Chapter 33
*Today’s Fortune is Surprisingly Accurate*
“A concubine?! Such an absurd suggestion!”
“A combat doll?! I’m a maid!”
The young master and I shouted simultaneously. He looked down at me with a strange expression, then adjusted the pearl ornament on my collar.
“Estella…”
“That’s truly absurd, Young Master. A combat doll? I’m a proper maid! I’m getting angry.”
“Right… I’m almost relieved to hear you say that…”
He patted my back and ushered me into the carriage. It meant he wanted to talk to the Crown Prince alone. I agreed.
If my professional pride was insulted any further, I might just swing my vacuum cleaner at the Crown Prince. He needed to witness the true cleaning power of a maid!
Inside the carriage, the goblin coachman was fidgeting nervously. Miss Baba was sprawled on the seat like a drunkard, holding her manicured nails up to the sunlight.
“Aren’t you going to watch the Crown Prince?”
I said, peering out the window at the young master and the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was indeed handsome. Of course, our young master was more handsome! My joints were designed to be biased!
Miss Baba was indifferent.
“Not interested in human Crown Princes. They’re all rotten inside.”
“What about my insides?”
“Empty.”
I couldn’t bring myself to stomp on her foot. I sat down next to her.
“Why are my insides empty? They’re filled with the young master’s magic and warm heart.”
“I was joking.”
“Oh… Right…”
An awkward silence filled the air. Even though I couldn’t feel it as a doll, I scratched my head. It wasn’t even refreshing.
Should I just wait mindlessly for the young master to return? I leaned against Miss Baba. It would be less boring if I could at least fall asleep.
Just then, she said nonchalantly,
“I overheard earlier. The Crown Prince offered you a position as his concubine.”
“…You heard that?”
I was impressed.
“You have excellent hearing.”
“Are you planning to refuse?”
“Of course. What would a doll do as a concubine? People would just make fun of us. Him and me.”
“What if he turns you into a human first, and then makes you his concubine? What then?”
I crossed my arms and pretended to think about it, closing my eyes like the young master did. Whenever he had something serious to consider, he would close his eyes and take deep breaths. I remembered and cherished every little habit of his.
“I still don’t want it.”
“That’s surprising. Humans love wealth, glory, and beauty. Your doll body is beautiful, and the Crown Prince, despite the flaw of being human, is handsome. He’s also quite wealthy, for a human. And yet?”
“I still don’t want it.”
Becoming a concubine was something I had never even imagined. It was something that would never happen.
Even in a hypothetical scenario, I didn’t want to be a concubine. Even in romance novels, I always thought the life of a concubine would be difficult. Besides, wasn’t a concubine like a… a lesser version of the Empress?
Like being the fringe on the Crown Prince’s cloak.
“I don’t want to be a fringe!”
I said firmly. Miss Baba tilted her head.
“A fringe…?”
“But if it were the young master’s cloak…”
I didn’t like the Crown Prince. He was a stranger.
But the young master was different. What if he offered me a position as his mistress? I might have accepted tearfully. Or maybe I would have turned into a villain, poisoning the Countess’s tea instead of serving her.
Or maybe I could compete with the Countess to see who was more worthy of being the true Countess. If I were Anna, I might not have stood a chance, but as I was now, I was confident I could win against any lady in the empire. I was strong, and I had a terrifying vacuum cleaner.
I could even defeat the young master…！
I, with all my strength, belonged by the young master’s side. Lupin Zepetto, the stubborn, magic-obsessed, picky eater. Only I could handle him.
No, I would make sure I was the only one.
“I prefer my current situation, where I can drape a cloak over the stubborn young master, to climbing the social ladder and becoming someone else’s decoration.”
“I see.”
“It might be a good idea to cover him completely with the cloak so no one else can have him.”
“Huh…?”
Come to think of it, that’s right. Wouldn’t it be better for me to become the Countess than to bring in a Countess candidate? If I absolutely had to go to the dress shop with the Countess, I could just become friends with another Count’s wife.
Estella was beautiful enough to be offered a concubine position by the Crown Prince. The biggest drawback was that she wasn’t human. If I were human, I could become the Countess, couldn’t I?
