The morning sun was bright and cheerful, and birdsong filled the air.
“Master, it’s time to wake up~”
A sweet female voice came from the side.
Rod rubbed his eyes and looked towards the source of the sound.
A pretty maid was wearing a black and white high-collared gothic maid outfit. Her black knee-high boots gave her a look of remarkable spirit, and her golden hair, reaching down to her waist, was carelessly draped over her shoulders.
Rod yawned.
“What’s the matter? It’s just you, Sirudi…...”
Sirudi puffed out her cheeks, putting on a jealous act.
“Doesn’t Your Majesty miss Lady Rita? Perhaps we should ask Lady Rita to resume her position as your personal maid?”
Ten years had passed since the triple summoning from that day.
Five years ago, due to the rapid development of Arcadia and its dramatically expanding territory, Rita had to take on the full-time role of an administrative officer.
Therefore, she recommended the relatively free Sirudi to take on the additional role of Rod's personal maid.
Although both Sirudi and Rita share the trait of having bangs that cover their eyes, their personalities are vastly different.
Rita was the type to talk back to Rod because of his capricious behavior, but Sirudi, perhaps due to her origins as a demon servant, doted on Rod quite a bit.
“Of course not, I love every girl in the palace equally!”
“So...... my darling Sirudi, let me sleep a little longer.......”
Having naturally uttered those typical “player” lines, Rod rolled up the blanket and laid back down on the bed.
Sirudi crossed her arms, looking helpless.
“Your quota for whining this month is already up~”
“Besides, Master, you wouldn’t want Miss Alice to come wake you up, would you?”
Rod’s drowsy mind suddenly snapped awake.
He rubbed his eyes, sat up without a word and tossed the blanket aside, muttering in annoyance.
“Damn it, I shouldn’t have let Charlotte bring that stubborn little brat back!”
Sirudi giggled, holding Rod’s hand and leading him to the washroom, using a damp towel to wipe his face.
“You’ve said that 3600 times already. In the end, aren’t you the one who spoils her most?”
Alice was brought back three years after Charlotte left.
Charlotte Corday was travelling in the Asra Kingdom, carrying out the assassination plans assigned by Rod, while simultaneously planning her kidnapping scheme.
She happened to see a notice from the Grellart family about hiring teachers, so she applied without hesitation.
Alice was still young at the time, but her notorious reputation had already spread far and wide.
The eldest daughter of the upper-class noble Grellart family, the granddaughter of the lord of the Fitoya territory, and the daughter of the mayor of the capital city, Roya, she had multiple buffs stacked on top of each other.
On top of that, she had a grandfather who showered her with unconditional love.
Alice, at such a young age, was already a wild and unrestrained, rude and domineering, strong-willed girl, secretly ridiculed and ostracized by all those who considered themselves civilized nobles.
Graceful manners and intellectual prowess, the two hallmarks of a noble lady, were both completely absent from Alice.
Alice, due to her violent temperament and her frequent habit of resorting to violence, was even expelled from the noble school she attended and given the nickname “Mad Dog” by those around her.
Five previous tutors hired for Alice all resigned because they couldn’t tolerate her violence.
Until Charlotte arrived.
Charlotte, in her role as an assassin, could easily block all of Alice’s attacks.
However, Alice, like a stubborn ox, kept trying and never knew how to retreat.
With her father’s permission, every time Alice attempted an attack, Charlotte would strike back with her breath-blocking ability, frightening Alice half to death each time.
Each time she struck back, Charlotte would also take the opportunity to forcefully recount the story of a boy the same age as Alice.
The King died in battle, the country was weak and the ruler was young, and wolves surrounded them on all sides.
How the young boy rose from near-certain death step by step.
He purged the government, trained the army, rebuilt the city, and established a trading guild.
Ultimately, he transformed a small country far less powerful than Roya City into an indispensable force in the conflict zone.
Alice’s game of attack and counter-attack with Charlotte lasted a full year.
Later on, Alice wasn’t sure if she was doing this to get revenge or simply to learn more about the boy.
From initially scoffing at him, to becoming curious, to eventually secretly admiring the boy’s astounding intelligence, even though she stubbornly refused to admit it to this day.
Half a year later, a fat minister from the Asra Kingdom, coveting Alice, sent a large number of assassins, along with the housekeeper as an inside agent, to try and kidnap her.
For the first time in front of Alice, Charlotte unleashed her treasure.
After witnessing that battle, Alice became more docile in front of Charlotte.
Charlotte took this opportunity to explain her intentions to Alice’s father.
This was initially just an attempt, but unexpectedly, Alice’s father agreed after three days of consideration. However, the condition was that he had to keep it a secret from Alice’s grandfather when she left.
Whether it was due to concern for his daughter’s situation, or the nature of a noble to make a shrewd investment in the future.
Regardless, the red-haired Mad Dog reached the Arcadia she had always been curious about.
Rod, with Sirudi’s service, finished his washing, changed into comfortable home wear, and went to the hall together.
Compared to the environment ten years ago, where even homeless people would say they had gone home, the current hall was much more luxurious.
Giant white stone pillars supported the four-story building. A five-meter-long giant crystal chandelier hung straight down from the high ceiling, almost reaching the middle of the room.
The murals on the ceiling and the sculptures on either side were the work of renowned artists.
Exquisite carpets with various patterns covered the corridors and rooms.
Rod walked straight to the jade-white chair. As soon as he sat down, he heard a red-haired girl grumble in dissatisfaction.
“Too slow! You’ve grown up, but Rod still loves to sleep in!”
Rod rolled up his sleeves, his expression full of confidence as he began his daily pre-meal ritual.
Bickering with Alice!
“Humph, I don’t know who was still fond of sleeping with me until three years ago. Once we were separated, you would cry.”
Alice crossed her arms, her face blushing as she glared fiercely at Rod.
“T-Tch!”
“That woman just praised me for making rapid progress. Be careful, I’ll beat you up once I surpass you!”
Rod covered his forehead and sighed helplessly.
“I mean, she’s both your teacher and my teacher, you should respect her a little more!”
Alice pursed her lips, turning her head and humming.
“I refuse to acknowledge that she is my teacher!”
Rod looked at Girenu, who was sitting beside Alice.
In the palace, apart from Rod and Charlotte, Girenu and Alice had the best relationship.
Maybe the fact that the Grellart family had a gene for liking beastmen was actually true.
However, Girenu also gave Rod a helpless look.
After all, this girl was determined to do whatever she set her mind to, even if it meant banging her head against a wall.
“I’m full. I’m going out to practice swordsmanship!”
Even though she was still rude, Alice still formally saluted Rod before she strode out, her expression fierce.
Sirudi, unable to contain her curiosity, leaned down and whispered.
“Your Majesty, why does Miss Alice seem to dislike Captain Unokina so much?”
“Captain Unokina is the most gentle person I’ve ever met. How could she have a conflict with a little kid?”
Rod scratched his head, took a sip of hot milk, and looked embarrassed.
“Well, it might have something to do with me.”