That could have gone better.

I got to see a rare side of Christine, but she acted even more hostile than usual towards me. Probably because our parents weren’t around this time so her unfiltered attitude came out. No idea what set her off, but I think I should get her some kind of peace offering. I’ll ask Emma later what would be a good gift for a girl her age.

Perhaps we were too noisy, but it didn’t take long before someone knocked on the back entrance.

“Young master? Are you in there?” Emma’s muffled voice came from behind the door.

“Yes, come in.”

The door swung open, and two people entered. The other was Jordan, whose eyes lit up the moment he saw the kitten lazily resting in my arms.

“Floofbottom!”

He ran over to me, teary eyed with relief.

“Mroow!”

Floofbottom vocally protested at being taken from his comfy spot in my arms, but didn’t struggle as he was picked up and hugged.

“Aww, I’m glad you’re okay! You made me so worried!”

“Mew?”

Jordan then looked up at me with a bright smile. “Thank you so much for finding him, young master Halesworth. You’re the best!”

“Think nothing of it.” I answered as I ruffled his hair.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Emma was staring at the half-eaten plate of chocolate cake on the kitchen counter. She looked at it, then at me, then back at the plate, then at me again. For some reason she seemed both amused and apologetic.

Wait, don’t tell me she thinks I was-

“I’m sorry, young master. It looks like half a slice wasn’t enough for you after all…” She giggled with a teasing look.

Yep.

God damn it Christine.

Before I could defend my good name though, the kitchen’s main doors opened. At first I thought it was my sister coming back to finish her cake, but the frilly black and white outfit quickly proved otherwise.

“H-head maid…” Emma whispered, her face paling slightly. Jordan also looked terrified, and even the kitten in his hands seemed to be feeling a little anxious.

Ophelia walked in and I swear I could totally hear the boss music playing in my head. Something has to be said for a person who still manages to look extremely intimidating while bowing deeply to me. There was nothing wrong with her actions or appearance, but her very nature put me on guard, like I was caught in front of a coiling viper.

A shame too. She pulled off the strict librarian look perfectly with those glasses of hers. Why do the evil ones have to be so hot?

“Greetings, young master Halesworth,” she said before lifting her head.

The woman’s arresting gaze swept over Emma and the boy before finally settling on the furry bundle in Jordan’s arms.

“Dear me. A cat? How did it get in here?” She said, her glacial expression finally cracking as her brows furrowed. “Please keep your distance from it young master, I shall dispose of it immediately. Hand it over, child.”

There was a dangerous glint in her eyes as she reached towards the pair.

Okay then, time to see if we can get away with this impromptu plan of mine.

“You will do no such thing. This creature is my pet.” Switching to my ‘Alexander mode’, I held a hand up to stop her from getting any closer to Jordan.

“What? It’s yours?” She sounded shocked and more than a little suspicious.

I suppose it was hard to imagine the original Alexander caring for anything other than himself, leave alone keeping a pet.

“Mmhmm. I found it wandering around and decided to keep it,” I said in as bored of a tone as I could manage. “He is quite cute, yes? And cats are excellent for keeping rodents out of the mansion, it’ll be perfect for guarding the granary.”

“I suppose.” Ophelia said with a tiny frown. “But young master, we do not have a mouse problem, and you know how the madame feels about animals. Furthermore a stray like that must be covered in-”

“However,” I continued, ignoring the head maid’s perfectly logical protests which I had no answer for, “I have no time to take care of a pet myself, so this boy will look after Floofbottom on my behalf. Jordan, do not slack off on this responsibility, understand? I expect to be able to see him whenever I want, so he must grow up healthily. If you aren’t up to the task, then say so now and I’ll find someone else.”

Thankfully the boy was quick on the uptake. He furiously nodded, holding the kitten to his chest protectively.

“U-understood, young master! I would be happy to take care of him for you!”

“Mew?”

“Good. Talk to Mr. Hudson about whatever you need. Food, bedding, and toys maybe? Tell him not to be stingy, my pet deserves only the best. I will look for you at a later time, so leave us for now.”

I gave him a light push on the back towards the door. Without a moment’s hesitation, Jordan bowed and quickly ran out of the kitchen while carrying a very confused cat.

The head maid scrunched her nose in distaste as she watched them go but didn’t protest any further. “If that is your decision, young master, then I will not say anything. Please do not forget to inform your parents however.”

“Of course.” I answered her, suppressing my sigh. That was one conversation I was not looking forward to. Then I remembered something important. “Right, Ophelia, there is something else I want to talk to you about.”

…

Ophelia was not exactly pleased when I told her that I granted Ruth an entire week off, but in the end she merely nodded since the woman had already left. Complaining to me would be pointless. She only cautioned that being so soft hearted towards the servants might cause them to take advantage of me. It would be reasonable advice if it came from pretty much anyone else; I had a feeling her definition of ‘soft-hearted’ was very different from mine.

However, her reaction to me making Emma my personal attendant was surprisingly extreme.

“Her!?”

The head maid raised her voice for the first time and pointed at Emma in disbelief.

“Yes, her. Is there a problem?”

“Young master, that girl is far too inexperienced, not to mention she offended you and Lady Francesca just recently!” Ophelia insisted. “How could she be worthy of such an honor? If you want an attendant, I would be more than happy to offer a few suggestions, or-”

“I’ve made my decision.” I said firmly, interrupting her. No way in hell I’m replacing the only person who knows about my so-called amnesia with someone from her little faction. “Just handle the arrangements and pass her former duties off to the other girls. Also, I will personally be in charge of disciplining her for any mistakes. You no longer have to pay attention to what Emma does.”

In other words, I was trying to tell her that she had no authority to scold, hurt, or even order this girl around from now on.

Ophelia wanted to say more, but thought better of it. There was a flash of anger in her eyes which almost instantly cooled down, so fast that I half-suspected it was just my imagination.

“...Understood, young master Halesworth.” The head maid said in her customary polite tone. She glanced at Emma, prompting the girl to hide behind my back.

Feeling somewhat unnerved, I just half-limped away while leaning on my crutch for support. “Come Emma. Let’s leave.”

“Y, yes, young master.” She said, hurriedly following after me while avoiding Ophelia’s gaze.

__________________________________________________________

So it wasn’t just a passing fancy of his after all. No wonder his gaze didn’t stray towards her assets this time.

Ophelia reflected on her earlier actions and frowned, realizing that she made the same mistake twice: opposing the young master. First, she shouldn’t have tried to convince him to get rid of the cat, the madame would order him to do that regardless. All it did was serve to drive a wedge between them.

And second, criticizing the young master’s choice of a personal attendant was the height of foolishness. If that girl really was his favorite, she did herself no favors by pitting herself directly against her. Even if she wasn’t, what kind of servant would say such a thing to his face? She wasn’t his mistress yet, she couldn’t overstep her bounds lest she lose any chance she had left. Ophelia chastised herself for letting her temper get the better of her.

Still, this setback wasn’t enough to discourage her. The head maid weighed her options for a while before nodding as she came to a decision. It looked like she needed to make a trip to Cassador soon.