Volume 4 Epilogue - Hero Suddenly Proposed

Second to the last volume!

Thank you so much for the support in the last 6 years!

VOLUME 4: Epilogue

 

Today’s tea is made from the first-class tea leaves from Mindalk. I added some honey that was given the other day by a noble……

Today’s tea is made from the first-class tea leaves from Mindalk. I added some honey that was given the other day by a noble……

“Princess, I made tea just now!”

I told the Princess who was reading a letter at the table.

The Princess raised her face and smiled.

“Aria, you called me ‘Princess’ again.”

I said, “Oh,” and clamped my mouth shut. I couldn’t change that habit.

“I am not a princess anymore. So do not call me ‘Princess’. Please get used to it, Aria. Since the first maid, Aria, is calling me Princess, everyone still addresses me as Princess.”

“I apologize. But it’s actually the opposite. It’s not because I call you Princess, but it’s because everyone is still addressing you as a princess so I kept calling you Princess. Besides……”

I continued, smiling.

“The Princess is still the Princess for me. Even if she is no longer a ‘Princess’.”

“Aria……”

“So I guess I will continue to call you Princess in the future. Of course, in front of guests or public places, I will address you as ‘Madam’ or ‘Your Royal Highness’.”

──That’s right, Louise-sama, my master, was married to Rufus-sama, the second prince of Elusion.

However, to avoid getting involved in the issue of succession to the throne, Rufus-sama decided to live in an estate granted by his father, the Emperor, instead of residing in the royal palace of Elusion.

This was originally the estate of Rufus-sama’s grandparents from his maternal side, and the mansion that we are in now is a familiar place for him since he was a child, where he spent most of his summers.

Langrea village, the village where Greed-sama and the others were born, is also nearby. Rufus-sama met Greed-sama, Renas-sama, and Milly-sama when he was out for a walk, and that’s how their friendship began.

Since it is a royal residence, it looks more like a small palace than a mansion, but due to Rufus-sama and the Princess’s desire to live as cozily as possible, very few people worked here……

“Princess, I instructed the kitchen staff to prepare more meals for tonight!”

A maid with strawberry blonde hair said cheerfully as soon as she entered the room.

Yes, it’s Belinda, the Maid B.

Before the Princess got married, Belinda quit her job as a maid and married her childhood friend. I celebrated my friend’s departure with tears in my eyes and sent her off.

However, there were talks of increasing the number of diplomats stationed in Elusion, where exchanges became more active after the Princess married, and newlywed Belinda’s husband was chosen.

When she found out that her husband’s assignment was in Elusion, Belinda followed her husband without a second thought, and she began working in this mansion as the Princess’s maid.

Now, just like when I was at Schwarze, all the Maids A and B are serving the Princess and having fun.

“What did the letter say?”

I asked as I placed the teacup on the table in front of the Princess.

What the Princess was reading were letters sent from Schwarze, most often from the King, the Queen, and the Prime Minister.

The Princess answered while lifting the cup.

“Some things never change. My father said that without me, the castle has lost its cheer. But Brother Enwald is about to return from his studies abroad, so I’m sure it will be lively again soon.”

Would it be more lively if Enwald-sama came back? I would rather say it will be raucous.

I would like to retort, but it’s better to keep this inside because it is the person who will become the future King of the kingdom.

The Princess, who was about to drink tea, suddenly remembered something, raised her face and looked at me, then said.

“Oh, right. In the letter from the Prime Minister, he wrote that Princess Tiana entered a goddess’s monastery.”

“Oh my……”

My eyes widened with surprise.

When I returned from the Demon King’s castle, Princess Tiana had already left Schwarze.

They did not fill me in with the details, but it seems that she had raised the ire of Greed-sama and the Prime Minister because of me and can’t stay at Schwarze.

I was relieved that we didn’t have to meet each other, but Tiana-sama returning to her own kingdom was not enough.

