Chapter 10: A wife's job (part 2)
{Sorceress's POV}

Yukino described what she was doing as "a wife's job". Technically speaking, she was not really wrong, because her future mother-in-law had been doing that for a long time. Being the second heiress of a giant conglomerate had its perks, especially connections with the politics and the underworld. There had been cases where Vuong's mother supported his old man with intelligence bought and battered from those deals, and there were also cases when she was played and duped. Instead of asking her husband for support, she took matters into her own hands so that he could focus on the battlefield.

While Vuong's father had no definite proof about this, he simply knew. It was then a simple matter why he was so in love with her. Many famous and beautiful ladies had shown interest in him, yet he simply pushed them to the side, uncaring about the whole fiasco even if there were more than two hundred cameras pointing his way. He knew that his wife had done an exemplary job, and he must honour that result.

Vuong had learnt much from his father, including the part of loving the woman who had been extremely supportive and helpful. Granted, he had loved Yukino longer than that, but the point stood. The more she protected his back, the deeper the love between the two. Besides, was that not something a wife should do?

Now, she was sitting outside, at the balcony with the maid on the other side of the table. They were just trading small talks, trying to break off the ice between the two vastly different cultures. On the one hand, Yukino was a magical, a discriminated section of the humanity of the technophile Terran Federation, on the other hand, she was just a peasant sold by her own family due to hunger and poverty in a society where magic reigned supreme. Their views could not get any more contrast. Yet, for some strange reasons, they got along quite well.

"Really, my Lady? Master didn't have the faintest clue that you like him?"

"Correct, he's smart and intelligent, but clearly, he had little wisdom here. It forces me to take drastic measures to show him the light."

"What did you do, my Lady?"

"I call him sweetheart... Don't look at me like that! Even with drastic measure, I will never be the one explicitly say that I have fallen in love first. That is the job for the boys."

"Well said, my Lady, well said. I wonder why those men could never be able to understand our emotions and our feelings, after all, they are not that complicated."

Almost every single man would find the last line disputable. However, there were no male guards within the earshot so there was no disapproving voice being made. Even if there were any though, it was unlikely that they would speak up. No male was insane enough to say it directly to the women. After all, Hell hath no fury like women's scorn.

The two girls kept chatting with each other despite the night was getting late. The pot of tea was still warm thanks to Yukino's magical power. She was a witch, and it would be a waste to make new teapot from the beginning. Technically speaking, the Terran Federation had a little problem of not using magic in the first place, but then, people were lazy so the ability to keep food and drink warm was strongly welcomed by the populace.

This part also surprised the young maid, who had never seen such an application before. To her, a mage was a powerful figure who used his magic to annihilate his foes or to unravel the mysteries. Keeping a teapot warm seemed to beneath him. Well, that did not even mention that such a mage would have a lot of servants, whom he would punish because the teapot had cooled down.

Yukino almost sighed for the stupidity of the local magical. Magic was a highly versatile tool, and there was simply no benefit in overly specialising it. Ashka had accidentally made a crucial mistake. It was not deadly, but this would simply wedge open the rift between the ones having magic and the ones who not. Given enough time, the magical would lose touch with the no-mag, leading a whole new can of worm. World War Three was one hell of a wakeup call for the sorcerers on Earth, they were no longer the top dogs, they were simply mortals like everyone else.

Well, one problem at a time then. She did not have the operational or strategic thinking like her boyfriend, so she had no idea how to deal with the arrogant mages when guns were introduced. She only knew how to use magic, for both combat (not really great) and home economics (very good), that should be able to keep Vuong well-fed and well-rest for a while. Well, it did not matter much, she was the wife, it was her honour-bound duty to help her husband.

As long as he stayed faithful, that was. At least Vuong had said that he had no intention to build a harem for himself. Good, Yukino hates disposing of the bodies of her rivals, mostly because she preferred spending time cuddling with him.

"My Lady, it's getting late now, and the nights here are pretty cold actually. I humbly suggest that you should move indoor in order to avoid getting sick."

The advice cut Yukino off from her musing. To be fair, the maid was right. Talking to her had taken too much time, much longer than she had originally expected. Everyone had gone back to the mansion for sleep, but Vuong had yet to come back. This made Yukino worried, wondering if there was a problem going on at the palace. No, that was the wrong question, she should be asking what kind of problem was going on.

"Don't worry, My Lady. Master would be going back soon. The Emperor is wise and benevolent, there shouldn't be any problem."

"Should, not will."

"My Lady?"

"That is my husband's belief, or rather his father. Both of them believe that there is no such thing as an easy day, and everything must be earned through guile and strength."

Actually, that was not Vuong's motto, it was something like never tempt Murphy, but Yukino was too lazy to explain that concept to the local. Besides, it was better to make Vuong look like a paranoid demon less. It would do wonders for the domestic relationship.

