic. He was kind and quiet, but a young man who was too serious and perhaps a bit timid. Since he thought Estelle would choose a young man of higher status and a bright type like himself, this engagement was truly unforeseen for Nicholas.

“Are things… going well with Brooks?”

When Nicholas asked that, Estelle brought her hands together and nodded lightly.

“Yes. He writes me letters often. He says he’ll visit here during the next break.”

“…Is that so.”

“More importantly! I have something I want to ask you, too.”

“Hmm?”

When Nicholas tilted his head, Estelle continued with great interest.

“I heard a rumor. That you are seeing someone…”

“…Ah—”

Nicholas smiled wryly and casually looked away. Estelle directed a sulking face at her brother.

“That’s mean. Not telling me.”

“…No, well.”

“It’s Count Caldwell’s younger sister, isn’t it? I’ve seen her face, but I’ve never spoken to her. She’s a very beautiful person, isn’t she? What kind of person is she?”

“Ah, well, um…”

“I’m happy. To think you finally found a sweetheart… Hey, how far have things progressed? Are you getting engaged?”

Nicholas stood up as if to escape from Estelle, who kept talking on and on.

“Sorry, Sister. We’ll talk about that next time.”

“Ehh? Nicholas, you really are—”

“I have a lot going on too. If anything happens, I’ll definitely tell you, Sister.”

Saying that to gloss over the topic, Nicholas smiled and stepped away.

“I have classes, so I’m heading back. See you later, Sister.”

Estelle saw Nicholas off with an anxious expression as he waved and left the room.

“Hey, did you hear? About that…”

“I know, I know! About Lord Nicholas and Lady Wendy, right?”

At the Magic Academy, students were whispering in hushed tones.

“Apparently, they were having a secret meeting. Are they getting engaged after all?”

“Ehh, Lord Nicholas getting engaged is a shock…”

“It can’t be helped. Those two are close…”

“Lady Wendy, who is cold to everyone, is very intimate only with Lord Nicholas.”

“Why are those two so close, I wonder? Did they have something in common?”

“Who knows…?”

Like bated breath, the students expanded the conversation, imagining the relationship between the two.

A few days after visiting Estelle.

In the academy garden. Nicholas was sitting on a bench, quietly reading a book. It was currently lunch break. Afternoon classes would start in a little while. Just as he turned a page, thinking he should return to the classroom soon…

Suddenly, a young man called out to Nicholas.

“Nicholas…”

When Nicholas looked up, standing there was a timid-looking young man with a fleeting atmosphere. With short light brown hair, freckles scattered across his face, and striking pale blue-green eyes, the young man looked at Nicholas with a somewhat anxious expression.

“What’s wrong? Brooks.”

The young man called Brooks sat down next to Nicholas without asking for permission.

“…Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

When Nicholas asked back flatly while returning his gaze to his book, Brooks continued, looking hesitant.

“About the daughter of the Caldwell house.”

“…”

Nicholas fell silent without answering.

“Are you two… in a special relationship?”

At that question, Nicholas let out a heavy sigh.

“Do I have to answer that? It has nothing to do with you, does it?”

At Nicholas’s words, Brooks raised his voice as if offended.

“It’s not unrelated. You’re going to be my brother-in-law, after all…”

At those words, Nicholas looked up from his book and smiled wryly.

“I was surprised that you got engaged to my sister. How did you woo that sister of mine?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

At Brooks’s voice, Nicholas closed his mouth once. Immediately smiling brightly, he raised his index finger and placed it against his lips.

“She and I are discussing various things about the future. I’ll tell you once it’s decided.”

“Once it’s decided…”

Brooks made a dissatisfied face. Nicholas smiled wryly again and slowly stood up.

“More importantly, Brooks, you should worry about yourself. There must be plenty of things to think about, like the wedding ceremony, right?”

Then, readjusting his hold on the book he was reading,

“See ya.”

Saying that, he quickly walked away from the spot.

