Chapter 005. The Stirring Manor
Early in the morning, the servants’ hall of Elfengrin was already bustling with gathered maids.
The daily morning assembly before starting the day was nothing out of the ordinary for them, but for some reason, the atmosphere lingering in the hall felt distinctly different from the days before.
In particular, the energy among the younger maids was especially peculiar.
Their faces were brimming with an unprecedented flush of excitement.
Deborah, who had sensed the strange atmosphere since entering the hall, finally couldn’t contain her curiosity and gently tugged at Hanna’s arm.
“Why is everyone so restless?”
At Deborah’s whispered question, Hanna sighed, her lips pursing.
“Really, Deborah, you wouldn’t know. It’s something that happens like an annual event around this time.”
It’s not even surprising anymore—Hanna’s expression, as she scanned the excited faces of the others, was as if she were looking at something pathetic.
“…It’s always like this around this time? …Why?”
“Why? Think about what’s different between yesterday and today.”
Yesterday and today… Deborah’s amber eyes moved slowly from side to side, as if trying to recall something, repeating Hanna’s words.
After pondering for a while, Deborah’s gaze returned to Hanna’s face, as if she had found an answer.
“No way… Are they all worked up because Duke Cheister has arrived?”
Even as she said it, Deborah felt it was unlikely.
“Why ‘no way’? That’s exactly it.”
“…Really, because of the Duke?”
“Yes, I’m telling you, it’s true.”
Hanna furrowed her brow slightly, as if wondering why Deborah couldn’t believe it.
But it was understandable—after all, it was obvious that the head of the Cheister ducal family, a man at the pinnacle of the class hierarchy, wouldn’t spare a glance for maids, who were at the very bottom of the working class.
So it was hard to comprehend why they were so excited.
As if understanding Deborah’s feelings, Hanna cautiously leaned closer.
“It’s just… eye candy.”
“…Eye candy?”
At that unsettling word, Deborah glanced around quickly while speaking.
“Yeah, you’ll understand if you ever get the chance to see him in person, but our Duke’s appearance is something else.”
Emphasizing the word “something” as if recalling a past moment, Hanna let out a low whistle.
“……”
At Hanna’s words, Deborah couldn’t bring herself to say that, by some chance, she had come face-to-face with him the previous evening.
It was something she hadn’t managed to mention even last night, and it was also why Hanna, upon seeing Deborah enter with a stained skirt and an awkward expression, had snapped, “Again?!” in frustration.
“Of course, for ‘staircase fairies’ like us, who are trained to avoid being seen by the family upstairs, how often do we get to see the master of the house—”
Just as Hanna was speaking with a hint of mockery—Lady Charlotte entered the servants’ hall.
Hanna quickly stepped back to her place and stood straight.
As Lady Charlotte entered with a stern expression, the chaotic atmosphere in the hall began to settle instantly.
Lady Charlotte stopped precisely at her usual spot, without a hint of deviation.
“The atmosphere this morning—is quite disorderly.”
Skipping her usual formal morning greeting, Lady Charlotte’s voice carried a heavy tone of displeasure.
At her unsettling demeanor, the hall fell as silent as a graveyard.
As a heavy silence descended, Lady Charlotte took a quiet breath and stepped down from her usual elevated position, moving among the maids.
Tension rippled across the maids’ faces as Lady Charlotte slowly walked among them.
“As you all know, yesterday, His Grace arrived at the manor earlier than anticipated.”
The maids, who had been standing rigidly and staring straight ahead as Lady Charlotte passed by, let out sighs of relief once she moved on.
“The rest of the family will arrive as originally scheduled, so as always—ensure there is no negligence in your preparations.”
Lady Charlotte, who had been gliding through the maids like she was swimming, suddenly stopped in front of a particular group.
It was where the ladies’ maids and parlor maids were gathered.
Though all the female servants in the manor were hired help, there was an invisible “wall” between them based on their roles.
Unlike the ordinary maids—known as “people under the stairs” or “house fairies”—who were trained to remain as invisible as possible, the ladies’ maids, who had frequent direct contact with the family, and the parlor maids, chosen for their pretty appearances to be displayed like ornaments for guests, acted as if they were of a higher class.
Even just seeing them gather together during assemblies showed how much privilege they felt entitled to.
Lady Charlotte stopped in that spot, speaking as if targeting the ladies’ maids and parlor maids on either side.
“I say this every year, but you must take special care not to harbor vain hopes and disgrace yourselves by acting coy in front of His Grace.”
At Lady Charlotte’s sharp, resolute warning, the faces of the pretty young maids around her darkened instantly.
“Despite my repeated warnings, every year, one or two fools act recklessly and get dismissed, so no matter how many times I emphasize this, it’s never enough. I hope this time, no such person emerges, and you all take this to heart.”
Listening to Lady Charlotte’s words in the chilling atmosphere, Deborah was inwardly shocked.
The Cheister household offered good pay and benefits, and working there carried a sense of pride.
It was astonishing that, despite knowing they’d be dismissed, one or two maids every year still took such reckless actions.
