First, however, was the important business of greeting the children. The hour spent being mobbed by them was time well spent, and Katarina and Lady Cavendish introduced the Ashina and Gerudo children, who were slightly older than the rest. Maria committed faces and names to memory. Even if she couldn't speak their language yet, she would at least know their names.
Lords Copperfield and Silverberg were surprisingly good with the children, and volunteered to play with them as the rest followed Maria and Rafael around.
"You've already met Bill," Rafael said as they walked. "He and nine other men have come on as armsmen. They have hunting experience, most men in the village do, so they know to keep still and keep an ear out at night. They rotate who's manning the gate while the others patrol the manor and outbuildings at night, though in the future you'll probably need more to watch all your buildings. There's always one or two who might be tempted after all, so best to make temptation too much trouble."
"The kitchen staff have managed to get back to the rhythm of things, but I had to increase the staff beyond the initial estimates. We have over a hundred people on the estate, and quite frankly I'm a bit worried about how you'll feed them in future, which is why I went with Lady Katarina's suggestion to expand the fields. It gives the children chores to do, which mostly keeps them out of trouble."
"That many!" Sophia said, surprised.
Rafael shrugged. "No one took the offer to be taken back to their homelands. I suppose they had no one to go back to. In the interest of giving people something to do, I had Lady Katarina help me explain they had to clean and sweep their own rooms. In future, we might have them be in charge of doing their own laundry as well."
"Oh?" Maria said levelly, hearing him out.
"They need something to do, to keep them occupied," Rafael said, facing her and meeting her eyes through the helmet. "They have no one to take vengeance on to keep them going. Lady Fitts from the Medicinal Magic department recommended they be put on suicide watch. With nothing to live for, they might not see the point of living. The staff have been told and have been asked to keep track of all blades, rope and poisons, but really, all anyone needs to do is jump out a window and land on their head"
"That's terrible!" Lady Landoor said.
"Callous as this may sound, have you tried throwing Lady Katarina at the problem?" Maria asked.
"Eh? Me?" Katarina said, pointing at herself and tilting her head.
"It's been of limited effect," Rafael said dryly. "While they been receptive and seem to enjoy their company, they don't react as strongly as most subjects tend to."
"As her fiancé, I have to ask you to stop trying to make people feel better about themselves by introducing them to Katarina," the Third Prince said.
"As her brother, I second this," Lord Claes said blandly.
"Thirded!" Lady Hunt cried.
"I DID say it wasn't working, didn't I?" Rafael said. "So relax, you have no exotic competition to worry about. The children take to her better, but that's to be expected."
Everyone nodded. They all knew how good Katarina was with children.
"I feel like I'm missing something…" Katarina muttered.
Lord Claes reached into a pocket. "Have a cookie, sis."
"Ooh, cookie! Yum!"
They walked the grounds, and Rafael pointed out the new buildings. The site for their future nightflower manufactory was already marked out and being prepared, while another area closer to the manor where the gardens used to be had been marked for the future bathhouse, which would need to be made of stone and tile and thus would take more time. The storage facility for gunpowder wasn't even marked out yet, but as they didn't have much, that was all right. Thankfully, the laundry facilities were actually quite suitable, especially since they wouldn't be changing the sheets daily.
Eventually, the others went exploring on their own or just went back to Katarina, accompanied by a maid to warn them away from the occupied areas, leaving Maria and Rafael alone. After a brief stretch of corridor of them holding hands, Maria was introduced to her new staff, especially the three new women who would be taking care of the children as well, friends and kin of the original 3 caretakers, the kitchen staff who were all busy preparing food for the whole estate AND the visitors, the stable staff who tended to Maria's new horses and the old Dieke carriage that had been stripped of all insignia in the midst of being repaired, and the new maids who cleaned and took care of the manor and her… well, not rescuees anymore. Older wards, perhaps.
They all looked vaguely familiar, possibly because she'd met them briefly when she'd asked the mayor to let out she needed help, and over half of the staff had experience working at the manor from the old days. She was also introduced to her new steward, who would be handling the day to day details of the estate most of the time. His name was Alfred Ghirardeli, who'd once worked at the manor as the valet of Sirius Dieke.
