Watching Andrew crouch down in front of her and offer those calm, reassuring words, Corin followed his lead and drew several slow, deep breaths. Gradually, the fog of panic began to lift.
The moment reality snapped back into focus — the moment she registered exactly where she was and what she was doing — the blood rushed straight to her cheeks.
She bowed again. Hard. This time, she bent so low that her forehead came dangerously close to touching her own knees.
Remembering at last what her actual purpose here was supposed to be, the girl steeled herself and spoke, voice small and tentative:
"I — I'm sorry. I lost my composure just now."
Then, wearing the expression of someone who had internally said screw it and committed entirely, the deeply shy Corin looked up at Andrew — who was still crouching right in front of her — and launched into her self-introduction with absolute, full-throttle earnestness:
"Good day to you, esteemed Master! I am Corin Wickes, the newest member of Victoria Housekeeping Co., having joined just yesterday!"
"I have come today in response to the commission you placed with Victoria Housekeeping Co. — please feel free to call me just Corin!!"
The moment the last word left her mouth, Corin deflated completely, like a balloon with the air let out of it.
"I... I did it..."
That self-introduction hadn't even been particularly long, and yet it seemed to have thoroughly burned through every last reserve of energy she had.
"Oh, oh... hello there, Corin?"
"Mm, mm..."
Andrew responded while watching Corin — who, even during her own self-introduction, had squeezed her eyes shut from sheer nerves — and scratched the back of his head.
This girl was... maybe a little too soft?
Just based on what he'd seen so far, forget everything else — getting her to the point where she could interact with him without being a bundle of nerves was probably going to be a very, very long process.
On Corin's end of things, however, a completely different emotion was quietly blooming.
She had been mentally rehearsing this self-introduction the entire walk over to the smithy after receiving the notification. Draft after draft after draft, all prepared in advance. And now, finally, it was done.
She didn't dare lift her eyes to look at Andrew, but inside, she felt a tiny, irrepressible flutter of joy.
She'd done it. She'd finally completed the first step of the commission.
The self-introduction had maybe been a touch too intense, but at least nothing had gone catastrophically wrong in the process. And for Corin, nothing going wrong was already the best possible outcome.
What she didn't notice, however, was that the Andrew sitting across from her — faced with a girl who kept her head bowed and refused to look at him — was feeling a bit awkward himself.
He glanced over to where Von Lycaon, as the head of Victoria Housekeeping Co., should have been standing — only to discover that the butler, who had been right behind him on the way downstairs, had somehow silently retreated to the far side of the room at some point, where he now stood completely motionless.
He had done it without making a single sound, which was why Corin had no idea that Von Lycaon had even come back downstairs with Andrew in the first place.
From the look of things, it was obvious Von Lycaon had anticipated exactly this kind of reaction from her.
And when Von Lycaon noticed Andrew's gaze land on him, rather than producing the elegant, perfectly calibrated solution one would expect of a seasoned butler, he tilted his head sheepishly to the side and averted his eyes.
All the while, he was still doing everything he could to minimize his own presence — to keep Corin from realizing he was there at all.
But Andrew wasn't about to let him off that easily. He narrowed his eyes and fixed Von Lycaon with a long, unblinking stare until the butler finally, reluctantly, turned his head back around.
Even so, when Andrew gestured for him to come over and help calm Corin down, Von Lycaon shook his head with an expression of genuine helplessness — marking the first time, in all the time they had known each other, that he had ever declined one of Andrew's suggestions.
Andrew sent him a puzzled look. Von Lycaon, in response, communicated his reasoning entirely through hand gestures, and Andrew gradually pieced it together.
The truth was, Von Lycaon hadn't actually known Corin for that much longer than Andrew had. And given that he also held a position of authority over her — if he had approached alongside Andrew, the client, Corin, who was already barely holding herself together, would very likely have genuinely fainted on the spot.
Andrew was just beginning to feel a bit stuck when, without any warning, a soft laugh sounded directly beside his ear.
A warm, mature female voice — and it startled him half out of his skin.
Rina, who had until moments ago been over in the work area with Ellen, had somehow materialized right at Andrew's side without him noticing. She'd moved without producing a single sound — appearing beside him as though she'd simply teleported.