Between being a maid and a Countess, which one would allow me to stay closer to the young master?
For now, it seemed like being a maid, but I had to keep all my options open.
I opened the carriage door and shouted towards the Crown Prince,
“Hey! How do I become human? I’m suddenly curious!”
The Crown Prince burst into laughter. The young master, on the other hand, turned pale.
Perhaps I should have phrased it more politely.
He frantically said something to the Crown Prince, waving his arms, then quickly entered the carriage. As soon as he was inside, he grabbed the coachman by the scruff of his neck and threw him out.
“Hurry up and leave. As fast as possible! I’ve cast a healing spell on the horses, so they’ll be fine until we reach our destination.”
The goblin coachman grumbled but returned to his seat. The young master pushed Miss Baba aside and cornered me.
His face was pale, but his breathing was ragged. His lips were pressed tightly together, his broad chest rising and falling rapidly. His face, framed by the cool shadows, was incredibly beautiful. He should be grateful to his parents. If it weren’t for his face, no one would tolerate his provocative personality.
The carriage started moving. He lowered his head. We were so close that our noses almost touched.
“What do you mean by becoming human?”
His expression, as he asked me, was terrifying.
“Exactly what it means. Of course, I don’t think I can instantly transform into a human, since I don’t even have a heart yet. But if I take certain steps, with the Crown Prince’s help, it might be possible.”
“Becoming human? Why? Do you want to be his concubine?”
His sharp gaze shifted to Miss Baba.
“What did you say to make her react like this?”
Miss Baba shrugged.
“I don’t know. A cloak?”
“What nonsense…”
I placed my hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back. He sat down obediently. We still had a long way to go to reach the witch’s library. It would be a waste of energy for him to get angry.
“Young Master, you’re not very healthy. Don’t get so worked up. Of course, it would be surprising if your incredibly beautiful doll suddenly wanted to become human. I’m worried you might collapse from shock.”
He sighed and leaned back against the seat.
“Maid, do you really think your master is frail?”
Miss Baba asked, sounding surprised. It was such an obvious statement that I nodded. To me, his pale silver hair, pale complexion, and bright blue eyes were all signs of frailty.
Of course, he was tall and strong, and he wielded his magic staff like a club, but that was beside the point.
“You tend to underestimate me. And I don’t like how you think too much without my permission.”
He turned his head and looked at me. So what. I was confident. I had done nothing wrong.
I stared back at him, sitting up straight. To be honest, I was a bit nervous. If I became human, could I really become his wife?
It was impossible for Anna. Her status was too low.
But I had no status. Couldn’t I be considered a member of the Count’s family? That would make my relationship with the young master, my creator, very complicated.
But it was fine! I had heard that some Marquis in a faraway land married his own sister! I didn’t have any blood, so we weren’t related by blood. No problem.
It was a newfound dream. A hope I had thought I had to give up on.
I had said I would be happy anywhere by his side, but perhaps that wasn’t true. If I could become the person he loved…
I felt like I could do anything.
Was it telepathy? The young master suddenly pulled me close, glaring at Miss Baba.
“I’m only accompanying you because of the zombie issue. I won’t forgive you if you give my doll false hope.”
“Fine. I don’t want to offend the Count’s precious doll either. Just eliminate any zombies we encounter on the way. That’s all I ask. Then you can browse any materials you want in my library.”
He suddenly reached into my pocket.
“Young Master! What are you doing?!”
“What, are you going to call me a pervert again?”
“No! My clothes are dirty! Honestly…”
He pulled out a comb. He untied my hair tie roughly, as if taking out his frustration, and then gently combed my hair, as if an old nobleman arranging flowers to calm his mind.
“Give up on your dream of becoming a concubine.”
“Why? Not that I’m dreaming of such a thing.”
“There are many reasons. The Crown Prince’s personality, political reasons, and so on. But the biggest reason is…”
“What is it?”
“I don’t like it.”
I turned my head slightly to look at him. He had a childishly sullen expression, a rare sight. It reminded me of our childhood. The childhood when I fell for him.
Perhaps that was why I asked him directly,
“If you don’t like a concubine, how about a Countess?”