3rd Day (2) | Building A Home (2)

Sebas's words stirred a flicker of contemplation in Anastasia, but... she shook her head, a small smile reluctantly tugging at the corner of her lips despite herself.

"...I am tasked with the duty of a lord for this region... which means I'll be too busy to even notice the sunrise," the young noblewoman murmured, her eyes meeting the butler's. "That is why I do not give much thought to what would be comfortable for me. However, with that in mind..."

She turned her gaze to her brunette knight, a smile of quiet resolve softening her features.

"...I'm in favor of optimizing our survival above all else."

Martha was taken aback for a moment by Anastasia's words, but quickly realized the meaning behind them.

"L-Lady Anastasia, does that mean... you're in favor of my plan?" the knight stammered, her voice tinged with a mix of surprise and hope.

Her mistress simply nodded, maintaining her smile that signified her approval. Receiving this approval, of course, brought a bright smile to the knight's face!

Though after that... the proud knight turned to the butler with smug, triumphant eyes—her bright smile twisting into a knowing smirk aimed squarely at him.

The butler himself simply raised an eyebrow at this smug knight's attitude toward him, but he turned his attention back to Anastasia once more.

"If that is your wish... then I will gladly follow through with it..."

But then... he stepped closer to the young noblewoman, lowering his head slightly to meet her gaze. The playful glint in his eyes dimmed, replaced with something far more earnest.

"Even so, you shouldn't disregard your own well-being, Lady Ana."

Anastasia felt her breath hitch, almost imperceptibly. She took a small, instinctive step back, startled by the sudden seriousness in his voice—a tone she still wasn't quite used to from him.

And subconsciously... she found herself averting her eyes from his steady, unwavering gaze.

For Sebas himself... he didn't press further. There was no need.

His words had at least given the fallen noblewoman something to ponder, leaving just enough room for reflection without lingering on it too long.

Then, as if the moment had never happened, he straightened up, the easygoing smile slipping back onto his face like a mask.

"Now then, I shall build the house in accordance with your wishes, my lady," he declared warmly, before turning to Martha, "and, of course, under the esteemed direction of Miss Knight~."

"H-huh?"

"Come on, now, Miss Knight," he approached the knight and clasped her shoulder, "let's build ourselves a good house for the lady."

"A-ah, yes!"

The butler left promptly, with a hastily flustered knight following after him... leaving the noblewoman to herself and her thoughts.

'...My own... well-being...'

The thought of such a thing was something she had been trying to shelve at the back of her mind... with no further success. Even though she herself had been striving to be a lord with a more pragmatic mindset...

"L-Lady Anastasia! Where are you?!?"

"...?"

A sudden shout echoed from her sleeping tent, snapping Anastasia from her thoughts.

Moments later, Bella burst out, her blonde hair tousled and her apron slightly askew—clearly just roused from sleep.

The frantic look in her eyes darted around wildly, her breath uneven as if she'd sprinted out the moment she woke.

It didn't take long before the maid's panicked gaze landed on her 'missing' mistress, standing calmly outside, already dressed and prepared for the day.

Bella blinked, her mind needing a moment to process the sight... and then—

"I-I'm sorry for oversleeping again, my lady!"

< | X | >

One of the campsite's large tents had been taken down and stored away, with both Sebas and Martha had set to work transforming it into a construction site.

Sebas, his sleeves rolled up, hammered a nail into a wooden beam with precise care as his eyes flicked between the measurements.

Martha moved around, arranging the next set of planks, having forgone her knight armor in favor of a breathable tank top.

"This should be the last support beam, right?" Sebas asked, glancing at the structure with a critical eye, tapping his finger against the wood.

"Yeah, but make sure it's even. We don't want the roof of Lady Anastasia's first house to be slanting," Martha replied, inspecting the other side of the frame, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Got it. Just need to measure once more... and done!"

Martha wiped a bit of sweat from her brow, letting out a sigh of relief, "Good... We're almost done with this side then."

Anastasia, standing off to the side, observed with interest. Since she was still learning what it meant to be a lord, this was quite essential for her to witness and understand.

Of course, it wasn't as though there was nothing to do here for her...

But either way, the noblewoman hadn't expected her enigmatic super-butler to take his time with the construction.

"...Sir Sebas, pardon my interruption," she called out, stepping closer. "I would have thought you'd finish this faster, given your previous feats of strength..."

She had assumed this construction would be done in a matter of hours—minutes, even—not the steady, measured pace they were working at.

Sebas chuckled softly, not even glancing back at her.

"Well, Lady Ana... strength alone won't do the trick here. I've gotta hold back a bit," He remained focus on his task in front him, "wouldn't want to tear the whole place down by accident."

He demonstrated by 'gently' hammering another nail into the frame...

THUNK!

But that nail alone was driven in with a single swing of his hammer. On the other hand—

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Nearby, her knight was also hammering down a few nails on a beam, but for her, she had to hammer them a few more times before they were even close to fully in.

"Too much power, and I might tear this whole site down without even realizing it," Sebas chuckled, continuing to work with care. "You gotta be careful with these things."

"I-I see...That makes sense when you put it that way..."

"Rushing things isn't exactly ideal either. You've got to make sure it's well-built. We definitely don't want our rooftop to fall on us while we're sleeping, do we?"

Anastasia couldn't help but let out a small giggle at his joke. "Indeed, I wouldn't want that either."

Their conversation lingered as Sebas and Martha continued working.

Hours passed by and the sun climbing higher in the sky, and the construction slowly took shape—though it was still far from finished.

Just as the midday sun beat down on them, the sound of footsteps drew their attention... and a voice rang out, carrying over the construction site.

"L-lady Anastasia! E-everyone!! Lunch is ready!!!"