落とし穴外伝：彼女の真実 (Part2)
“She’s so petite and capable, yet she turns into a total puddle of mush the moment Lord Yuki is around. It’s honestly adorable.”
“Right? Even in the Resident and Information Departments, where she has a reputation for being strict, everyone says she’s actually incredibly kind and cute.”
“It’s a classic case of the person in question being the only one who doesn't know.”
“Is that so? Does that mean I lack gravitas?”
Proph did not seem particularly pleased by Oriel’s observation. I suppose there are some things in life that can only be maintained through a certain level of professional distance and strictness.
“No, no, that’s not what I meant at all! You’re incredibly sharp when it comes to your work, and you definitely have gravitas!”
“I should hope so. Well, since the truth is a bit hard to swallow, let’s change the subject. I take it the three of you are simply relaxing on your day off?”
“Yes~. We got a little peckish~. Are you here for a snack too, Proph-san?”
“In a sense. I’ve run out of tasks to attend to, so I’m simply waiting here.”
“““Waiting?”””
The three of us tilted our heads in unison, mid-cake. There weren't any other plates on the table. Was she meeting someone?
“To be precise, I am simply waiting of my own volition. I want to be here to welcome Lord Yuki the moment he returns.”
“““Ah...”””
That made sense. Perfect sense, actually.
Proph always operated with Lord Yuki as her absolute priority. Even on a holiday like today, when she was off the clock with him, she remained glued to his side whenever she didn't have to worry about intruding on the wives.
We were the same in a way, but her level of devotion felt... deeper. More intense. You could see it just by looking at her now. While we were lounging about, Proph was focused entirely on Lord Yuki’s return.
Suddenly, a question bubbled up in my mind.
“Um, Proph-san... why do you... well, it’s a bit of an odd way to put it, but why do you adore him so much? Or rather, why are you so devoted to him?”
I really wondered why she held such absolute loyalty—no, such reverence—for Lord Yuki.
“I agree,” another added. “From my perspective, the way you serve him feels different from a maid like Kirue-sama, or even the way the wives do.”
“Ah, I think I get it~. I feel like Proph-san is a lot like Milly-sama~,” Hovis chimed in.
Like Milly-sama?
I didn't quite follow Hovis’s logic there. But Proph simply nodded at their words.
“You’re right. I don't see myself in the role of a maid or a wife. And being compared to Milly-sama feels accurate. It’s a form of worship, really. To me, he is a god.”
“Ah... now that you mention it, Milly-sama does have that tendency, doesn't she?”
“She basically agrees with everything Lord Yuki says~. Well, except when he tries to do something dangerous~.”
Hovis was right. Milly-sama did seem to have a certain level of dependency on Lord Yuki. To be fair, all of us—the wives included—depended on him to some degree, but with Milly-sama, it felt much more pronounced.
“Yes. Milly-sama’s stability is largely predicated on Lord Yuki’s existence. That has shifted slightly since the birth of her daughter, Yumi-sama, but Lord Yuki still occupies the vast majority of her heart. And I am the same.”
“If I remember correctly, you were saved by Lord Yuki, weren't you? He treated you for an illness?”
“Yes. At the time, I had a case of pneumonia so severe they didn't even have time to start a medical chart. I honestly thought I’d be saying goodbye to this world within a matter of days.”
I’d heard that story before. Proph had originally been a refugee who came to Lithia seeking salvation.
However, Lithia back then had been rotting with corruption. Bribes masquerading as ‘donations’ were the only way to get anything done, and a penniless outsider stood no chance of receiving medical care.