A discussion was held between Albatro and Schwarze about the disposition of the magician Arturo and Princess Tiana. As a result, Arturo was stripped of his status as the kingdom’s magician, his magical powers were sealed, and he was banished from the kingdom.

On the other hand, the King of Albatro and the rest of the royal family tried to keep Princess Tiana out of the public eye and just put her under confinement for a while.

However, Princess Tiana’s words and deeds, and her interference with the Hero were spread throughout the world . . . through the newspapers.

Albatro was rained with criticisms, and the nobles, who had always disliked Princess Tiana’s behavior, took the opportunity to argue in the court. If the kingdom will not give her some harsh punishment, Albatro will be criticized by outsiders. She should be punished before she offends the temple and the spirits any longer.

The citizens agreed, and the King, unable to ignore their voices, finally decided to send Princess Tiana to the goddess’s monastery. The goddess’s monastery is famous for its strict rules, where priests, shrine maidens, and shrine maiden apprentices live to serve the goddess.

Shrine maidens are members of the monastery who serve the priests, although they cannot use sacred powers like the priests. No one can become one as it requires rigorous training to become one. The goddess’s monastery was founded as a place to train the shrine maidens.

Those who enter it are deprived of their status in this world and are forced to undergo rigorous training for five years. They cannot escape. The location of the monastery is on an isolated island and has a strong barrier.

Those who have endured a strict and poor training life for five years are given a choice to become a shrine maiden or to return to the secular world.

However, if there are problems in their behavior during their stay, the training period will be extended for two years. And if they are still not behaving properly after two years, two more years will be added.

Meaning, in the worst case, it would take a maximum of nine years to be able to leave the monastery. By then, they would be deemed unpromising to become a shrine maiden and be expelled.

That’s why Tiana-sama won’t be able to come out for at least five years, or nine years at most.

I think it is a pretty harsh punishment. She will be past marriageable age by then.

But the Prime Minister was pretty smug about it, so I wonder what Princess Tiana said to anger him.

It was just a hunch, but I think the Prime Minister is definitely behind Princess Tiana’s journey to the monastery. It’s scary, so I don’t feel like prying at all.

“I feel sorry for her, but she deserved it. But with this, Princess Tiana won't be involved with you anymore, Aria.”

The Princess concluded, and that was the end of the topic on Princess Tiana.

Towards the end of tea time, I saw the Princess fidgeting.

She got up from her seat many times, looked out at the window, and then went back to her seat.

“Princess……”

I said with a puzzled undertone.

“There will be a sign of them coming back.”

Right now, Greed-sama and his party are working to eliminate the demons and adjust the amount of magical power flowing in the world.

Ten days ago, a large number of people went missing in a kingdom in the south.

Then this morning, they called us saying that they should be able to go home by the end of the day.

“But, Aria, Rufus-sama has joined for the first time in a long time, hasn't he? Moreover, there’s a possibility that the opponent could be a humanoid……”

To ease the Princess of her anxiety, I said confidently.

“It’s going to be fine, Princess. Even if it's been a long time since he had fought, or even if he fought a high-ranking demon, do you think our husbands will lose?”

“O-Of course, those are our husbands. With Rufus-sama and Greed-sama around, they can eliminate those demons without any problems.”

“That’s right.”

When I nodded, I suddenly had a strange feeling of deja vu. It seems like we had a similar conversation somewhere……?

It seems that the Princess also had the same thought, as she tilted her head in confusion.

“Strange. I feel like I’ve heard a similar exchange somewhere before.”

“Princess, you do? Me too.”

Then a voice interjected.

“Well, that’s because it was a conversation in Aria’s imagination!” [T/N: If you can still remember, it’s in Vol. 1 Chapter 23 >_<]

It was Milly-sama who had entered the room without us noticing. She looks at us──mainly at me──with an astonished expression.

“You used to have an illusion in the Princess’s room at Schwarze, didn’t you? At that time, you said almost the same thing as now.”

