I Was Reincarnated as a Commoner. I Can’t Stand Living Like This, so I’ll Become an Aristocrat! C175

175, Roger's past and returning home

Roger opened his mouth with his usual expressionless expression. No, rather than a blank expression, it was a slightly sad expression. Other people may not understand, but I understand. 

I thought Roger was going to tell me something about the past that I didn't really want to remember, so I straightened up to listen carefully. 

"I've never told Leon-sama, but I'm an orphan. I don't remember my parents at all. The only memories I have from my childhood are of children competing for the little food they had and leaving it alone. Eventually, I found out that I was in an orphanage.The orphanage I was in was a pretty rough one, with little food, and everyone was struggling to survive. All I could eat was always the skins of vegetables.”

I was shocked from the beginning of the story. ...Is there anything really that bad about it? It's more than I expected. 

If you think about it that way, Ronnie's orphanage is really a hit. That's not normal, that's special. 

I mean, I'm sure there are children who wouldn't be able to survive in such an environment... 

``I left the orphanage when I was seven years old thinking that I couldn't survive in that place. From there, I headed to the city center. From the little information I managed to gather at the orphanage, I went to other orphanages. I thought it would be the same, so I decided to go to the downtown area, where there are many jobs.I continued walking in the direction of the downtown area, and I don't know how long I walked, but I ended up in a back alley. It was already night, so I thought I'd take a rest and start walking when it got light again, so I sat down on the side of the road and was surrounded by three men.''

Seven-year-old Roger is surrounded by three men in a back alley. I just have a bad feeling... 

``Suddenly, the men poured water from a pail on me and scrubbed my face with a cloth. Then they said, ``Well, it's not that bad, right?'' and they forcibly pulled my arm and took me somewhere. I was about to be taken away. I was young and didn't know what was going on, but I saw the men's violent behavior and was convinced that they were not going to help me, so I managed to escape when the men let their guard down. is"

Roger paused there. Phew~, my body unconsciously gained strength. I consciously relaxed my strength and loosened my clenched fist. 

There's only one feeling I have right now. I want to help seven-year-old Roger! I think he was saved because Roger was here right now, but I'm still worried. 

After taking a breather, Roger started speaking again. 

"But it was the body of a child. I ran for my life, but just when I thought I would be caught up and captured again, a man who was just passing by saved me."

Did seven-year-old Roger survive? It was really good.... 

Well, I guess that's what happens in this world after all. I've heard that slavery is basically prohibited in this country, but I wonder if there's human trafficking going on behind the scenes. 

If I remember correctly, only criminal slaves who committed serious crimes were allowed. It seems that all criminal slaves, without exception, are forced to work in harsh labor such as mines, so I've never seen one. 

But I'm sure there are other people doing this in secret. It would be difficult to prevent everything. In that case, orphanages that are not properly managed would be the first targets... 

We really need to reform orphanages. 

``The man who helped me was a servant of the Duke Townsend family, and he was just returning home for a while.He later told me that he happened to be passing by and saw a child running away, so he helped him. Then, I was taken under the care of this man, and I was taken care of at his parents' home for the night, and the next day I was told that I would be taken to the duke's mansion. However, since I stubbornly refused, he had no choice but to take me to the Duke's house.''

That man is nice! wonderful! 

I'm really glad I was able to help you. I'm glad Roger is here now. 

``Then I went to the mansion and was hired as a servant in the duke's house.When I hire people from outside, I usually hire people after they reach adulthood, but I was able to hire them as an exception. , I have been living in the Duke's house ever since I was seven years old.As a result, even when I have time off, I have no place to return to and feel lost.''

The Duke Townsend family is truly a noble family... They hire a 7-year-old orphaned child with no abilities, even if it's as a servant, and educate him. 

The current Roger is truly admirable and intelligent, making him the perfect servant. It's probably due to his original intelligence, but it's also due to his good education. 

Actually, I'm really glad Roger is here now. If it weren't for a miraculous coincidence, he wouldn't be where he is now... 

“Roger, do you enjoy your work?”

When I asked that, Roger relaxed his face a little and nodded. 

"Yes. I'm having a very fulfilling day."

"I see. Well, I look forward to working with you from now on. You may not have much time off, but will you be my servant?"

“Of course.”

Seeing Roger smiling happily as he said that, I was also very happy. I'm glad Roger looks happy now! 

But Roger is my servant. I want you to be happier. I think we're going to do a big strategy to find Roger's hobby. 