Before Andrew had a moment to process it, Rina spoke up with a light, melodious laugh:
"No need to worry, dear Manager. Little Corin is just a touch shy around strangers, that's all."
She watched the timid girl huddled before them, one hand resting gracefully against her cheek, and smiled — warm and maternal, like a mother speaking fondly of her child:
"She may be shy, but when it comes to her professional abilities as a maid? Little Corin is truly exceptional, I assure you."
"Whatever task you entrust to her, I guarantee she'll complete it splendidly~"
The instant Corin spotted Rina, it was as though she'd found her anchor. Her eyes immediately lit up.
Faced with Rina's open, guileless praise, Corin's first instinct was to duck her head in flustered embarrassment, her cheeks going red all over again. But this time, she collected herself quickly.
She lifted her chin, drew a breath, and called out at full volume:
"Please give me the commission, dear Manager! Corin will — will do her absolute best to complete it!!!"
For all the ferocity behind that declaration, the effect it produced was... not particularly intimidating. No matter how you looked at it, she resembled less a capable professional taking charge and more a small, fluffy, doe-eyed kitten charging headlong at a tin can.
The sight of her — so earnest, so adorably determined — triggered something entirely automatic in Andrew. She reminded him helplessly of a baby Felyne. Without quite deciding to, he reached out and set his hand gently on top of her head and began to ruffle her hair.
"Mm... mgh..."
The warm weight settled over her head and, in the same moment, completely dismantled whatever fierce momentum she'd managed to summon. It simply melted away.
Feeling somewhat ignored after that forceful declaration of hers, Corin let out a tiny, wounded little whimper.
"Ahem."
That soft, involuntary sound snapped Andrew back to his senses. He withdrew his hand immediately — his very guilty hand.
For reasons he couldn't quite identify, he caught the faint impression of a gaze tinged with something like wistful reproach directed at him in that same moment — though it vanished the instant his hand lifted. He couldn't tell where it had come from, and right now he had more pressing concerns.
He cleared his throat lightly. In order to paper over his own awkwardness and redirect Corin's attention, he immediately pivoted hard to actual business:
"Well then — I'll be counting on all of you to help me put together these three outfits."
He followed it up at once:
"I'll be working alongside you on them as well."
The warmth that had enveloped the top of Corin's head was gone now.
For reasons she couldn't quite explain, she found herself oddly reluctant to let it go.
Corin had grown up without ever knowing the affection of parents. Before coming to Victoria Housekeeping Co., the greatest warmth she had ever experienced had come from the Young Miss — a girl her own age. But after the Young Miss passed away from illness, that warmth had transformed into something else: a rhythmic, steady heartbeat she carried with her, inside her chest, always.
And yet, no matter what, a parent's love was something Corin had never known.
Since joining Victoria Housekeeping Co., Rina's gentleness had given her something that felt like a mother's warmth. And although she was still too shy to speak directly to Von Lycaon, she had already quietly come to sense that the wolf-man who looked so large and imposing was, in truth, a genuinely kind person.
But for the her that existed right now, a father's love was something she had never experienced. Not once.
And this feeling — of someone patting her head — it was, actually...
...not bad at all?
Andrew's voice pulling the conversation back to business snapped her out of it before the thought could go any further. Corin gave her head a brisk shake, scattering the daydream. A faint flush of color lingered on her cheeks.
Hearing Andrew's instructions for the commission, Corin gathered herself up with a sharp breath, nodded resolutely, and declared:
"I'll do my best!!!"
She charged off toward the area where the materials and tools were laid out, her energy fully restored.
Rina, who had been floating serenely to one side the entire time, watching the exchange between Andrew and Corin with a gentle, amused smile, rested one hand against her cheek and murmured warmly:
"She's so earnest, so adorable — and yet somehow, she also makes you want to fuss over her endlessly~"
She tilted her head slightly and turned that smile toward Andrew, who was likewise watching Corin's retreating figure:
"Don't you think so, dear Manager~?"
Andrew gave an enthusiastic nod.
"Absolutely. My thoughts exactly."
"Right, right~ It really is just like adopting a sweet little daughter, isn't it~"
"It really is."
