Chapter 29 After Promotion

Maria POV

The very next morning after the promotion

I woke up early in the in the morning as always to do my maidly duties; I was still helping with tasks around the mansion.

Yesterday's promotion was a huge success since I was able to level up my wind element to level 2 and at the same time be able to get the water element. This promotion didn't just give me a physical boost but also a mental one. Personally, I never felt this energized except during the day after the awakening ceremony. 

Currently I am sweeping the dust and wiping the ornaments through the west wing of the second floor; this has been my area since I have been relegated back to maidly duties.

But my thoughts are slowly slipping back to my master; I didn't have the chance to see him yesterday after the promotion. I really wanted to see him since I was worried about him, and I also want to thank him for the opportunity he gave and continuously giving me. A person who is nothing without him. 

Right after I finished sweeping, I checked on the time. And it will almost be the time to wake Master up, so I returned the broom to its designated closet and cleaned myself up before going there.

Maria: *hum hum hum hum hum hum hum*

I was currently on my way to Master's room while humming a tone that my Master sometimes sings when he is bored. I don't know which song this was, but it has been stuck in my head ever since.

Master Nicholas, when he was a kid, has always been a deep sleeper; even now that he is ten, it still takes some time to wake him up to convince him to get up from his bed. Well, I understand that he loves his rest times, but he still needs to get up on his own. 

Maria: "What is he going to do without me?" she sighed as she thought about his lazy master.

*knock knock*

I knocked at the young master's room; usually the young master doesn't reply since he is still asleep. However, sometimes he also wakes up early if needed to be so. But that isn't the case today; he was quite tired yesterday since it was just recently promoted.

Since there was no reply from master, so I am sure he will still be asleep at this time.

I slowly opened the door. Opening it up, I saw the usual desk filled with books and documents near the edge of the room.

Maria: "Master, its time to wake up. It's already noon," she said in a hushed tone, clearly not wanting to wake Nicholas up.

Since he didn't wake up to my preliminary wake-up call. I then decided to first tidy his table up before waking him up. I picked up the books that had accumulated beside the desk and placed them back on the shelf in the corner beside his desk.

My Master likes to read books of different genres. I was one of his hobbies growing up, beside experimenting on different things he learned in these books. He was quite a curious and crafty child; he was just like me in a way before we even met. For me, it is one of his most charming characteristics, aside from his face, of course.

*blush* She blushed as she thought of her adventures with Nicholas.

Next, I arranged and sorted the documents related to his business; it was reports, plans, and some feedback from the nobles about the products.

Lastly, seeing his diary or journal on the table, I didn't check or move it as a sign of respect for my young master since it was quite personal to him. The first time I accidentally saw his journal was when I was cleaning his room four years ago. He was present, and I was curious, so I decided to ask him about it.

He said it was his journal, where he wrote some of his ideas and his daily life events. He also thought it was okay for me to check it since it was just like a note or diary in which he wrote the events of his daily life like an autobiography.

He also said I should refrain from reading this since it will be embarrassing for him, and it will also be more embarrassing for her since it has a lot of records of her and Clarice since he spends a lot of time with her in Nicholas life.

Maria: "Well, that's true. I bet he even recorded the day when he tricked me."

I was talking about the day I first met Nicholas. To be honest, we got off the wrong foot; it was even illogical if you thought how he made me his... maid. But looking at it now, it was like a blessing from the goddess that I met him at the time at that place. 

Maria: "UUuuuuu ❤" some weird voice involuntary left my breath.

I diligently tidied the desk, wiped it, and cleaned things around the room, opening the curtain to let the natural light in and opening the windows before proceeding to wake up my young master.

Maria: "Master, its time for breakfast; you need to wake up." She said with a loud and stern voice, clearly wanting to wake him up, different from her mellow voice earlier. 

I approached the young master lying down in his bed, sleeping peacefully, then stroked his cheeks slowly using my palms.

He still didn't wake up even if I raised my voice, so I just watched and avoided making any noise to avoid waking him up since he was quite tired from yesterday's promotion. Since I remembered that, Master took a lot more time than us in promotion, and as he finished promoting, he immediately went to his chamber to rest.

I began watching him diligently... 

---

Two hours after

*ahh-hha* Nicholas yawned as he woke up. He stretched his arms up and his legs wide, trying to wake them up. He really had a great night's sleep and felt quite refreshed and energized today; maybe the promotion took more toll on his body than he realized.

As he stretched his arms outward, he grabbed something soft. He was jolted awake by the unfamiliar object beside him and immediately opened his eyes.

What he saw was his left hand grabbing Maria's stomach. He explored her stomach a little bit, feeling her soft abdomen, before letting go, pretending not to notice.

Nicholas: "How *ahh-hhhaaaa* been here?" he yawned again as he asked how long Maria has been sitting beside him.

Maria: "Just a few minutes, Master," she said with a slight smile creeping in her face.

Maria: "Do you want to have breakfast in bed or the main dining room? The count and countess already had theirs just a while ago." She asked right after answering Nicholas question.

Nicholas: "Can I have it here? I'm still a bit tired from the promotion yesterday; I don't feel like moving for the time being." Nicholas replied as he raised his body from the bed to a sitting position since it was a bit awkward to talk to Maria in a laid position.

Nicholas: "By the way, how was your promotion? Was it better than expected?" Nicholas asked right after.

Maria: "Yes, Master, it was quite tedious and time-consuming, but overall, my experience was great. The secondary elemental core from the ice golem really boosted my power by a lot." Maria replied, then she bowed her head to Nicholas.

Maria: "I want to thank you again, Master, from the bottom of my heart. You didn't have to get such a rare resource for me, but I really appreciate it."

Maria: "I don't know how I will repay you for this, but I will surely do my best to rise up to your expectations."

Nicholas: "Ohhh, that's great news... Well, don't be too unfamiliar with me. You know I care about you guys very much."

He began to pat Maria's silky black hair, which caused her to lower her head and blush a little.

Nicholas: "Also, I'm sorry for not checking on you guys yesterday; I was quite tired after promotion, so I immediately went to bed."

Nicholas explained to Maria why he didn't check on them right after promoting.

Maria: "Yes, I heard from the maid that young master immediately went to bed right after taking a bath. It's fine; we were also quite tired yesterday, so we know how you felt, and also you took more time in promoting to the next level. So, we didn't mind that much that you didn't check on us right after," Maria said after Nicholas explained.

Nicholas used his left hand to then grab Maria's hand and slightly squeeze it.

Nicholas: "Thank you for understanding me. Hehe…" with a charming smile.

It was a critical hit for a young girl like Maria, who had a blooming affection for his young master. Her slightly blushed face became crimson as Nicholas did those things. To avoid Nicholas finding her blushing face, she suddenly turned away from Nicholas and said:

Maria: "I-Its fine, young master; we know you appreciated us dearly since you showed it through different means time and time again. Speaking of time, it's time for you to have breakfast; let me just get yours quickly," she said in reply to Nicholas critical attack.

Nicholas: "Oh, okay… Also, please bring a bellflower tea rather than the usual, please." He said casually as he let go of her hand.

Nicholas observed Maria scurried to the door like a little frightened mouse being chased by a predator. It was quite a cute scene.

Maria: "Thank you for your efforts, Maria; I also appreciate you guys more than you think," he said sincerely as a follow-up just right before Maria opened the door of his room.

Maria: "Umu," she replied, not looking back at Nicholas as she quickly went out the door.