Milly, three years later

She recalled her first visit to Ask three years ago, after he had returned to his homeland...

The head of the Ashford family and his granddaughter, Milly, who had been only fifteen at the time, had been escorted to Ask's palace.

They had stayed in a nearby hotel for a full fifteen days before finally securing an appointment the day before Ask's departure, and even then, their meeting had lasted only a few short minutes.

Since Ask almost never appeared in public, that had been Milly's first time seeing him.

He was a boy around her own age, yet he wielded power several levels above hers. Milly could not help reflecting on how much one's birth mattered.

The old man led Milly into the study. Ask did not even look up, keeping his eyes on his book as though he did not regard them at all.

The old man was not offended. He had seen plenty of this sort of thing. Those in positions of great power naturally had the right to look down on others. Besides, they were nobles nearing the end of their rope, while Ask was the rising leader of one of the three major factions.

What was unexpected, however, was how composed Milly remained. Whether it was because of her special education or because she had accepted all of this, she showed no reaction, instead standing obediently behind the old man.

Ask caught all of this out of the corner of his eye.

Ask raised his head slightly, and Leila, standing behind him, understood his meaning.

She invited the head of the Ashford family and Milly to sit on the other side of the desk.

Then she addressed them expressionlessly.

"If you have something to say, say it directly. His Highness is very busy and does not wish to waste any more time than necessary."

Leila was merely following Ask's instructions, but from their perspective, not only Ask but even his maid was treating them coldly. Anyone else would have found it hard not to feel resentful.

Yet neither the old man nor Milly did.

In their eyes, Ask was a towering tree. As long as they could shelter beneath him, their family's resurgence would be within reach.

But in Ask's eyes, their Ashford family was nothing, like ants by the roadside that he would not even notice if he accidentally stepped on them.

From the outset, they had prepared themselves and understood their place.

"Your Highness Ask, I have come in the hope of marrying my granddaughter into your household."

The old man stated his purpose directly. He had done some research on Ask and knew that Ask disliked guessing games and wasted time.

Ask raised his eyelids and glanced at Milly before quickly returning his gaze to his book.

"You know my standards for selecting maids."

Milly had never been considered a prospective wife in the first place. Given her status, she could at most become Ask's concubine. By immediately defining her as a maid, Ask also intended to see where her limits lay.

The old man looked slightly embarrassed, but quickly recovered.

"Yes, Your Highness. My granddaughter has always received an elite education and has never had any romantic involvement with a man. Your Highness may order her to do anything."

Even if she truly ended up as a maid and could not even become a concubine, the old man felt that would be acceptable. Her position did not matter, as long as she could shelter beneath Ask's towering tree.

Besides, rumor had it that Ask rarely took on maids. Once someone became his personal maid, her standing was even higher than that of some lower-ranking nobles.

The clearest example was Leila, standing behind Ask. He had taken her on as his personal maid a year earlier, and now even an earl had to treat her courteously.

Ask's personal maids were effectively his women, merely lacking a formal title. Everyone knew this, and it was why everyone was desperate to send women into his household.

Ask continued to study Milly, standing behind the old man, out of the corner of his eye.

Milly remained silent, her expression barely changing. He could see the helplessness in her heart, but she seemed to have accepted all of this. That pleased Ask greatly.

She had the resolve. Next, he would see whether she had the ability.

"Then let us settle on that. As for whether she can advance further, that will depend on whether she can satisfy me from here on."

The old man was delighted. Though she would be starting at the bottom, at least the Ashford family now bore Ask's mark.

That meant the Ashfords had escaped destruction and preserved the roots of their family.

As long as Milly satisfied Ask and became his personal maid, restoring the family's former glory would be no problem. They could even rise a step beyond it.

"Thank you very much, Your Highness."

Ask said nothing, quietly reading his book. Just as Leila was about to show them out, the old man spoke again.

"Your Highness, there is one more matter I must report to you."

Ask gave a slight nod.

"Go ahead. What is it?"

It was not Ask who answered the old man, but Leila, acting on his signal.

"It concerns Your Highness's siblings, His Highness Lelouch and Her Highness Nunnally..."

"This matter goes no further."

Before the old man could finish, Ask immediately closed his book and fixed him with a serious stare.

"Only you and I know about this. You understand what I mean, don't you?"

Ask's tone was grave, leaving the old man somewhat taken aback, but his years of cultivated composure allowed him to recover quickly.

"I understand, Your Highness. There is no His Highness Lelouch or Her Highness Nunnally, only Lelouch Lamperouge and his younger sister, two people whose names happen to be very similar."

The old man's quick response pleased Ask greatly.

"Very good. They will stay with you for now. Just treat them as ordinary students."

"Understood, Your Highness."

Ask had been troubled over what arrangements to make for Lelouch and Nunnally, but now those worries vanished.

They could board at the Ashford family's school and live under changed names. As long as they kept a low profile, they would be difficult to discover.

No one in the imperial family had seriously searched for Lelouch and Nunnally. They had long since assumed the two had died in the war in the Island Nation a few years earlier, and any searches had been merely for show.

Ask signaled for Leila to see them out. As they were leaving, Milly's gaze lingered on him. At that same moment, Ask raised his head and met her eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint smile.

Milly suddenly blushed and hurriedly looked away, following the old man out of the study.

His Highness Ask doesn't have a bad reputation. On the contrary, he's never been involved in any scandals. They say he treats his personal maids exceptionally well and gives them considerable authority. Now it seems those rumors are true.

As Milly thought this, she recalled how naturally Leila had behaved throughout their meeting, without the slightest restraint. Even the way she stood had been casual, and she had gone to take a sip of tea midway through. Ask had shown no sign of minding.

She could not change her fate. Rather than marry another noble and spend her days in an oppressive household, perhaps even suffering abuse, she would be better off becoming Ask's personal maid. Though she would have no formal title, at least her livelihood would be secure.

Milly comforted herself with these thoughts. Perhaps accepting this reality would not be so bad. Perhaps this was the greatest good fortune an arranged marriage could offer.

Three years later, she was about to visit Ask again.