As he spoke, Harvey watched her round little face twitch slightly.
‘She’s actually quite interesting.’
The thought suddenly popped into his head.
Although this noble girl spoke very rudely, she did not seem like a bad person.
Before Harvey could fully recover from her declaration of “administering justice,” the round-faced noble girl waved her hand impatiently.
“What are you doing standing there?”
She lifted her chin and commanded in a tone that took obedience for granted, “Lead the way.”
Harvey looked at her, dazed.
“To where?”
“Do you have no brains? To my palace — no, my bedroom, of course.”
The young girl spoke with total conviction. “Do you expect me to just stand here forever?”
‘This person is far too dull.’
If she hadn’t seen how diligently he was cleaning just now, she wouldn’t have bothered with these troublesome matters between attendants.
Harvey hesitated for a moment before deciding to prioritize the matter at hand.
“Miss, you should know… the manors provided by the Academy are intended for two people to share.”
He pointed toward the corridor on the other side.
“That side is the area where you will be living.”
The girl was clearly dissatisfied with how he addressed her, but she still followed his finger to take a look.
The stairs and corridors over there were cleaned very thoroughly. However, the furnishings were much simpler, appearing somewhat cold and lonely.
She then looked back at the side Harvey was on.
The Duke’s Mansion had clearly been far more meticulous in preparing for Lavia. Whether it was the decorations on the walls or the arrangement of the ornaments, everything was exquisite and sophisticated.
Comparing the two sides, the gap was far too obvious.
The girl could also see the difference in value, and she furrowed her brows.
“Are you saying — “
“That the place over there is the residence the Attendant Officer prepared for me?”
Harvey didn’t know what an Attendant Officer was, but he nodded anyway.
“Yes, Miss.”
The girl fell silent for a moment.
Looking at those simple decorations, her expression turned noticeably sour.
“Damnable fellow. How could I share a residence with someone else?” she muttered, her gaze sweeping across the hall once more.
She seemed to make a sudden decision.
“Since there are rooms on this side as well, why can’t I stay here?”
This sentence caused Harvey to freeze for a moment.
He quickly advised her, “This side… is already occupied. It would be quite rude if you were to enter without permission, Miss.”
He absolutely could not allow a stranger to barge into Lavia’s private room.
The girl raised her eyebrows.
“Occupied?”
She glanced at the hall again. It was so quiet that not even a whisper could be heard.
“Where is the person, then?”
Harvey explained, “While I was cleaning just now, they headed to the Academic Records Office. They are likely handling enrollment procedures… Uh, Miss, you…”
He had intended to remind her that she also needed to handle her procedures. However, upon hearing this, the displeasure on the girl’s face actually dissipated slightly.
“They aren’t here?” she said triumphantly. “Since they aren’t here, what does it matter if I move in first?”
Her tone was matter-of-fact, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.
‘Can you just seize someone else’s room just because they aren’t there? Is this thief logic?’
Harvey was somewhat stunned.
“But the other party has already moved in. Miss, you…”
Before he could finish his protest, the two maids standing behind the girl stepped forward nervously.
One of them whispered a hurried reminder, “Your Highness, this is indeed inappropriate…”
“What’s inappropriate about it? I think this side suits me better.”
“But this is someone else’s place after all. You’re…”
The girl was clearly growing impatient.
“So what?” She lifted her round chin, her face full of pride. “With my status, do I really need someone else’s permission to decide which room I want to stay in?”
The two maids looked at each other, their faces filled with embarrassment. They knew their lady’s temper all too well. If they continued to argue, it would only make her angrier, yet they couldn’t just let her act so recklessly.
Harvey was also stunned. This tone of entitlement left him unsure of how to respond for a moment.
Seeing that the girl had already started to step past him toward the corridor, Harvey quickly moved to block her path.
“What are you doing?!” the girl glared at him, enraged. “How dare you stand in my way!”
Her round little face flushed bright red. Her wide skirt swayed as she moved, making her already plump figure seem even more imposing.
Harvey was intimidated by her aura, but since he was already standing there, he could only steel himself and speak.
“Miss.” He tried to make his voice sound as steady as possible. “If you truly wish to live on this side… it isn’t entirely impossible.”
As soon as he said this, the mistress and her two servants were all stunned. The person who had been obstructing her just a moment ago had suddenly changed his tune.
Harvey did not stop.
“However…” He paused slightly, as if weighing his words. Then, he offered a serious suggestion. “You should at least ask the person living here first.”
His tone was very much like a certain God’s style.
“…What?”
