The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 290

Bell Maya was a young woman who was currently serving as the head maid for Duke Rothstaylor. She was a maid who went above and beyond her duties, being a model maid whom fellow maids followed and praised.

She was also an illegitimate daughter of Baron Flanchel.

When she was young, she almost became a scapegoat in a power struggle between two aristocratic families. However, thanks to her father Dalvern Flanchel’s quick thinking, the abbess of Cledric Monastery’s assistance, and the help of Elris—the former head maid of Ophelis Hall, Silvenia Academy’s highest-rated dormitory—she was able to gain her freedom.

Later, she continued to train as a senior maid of Ophelis Hall for a long period of time. Aside from being skilled at cleaning, she had a good eye for knowing what aristocrats were thinking or wanted, was capable of using intermediate magic, possessed excellent rapier skills, and even had the ability to oversee personnel and finances… No matter where you searched, she was the perfect, most ideal maid you could find.

While other women of her age were getting married or were still dreaming of Prince Charming sweeping them off their feet while riding a white horse, she had already accumulated enough wealth to buy hundreds of such white horses. As she was considered one of the continent’s most talented and competent individuals, countless aristocrats were drooling and trying to scout her.

Of course, with her talents, the concept of supply and demand existed. The more people who wanted to hire her, the more expensive her salary became. Tanya Rothstaylor, the head of House Rothstaylor, was the one who paid that large salary.

That was how a one-of-a-kind maid came to possess assets great enough to leave even average aristocrats in shock. And that incredibly capable maid, famous across the continent, was now…

“If anyone does anything stupid, I can’t guarantee the safety of Young Master Ed. Everyone, please stay away.”

On the roof of the Rothstaylor mansion, owned by the most powerful duchess and duke on the continent, Bell was tying up Ed Rothstaylor while staging a sit-in.

Yennekar Palerover, who was put in charge, looked up at the rooftop from the garden while sweating. Not only the other maids, but even the vassals of the house were in a cold sweat.

Bell Maya was staging a mutiny. To understand why she was acting this way, you first had to go back a little…

* * *

In an office at Rothstaylor Mansion, the owner of said mansion was sitting at a desk much larger than herself. All around her were visibly expensive art pieces. Her blonde hair fell across her shoulders like wings.

She looked up at the artwork on the walls and said, “I’ll have to raise Bell’s salary even more this time.”

As the legitimate successor to the previous head of the house, Duke Krepin Rothstaylor, Tanya Rothstaylor held and protected all of the authority and power of the Rothstaylor name. However, compared to the incredible authority she held, Tanya could not help worrying that her small frame made her seem less dignified than her status demanded. After all, she was still too young to wear such overwhelming power with complete ease.

That young and powerful woman quickly flipped through the papers on her desk as she spoke to her most loyal servant, the head maid.

“Are you talking about my salary? I’m already getting enough,” Bell Maya asked.

“That may be true, but… It seems that Margrave Bellefros and Marquis Antel are eyeing you again,” Tanya said.

“Even if they offered to pay me a little more, I wouldn’t move to another estate so easily. After all, House Rothstaylor treats me well.”

“Hmm… This is a problem that goes just beyond how you feel, Bell.”

Duchess Tanya has attended several central meetings of the Empire as a representative of House Rothstaylor. Every time she did, a few other lords of various estates would approach her with offers, their eyes always on Bell.

Although it was rude to openly covet a servant of another estate, they would still approach her and try to formally negotiate a job change. The offers were often so impressive that it was difficult for Tanya to simply deny them on the spot. Because of that, Tanya felt that she needed to be more careful and considerate to keep a hold of Bell.

Even though Bell continued to serve Tanya faithfully without asking for a higher salary, if Tanya kept underpaying someone as famous and talented as her, it would reflect badly on House Rothstaylor. If you wanted to hold on to someone valuable, you had to treat them well. Otherwise, the image and authority of the master would suffer. Regardless of Bell’s refusal to accept a higher salary, Tanya still needed to pay her a proper minimum.

House Rothstaylor had experienced a rough few years after the horrendous acts of the previous head of the house, Krepin Rothstaylor. Though they managed to regain some of that lost prestige recently, if Tanya let her guard down, there was no telling when it might all come crumbling down again.