“That’s right……!”

I was aghast. That’s right. At that time, I had exactly the same situation in my mind as I do now. Even then, I said the same thing. Our husbands.

──Our husbands.

Yes, husbands. It’s “husbands”. There are no typos or misunderstandings. It’s not an illusion this time.

Right now, I’m Louise-sama’s first maid, and at the same time I’m also . . . the wife of the Hero, Greed-sama.

……Really, how did this happen?

I unconsciously looked away.

 

* * *

 

To tell the truth, when Greed-sama proposed to me the second time, my answer was . . .

“Let’s start as friends.”

I got protests from everyone.

“Hey, start as friends!? That’s unbelievable, Aria!”

“That’s where you say, ‘Yes’!”

“Friends…… Aren’t you going backward?”

“Are you being tsundere?”

“Hey, hey.”

The audience ruthlessly criticized me for not reading the air. Yikes.

……No, what I really wanted to say was, “Let’s start as lovers.”

But I felt embarrassed. That’s why it slipped on my tongue. Am I being a tsundere, just like Farah-sama said?

Reproached by everyone, I doubted if my answer was not ideal in this kind of situation after all…… But Greed-sama himself didn’t seem disappointed and said with a smile.

“Then, let’s gradually get to know each other by starting as friends.”

I was taken aback by his unexpected reaction. I’ve acknowledged it, but we can’t be just friends since our feelings are mutual!

“N-No. I made a mistake. As lovers!”

In the end, I ended up changing our status as “lovers” on the spot.

“You could have been honest from the start~!”

Everyone teased me so my embarrassment doubled.

Ah, I still feel embarrassed when I remember it now! So much that I wanted a hole to swallow me.

It would have been better if I had answered honestly from the beginning with, “Let’s start as lovers.”

I was so sure that Greed-sama would say, “I don’t want that,” just like before. After that, I was going to say . . . “Then we’ll start as lovers.”

……Maybe it was his strategy of “if you can’t push it, pull it”?

Well, regardless of the truth, we started as lovers and you might be wondering, it hasn’t been long since then so why are we already married, right?

It’s funny. Usually, it would take more time to decide that. But before we knew it, we were already getting married . . . This time, we even skipped the engagement!

It’s because of the person in front of me right now.

As I watched the Princess conversing with Milly-sama, I remembered that time.

It was right after the Princess married Rufus-sama and settled in this land. Greed-sama’s birthplace, Langrea Village, was nearby so I followed Greed-sama to see it.

After all, who wouldn’t be interested in the place where their lover grew up? Also, aside from his parents, who he didn’t have a very good relationship with, I wanted to meet Priest Lyell-sama who acted as a foster father to Greed-sama.

So, Renas-sama, Milly-sama and I went there together. At that time, the Princess and Rufus-sama were summoned by the Emperor and went to the royal capital.

By the way, when we met the Princess after returning to the estate, she was offended when she found out about it and whined, “I wanted to go too!”

The princess buried her face in Rufus-sama’s chest and said while weeping.

“Ah, I wasn’t there at Greed-sama’s second marriage proposal, and this time I was an outcast again!”

……Actually, when she learned that Greed-sama had proposed to me for the second time at the Demon King’s castle, the Princess was very disappointed that she wasn’t there to witness it.

In front of the sulking Princess, I was flustered. However, in retrospect, I should have been suspicious of the unusual behavior of the reasonable Princess.

The princess raised her head and looked at me with tear-filled eyes.

“I will forgive you if you reproduce the scene how Greed-sama proposed to you.”

“Huh?”

What was that? I thought, but Greed-sama unexpectedly agreed and said, “I don’t mind.” So we decided to recreate that moment. [T/N: Huh, but they could’ve used magic.]

All of them followed us in good faith and surrounded Greed-sama and me. within that circle, Greed-sama knelt on one knee. I can’t help but laugh drily, “Hahaha……”

Then I heard them speak.