The girl looked at him in disbelief. She pointed a finger at herself. “You’re telling me to go ask for someone else’s opinion?”
Meeting her gaze, Harvey nodded with a serious face.
“I know that you are a reasonable person. Certain things are not worth your concern, nor should they be allowed to weigh on your mind.”
She lifted her chin slightly, as if accepting this compliment.
“But — ” Harvey drew out the word, capturing the attention of the three women. “Others might not think the same way. Since the other party moved into the room first, if you were to just take it…”
He looked earnestly at the noble girl in front of him.
“They will only say that you are using your status to oppress others.”
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant.
“Using my status?” The girl stared coldly at Harvey. “You think so too?”
It was as if a taboo had been touched; her aura shifted instantly. Her stout figure carried a powerful sense of pressure, making it difficult for Harvey to breathe.
“Of course not,” he explained. “I simply do not wish for such a thing to happen.”
The noble girl clearly did not believe his defense. She took a forceful step forward.
“Since when — ” she glared at Harvey furiously, ” — do I need to rely on such things to steal someone’s room?”
Harvey pressed his lips together, but he did not retreat.
“You certainly don’t need to, but others won’t see it that…”
“Is that the kind of person I am in your eyes?”
The girl was completely unable to listen to him. Her anger had clearly caused her to lose her reason.
Harvey looked at her and fell silent for a moment. The girl stared back at him with equal intensity.
“In my eyes, you certainly are not,” he whispered sincerely. “I am only thinking of you. If you truly like this room… at least speak with the other party first. That way, it won’t seem rude, and it will be more fitting of your status.”
Harvey felt that his words were quite dignified and should be enough to make the girl give up on the idea. But it seemed that what he hoped for was always at odds with reality.
The atmosphere in the front hall was as volatile as fire.
The two maids looked in horror at this male servant who didn’t know the heights of the heavens or the depths of the earth. Did he know what he was doing? Going against Her Highness?
The noble girl was trembling with rage. She stomped her foot hard.
“You! You insolent fellow! How dare you speak to me like that!”
The floorboards vibrated slightly with a thud.
Harvey felt weak inside, but he tried his best to maintain his composure on the outside.
“Miss, I am only thinking of you. Just as you were willing to understand my situation earlier.”
The girl stared at him intensely for a long while. Her dark gaze made a cold sweat break out on Harvey’s back.
‘Would this noble girl get so angry that she’d kill me on the spot?’
“Shut up!” the girl’s tone suddenly turned cold. “You say you’re thinking of me?”
“Yes, yes…” Seeing that her attitude seemed to have softened, Harvey nodded quickly. “If your reputation were to be damaged because of something like this, others would think that we attendants did not do our duty by failing to advise you against it.”
After saying this, he cast a subtle glance at the two maids.
The two of them reacted immediately.
“That’s right, Your Highness,” one of them chimed in. “We really have no need to do such a thing.”
The other maid followed suit. “With your status, if people were to gossip about you over such a trivial matter, it would be your loss.”
The two of them went back and forth, carefully following Harvey’s lead to persuade her.
After a moment, the girl suddenly raised her hand.
“Fine, I get it!” She looked coldly at Harvey and gave an unwilling nod. “Even though the way you talk is annoying… it isn’t completely without logic.”
The two maids looked at each other, their faces filled with undisguised shock.
‘Her Highness… actually listened?’
The girl was completely oblivious to their reaction. Her gaze remained fixed on Harvey. This fellow, whom she had just dismissed as a coward — he had actually dared to stand before her and say he was thinking of her.
She didn’t like this feeling. He didn’t seem to know his place at all.
She should have continued to lose her temper and teach this insolent fellow a lesson. But the anger circled in her chest and failed to find a way out.
Instead, it turned into, “In that case, when that person returns, I will ask them myself. If they don’t agree, I’ll just kick them out then. Will that do?”
“…”
Harvey lowered his head, pretending he hadn’t heard that last part. If this lady’s status was truly so noble that she could kick Miss Lavia out… then he had nothing more to say.
The atmosphere in the hall finally calmed down after the brief dispute.
The girl pressed a hand against her stomach. Her round little face crinkled.
“I’m hungry,” she declared matter-of-factly.
The two maids blinked, their expressions turning awkward.
“Your Highness, the snacks we brought…”
Before one could finish, the girl waved her hand impatiently. “I finished those ages ago.”
She glanced at Harvey.
“Since you’re so good at thinking of me — go and prepare lunch for me first.”
Her entitled attitude was matched only by the unreasonable nature of her demand.
Harvey remained silent for a moment.
‘Has this noble girl mistaken me for her own servant?’