NOVGO.NET Chapter 1253: Winter Outfit
Chapter 1253: Winter Outfit
As Quinlan stepped out of the master bedroom, the quiet of the mansion met his ears, and its welcoming smell met his nose, creating a calm rhythm he hadn’t felt in some time.
The tall doors opened, and there she stood.
Eira, the young maid he had once saved from the cruelty of the Greenvale twins after being bought in the auction, froze mid-step when her eyes landed on him. Then her lips parted, and tears welled instantly. She dropped into a deep bow, and her voice came shaking with joy.
“W–welcome back, Master Quinlan.”
He stopped. The sound of her voice, the tremor in it, the sheer disbelief, it all told him everything. Slowly, he turned his gaze to the woman in his arms.
“I was out for a while, huh?” he murmured.
Seraphiel chuckled softly, her tone somewhere between fondness and teasing. “You could say that.”
But Quinlan’s focus drifted back to Eira. Something about her looked different.
Her maid uniform no longer had the frilly design that exposed her arms and legs. Now, she wore a thicker, long-sleeved version which was lined with dark wool and trimmed neatly at the cuffs. Her skirt was longer, too, falling below the knees with warm leggings beneath.
However, it wasn’t the fashion change that struck him; it was the simple practicality.
The evident need for warmth.
He glanced around, catching the slight chill in the air and the pale light filtering through the hall’s windows. A realization clicked into place.
“So it’s winter proper now.”
Seraphiel scoffed cutely in his hands. “You jumped out of bed so fast, I didn’t even get to tell you. You’ve been asleep for two months.”
Quinlan blinked once, then exhaled a quiet laugh. “Two months…”
He walked toward the nearest window.
The glass fogged as his breath touched it, and beyond it lay a scene of pure stillness. The world outside was blanketed in snow, thick and pristine. The forests that stretched around his estate shimmered beneath a silver sheen, and their branches were heavy with frost.
For a moment, Quinlan simply stood there, watching.
A warm smile tugged at his lips. The mesmerizing sight of the snow-covered land, his land, brought with it a quiet satisfaction, the kind that rooted deep inside the chest.
Quinlan tore his gaze from the snow and looked back. First at Eira, then at the elf in his arms.
“But tell me,” he mused with a half-smile, “are we really so poor that we can’t afford heating? Why is our maid dressed like she has to work in freezing temperatures?”
Eira’s cheeks turned bright pink the instant she realized she was the subject of discussion. Her hands twisted around her apron as she tried to disappear.
Quinlan had to admit, the sight of this maid girl was quite adorable. Eira seemed to greatly struggle when it came to being in his presence for some odd reason.
Seraphiel blinked in disbelief, then wriggled out of his grasp and landed gracefully on her feet. “Wait, you think we’re that cruel?”
She then gestured at herself. Her dress was a noble elven gown with open sleeves and a neckline that left her shoulders bare. Her skirt was elegant, but it had no leggings beneath, revealing her sexy legs and bare feet.
It was her way of saying, ’Look at me, do I look cold?’
“Is that supposed to help your case?” he asked with an amused expression.
“… You’re messing with me, I know it!” The elf planted her fists on her hips as she ventured to explain, “The girls and I don’t even feel this kind of chill anymore. Our Vitality stats are through the roof. But the maids and the civilians, like Aurora’s parents and Jasmine’s mother, do feel it. Yet when Lucille mentioned buying heating artifacts, you wouldn’t believe what these miscreants did.”
Eira made a tiny sound, a nervous, adorable whimper that made Seraphiel smile despite herself.
“A protest was organized,” Seraphiel continued. “A real one! They begged us not to waste gold on something they said was unnecessary.”
Quinlan tilted his head with even more amusement flickering in his eyes.
He glanced back at Eira, who was staring at her boots now, trying not to fidget but failing at it.
The pieces clicked together in his mind. Of course. The maids came from the humblest of origins, and the parents weren’t much better off either. Even the alchemist couple wasn’t exactly wealthy before joining him. To them, living with a bit of cold air in winter was normal.
Rather than normal, it was to be expected.
They probably thought it would be wasteful to spend so much on comfort that their lord and his high-Vitality partners didn’t even need.
It was humble. And very human.
“I see,” Quinlan said at last while pinching the cheek of the pouting elven lover of his. Sera sent him a nasty side-eye, but she was far too happy to have him finally back with her to be able to continue her angry girlfriend act, evidenced by the warmth in her eyes that almost instantly replaced the previous expression he was given.
A grin tugged at his lips as he began stroking her lush blonde hair and added, “That makes sense. Still, I’ll take care of it soon. We’re too filthy rich to have a cold home.”
His gaze then drifted back to Eira, lingering just long enough to make her shuffle her feet again. “But I’ll have to admit, this new maid outfit is great. Approved.”
Her blush deepened until it nearly reached her ears. “T-thank you, Master Quinlan…”
Seraphiel, happy to see just how overjoyed the girl was to get his praise, smiled at the girl before looking at Quinlan.
“That uniform is the result of team effort and dedication! Clarisse, the most experienced maid, taught the others how to sew in their free time, and they made all the warm uniforms themselves, so we spent as little on them as possible. Aren’t our maids awesome? Not only are they pleasant to look at and know their craft very well, but unlike most maids serving their lords, ours are very frugal as well.”
Eira gasped softly in response, caught off guard by the kind words. Her eyes widened, shimmering faintly with emotion. “Lady Seraphiel truly thinks so?”
“Of course I do,” the elf said, beaming. “You all did wonderfully.”
Eira bowed her head, smiling in shy disbelief as warmth spread across her face thanks to the kindness in her lady’s voice.
Quinlan watched the exchange with the corner of his mouth curving upward, knowing full well that his lover was doing this to make the timid girl feel better.
Not that the elf was saying nonsense she didn’t believe, not at all. Just that she was highlighting how she realized and respects their efforts.
The world outside might’ve been buried in snow, but here, within his home, warmth was seemingly everywhere.
But while it was lovely to be back, and even more so to witness his beloved elf interact with the timid human teen… “It’s time to get a meeting going. I’m feeling restless,” Quinlan decreed at last with his tone carrying that blend of calm and command his subordinates were all too familiar with.
Seraphiel tilted her head, still smiling, though there was a definitive curiosity behind her eyes now. “You seem to be in quite a rush.”
“I’ve been playing the role of the sleeping beauty for far too long. At this rate, I won’t even be able to profit from all the chaos our efforts have brought upon the kingdom.”
The warmth in Seraphiel’s face shifted into something much, much sharper. While her smile didn’t fade, the air around her changed, taking on the edge of understanding. She knew exactly what that meant; her man was about to move again, and when he did, the entire board would shift with him.
Now more so than ever before.
As they started down the corridor, the sound of their steps echoed against the marble floor. Eira followed close behind as the dutiful maid that she was, with her hands clasped before her apron, waiting for an order.
“Eira,” Quinlan spoke up suddenly after glancing over his shoulder, “get Clarisse and meet us in the conference room.”
The girl blinked in surprise, caught off guard by being included in such a matter. But she quickly bowed. “Yes, Master Quinlan!” She turned and hurried off, nearly tripping over her own feet before steadying herself.