"My condolences," Maria said as Rafael tried to look casual. "Now that you tell me, I believe I remember seeing you sometimes at the Academy. I'm sorry for the loss of Lord Dieke. He was an adequate student council president."
"Thank you for saying so, your ladyship," the steward said. "If it helps, his lordship always spoke well of you. Spoke well of you exclusively, he did."
"Really?" Maria said as Rafael shuffled nervously.
"Yes, your ladyship. In his absence, it is an honor to be in your service," Ghirardeli said with a bow. "His loss and mysterious disappearance was a blow to us all. Still, he left us doing what he loved: finally getting vengeance on the late Marchioness."
"Oh? The staff was aware of his opinion regarding… that woman?" Maria said.
"Yes, we would sometimes find him standing alone, clenching his fists and muttering to himself about his vengeance," Ghirardeli said, and Maria resisted the urge to stare at Rafael. "We kept it quite of course, didn't want to alarm the Marchioness. Still, I've always wondered whether it had anything to do with the night he went from being sickly and at death's cliff-face to perfectly healthy, twenty pounds lighter, three inches taller and his face being all different in the morning. "
"Truly? How queer," Maria said.
"Yes, I thought so," Ghirardeli said. "Still, he grew up into a fine young man, if I do say so myself. Alas, I can no longer serve him, but I hope that one day he will walk these grounds again, his face free to the wind."
Maria tilted her head, staring into her steward's guileless eyes… and nodded. "I hope you one day get your wish, my steward. Tell me, how many of this manor's hidden passages and rooms do you know of?"
"9, your ladyship," he said.
The children had found 14. "I see. Then I shall acquaint you with the other 5 while you report to me the current condition of the estate and manor," Maria said. "Incidentally, how many of the current staff also served you lord Dieke at the academy?"
"Oh, Miss Poppins, Mrs. McFee, and Miss Soulsplenty were all at the academy with me, but some of the maids also served him when he lived here. They knew to jump with great alacrity when they heard his voice, rare as that was," Ghiradeli said.
"I see," Maria said. She could feel Rafael wincing behind her. "You are aware of the sealed room?"
"The one that used to be the master's? Yes my lady, I am aware," Ghiradeli said.
"Please have it cleaned as it would have been in the days when he dwelled here," Maria said. "In case we need to have someone sleep there."
"As you say, my lady. Now, as to the estate and manor…"
Lunch was… strange. Although the food was in the long dining room table, everyone ate either sitting on the floor or standing around tables in the adjacent great hall, which explained why it was filled with so many rugs, carpets and coffee tables now. The children had their own table so that they wouldn't make a mess, and someone seemed to have modified a chair for Shio's tail.
The food itself was some kind of broth with noodles floating in it, as well as bits of meat and vegetables. Small bits.
"Lady Katarina's idea," Rafael said. "The Ashina women seem familiar with it, though we had to order these sticks they use to eat with from the carpenter in something of a rush. They use them instead of spoon and forks, though hex it if I know how Lady Katarina knew about them."
"Obviously they told her," Maria said, sitting at one of the tables and trying the dish herself using a spoon and fork. It was actually quite delicious, especially with a sliced boiled egg. "I take it she was the one who arranged those clothes for them?"
Rafael nodded. "Yes. They seemed uncomfortable in the donated clothes, so she had those made. It's apparently what they wear in Ashina. I think she also had the donated clothes modified to be more comfortable for them."
"I owe Lady Katarina many cookies, it seems," Maria said.
"Yes, she's the one who told me to add an extension to the kitchen just for you," Rafael said.
Maria blinked, staring at him.
"I think she's hoping you use it for more sweets," Rafael said. "Unless you're going to say lady knights don't bake?"
"It has never come up in any form of protocol, so there is no rule against it," Maria said.
"I'd have added it to your room," Rafael said, "but we weren't sure which one that was. The only thing we know is it's NOT the one that woman slept in."
