So let's eat.

Yes!

Yes, sir.

　I tell her to regain her composure for now, and Meena replies cheerfully as she takes a seat, and Tickle responds belatedly.

　Tickle casually turns his gaze to Meena, as if he doesn't know how to eat his first milk gelato.

　Meena, who is being observed, doesn't particularly notice it, but scoops the milk gelato with her spoon and eats it.

''Mmmm!　It's sweet and cold and delicious!

　As I let out my impressions while letting my expression slacken, Meena moves the spoon one after another.

　Tickle, who understood how to eat it, scooped the milk gelato with a fearful spoon.

　Then, after staring at it seriously, she slowly takes it to her mouth.

　Then Tickle's eyes widened and his expression was colored with surprise.

'Delicious!'

'Of course!　It's so good you could eat more than one already.

It's great with these cookies and jam.

Are you sure?　Now, with a cookie... hmmm!　The sweetness and crunchiness of the cookies combined with the crunchiness of these cookies is great too.

Right?

　The maids are eating milk gelato, laughing happily and talking in a friendly manner.

　Oh, what a gorgeous space this place is.

　I usually find myself in situations where I'm talking nonsense with Thor and Asmo, or laughing with a bunch of obnoxious old men like Lumumba, Gates and the villagers.

　I haven't seen such an all-women's space for a while now.

　It's nice to have such a peaceful and gorgeous time.

　I took a sip of the milk gelato as I thought that I would like to have a peaceful and gorgeous time like this.

　The rich milk and the sourness of the jam spread through my mouth and melted in the blink of an eye.

　Ah, this harmony of sweetness and sourness is perfect.

　Plus, it's still hot in the season, which makes the cold food taste even better.

　As I continued to crunch on the milk gelato, my mouth began to chill a little, so I drank a cup of hot tea.

　The taste of the tea spreads in my mouth as it cools. My tongue, which had been numbed by the cold, began to feel better.

　The mild taste of the royal feed washes away the remaining sweetness in my mouth.

''Huh ... this tea is very drinkable. What brand is it?''

It's a royal feed.

'Yes, yes!　Are you sure you don't want us to drink something that expensive?

　Tickle is surprised by Meena's words as she replies salaciously.

　Well, it's not unreasonable. It is drunk like a normal tea in our house, but this is quite expensive and it would cost several gold coins to buy the tea leaves.

It's a good thing that we don't drink it every day either. I'm sure you're not the only one.

Yes, sir. So you can come here every day, Alfried-sama.

　Meena says with a chuckle.

　But don't forget that the words are followed by a royal feed or with sweetness.



　◆



　After finishing my milk gelato, I lingered in the maid's lounge and savored the royal feed.

''Wow, Viscount Doll really likes dolls, huh?

'Yes, I can often make dolls in my room when I spend time at the mansion.

I saw them brought into Master Alfried's room earlier, and they're all dolls, right?

Yes, it's all dolls. And there are many times as many dolls in the house as that one.

　Even Tickle, who had been nervous, had broken down by eating milk gelato together and talking, and now he was talking normally with Meena and Mel.

　We are both people who work in the same profession, and there are a lot of things we can talk about and empathize with.

　I'm glad to see that Tickle seems to be getting used to it as well.

''It seems to be hard to manage with that many people.

''Yes, it's hard because it's increasing day by day...''

Doesn't your wife get mad at you for making so many dolls?

　Oh, I'm curious about that too. It seems that his wife is not here today, but I wonder what kind of person is Viscount Doll's wife?

''Uh, well, Viscount Dole doesn't have a wife. It seems that other noblewomen don't like the Viscount's taste in dolls....

'Oh, I see.'

　Mel can't help but make a subtle face at Tickle, who speaks somewhat awkwardly.

''He's usually a nice guy with a soft manner. And even as a maid, she greeted me politely.''

'Yes, I know, but if there are puppets involved, they can get overheated...'

'As far as I'm concerned, I love Viscount Doll because he's so focused on what he likes to do and his love and obsession.
Hey.

