CHAPTER 92: CLEANING
Wilhelm-sama and I were cleaning up the manor. The floors were left to Natalia and Mary, while Wilhelm-sama and I wiped off the dust from the shelves and furnishings.
I had not done much back in the Ambrose residence.
Basically, all that were in the house was left to the servants. Natalia did all the cleaning in my room.
Of course, I was taught not to do it myself, because the servants were paid quite a lot for it. There was remuneration for labor. If that labor was taken away, they would not be able to earn their salary.
But right now was fine.
Wilhelm-sama had no other servants, so I made up for what was lacking and had Natalia and Mary also clean up.
However…
「……how impressive, Wilhelm-sama」
「H-Hm……sorry……」
While wiping, the rag and the water in the bucket turned black.
The water must now be changed and the rags thoroughly washed. Wiping with dirty water and rag would only leave dirt behind.
Heave-ho, I lifted the bucket.
「T-Then, Wilhelm-sama. I w-will…go ch-change…the water」
「O-Oi, Carol. Let me handle that」
「T-Then……p-please……! 」
Heave-ho, I put down the bucket.
A bucket full of water was heavier than I expected. It was heavy enough for me to struggle even with both hands.
This would not do. I needed to exercise more.
Meanwhile, Wilhelm-sama…
「There we go…Then, let us head to the well at the back」
「……Yes」
Without effort.
He held the bucket in one hand, and lifted it without any trouble. The bucket I lifted with quite a struggle seemed like it was not heavy at all.
It was a little upsetting, since I had struggled with it.
「Take this! 」
「Hm? What is it, Carol? 」
「Nothing」
I slightly poked Wilhelm-sama’s back.
Wilhelm-sama only tilted his head in wonder, unsurprisingly feeling no pain. While it was natural for a man’s physical strength to be different from a woman’s, my physique could not be compared to Wilhelm-sama’s well-trained one. In fact, the finger I poked with hurt. His back was very hard.
I pursed my lips in petty resistance. Wilhelm-sama smiled at that.
I went with Wilhelm-sama to the well at the back.
One draws water from the well with a bucket, but I actually had never done it before. We had a well back at home, but the servants did all of the preparations. It seemed that when men did the drawing, they were able to do so even with a full container. But when women did it, they were unable to lift the container unless it was filled to only around half.
Naturally, Wilhelm-sama would easily be able to draw up a container filled with water. But the task of drawing water was a hard work everyone disliked, even among the servants of the Ambrose ducal house.
The black water in the bucket was poured into the drain at the edge of the yard. This drain was connected to the river through the pipe.
The bucket’s interior was thoroughly washed and filled in with fresh water. After that, the rag was also thoroughly washed, and then we were done.
Now, we shall continue cleaning.
「Ah! Captain Wilhelm! 」
「Hm……? 」
It was then that we suddenly heard a voice coming from the manor’s gates.
And just in time too, as we were about to return from the back yard to the entrance. It was a face I had seen before at the time of my lectures. I do not remember his name, but he was likely from the Order.
I wonder what happened.
「M-My apologies, even though you are off duty……」
「No, it is all right. What happened? 」
「Sir! During the training of the fourth and fifth battalions, an accident……! 」
「I understand. I will head there immediately. You go back first」
「Yes, sir! 」
The knight rushed out of the gate and got on a horse.
He probably hurried over on horseback. Wilhelm-sama also ran from the entrance towards the stable in the opposite direction, apparently having his own horse too.
Then, Wilhelm-sama went back to me on his horse.
「Forgive me, Carol. I have to go to work for a while」
「All right. Please take care. See you in a while, Wilhelm-sama」
「I……do not know when I will be back. I might be late, so have your meal first. If you do not have enough ingredients, feel free to go and buy them」
「I understand」
Relieved by my reply, Wilhelm-sama turned away and rode away on his horse.
Although I had fun cleaning together for the first time, there was no helping it if it was work.
The knight captain said he would retire, but he still seemed to have an important position in the Order while he lives. I am not aware of the details, but he was something like an advisor.
「Heave-ho」
I lifted the heavy bucket and entered the manor.
While it was a pity Wilhelm-sama went to work, I shall concentrate on cleaning.
Then, should I surprise Wilhelm-sama with sparkling cleanliness when he returned from work?
Heave-ho, heave ho. Carrying the bucket over, I once again wiped down the furnishings and shelves with the clean rag. It made me happy just having them get cleaner little by little.
「Huh……? Ojou-sama, where did Wilhelm-sama go? 」
「Wilhelm-sama went to work. There seems to be an emergency」
「He…left……? 」
「Natalia, after partly cleaning the floor, please go and clean the kitchen. Make it so where we can at least make dinner」
「I understand」
I cleaned while humming a tune.
Wilhelm-sama might not be here, but thinking of how I was currently cleaning Wilhelm-sama’s manor was enough for me to have a pleasant time.
However, I had not been giving lectures in the Order for a while now. I should come back to it soon.
Then, should I make some documents tonight?
Also, if I could prepare my room, I would have to carry over my luggage. There were a lot of clothes, books for making documents, room furnishings, and trousseaus.
「For now, let us leave the empty rooms for tomorrow onwards. For today, we will work on the hallways, Wilhelm-sama’s room, and my room. And also, you two will live in, so please arrange a room for you two. Our aim is to be able to sleep on a bed by today」
「Yes! Ojou-sama! 」
「Understood」
In the end, on my first day of marriage…
All I did was to clean all day.
And so.
I had dinner with the other two and continued cleaning afterwards, up until we all grew exhausted and went to bed.
Wilhelm-sama did not return.