As Deborah was lost in these thoughts, her gaze suddenly met Lady Charlotte’s.
Unlike what she initially thought was a chance encounter, for some reason, Lady Charlotte’s piercing gaze lingered on Deborah’s face.
Normally, Deborah wouldn’t have thought much of it, but perhaps because she felt guilty, she subtly averted her eyes downward.
And as if her ominous premonition was correct, Lady Charlotte’s voice shifted to an entirely different topic.
“It seems I’ve been too preoccupied with preparing for the family’s arrival and have neglected the management of the female servants.”
“……”
At Lady Charlotte’s words, Deborah bit her lower lip tightly.
“Yesterday, His Grace gave orders to strictly enforce training regarding the maids’ attire. You can’t imagine how embarrassed I was to hear such a thing in front of His Grace.”
Murmurs spread among the maids, who had never broken the basic rules they heard repeatedly during assemblies under Lady Charlotte’s supervision.
“Silence—”
As Lady Charlotte’s stern, heavy voice rang out with a furrowed brow, the murmurs died down instantly.
“Therefore—for the next month, we will conduct attire inspections every evening after dinner.”
The murmurs, which had barely subsided, flared up again at the mention of a month-long attire inspection.
And for some reason, Lady Charlotte’s voice didn’t intervene to quell it this time.
When Deborah cautiously raised her head, she saw Lady Charlotte still staring intently at her.
Then, Lady Charlotte’s low voice came directly at Deborah.
“Because of one person’s mistake, over a hundred people must now endure this inconvenience, so you must all remember that your words and actions carry great responsibility moving forward.”
“……”
* * *
“What was that? Was Lady Charlotte glaring at me at the end?”
After the tense assembly ended, the crowd in the hall began to disperse like a receding tide.
“……”
Hanna, blending into the crowd as they left the hall, glanced curiously at Deborah, who had a dark expression and her lips tightly shut, despite Hanna’s casual question.
“…? What’s wrong, did something happ—”
Hanna’s question, asked with a slight tilt of her head, was cut off by a sharp voice from behind.
“They say Deborah’s the cause? That His Grace commented on our maids’ attire?”
Hanna and Deborah turned around simultaneously.
‘Ugh—Ludmilla.’
For a moment, that exact expression flashed across Hanna’s face.
Ludmilla, a bad-tempered senior maid, approached with her arms crossed, flanked by her clique as if they were her escorts.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Deborah’s the cause?”
Hanna asked grumpily on behalf of the silent Deborah.
At that, Ludmilla pursed her lips, giving a “what’s this?” look, and pressed her index finger firmly against Hanna’s forehead, pushing her back.
“Stay out of it—why do you keep sticking up for her, huh?”
After pressing Hanna’s forehead a couple more times, Ludmilla roughly shoved her shoulder, pushing her out of the way.
The maids leaving the hall in a flurry turned their curious gazes toward the scene.
Seemingly pleased by the attention, Ludmilla raised the corner of her mouth with a nasty expression and stood in front of Deborah.
“So, what kind of disgraceful appearance did you show in front of His Grace?”
“……”
“Sure, compared to *that half-baked thing*”—she pointed at Hanna—“your looks might be passable, but—”
As Ludmilla referred to Hanna as “half-baked,” Deborah, who had been silently listening, furrowed her brow.
“You think you’d catch His Grace’s eye? If you knew the level of beauty of the maids who got kicked out for trying, you’d want to hide in a mouse hole right now. How dare a lowly orphan girl like you even think about it?”
The maids surrounding them giggled, as if they’d found an amusing spectacle.
Hanna’s face flushed red, and just as she let out an “Eek!” and was about to throw herself forward—
“You’re right, I’m an orphan, and someone like me has no business aiming so high—”
A calm but resolute voice came softly from Deborah’s lips.
Ludmilla, who had been annoyed by the orphan girl’s defiant attitude, saw Deborah respond calmly even to her provocative words, and her face twisted in anger.
“I’ve never once thought my face was anything special, and I’ve certainly never tried to do anything with… *him*. So, will you apologize for calling Hanna ‘half-baked’?”
At Deborah’s calm but firm demand for an apology, Ludmilla’s face gradually reddened.
The maids, who had been snickering moments ago, began to exchange wary glances at the tense atmosphere.
Just as Ludmilla, fuming, reached to grab Deborah’s hair—
“What are you all doing over there!”
Lady Charlotte’s booming shout made everyone’s shoulders flinch.
As they turned toward the sound, they saw Lady Charlotte glaring at them with a fearsome expression from not far away.
Biting her lower lip so hard it seemed it might bleed, Ludmilla shot Deborah a venomous look with a sharp expression.
“You… I’ll deal with you later.”
With a ferocious snarl, Ludmilla shoved Deborah’s shoulder hard.
Still not satisfied, she turned to Hanna behind her and snapped “Move!” in an irritated voice, roughly pushing her aside.
“Ugh, what a temper!”
Hanna shouted after her, but Ludmilla and her clique had already left the hall.
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By Anna 💓