　When I let out my honest impressions, Meena and Mel give me a subtle look.

　Ummm, apparently the two of them can't understand my senses.

　Viscount Dorr may have a gap between his usual calmness and his appearance, but I think he's a good man, even with that. He also has a kindness and cooperation that cares about the people around him.

　However, he's a man of action who is quick to get to work on what he wants to do and what he needs to do.

　Even his territory is flourishing with cloth and cotton specialties, and no unpopular rumors are circulating.

　At the very least, he's much more reliable than a nobleman's bonbon who only talks big at parties.

　I have a feeling that if he meets a woman who accepts and appreciates his doll-loving side, he'll marry her in no time.
Nah.

"Oh, I wish Lady Alfried were a woman!

I don't know what it is, but don't get that idea.

　For a moment, you imagined yourself as Viscount Doll's wife, didn't you?

　It's true that I like Viscount Doll, but not in that direction.

''Please continue to be good friends with Viscount Doll-sama. This is the first time I've ever seen Viscount-sama enjoying himself like that, so please!''

Um, yeah, I get it.

　I know I'm going in a heavy direction, but I have a feeling that I'm going to be a long-time friend of Viscount Doll's, and I intend to be.

　There's going to be a lot more to do with doll manipulation, puppetry, doll and purse making, and someone who understands my obsessions is valuable.

　As I'm sipping my tea with that in mind, Saara walks into the room.

　Saara was about to call out to someone, but when she noticed me, she was a little surprised and bowed her head.

''I'm.......sorry. I didn't expect Alfried-sama to be here, and I knocked.......

No, I'm just crazy enough to be here, so don't worry about it.

　This is the room originally prepared for maids to rest. It's funny that I'm the master of the place, so I don't blame you for not knocking.

　But it's new to see Sarra come in without knocking.

"Do you want to take a break too, Sarra?

'Mel-san, I found some non-doll souvenirs from Viscount Doll, could you help me sort through them?

'Oh, okay. Meena, why don't you take a break and get back to work?

Yes, sir.

　To Mel's words while standing up, Meena replies in a leisurely tone.

　From the looks of it, it was obvious that she had the intention of enjoying a break here and then returning to work as she saw fit.

''Meena, you'll have to clean the front door by evening.

Ew!

　Meena, who had been so carefree, was surprised when Mel gave her her quota in a straightforward manner.

'There were a lot of comings and goings today, so the front door got a little dirty. If it's not clean, I won't let you eat dinner.'

Oh, no...

　Hearing Mel's words, which she announced while leaving the room, Meena plopped down on the table.

　If they think you might be slacking off, it's only natural that they'll specify the scope of what you need to do.

　In my previous life, the company I worked for had a strict schedule of things to do and deadlines to meet in order to prevent slacking off.

　A black company is an excellent thing in terms of putting people to work. However, if you ask me whether it will lead to something permanent, I'd say no.

''I'll have to work hard again once my magic power is restored.

　Tickle clenches his fist to reveal his enthusiasm as he takes a break and relaxes.

'Tickle-san, you do your best, don't you? You were so pissed off at me just for moving the doll...''

　Tickle replies when Meena tells him so.

'Still, I'm not bitter,'

Why?

When I was a little girl, I was too frail to help my parents work in the fields and so I spent most of my time at home alone. I was often alone at home. During those times, the dolls the baroness gave out in the village distracted me from my loneliness.

　Oh, I see. If you're Viscount Doll, you'd at least give the doll you made to your child.

''The doll that Viscount-sama made for me is cute and I love it.......so it's fun now to be able to move that doll like this. Besides, I thought that if I can make the Viscount-sama happy with my power, it would repay the favor.......

　Tickle says with a slightly embarrassed laugh.

　He's very healthy.

　A woman who accepts and firmly acknowledges her doll-loving side would be right beside you, wouldn't she? However, I'm not sure if Tickle is a commoner or if they even have romantic feelings for each other in the first place.

　But I'd be more supportive of Tickle moving the doll around.