CHAPTER 92: CLEANING
Wilhelm-sama and I were cleaning up the manor. The floors were left to Natalia and Mary, while Wilhelm-sama and I wiped off the dust from the shelves and furnishings.
I had not done much back in the Ambrose residence.
Basically, all that were in the house was left to the servants. Natalia did all the cleaning in my room.
Of course, I was taught not to do it myself, because the servants were paid quite a lot for it. There was remuneration for labor. If that labor was taken away, they would not be able to earn their salary.
But right now was fine.
Wilhelm-sama had no other servants, so I made up for what was lacking and had Natalia and Mary also clean up.
However…
「……how impressive, Wilhelm-sama」
「H-Hm……sorry……」
While wiping, the rag and the water in the bucket turned black.
The water must now be changed and the rags thoroughly washed. Wiping with dirty water and rag would only leave dirt behind.
Heave-ho, I lifted the bucket.
「T-Then, Wilhelm-sama. I w-will…go ch-change…the water」
「O-Oi, Carol. Let me handle that」
「T-Then……p-please……! 」
Heave-ho, I put down the bucket.
A bucket full of water was heavier than I expected. It was heavy enough for me to struggle even with both hands.
This would not do. I needed to exercise more.
Meanwhile, Wilhelm-sama…
「There we go…Then, let us head to the well at the back」
「……Yes」
Without effort.
He held the bucket in one hand, and lifted it without any trouble. The bucket I lifted with quite a struggle seemed like it was not heavy at all.
It was a little upsetting, since I had struggled with it.
「Take this! 」
「Hm? What is it, Carol? 」
「Nothing」
I slightly poked Wilhelm-sama’s back.
Wilhelm-sama only tilted his head in wonder, unsurprisingly feeling no pain. While it was natural for a man’s physical strength to be different from a woman’s, my physique could not be compared to Wilhelm-sama’s well-trained one. In fact, the finger I poked with hurt. His back was very hard.
I pursed my lips in petty resistance. Wilhelm-sama smiled at that.
I went with Wilhelm-sama to the well at the back.
One draws water from the well with a bucket, but I actually had never done it before. We had a well back at home, but the servants did all of the preparations. It seemed that when men did the drawing, they were able to do so even with a full container. But when women did it, they were unable to lift the container unless it was filled to only around half.
Naturally, Wilhelm-sama would easily be able to draw up a container filled with water. But the task of drawing water was a hard work everyone disliked, even among the servants of the Ambrose ducal house.
The black water in the bucket was poured into the drain at the edge of the yard. This drain was connected to the river through the pipe.
The bucket’s interior was thoroughly washed and filled in with fresh water. After that, the rag was also thoroughly washed, and then we were done.
Now, we shall continue cleaning.
「Ah! Captain Wilhelm! 」
「Hm……? 」
It was then that we suddenly heard a voice coming from the manor’s gates.
And just in time too, as we were about to return from the back yard to the entrance. It was a face I had seen before at the time of my lectures. I do not remember his name, but he was likely from the Order.
I wonder what happened.
「M-My apologies, even though you are off duty……」
「No, it is all right. What happened? 」
「Sir! During the training of the fourth and fifth battalions, an accident……! 」
「I understand. I will head there immediately. You go back first」
「Yes, sir! 」
The knight rushed out of the gate and got on a horse.
He probably hurried over on horseback. Wilhelm-sama also ran from the entrance towards the stable in the opposite direction, apparently having his own horse too.
Then, Wilhelm-sama went back to me on his horse.
「Forgive me, Carol. I have to go to work for a while」
「All right. Please take care. See you in a while, Wilhelm-sama」
「I……do not know when I will be back. I might be late, so have your meal first. If you do not have enough ingredients, feel free to go and buy them」
「I understand」
Relieved by my reply, Wilhelm-sama turned away and rode away on his horse.
Although I had fun cleaning together for the first time, there was no helping it if it was work.
The knight captain said he would retire, but he still seemed to have an important position in the Order while he lives. I am not aware of the details, but he was something like an advisor.
「Heave-ho」
I lifted the heavy bucket and entered the manor.
While it was a pity Wilhelm-sama went to work, I shall concentrate on cleaning.
Then, should I surprise Wilhelm-sama with sparkling cleanliness when he returned from work?
Heave-ho, heave ho. Carrying the bucket over, I once again wiped down the furnishings and shelves with the clean rag. It made me happy just having them get cleaner little by little.
「Huh……? Ojou-sama, where did Wilhelm-sama go? 」
「Wilhelm-sama went to work. There seems to be an emergency」
「He…left……? 」
「Natalia, after partly cleaning the floor, please go and clean the kitchen. Make it so where we can at least make dinner」
「I understand」
I cleaned while humming a tune.
Wilhelm-sama might not be here, but thinking of how I was currently cleaning Wilhelm-sama’s manor was enough for me to have a pleasant time.
However, I had not been giving lectures in the Order for a while now. I should come back to it soon.
Then, should I make some documents tonight?
Also, if I could prepare my room, I would have to carry over my luggage. There were a lot of clothes, books for making documents, room furnishings, and trousseaus.
「For now, let us leave the empty rooms for tomorrow onwards. For today, we will work on the hallways, Wilhelm-sama’s room, and my room. And also, you two will live in, so please arrange a room for you two. Our aim is to be able to sleep on a bed by today」
「Yes! Ojou-sama! 」
「Understood」
In the end, on my first day of marriage…
All I did was to clean all day.
And so.
I had dinner with the other two and continued cleaning afterwards, up until we all grew exhausted and went to bed.
Wilhelm-sama did not return.