"I have a mind to tear that down and make a balcony garden," Maria mused.
"Can I watch?" Rafael said eagerly.
"Lady Maria, Lady Maria!"
Maria and Rafael looked up at the cry to the smiling face of Katarina, leading one of the Ashina women by the hand. Maria blinked and recognized the girl by the well. No longer naked, she wore a jacket-like garment that with wide sleeves combined with a skirt that was likely one of the donated clothes. She walked with her hands clasped before her, head bowed. What was her name…?
"Lady Maria, Chiharu-san has something she wants to say to you," Katarina said, looking somehow excited and solemn at the same time. She nodded at Chiharu.
The Ashina girl took a breath and with great deliberation performed a curtsy. "R…La-dy Maria… Thank you very much… for saving… I. I… My life was worthless thing, but Lady Maria saved it. …my?… am very grateful. Thank you very much, Lady Maria. I… M-… Chiharu wishes to stand by your side forever. Thank you very much for saving I."
Maria blinked, starring. For a moment, there was silence.
Katarina rolled her eyes and gently elbowed Maria. "Say you're welcome," she hissed.
Maria frowned. "But–"
"Say it!" Katarina hissed. "She worked really hard on this!"
Maria pursed her lips and turned back to the Ashina girl. "You are welcome… Chiharu-san," Maria said, managing to remember the title Katarina had just used to refer to her.
Katarina said something in Ashinago. Chiharu let out a sigh of relief, but maintained her curtsy until Katarina said something else.
Then she knelt, and bowed, head to the floor and said something in Ashinago, apparently confident Katarina would translate it.
"She's repeating she wants to stand by your side forever," Katarina repeated. "And asks you to accept her oath as your vassal. She wants you to be her lord. Or lady, in this case. Um, it's like the scene in the novel where a knight is swearing themselves to the good prince because the prince has their respect."
For a moment, Maria stared, confused.
"If you don't say no, I'm going to tell her you said yes," Katarina threatened.
Maria shook herself. "Please tell her she doesn't need to do this."
Katarina gave her and look but said something. Chiharu answered back.
"She knows," Katarina said. "But she wants to. She wants to serve the one who thought her worth saving."
Chiharu said something.
"Because no one else ever did."
And what was Maria supposed to say to that? That saving her meant nothing?
Gently, Maria knelt and reached for Chiharu's chin, hesitated, and turned her hand. Chiharu lifted her head when Maria placed the back of her finger under it. There was no fear there, only earnestness and intensity.
"Tell her I accept her oath," Maria said, "And will accept her service and protect her until she should ever wish to leave, freely and of her own will."
Katarina said something, and Chiharu clutched at the hand lifting her head with both of hers, speaking like she was trying to get herself understood through sheer force of will.
"That day will never come, my lady. My body, my life, my Dark Soul is yours until the end of my days, to do with as you will," Katarina said translated.
"She didn't say that," Rafael accused.
"Eh heh. Well, close enough," Katarina said.
As Maria gently pulled Chiharu up to her feet, one of the Ashina women who had been standing nearby and watching put aside her bowl and fell to her knees, her head to the floor, and spoke what sounded like a plea.
"Oh! Ah, Suzuka-san would also like to swear herself to you–" Katarina began, only to be interrupted as another woman well to her knees and said something as well. "Eep! Um, Rin wants too–" Another woman went to her knees, made her own declarations. "Oh, Yui too? Ah–!" Katarina looked around in panic as more women went to their knees.
On that day, seven Ashina swore themselves to Maria Campbell.
Oathsworn Armband
An armband meant to be worn over the sleeve and pinned in place, adopted to differentiate those sworn to the Lady Maria from those merely under her care and protection. In time, the difference became meaningless, and they became a mark of pride in their allegiance.
Despite many sordid rumors, the belief that the wearers of the armband were chosen to have unnatural relations with their lady is false.
All wearers have sworn to stand by their lady's side forever, leading to many comparisons to the mythical queens Shanalotte and Alsanna.