“…”

Brooks stared silently at Nicholas’s retreating figure with a clouded expression.

Meanwhile, at the Caldwell residence.

To my dearest Becca,

Thank you for your letter. I read it over and over again. So you are learning to cook. That’s amazing! I want to eat your cooking right now. But please be very careful not to hurt your hands. Also, try not to do anything too reckless. Furthermore—

Late at night, in her private room, Rebecca was reading the letter from Wendy over and over again.

Letters arrived from Wendy every week without fail. The contents varied, covering events at school, books she had read recently, her studies, and so on. However, the opening of every letter was always “To my dearest Becca.” That fact made her happy, and Rebecca smiled to herself as she traced the characters.

“Hehehe…”

She read the letter once more. Then, picking up a pen herself, she began to write a letter to Wendy.

The next day, after sending the letter to Wendy, Rebecca was working diligently. Today’s task was cleaning the garden.

“Rebecca, are you okay on your own?”

Carrie asked with a slightly worried look. Rebecca nodded vigorously and spoke.

“I’m fine! Please go to your kitchen duties, Carrie.”

“Call me immediately if anything happens.”

Saying that, Carrie walked briskly toward the kitchen.

Rebecca bustled about alone, proceeding with the garden cleaning. Once she finished this cleaning, today’s work would be over.

Tomorrow is a holiday, so maybe I’ll call Leeselago and chat, she thought. Just then…

“Oh, Rebecca.”

Someone called out from behind. Standing there were Lisette and Lisette’s personal maid.

“Ah, Lady Lisette! Good afternoon.”

When Rebecca greeted her in a panic, Lisette smiled and replied.

“Good afternoon. Are you working?”

“Yes. I’m cleaning…”

While saying that, Rebecca glanced up at Lisette’s face. Recently, Lisette seemed to be in poor health and spent a lot of time in her private room. Because of that, it had been quite a while since she last saw Lisette. Even now, her complexion seemed somewhat pale.

Thinking, Is she okay? Rebecca continued speaking.

“Are you taking a walk, Lady Lisette?”

“Yes. I thought I’d take a little walk for a change. I’ve been cooped up in my room lately.”

At those words, Rebecca became worried, stared at Lisette’s face, and spoke up.

“Um, are you okay? Are you sick or…”

“Ah, no.”

Lisette waved her hand as if flustered.

“I’m sorry. Don’t worry. It’s not an illness or anything…”

“Eh? Oh, really…”

Confused by Lisette’s behavior, Rebecca furrowed her brows.

Seeing Rebecca like that, Lisette made a slightly hesitant face, but soon smiled and crouched down right there. She met Rebecca’s gaze.

“Lady Lisette?”

“You see, actually—”

Lisette spun her words like a small whisper into Rebecca’s ear. The moment those words reached her, Rebecca’s face lit up.

“R-Really!?”

She shouted unintentionally. Lisette nodded greatly and added,

“Christopher was overjoyed too. It’s still a secret from others, so he seems to be forcibly suppressing it, though.”

“That must be very difficult for him.”

“He’s desperate. It’s the first time I’ve seen him like that.”

Lisette and Rebecca giggled together.

Lisette then raised her index finger and placed it against her lips.

“We intend to announce it to everyone in a little while. Until then, it’s a secret, okay?”

“Yes!”

Rebecca gave a loud reply. Lisette smiled again, waved her hand slightly, and returned inside the mansion with her maid.

Watching her retreating figure, Rebecca’s chest swelled greatly. She let her thoughts run toward the future.

—Next year, a new family member will be added to this mansion.

Clutching the broom she was holding tightly, she instinctively thrust her fist toward the sky. For the first time in a while, she felt her heart fill with happiness and hope.

Background Info

• Brooks Armand

Son of Baron Armand. He is timid but a serious, hard-working honor student. He is also a member of the student council. As a child, he met Estelle, who is two years older, at a party and fell in love at first sight. Recently, those feelings bore fruit, and he became engaged to Estelle. They plan to marry immediately after graduation.