Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 31: Truth Is Sometimes Harsh (2)

“...So, please tell me about yourself.”

Just having her face close to mine made my heart race, as if I had become a prisoner of Diana.

“Uh, Lady Diana...?”

In the suffocating silence, Diana slowly tilted her face toward me.

What could her current actions mean?

What was clear was that Diana had her eyes gently closed and was quietly bringing her lips closer to mine.

Even when I had playfully tumbled around with Amethyst, I had always protected my lips, but with this atmosphere...

[Ding.]

“...!”

The manual timer on the oven rang from behind us.

Startled by the sound, we almost simultaneously pulled away from each other.

Diana, her face flushed bright red, apologized to me.

“I’m sorry...! I was just trying to play a little prank...”

I, too, with my face burning, vigorously shook my head.

“It’s okay! I thought you were just playing around, Diana.”

We awkwardly smiled at each other for a moment, then let our gazes wander aimlessly in the now-quiet room.

Diana was the one to break the awkwardness first.

“I wonder if we baked the cookies too long. Shall we check?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

What on earth was that strange tension just now?

For a moment, it felt like my mind had gone completely blank.

As I stood with Diana, inhaling the scent of freshly baked cookies, that strange feeling completely disappeared before I knew it.

I picked up a cookie with a beautifully baked color and said with a delighted expression,

“They smell amazing!”

“I added a lot of butter. Go ahead, try one.”

I popped the cookie in my hand into my mouth without hesitation.

‘Delicious!’

The flavor was an extraordinarily sweet delight that couldn’t even compare to anything I had made before.

...Wait, sweet?

I tilted my head and asked Diana curiously,

“Lady Diana, your cookies are sweet?”

At my words, Diana responded with a slightly puzzled expression.

“...Yes. They have sugar in them.”

‘Sugar, really?’

I was shocked by this revelation and asked again.

“Aren’t cookies supposed to have salt in them?”

“Huh? Where did you hear that...?”

Where had I learned that from?

In this world, unlike the one I came from, printing technology wasn’t widely available, so books documenting essential life skills like cooking were extremely rare.

Thus, learning new recipes usually required trial and error or being taught by someone who already knew them.

The head maid, Merilda, had taught me many dishes but always refused to teach me how to make sweets, saying they weren’t good for the body.

Because of that, I had roughly guessed how to make cookies using an old picture book I found in the lady’s library...

‘There was white powder in the drawing, so I assumed it was salt...’

Up until now, I had been confidently adding loads of salt, believing that homemade cookies were supposed to be salty.

A somewhat uneasy thought crossed my mind, and I asked her another question.

“Then, what’s this brown powder sprinkled on top of the cookies? What is it?”

“It’s chocolate powder. Sprinkling it on top adds more sweetness.”

“...That’s chocolate powder?”

Until now, I had assumed it was pepper and had liberally sprinkled it, completely missing the mark.

When I explained my past baking adventures to Diana, she was so startled that she exclaimed back at me.

“Amber, did you really put pepper in cookies?”

“Yes, and I used half a jar every time...”

“Didn’t it taste strange when you tried them yourself?”

“Well, I thought they were a bit peculiar, but the lady said she liked them...”

Even though I didn’t personally enjoy them, I figured it was fine as long as Ruby liked them.

Diana murmured in mild shock,

“Then, Ruby has been eating those cookies for years...?”

“And Lady Amethyst always had them whenever she visited too, praising them every time as delicious...”

"Some days, the two of them even competed over cookies, so I thought this flavor was popular in this world."

"But judging by Diana’s expression after hearing my story, that didn’t seem to be the case at all."

"She spoke to me with an incredibly sorrowful expression."

“Would you like me to teach you my recipe?”

“Is it alright for you to share something like that?”

“Of course. It’s not a big deal.”

"It was always Ruby and Amethyst’s responsibility to finish off the remaining cookies."

"Now that I thought about it, the other members would take one bite of the cookies I made but rarely took a second."

"Diana moved the finished cookies into a dish and looked at me as she spoke."

“Let’s take the cookies back now. Everyone must be waiting.”

“Yes, Lady Diana.”

"The entire way back carrying the cookies, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy remembering all the cookies I’d made up until now."

“Everyone, please enjoy.”

"When Diana placed the cookies on the table, everyone exclaimed in admiration as they each picked one up."

“Thanks, Diana.”

“Thank you!”

"At that moment, I quietly rose from my seat and walked over."

"Then, standing behind Ruby and Amethyst, who had just popped cookies into their mouths, I asked,"

“Are the cookies delicious, you two?”

"Neither of them seemed to have any objections to the deliciousness of Diana’s cookies, as they nodded enthusiastically."

“Yes, it’s like they’re melting in my mouth.”

“If I could eat these every day, I’d have no regrets...”

"Seeing the two of them using even their expressions and gestures to show how delicious they found the cookies, I knew instinctively."

"So that’s it."

"This is how people react when they eat something truly delicious."

"I handed over some homemade cookies I had brought separately and said,"

“I thought you might get tired of eating just one kind, so I brought some of mine too. Please have some.”

"At that, the two, who had been busily chewing, froze and turned to look at me."

“...”

"Then, with exaggerated smiles, they picked up the cookies."

“Th-thank you...”

“I’ll enjoy them, Amber!”

"The two of them picked up the cookies I gave them, stared at them intently for a moment, and then put them into their mouths."

“...Hmm, it’s good. As always.”

"Their reactions were noticeably different from earlier."

‘It’s definitely not the same.’

"Not missing the chance, I lowered my voice and asked,"

“...To be honest, my cookies aren’t tasty, are they?”

“...”

"After a brief silence, Ruby’s hand placed her teacup back on its saucer in an unnatural manner."