"Then it would be even better, the Emperor usually says something to that effect. A commoner can get knighted simply by showing bravery on the battlefield or by discovering answers to any mysteries. In addition, you can also ask for lands, titles, money, as long as it is reasonable."

What an ideal. It sounded like a perfect world. Too bad, Europe had that ideal for quite a while and things did not work out well for the aristocrat in the end. In addition, the foiled assassination the day before was a major point disproving that idea. But how frequent was that? A lot? Rarely? Yukino had no answer... Therefore, she must find it out.

"But how frequently does that happen? When is the last time someone receiving that honour?"

The maid suddenly had a shadow cast over her eyes. It was very brief, but Yukino still took notice. The girl's skill in poker face was simply insufficient for someone who had been hiding her magical power for years constantly. Besides, the imagination on Ashka was lower than on Terra, it only took Yukino a few brief seconds to put things together.

Such things happened, but it did not take place that regularly. The existing nobles would do whatever they could to stop the commoners from being aristocrats, failing that, framing and stabbing in the back were totally possible. Even then, they may not be satisfied with the result, they would derive new ways to exploit their power. Capturing talented commoners as slaves were perhaps just one among many ways.

Things could only go progressively worse. It might sound pessimistic, but for many common-borns of Ashka, that was perhaps apt.

"Not many, yes?"

"... You are correct, My Lady."

"Don't be so down, because, in the end, all of that shame and loss shall be avenged properly."

"How do you know? The nobles here had a monopoly on magical education, they have arms and power. How can we commoners protect ourselves?"

Yukino wondered if she should tell the tales about the French Revolution of 1789 but then decided against it. The risk of fallout was too great, not to mention that she could not totally trust the girl. Years of hiding her own identity had made her highly suspicious of others. She always kept an eye out for the escape route, and if things went really south, she would not be hesitated to use it. Right now, she was keeping watch over the balcony railing and the tree lines behind it. The maid here was either really an honest peasant girl, or she was a good actor. Yukino knew better than leaving things to fate.

And even if she was just a normal girl, Yukino would not tell her anything. Information was power, and, well, her boyfriend was an intelligence agent.

Of course, there was still some information that she had no intention of hoarding. For example, the return of her boyfriend.

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It was quite a scene, the Lady of the House ran out of the staircase, hugging the Master right at the doorstep. The man was also quite capable himself, he quickly put his arms around his lover's hip before spinning her around. The scene was partially lit with the torches at the door and by the stars and moon above.

Yukino quickly laid her head onto her boyfriend's shoulder, sniffing his scene. Sure, he was sweaty, and his smell was no easy for an average girl. In fact, it was quite pungent for an average teen girl. But then, no one had ever regarded her as a common female teenager, or a sane one, neither. At least, her raging hormones were quite the norm...

"Have you eaten yet honey?"

"No, I was waiting for you."

"... 'Kay."

It looked like her boyfriend wanted to admonish her for not eating properly, but then he had already swallowed his own words. Just like many wives, she would patiently wait for her husband to arrive her before sharing the meal together. What the meal comprised of was not important, it could be instant noodles or even a pack of cookies. The crucial part was that they shared it together, just like a husband and a wife.

"You stink, honey. Take a shower, then hot food will be served."

"Sure, but what's for dinner?"

"Steak and vegetable soup, with myself as dessert."

It was classical of a hook, line, and sinker in rom-com harem animes, which had made many protagonists getting flushed up. But Vuong was no ordinary boy, he had seen a lot and he had already slept together with his girlfriend. A bit of teasing like that would not be enough to make him worked up. He just planted a kiss on his girl's lips before disappearing into the mansion. A few seconds later, Yukino was seen rushing towards the kitchen, she wanted to have the meal ready by the time her boyfriend got out of the bathroom.

Luckily, time was on her side. She had instructed the servants to prepare a large hot tub, which her boyfriend deeply enjoyed. He would not step out after soaking himself for at least half an hour, probably more if the water was kept hot or warm. Plus five to ten minutes of getting in and out, she should have enough time to prepare it.

Standing in the kitchen was the chef, and just like the maid, he had to accept the fact that she wanted to cook a meal personally for her boyfriend. Still, it took Yukino more time to convince him. It was probably due to the fact that the kitchen was his holy site... well, at least he was letting her cook this time. She still considered this as a "win".

The food's names were a bit different from what she knew on Earth. Sure, the basic like "beef" or "chicken" remained the same, but many of the food here were capable of raising magical capacity. It was quite a problem when Vuong had no meaningful magical power to speak off, so Yukino had to resort to normal food, which was an uphill battle by itself. They were not exactly "noble" food, so it took a lot of skills and efforts to convince the chef to let it be...

