Chapter 021. Prejudice Against Orphans
Leaving the rose garden, Deborah hurriedly made her way to the location of the tea party.
As expected, when she arrived, Miss Cecilia and the maid who had just visited the attic were standing there, glaring daggers.
At the sharp accusation about where she had been dawdling, Deborah’s gaze naturally shifted behind the maid.
Thankfully, Miss Cecilia didn’t say much, but her lowered eyes and raised chin betrayed her evident displeasure.
“I’m sorry, I mistakenly went to the other garden…”
Bowing her head as she spoke, Deborah was met with a disdainful glance from the maid.
“What, you’re saying that now—”
“Enough, stop it and start already.”
Miss Cecilia cut off the maid’s attempt to continue her tirade.
The irritated tone silenced the maid’s twitching lips, which had been ready to snap back, as if sealed shut like a clam.
Though the maid’s glare as she urged Deborah to approach was still fierce, Deborah let out a sigh of relief that it ended there.
Approaching Cecilia from behind, Deborah reached for her dazzling golden hair.
Though she had only seen her a few times, Deborah had noticed during those brief moments that Miss Cecilia wasn’t particularly talkative.
She spoke only when necessary, often sitting with her eyes lowered like a haughty cat—that was most of what Deborah remembered.
Because of this, Deborah maintained silence while tending to Cecilia’s hair, focusing solely on moving her hands diligently.
The young lady of the great Cheister family was unlikely to engage in casual conversation with a mere maid, but honestly, for Deborah, this was a relief.
For a while, a fairly quiet time continued.
Perhaps it was the tranquil atmosphere of the flower-scented outdoor garden, or maybe it was because she was constantly looking at the sunlit golden hair.
Suddenly, a face flashed through her mind.
The face she had seen in the rose garden just moments ago.
Though the aura was subtly different, anyone could tell at a glance that Miss Cecilia and Duke Cheister were siblings from the same lineage.
Especially their shimmering golden hair, which sparkled as if dusted with gold powder, was strikingly similar.
Perhaps that was why.
Even though she knew it was a pointless thought, it crept into her mind as it often did.
‘Would his hair… be this soft too?’
As she quietly pictured his neatly combed golden hair in her mind—
“Who taught you to do hair?”
The sudden question made Deborah’s hand flinch.
As if her earlier thoughts had been exposed, her heart began to race.
“I didn’t exactly learn… I just got used to it from doing the children’s hair every day.”
“Children?”
The word “children” prompted an immediate reaction, as if it had surprised her.
Deborah could roughly guess what misunderstanding was forming.
Though it wasn’t a strict rule, noble households generally preferred hiring unmarried women as maids over married ones.
Over time, this preference had become so entrenched that hiring married women as maids was now extremely rare.
So, it was no wonder Cecilia was surprised by the mention of children.
Perhaps she thought Deborah had a hidden child or something.
After a moment’s hesitation, Deborah finally spoke.
“I was living in an orphanage until recently…”
“An orphanage?”
In an instant, as Cecilia turned her head, her golden hair slipped through Deborah’s hands.
Cecilia’s doll-like face was slightly furrowed as she looked back.
“So, you’re an orphan?”
“…Yes.”
The blunt question, asked without regard for tact, was fitting for someone who had no reason or need to show consideration.
It wasn’t the first time Deborah had faced such a reaction, so it didn’t particularly hurt her.
She simply nodded quietly.
But strangely, upon hearing Deborah’s response, Cecilia’s expression turned even more inscrutable.
As if she had heard something utterly bizarre.
Though it was impossible to discern her thoughts, after staring for a while, Cecilia returned to her usual haughty expression and turned her head back.
“You’d better be careful not to let it slip in front of my brother.”
The added comment about being an orphan left Deborah blinking in confusion, unsure of its meaning.
She couldn’t understand why she needed to be cautious about being an orphan in front of Duke Cheister.
What business was it of his to know the trivial personal details of a mere maid, and even if he did know, what did it matter to him?
The explanation that followed immediately clarified her confusion.
“He has a bit—no, quite a strong prejudice against orphans.”
“……”
“He might demand you be kicked out the moment he finds out you’re an orphan.”
At the cold, matter-of-fact words, a short “Ah” escaped Deborah’s lips.
“You’d better be careful, if you don’t want to get kicked out.”
At the haughty, questioning tone, Deborah nodded quietly after a moment.
“…Thank you.”
She didn’t know why Cecilia was giving her such advice, but regardless, she was grateful.
To Deborah, nothing was more important than being able to stay here right now.
As their brief conversation ended, the hair styling was nearly complete.
Holding a hand mirror and examining her hair from every angle, Cecilia’s lips curved into a satisfied smile, thankfully.
“This is decent enough. It seems your hand is healed now.”
Turning to ask the question, Deborah paused to think.
It seemed today’s summons had been a test to see how well her hand had recovered.
She had been about to report to Lady Charlotte that she was ready to return to her normal duties.
Deborah nodded once.
“Yes, it’s fully healed now.”
“Then, as before, come whenever I call to do my hair. It’s been tough because of my brother’s warnings…”
Though she knew it was a rude expression, the way Cecilia wrinkled her nose reminded Deborah of a seven-year-old throwing a tantrum.
Deborah smiled softly and replied.
“Yes. I will.”
* * *
“So?”
At the mention that she had been summoned by Miss Cecilia, Lady Charlotte’s hand, which had been ceaselessly writing something, stopped abruptly.
Though she quickly returned to her usual impassive demeanor, as if nothing had happened.
“Is your hand really healed?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“No pain at all?”
“…No.”
At the skeptical, narrowed gaze, Deborah’s shoulders instinctively shrank.
“Thanks to your care, it’s completely healed. Thank you.”
“As if that’s something to thank me for. It’s all due to His Grace’s consideration.”
“……”
“By the way, with the preparations for tonight’s banquet keeping everyone busy, are you really okay?”
The word “banquet” reminded her of what Miss Cecilia had said earlier.
‘—There’s a banquet tonight, so come to my room about two hours before to prepare.’
“…Actually, the young lady asked me to come early before that.”
“Oh, right, I didn’t think of that.”
“I’ll help as much as I can as soon as I’m done.”
“Yes, do that then. For now, I’ll have Annes help out.”
“Yes.”
Their conversation finished, and Deborah was about to leave the private office.
*Ah*, a short exclamation escaped Lady Charlotte’s lips.
“I forgot to mention something earlier—come back and sit for a moment.”
“……”
Something to mention—had she done something wrong again? Deborah thought momentarily.
With so many recent incidents, she had become jumpy at the slightest thing.
Deborah walked toward the sofa Lady Charlotte indicated.
“I meant to tell you on the day of that commotion, but as you know, things were hectic then…”
“…Yes, please go ahead, ma’am.”
Her uncharacteristic hesitation didn’t seem like her usual self.
Only after Deborah gently encouraged her to speak did Lady Charlotte finally begin to share what she had been holding back.
“Deborah, you need to be especially careful with your actions compared to others.”
“……”
It was nothing new, just the usual advice she’d always heard.
As someone employed by the Cheister family, she was expected to always conduct herself properly to avoid bringing shame to the family.
Yet, today, her warning felt particularly weighty, perhaps because of the strange condition she attached to it.
Still, Deborah didn’t have anything specific to counter with.
Advising caution was well within the housekeeper’s rights.
As if aware of this, Lady Charlotte looked at Deborah, who was quietly waiting for her next words, and spoke again after a moment.
“Especially in front of His Grace.”
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By Anna 💓