Ed Rothstaylor had been traveling across the continent playing with girls… No, he had been networking with them. Because of that, there were many people backing the family. They included the imperial princess, the saint of the Holy Father Building, and the head of Oldek’s Business Association.

Thanks to that, the House’s past glory had nearly all been restored. However, that didn’t mean that everything about the authority of the house had returned to what it once was.

“…Hmm… This is a headache…” Tanya mused.

Being a duke and duchess of the empire required spending a lot of money. If one lost their authority, they lost everything. After all, an aristocrat lived and died by their authority. That was why they needed to build massive mansions, decorate them with countless expensive and famous pieces of artwork, and acquire a large number of vassals. Otherwise, the house would lose all of its authority and its voice at the Imperial Central Conference.

Losing that voice was no different than death for an aristocrat.

“…Is there anything I can help you with?” Bell Maya asked.

“It’s alright, Bell. I’ll just have a cup of tea before I begin my afternoon plans. Can you bring me some?” Tanya replied.

“Yes, of course.”

Bell Maya was a perfect maid, but the resources to hire her were much too great. She was someone who had the salary of dozens of high-level maids combined. Of course, she did enough work to make up for it, but her salary continued to increase greatly.

It’s already past the point where we can justify such a salary for a single maid. However, looking at how people are acting, it seems that they’ll continue to try and raise their offers even higher at the next central meeting as well… Tanya scratched her chin as she was lost in thought.

It seemed that she would need to change Bell Maya’s position if she wanted to continue keeping her at Rothstaylor Mansion.

Thud!

“Hmm…”

Bell Maya closed the door of the office as she was lost in her thoughts.

‘Let’s not worry about such worldly interests as gold and wealth. Let’s just do our best to live a fruitful life under House Rothstaylor as the head maid.’

Although she was someone with such a mindset, her existence itself had begun to become a burden for her master. Something needed to be done.

“…Is there any way to legally lower my salary…” Bell mused.

It was a thought that would leave hard-working workers completely dumbfounded to hear. There was a degree to being loyal.

* * *

“Ed is coming back to the mansion next week! So, I went to look for some delicious types of tea!” Baroness Yennekar Palerover, who had come to visit the duke’s residence, was sitting at a tea table in the garden, laughing as she spoke.

Impressively skilled maids quickly appeared as they brought over tea sets. They also brought over a three-tier tray of refreshments, which was full of cakes and sweet fruits decorated with pretty chocolate flowers.

Yennekar Palerover smiled as she brought a cup of black tea to her mouth. She was begging to look more like an aristocrat. It took a long time for her to adapt to aristocratic culture, as she was a commoner and grew up in a poorer environment. The only reason she was able to act like a noble was probably all thanks to her maid’s efforts.

“Yes. We’ve also received word he will soon return. We are currently in a hurry trying to clean around his warehouse as well before he comes back, so please forgive the rather rambunctious atmosphere,” Bell Maya replied.

“Yes, of course! Don’t worry! I told you I don’t mind things like that!”

“Thank you for being so understanding.”

However, the uniquely bright and energetic tone of a commoner that popped out once in a while was indistinguishable because of her innate nature. Even when her beautifully braided hair was decorated with expensive flower-hairpins, Yennekar was still Yennekar. Rather, there were many servants who actually preferred her uniquely comfortable and cozy atmosphere. In its own way, it acted as a sense of leadership.

Ed and Tanya Rothstaylor were individuals who were extremely cold-hearted when necessary. So, it was nice to have Yennekar to at least be that one bright individual in your confidence. Bell Maya was well aware of that fact. She knew just how important Yennekar was to House Rothstaylor.

Bell said, “Lucy is coming back with him. I think it’s time for me to go back to my duties of holding her to her responsibilities, which I haven’t done for a long time.”

“Haha… Bell, you’re always so strict with Lucy,” Yennekar replied.

“I pray that she hasn’t caused Young Master Ed any trouble…”

Even though Bell was the one who spoke in a worried tone, Lucy would have probably been the one worried upon hearing what Bell was saying. In fact, there were only a few people in the entire Rothstaylor Mansion who were not afraid of Bell Maya.

The Rothstaylors had two swords. One was the genius elementalist, Yennekar Palerover. The other was the genius magician, Lucy Mayreel. As long as those two were a part of House Rothstaylor, it would be difficult for anyone to present any real danger or put any real pressure on them—no matter how many soldiers they may have.