Well, it was more like Yukino ordered him to help her cooking, or fuck off. And that was the more polite version. Of course, she would not retell how she did that to Vuong, all her boyfriend had to know was that she had cooked him his late meal.

Humming a tune she knew, Yukino rolled a cart carrying the two dishes of steak up to the dining room. Escorting her was the chef and the maid she likes the most, both of them were torn between annoyance and amusement. On the one hand, it was very late at night already, on the other hand, she acted exactly like a teenage girl madly in love. Sure, she was the Lady of the Mansion, but she was only at the age of the chef's daughter, so it was his right to laugh and grin as he liked.

Not to mention that she was rude to him earlier, so this was simply paid back.

Opening the grand door made of wood, the three moved into the dining room, now being half-lit with candles and torches. The chef was fairly impressed with his new Master. He knew that none of the servants was actually capable of setting such an intimate background. Being nobles, albeit low-ranking ones, they were used to grand and extravagant set-ups. Yet, the scene in front of his eyes was simple, mundane, yet warm and welcome at the same time.

There was also no other people, other than three female common-born maids, standing ready. Considering all the unknowns, it was highly likely that the new Master had made this arrangement by himself. If he, a common chef, had noticed this, surely his Lady, a witch, could also realise this issue, and more.

"Such a lovely setting... And they say you are incapable of understanding romance."

"Well, if I really put my mind into it, I can do what I want for my girl."

Even with a cool and calm appearance, Yukino's face cracked a bit, and she felt her cheeks getting flushed with heat and embarrassment. It led to some stammering, which she really hated. Seriously, between the two of them, she had no problem changing clothes right in front of his eyes. But the moment there was just another person, that façade of sexiness, mystique and alluring crumbled down. She would be no different from a normal girl.

Or at least, most of the time. If she was sufficiently overwhelmed by emotion, she would have no problem giving him a kiss in the public. Just like a few moments ago when her boyfriend got back from work... Maybe she should train up her resistance and maturity?

She blushed heavily while putting down the dishes of steak and potatoes down on the table, realizing that Vuong wanted the two of them to sit opposite to each other. The cart was quickly moved when the table had been set and the two teens were watching each other's face with love and passion. The maids and the chef glanced at each other before beating a quick retreat.

What happened next would not be their responsibilities.

Yukino considered giving them a raise...

"Open your mouth, honey."

Of course, she had forgotten her boyfriend. Despite his tough and emotionless appearance, he was actually more cuddly than a cat. He really loved spoiling his girlfriend, which Yukino had no problems with. Of course, she loved being spoiled rotten... The two of them kept feeding each other food and whispering honey and sugar into the other's ears. That scene could give the most deredere girl diabetes, she knew for sure. But then, she did not even care for it. Vuong was hers, and that was all she needed to know.

"So, how are things going on."

"Sufficiently good, I suppose... The Emperor gave us a boon. A big one."

"How big?"

"The territories of the four fallen nobles. Their lands are nearby, about four hours on carriages, and right next to each other. We have the right to use it however we please."

"And what is the catch?"

"I have to tell him how to make steel and beef up the agriculture. Probably I would also have to lead the army from the front too."

He was tired, Yukino saw it. The Emperor must have asked for more, but Vuong would not budge on those details. The tense negotiation quickly drained him down... It must be hard for him to maintain his class's benefits. They had nothing, and the locals held too many advantages.

"We will claim our land tomorrow, I hope that by noon, we will have our own offices... Then I have to set up the bureaucrat systems, clear out the moles and the old guards, set up the industrial... Yeah, I need a lot of help..."

Vuong was exhausted, she could see it clearly. His eyes were half blood-shot and half-closed, he was even too tired to chew his food properly. Heck, only his love for her kept him awake now. But it was just barely, and he could collapse any moment now.

Wordlessly, she stood up and hugged him from the side, laying his head down on her breasts. Another time, it would be sexual, but this time, it was not. She was just trying to calm down her boyfriend, not hype him up for foreplay.

"Easy honey, easy. Just take deep breaths. No need to get agitated. I'm always here with you, don't be afraid."

"Hmm~ Hmmm~"

Searching through her memory, Yukino picked a melody that she liked the most. It was not a lullaby, but it could be used in such a pinch... It was more like a love song, telling about a girl standing side by side with the boy she loved. While there was no hell or high water, her love was shown through common activities. Just a meal together, a date at the cinema, a study session at the cafe, but it was sweet and mundane, fitting for everyone.

Her boyfriend had already fallen asleep half-way through her song, and he just rested right there, on her breasts. If it was any other boy, Yukino would castrate him, but this was Vuong. He was her boyfriend, her man and he was the only one she let getting close to her.

He was her husband, in all but name:

"If you are tired and depressed, Vuong, remember, I'm always here."