“T-That’s where Greed-sama took Aria’s hand and proposed.”

At that time, the Princess was acting like a stage director. I myself felt that it was just a play.

As Greed-sama said, he took my hand and said with a smile.

“Aria, I love you. Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

It was so full of emotion that I couldn’t believe it was just a play. I was dumbfounded, then I heard the Princess’s voice again.

“Aria, say yes!”

“Ah, yes.”

Even though I thought it was embarrassing, I obediently said those words, and immediately after that, I spaced out.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

Everyone realized what I meant, and they all said that in chorus.

In the midst of this, the princess beamed and greeted Greed-sama and me.

“Congratulations to both of you.”

“P-P-Princess!?”

“Thank you.”

Greed-sama stood up, still holding my hand, and replied to the Princess with a smile.

……Right, I taught Greed-sama to say “thank you” with a smile when he is happy. But it seems too good to be true.

“You’re welcome.”

Staring at the smiling Princess, I finally realized what they had done to me.

“Congratulations, Greed, Aria.”

“Ah.”

I gaped, as everyone took their turns to express their felicitations. It is now assumed that I have accepted the proposal.

“Hey, wait a minute……”

When I opened my mouth to protest, Greed-sama pouted.

“Aria, was the timing bad? Do you still need more time?”

“Gulp.”

I can see his imaginary ears and tail droop. Of course, it’s an illusion. It’s an illusion, but……

I-I said I’m weak against his abandoned puppy-like expression……!

“Oh, now I understand. Fine! Let’s get married!”

So, I finally gave up.

And on a day where there was a clear, cloudless sky, the wedding ceremony of the Hero Greed-sama and the daughter of a viscount, Aria Milford──in other words, our wedding──was held in the hall of Schwarze’s castle.

Before I knew it, in a blink of an eye, I was ready. I wanted it to be held in secret, but for some reason, it became a national event. It was a conspiracy, right?

However, at that time, the people in the hall, including the Hero’s party members, were the only people who were kind to Greed-sama and me. The members of the royal family, the Prime Minister and Famir-sama were also present. Also, my colleagues who I have worked with at the castle, and acquaintances. Aside from that, my parents and all the servants who have served the Milford family for many years also attended.

There was not a single reporter from the Newspaper Guild. It’s probably because of the Prime Minister’s thoughtfulness

Of course, the one who presided over the ceremony was the priest, Renas-sama.

While everyone watched, Greed-sama’s vows reverberated through the hall, followed by my quiet but distinctly-spoken vows.

At first, I had mixed feelings, but no matter what happens, I like Greed-sama, and in the end, it was my decision so I have no regrets.

That’s why I-I obediently accepted the vowed kiss!

At that time, I thought I heard Alfred-sama cry, but I couldn’t be sure because my eyes were closed.

Then, Renas-sama bestowed us a “blessing” so that we would live happily ever after, and declare to the world that we had become husband and wife.

──Then, right after that……

A sparkling light appeared above us out of nowhere and poured on Greed-sama and me, and all the people who attended the ceremony.

Everyone cheered.

“The spirits of light are giving us their blessing.”

Greed-sama muttered while looking up at the ceiling.

The spectacle of the sparkling light and the dancing were superb, and it was an unforgettable wedding not only for me but also for everyone who attended.

──After the ceremony, we journeyed to Elusion with everyone and asked the Princess why she did those things. Then the Princess answered with a mischievous smile.

“How many years do you think you have been serving me as your master? I knew you already had made up your mind. But there’s no way you would bring it up again, and Greed-sama, being a gentleman, was trying to accept your wishes and give you time. Then, you won’t know when it will be, would you? In that case, I thought that I, your master, had to push you guys on your backs.”

Staring at her bright green eyes shining with glee, I thought I would never be able to match her.

……Well, no matter what the process has led to that point, in the end, we got married.