Besides them, there is also the head of Oldek’s Business Association, the princess of the Kroel Empire, and the saint of the Holy Father Building… Every individual who was close to House Rothstaylor was extremely influential. Each and every one of them held tremendous power that was difficult to control.

However, someone had to hold the balance between all of those powerhouses—a person within House Rothstaylor that could take care of them. It was necessary to have an aide who was capable of taking care of private matters and fulfilling their duties. In their world, few people could accomplish such a task in front of such powerful individuals.

On the outside, Bell was just a servant of House Rothstaylor. However, it wouldn’t be strange to think of her as one of the leaders on the inside.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind, Bell,” Yennekar pointed out.

“…What?” Bell Maya asked.

“Even if others don’t see it, I can tell at a glance. After all, we’ve known each other since you worked at Ophelis Hall.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Huh? Wh-why are you apologizing?! Everyone knows how much is on your plate, so it’s no wonder that you would be full of worries.”

It was a novice mistake for a maid to show their inner feelings on their face. Bell Maya lamented quietly as she quickly went back to being expressionless, hiding her emotions.

Yennekar was a bright and cheerful girl who had a strange atmosphere around her that would draw out the sincerity of others. If Bell let her guard down for even a moment, even she was vulnerable to making such a mistake. After being with Yennekar for such a long time, she must have gotten careless after becoming so comfortable with her.

Yennekar was excited to be able to see Ed after such a long time. Even when she was standing still, you could see it all across her expression. Looking at Yennekar’s bright expression, Bell Maya let out a quiet sigh on the inside.

She said, “To be honest, I had the thought that I might be extra baggage for House Rothstaylor.”

Yennekar exclaimed, “What? You? But no one does their job as well as you! Ed and Tanya aren’t the type to praise people easily, yet they always talk about how important you are to the house. No one else even comes close to you.”

“I am grateful for how highly they think of me, but…I’m worried that because of it, it has caused an issue…”

“Hmm…” Yennekar then said, with a bright smile that made it seem as if she were a blossoming flower, “Well, I don’t think this is something for you to worry about. I don’t really understand these types of things, but I’m certain that Ed and Tanya are also taking care of your worries.”

Even though they seemed like empty words of comfort, surprisingly, they hit the nail on the head. A maid only needed to do a maid’s job. It might have seemed like an obvious truth, but when Yennekar said it, the meaning felt completely different.

Looking at Yennekar’s bright expression, a new idea flashed in Bell’s head.

* * *

Late at night, Bell sat at her desk in her room, deep in thought.

The surest way to lower her salary would be to make a major mistake, one that was hard to make up. However, if she did something too big, she might end up getting kicked out of the house or being punished. That would make it difficult to continue working for House Rothstaylor.

She would need to make a mistake that would cause a scandal, but not make her lose her place. If possible, a mistake that wouldn’t reflect poorly on the house—something that Ed and Tanya could take care of.

However, if news of her mistake didn’t spread, it wouldn’t affect her salary at all. So, it was important to do something that others would surely hear about.

In particular, she had to be careful when figuring out her motive. If rumors spread that she was after power or wealth, she wouldn’t be able to work as a maid again. So, she couldn’t have that type of scandal being spread around… But if it were due to something emotional, that could be more easily forgiven.

“Hmm… I have a rough idea,” Bell mused to herself, alone in the dark.

“Hmm…”

After coming up with a plan to some extent, she was left with perhaps the most difficult part.

Getting her master’s permission.

Although she was doing it for their sake, she couldn’t dare do such a thing without permission. That was what it meant to be a maid.

* * *

The next day, Bell Maya approached Ed Rothstaylor with her idea.

“How about we act as if I have a crush on you, Young Master Ed? Unable to control my feelings any longer, I end up kidnapping you. I think that would be the easiest plan of action,” Bell stated.

Ed, who was listening to Bell’s report, had no choice but to put down the tea he was drinking lest he choke. It was a miracle that he didn’t spill it. They sat in silence for a long while.

“…Please sign off on my plan,” Bell said.

The first report he received after returning to Rothstaylor Mansion after a long time away…was a report by the head maid Bell Maya on a plan for a revolt. It was the first time he had ever seen someone get permission to act as the antagonist.