"The lady turned her head slightly to look at me and said,"

“What, what do you mean by that?”

"Amethyst, sitting next to her, spoke with trembling hands holding her cup."

“How could Amber’s cookies not taste good? Right, Ruby?”

“Of course, Amethyst...”

"For once, the two of them, who usually never saw eye to eye, had joined forces."

"It seemed no matter how much I pressed them, I would never get the answer I wanted from these two."

‘Let’s ask someone who’s honest.’

"I turned my head and handed one of my cookies to Citrine."

“Please try this, President.”

"At that, Citrine furrowed her brow slightly and asked,"

“What’s this? A different cookie?”

"Without hesitation, she bit into the cookie with a crunch, then lowered her head."

“How is it?”

“...Ugh.”

"Citrine, gagging, grimaced deeply and exclaimed."

“It tastes like garbage sludge. What did you even put in this?”

"At Citrine’s remark, everyone present froze."

“...”

"The atmosphere had completely tanked."

"Ruby and Amethyst were nervously glancing at me, while the others didn’t dare to speak."

“Garbage sludge...”

"When I muttered that and hung my head low, Citrine looked slightly flustered."

“Huh...? Did I say something wrong? Why’s the mood like this?”

“...No, thank you for telling me the truth, President.”

Feeling somewhat down, I took off my apron and left the room.

“I’ll take a break today, my lady.”

As I quickly tidied up the table and exited the room, I thought I heard Ruby calling out from behind me.

“Amber. Wait a moment! Amber...?”

For the first time since becoming a maid, I wanted to be alone.

Without even taking off my maid uniform, I burrowed under the blanket.

‘This is shocking. I’ve been feeding Ruby something so unpalatable all this time.’

Coming from Citrine, whose honesty knew no bounds, her judgment of my cookies as "garbage sludge" had to be correct.

I had thought, despite my shortcomings, I had been doing fairly well—but I realized now that I had unknowingly been receiving their consideration all along.

While I remained curled under the blanket, wallowing in a state of zero self-esteem, the door opened, and someone walked in.

“...Amber. Can we talk?”

It was Ruby’s voice.

Normally, I would have answered cheerfully, but today, my voice came out in a feeble murmur.

“...Yes.”

Ruby sat carefully on the edge of my bed and hesitated before speaking.

“Amber, I didn’t want to hurt you. I kept thinking I’d tell you someday, but...”

“...”

“I’m sorry. I deceived you all this time.”

Ruby wore an unusually sympathetic expression, one that didn’t suit her.

I let the blanket slip off as I sat up and replied.

“There’s no need to apologize. I’m just upset, that’s all.”

“...Upset about what?”

“Despite being by your side for so long, I didn’t even know what I was feeding you.”

It felt as if Ruby didn’t fully trust me.

“I wanted to be someone my lady could rely on, but like this, I’m not even close...”

I couldn’t help but think how pathetic I seemed.

Though I had become her maid, Ruby had ended up being the one to take care of me instead.

Ruby quietly listened to me before placing her hand gently over mine.

“Amber, that’s not true.”

Her hand was unexpectedly cool for someone who wielded fire magic.

I was so familiar with her delicate and cherished hands that I could have memorized every line on her palm.

“Do you really think I don’t rely on you?”

“...Well, my lady can manage perfectly fine without me.”

I even began to wonder seriously whether my presence at her side was actually holding her back.

“Maybe you’d be better off without me...”

Before I could finish, Ruby placed both her hands firmly on my shoulders.

“Amber.”

She looked at me with the saddest eyes I had ever seen and said firmly,

“Don’t say things like that, not even as a joke.”

Ruby, who always had such a stoic expression, now looked as if she was about to cry for the first time.

“You’re already half of my life. I can’t imagine a life without you, and I won’t let it happen.”

“...My lady...”

“...Have I made it clear how much I depend on you?”

I had thought that simply being there at Ruby’s most important moments in life was enough.

But perhaps that was just my misunderstanding.

Now that Ruby had become the most important part of my life, it seemed I had become just as important to her.

Feeling shy and flustered at this realization, I blushed and offered her a sincere smile.

“I’m happy, my lady, that you would say something like that to me.”

Saying so, I sniffled as if I was about to cry.

“Sniff.”

Ruby noticed and asked with a hint of concern,

“Do you need a hug, by any chance?”

“...How did you know?”

“Come here.”

Normally, I would have felt embarrassed, but this time, I let myself fall willingly into Ruby’s outstretched arms.

We used to be about the same size, but when did she grow so much bigger than me?

Although Ruby had often initiated playful physical contact in the past, this deep and heartfelt hug was the first in years.

Just as I had once comforted Ruby when she trembled in fear amidst the flames at thirteen, now it was her turn to console me.

“...”

As Ruby’s gentle hand stroked my hair, all my worries seemed to melt away like snow.

I buried my face into her warm embrace, struggling to hold back tears, wanting to stay like this forever.

I could clearly hear Ruby’s heartbeat thumping in her chest.

After a while, Ruby leaned closer to my ear and whispered softly,

“...I like you, Amber.”

“Pardon?”

I blinked and asked again, and Ruby, her ears turning bright red, stammered,

“...Uh, well, what I just said was...”

Why was she so embarrassed?

Seeing her flustered, I broke into a wide smile and replied brightly,

“I like you too.”

Ruby looked slightly surprised and asked,

“...Amber too?”

“Yes. My lady is my one and only family.”

“Ah...”

For some reason, Ruby’s expression seemed to falter slightly, but I figured it was just from embarrassment.

“Right. Family...”

“Please take care of me from now on, my lady.”

It seemed that the bond between her and me as mistress and maid was destined to run deeper than I had ever imagined.

---(Bonus)

Try this recipe together at home.