All I can do now is pray that my name won’t appear in the “Hero Tales” in the future.

If the Milford name is plastered there, our shame will become known to the world. I mean, in the first place I don’t want my ancestors’ names to be mentioned because they are already shameful.

Anyway, if I were to be mentioned, “Hero’s wife” would suffice.

I glanced at the bracelet in my left hand.

I got it after the wedding. It seems like it is a normal bracelet without the “bam!” effect.

But I still doubt it. What Greed-sama gave me couldn’t be normal. Surely there must be some hidden function. Because he is still wary of Verde.

Verde has not appeared since then. I’m sure he won’t come out until the magic adjustment is over.

Rufaga-sama does not say anything about him either. So I don’t know what will happen to that plan . . . But I have a vague idea. In the near future, at a time when people have forgotten about the Demon King and the demons, I think they will take the matter into their own hands.

It won’t be long before Ren Shirosaki’s “impossible dream” becomes a reality.

Suddenly, there was a knock, and a tall man entered the room.

“I got a message from the Hero’s party. They finished the battle safely. After the post-processing is over, they’ll return immediately.”

It was Rufas-sama, the childhood friend of Farah-sama.

A white dove was perching on his shoulder, but after Rufas-sama finished speaking, the dove suddenly faded and disappeared in an instant. It seems to be a forerunner sent by magic.

“Princess, they are coming back safely!”

Standing up from my chair, I excitedly told the Princess.

“They will be teleported to the front yard. I want to welcome Farah, so I will excuse myself.”

Rufas-sama said that with a smile and disappeared from the spot with magic.

“As always, the one he only cares about is Farah.”

Milly-sama muttered with censure in her tone.

After regaining his consciousness, Rufas-sama joined the Hero’s party, but this time he stayed together with Milly-sama to protect us.

There’s a barrier installed here, so I don’t think we need escorts, but there are always two members who are left behind. He said that demons aren’t the only ones we should be wary of.

Certainly, there is also the issue of succession to the throne of Elusion, and everything is not as peaceful as it was when I was in Schwarze, so it may be unavoidable.

“Oh, Rufas-sama, you’re already in the front yard.”

The princess looked out of the window and said in surprise.

When I heard her, I peered through the window and saw a platinum-blonde man wearing a magician's robe near the center of the large front yard.

Rufas-sama, who is hardly affable to people, is smiling.

He seems to be jealous of everyone who traveled with Farah-sama all the while he was sleeping, so he sometimes spits out harsh words. He wanted to go with Farah-sama again this time, but he reluctantly stayed because Farah-sama told him, “We will leave the Princess and Aria in your care, Rufas.”

Apparently, he doesn’t like Farah-sama joining an all-male party. He didn't say it, but it’s pretty obvious. And obviously, the airhead Farah-sama isn’t aware of his feelings

Most of my recent tsukkomi is directed at Farah-sama and Rufas-sama.

“The fact that Rufas-sama is waiting for Farah-sama means that everyone will be back soon.”

The princess said with her eyes shining.

“Yes. I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”

──Greed-sama is returning.

I remember when I was imprisoned in the Demon King’s Castle.

At that time, I always thought that I would return to Greed-sama.

……Yes, before we knew it, we found our home with each other.

That’s why I have no regrets, Greed-sama, that I took your hand.

“Aria, let’s go and welcome them.”

The princess smiled and said.

“Yes.”

I nodded with a smile and left the room with the Princess and Milly-sama to welcome the people who are important to us.

 

──The Hero suddenly proposed to me.

 

The girl chosen by the Hero is not a princess, but a mere maid. She was just any ordinary girl.

Then various things happened. We pushed and pulled, I got angry, we laughed, I got targeted by demons, I got kidnapped.

But in the end, I was rescued and we tied the knot together. My story with Greed-sama ended with a happy ending.

So let’s end here with the usual words.

──And they lived happily ever after.