“On a different topic, does Roger have any hobbies?”

"No, especially..."

“So, what do you enjoy most about your job?”

"I see... I guess it's cleaning."

"cleaning?"

"Yes. I enjoy seeing it become clean with my hands. No matter how dirty it is, if you take the time, it will eventually become clean. I enjoy seeing the results." mosquito……"

As Roger spoke, his eyes seemed to shine brighter than usual. I really like her. There are definitely people who like cleaning because it makes them look beautiful. 

But what happens if you turn it into a hobby...? 

Cleaning is part of Roger's job...well, it's okay to think of him as turning his hobby into work. But that won't make you feel refreshed. 

Hmm, wouldn't it be possible to make collecting cleaning tools a hobby, or to develop cleaning tools that are easy to use? 

“Roger, are you interested in cleaning tools?”

"Cleaning tools? I've only ever used the ones the duke's house has..."

“Then, how about developing more useful tools or buying more cleaning tools?”

"A more convenient tool..."

When Roger murmured that, his eyes lit up. Oh, it looks like you're interested. 

The cleaning tools in this world are basically bamboo brooms, dustpans, and frayed cloths. I think the servants who keep things beautiful with these three things are truly amazing. 

It would be interesting to develop useful cleaning goods that are typical of Japan, such as finer brooms and towels. 

“Is there anything you wish you had?”

``I always end up hurting my back when cleaning the floor, so I wish it could be made a little easier.Also, I use a cloth to clean high places, but it inevitably creates dust, so I don't have that. I think it's good...If you think about it this way, a lot of things will come out."

"Then, wouldn't it be interesting to think of something that could solve that problem?"

"That certainly seems...interesting."

It seems that Roger is quite interested. I think it's probably a change that other people don't notice, but I do! 

Roger is really excited and excited right now. 

It would be great if Roger could now have a hobby and be able to make the most of his time off. 

Let me just tell you a few things that I can think of. Japan has a lot of useful goods. For example, cleaning slippers, mops for mopping floors, and dust removal from high places. 

It wouldn't be interesting if I told you everything, just a little... 

　

"It might be useful to put a cloth on the tip of the broom. Also, I think it would be good if the kind of cloth was more absorbent to dust. Also...it would be convenient if you could use your feet more effectively."

"Indeed, that's true..."

After Roger said that, he was silent and lost in thought. Yeah, I'm glad that I was able to stimulate Roger's curiosity. I want him to have more hobbies from now on. 

After that, the carriage proceeded in silence for a while until it reached the duke's mansion. 

And when the carriage stopped, Roger finally seemed to come to his senses. 

"Ah, I'm sorry. Please wait a moment!"

Roger said that and hurriedly got off the carriage. And soon he will take me out of the carriage as well. 

When I got off the carriage, Lady Catherine and Lucien were there. 

"welcome home"

"Leon, it's been a while. I'm tired of waiting."

After saying that, the two of them greeted me with smiles. I'm really happy that you're saying welcome back to me too. 

"I'm back now."

"You're tired, aren't you? I've prepared some tea in the reception room, so let's go."

"Thank you for me."

“Of course.”

Then, at Catherine-sama's urging, I enter the mansion. However, I appreciate you preparing the tea, but you're not dressed like a noble right now. Even as a commoner, she doesn't stand out too much, so although her body is clean, her clothes are of low quality. 

　It's better to change clothes after all. 

“Catherine-sama, may I get ready before I have some tea?”

“Is it okay to leave it as is?”

"No, as expected..."

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you so change quickly."

"I got it"

　

Then, with Roger's help, I got dressed and headed to the reception room. 

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"You're here. Now let's talk! I have a lot of things I want to talk about with Leon. I'd like to hear about the progress of the sweets."

"I would also like to talk to Leon about summer vacation. We haven't seen each other for ten weeks."

As soon as I took my seat, the two of them told me that. I'm really happy that you want to talk to me. 

I couldn't help but smile and respond. 

"I also have a lot of things I want to talk to you two about. A lot of things happened during summer vacation. Would you mind listening to it? Of course, about sweets."

"Of course."

"There's plenty of time."

Then I had a fun chat with the two of them about summer vacation. I lost track of time and talked so much that I had to stop when it was time for dinner. 

It was a really fun time. My family is of course my mother, father, and Marie, but the duke's family is also my second family. I just think so. I believe that everyone in the Duke family thinks so too. 

I'm really happy to have two families.