Chapter 20: Battle Maids
"Don't joke around, Rosan, Elan, Vivin... Battle maids? What even is that supposed to mean?" I couldn't wrap my head around it. The three maids who had been by my side for as long as I could remember—just who were they, really?
Rosan, the eldest at 35, was an attractive woman with long dark red hair and a figure that could easily make women at her age jealous. Despite being an adult, she still looked youthful, always smiling and caring, but her attitude always firm. She was the one who often scolded me whenever I acted indecently.
Elan, a woman the same age as Rosan, she had long golden hair that flowed gracefully, complementing her slim, elegant frame. Her reserved and cool personality made her seem unapproachable, yet she exuded reliability—a quiet but ever-present strength.
Then there was Vivin, the youngest of the three at only 20. Slightly younger than me, she had short green hair, an ideal build, and a pair of glasses that gave her an air of intellect. But that impression was often ruined by her careless, blunt nature. It was her endearing clumsiness that made her an easy target for my teasing.
And now they were claiming to be battle maids. I'd never heard anything so absurd. Had they been keeping this from me all along? Or was this something Naoki—my past self before I lost my memories—already knew about?
I shifted my gaze back to them, my confusion evident. Rosan took a deep breath, her face set in a serious expression.
"We are battle maids who have served Ayame-sama, your mother, Lord Naoki."
"My mother?" I asked, still trying to process this revelation. "You've been looking after her since before I was born?"
"That's correct," Rosan nodded. "More specifically, Elan and I were her personal maids long before you came into this world."
"Even as children, we were trained to serve the Blackmore family," she continued, her tone softening as she recounted the story. "Before becoming maids, Elan and I were... slaves. We were trafficked and forced to fight for survival. One day, Ayame-sama and the Blackmore family rescued us from that nightmare."
Elan, standing beside her, nodded in agreement. "It's true, Lord Naoki. I will always be grateful to your mother for saving us and giving us a new life. Without her, we wouldn't be here."