After the encounter with that piece of filth Lorenz at noon, coming home to a girl this sweet and wholesome in the evening — Andrew felt the accumulated grime of the day washing straight off of him.
Only when you met someone like Corin could you genuinely feel, from the bottom of your heart, that this city still had hope...
Both of them smiled as they watched Corin storm the work area with fierce energy — energy that, in practice, resembled less a warrior charging into battle and more a tiny kitten making a death-or-glory charge at a can of food.
But her momentum faltered the instant she spotted Ellen — expression set in its usual scowl, radiating an aura of someone deeply unapproachable — sitting at the workstation.
And yet, to complete the commission, she needed to know exactly what Andrew wanted, which meant she had to ask Ellen.
Every time she managed to work up the nerve and step forward, one glance at Ellen's impatient expression sent all that courage crumbling right back down.
Back and forth. Back and forth. It was like watching someone stuck in an infinite loop.
What Corin didn't know was that Ellen — though she hadn't shown it in any outward way — was actually a good-hearted girl, and she had been quietly watching the younger girl's halting movements the entire time.
So when Ellen saw Corin hesitate once too many times, her eyes starting to grow glassy with unshed tears, Ellen's good nature got the better of her. Without being asked, she spoke up first — reaching out to Corin before the girl could reach her.
Andrew and Rina watched from a distance as the initial, slightly bumpy first contact smoothed out remarkably quickly into something easy and warm. In almost no time at all, Corin — who turned out to be well-versed in domestic arts — had flipped the dynamic entirely and was carefully, patiently correcting a few small errors in Ellen's stitching technique.
The two observers simultaneously dipped their heads in a quiet, satisfied nod.
Rina was the first to speak:
"I knew it — little Ellen truly is a good child~"
Andrew agreed wholeheartedly:
"Exactly what I said. My thoughts precisely."
If he hadn't already believed Ellen was fundamentally a good person, he wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to find her a reliable place to land.
Rina's gaze drifted back to the two girls in the distance, her expression warm and unhurried. Then she turned toward Andrew with a soft smile:
"The Manager's recommendation was every bit as excellent as I expected. I think having little Ellen join Victoria Housekeeping Co. will be a genuinely wonderful thing."
The directness of the praise told Andrew immediately that, barring some unforeseen disaster, Ellen's acceptance was essentially settled. But he needed to hear it confirmed out loud before he could truly relax.
So he pressed:
"So?"
"So — little Ellen's joining is approved~"
Rina, whose mind had already been made up, gave her answer without a beat of hesitation.
Then she added:
"Of course, my approval alone doesn't make it official — we'll still need to hear what Mr. Von Lycaon has to say~"
But the words had barely left her mouth before Von Lycaon's steady voice came from Andrew's other side:
"For a candidate personally recommended by the dear Manager, I couldn't possibly refuse."
No one had noticed him move. He was simply there now, standing at Andrew's other side, a quiet smile on his face — those metal legs of his having carried him across the room without producing a single audible sound.
He watched Ellen patiently demonstrating stitching technique to Corin and spoke with gentle warmth:
"Besides, Ellen is genuinely a wonderful young lady. Victoria Housekeeping Co. is very glad to welcome her."
With both Head Maid Rina and director Von Lycaon giving their approval, Ellen's induction into Victoria Housekeeping Co. was officially settled.
Knowing that the entirely unsupported Ellen finally had somewhere reliable to go, Andrew let out a long, quiet breath of relief.
Among all the trustworthy organizations he knew in this city, Victoria Housekeeping Co. had been the best possible fit he could have found. If this hadn't worked out, his only other option would have been Nicole's Cunning Hares.
And the Cunning Hares, without his support, were an organization that operated on a cycle of three meals missed for every nine days of the week. Handing Ellen over to them — he genuinely wasn't sure if that would count as doing her a favor or a disservice.
Probably more of a disservice, if he was being honest.
At least right now, even on her own, the girl never had to worry about where her next three meals were coming from.
If he sent her to the Cunning Hares and Nicole — who couldn't afford food — ended up relying on Ellen to bankroll their meals instead, that would just be absurd.
Knowing that it was Victoria Housekeeping Co. after all — that was what truly let Andrew breathe easy.
____
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