Chapter 5
“…I greet the Young Lady of Lucert.”
Since the great Lady of Lucert herself wanted me as her personal maid, there was no way I could refuse. In the end, my assignment was officially changed to the guest annex. By the time I snapped out of it, I was already bowing politely to Cecilia.
“Lift your head.”
The Cecilia I met again was every bit the haughty noble lady. There wasn’t a single trace left of the girl whose eyes had been beet-red from tears the day before.
“Take it.”
Cecilia suddenly thrust something toward me. Catching it instinctively, my eyes went wide.
‘This is…’
It was the cardigan I had lent her. But then…
‘Huh?’
I felt something hard and round inside the cardigan pocket. I pulled the object out. In my hand, a round silver object reflected the light vividly.
“M-my Lady. This silver coin is…?”
I looked up, startled. Cecilia shrugged her shoulders with a coy expression.
“It’s a reward for lending me the cardigan. I have at least that much a sense of honor.”
My goodness, the Young Lady’s generosity is insane… One silver coin is worth almost two days’ pay! I cupped the silver coin, precious in both hands,s, and looked at Cecilia with eyes full of de, ep moved emotion. At the same time, Cecilia spoke in a calm voice.
“Listen carefully. From now on, you are my personal maid.”
At her serious tone, I quickly straightened my posture.
“Your working period is until I leave the Trangsie Barony.”
“Yes, my Lady.”
“Stay by my side every day. Unless I send you on a specific errand, do not leave the guest annex.”
“Understood.”
I nodded obediently. The one relief was that the Duke of Lucert’s family was staying in the main building with the Baron’s family. Cecilia was the only one using the guest annex.
‘If things go well, I might not even run into the rest of the Duke’s family.’
While I was thinking positively for a moment…
‘…Wait, is Cecilia living here all by herself, apart from her family?’
I somehow felt a bit sorry for her. It made sense, given how heartbreakingly it was described in the original story—just how desperately that girl tried to be loved by her family. But then, Cecilia suddenly turned to look me straight in the eye.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve been glancing at me for a while now.”
Um, it seems I’ve caused a bit of a misunderstanding, haven’t I? Since it wasn’t as if I didn’t have things I was curious about:
“If it’s not an intrusion, I would like to ask one thing.”
After a moment of hesitation, I spoke cautiously.
“Why did it have to be me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Actually, I’ve never served a person of high rank before. It would be much more comfortable for you to have a maid with more experience…”
Exactly. Why me of all people? If she truly needed a personal maid, there would be many more prepared candidates in either the Duke’s or the Baron’s households. At that question, Cecilia, who had been expressionless the whole time, slightly stiffened her lips. Facing that expression—as if I had hit the nail on the head—I felt like I suddenly knew why I was chosen.
‘No way, is she trying to keep me quiet?’
Is her thorough personality from the original story showing through already? At the same time, Cecilia snapped at me.
“How am I supposed to trust you?”
“That’s…”
“What if you go and spread rumors to the other maids that I was crying?”
Just as I thought. She wanted to keep me close to keep an eye on me. Honestly, I wondered if it was really something to be so on edge about, but well, if it makes Cecilia feel more at ease…
“I understand, my Lady.”
“……”
I bowed my head once more. Then, Cecilia narrowed her eyes and blurted out:
“You certainly are easy-going.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m telling you that I suspect you. Aren’t you even angry?”
Her voice was as sharp as a needle. However, her blue-green eyes couldn’t look me straight in the eye. …If she somehow looked like a young child who was afraid of being hated, was I just imagining things?
“No, I’m not angry.”
“…What?”
Cecilia blinked her thick eyelashes in bewilderment. I gave a light shrug.
“Yesterday was a situation that could have been quite difficult for you, my Lady. Of course, you’ve told me strictly to keep my mouth shut, but even so, you might still feel anxious.”
“T-that’s…”
“Don’t worry too much. I will do my best not to cause you any concern.”
I gave her a bright smile to reassure her. Cecilia stared at me blankly for a moment, then muttered in a low voice.
“Now that I look at you, you have blonde hair and green eyes.”
“Pardon?”
Why mention my hair and eye color all of a sudden? I tilted my head in confusion. At the same time, Cecilia whispered very quietly to herself.
“…I’m jealous.”
Huh? What did she just say? Cecilia, realizing she had spoken unconsciously, looked startled. She quickly returned to a blunt expression and gave her first command.
“I’m thirsty. I want to drink orange juice.”
“Yes, I’ll bring it right away.”
I nodded and scurried off toward the kitchen.
Clink.
The sound of ice shifting in the cup of orange juice echoed. Beads of condensation formed on the cold glass surface.
‘Was her name Milena?’
Cecilia stared at Milena, who was standing quietly in the distance, without even touching the juice. Her blue-green eyes narrowed with a complex light.
‘…She’s a truly strange girl.’
Yesterday, the family had all gone to the hot springs, leaving only Cecilia behind. The Duke and Duchess had ignored her as if it were only natural. And Brother Elias had drawn a line with a cold voice.
“You’ll be tired, so you don’t necessarily have to follow us.”
It was a familiar occurrence. She hadn’t even expected anything. But then…
“A-ah, hello. Duke! Duchess!”
There was the daughter of the Baron of Trangsie, greeting them clumsily.
“My, Daisy. Your greeting was wrong.”
“Sigh. I’ve spoiled my daughter too much, so she still has many shortcomings. Please look upon her kindly.”
And the Baron and his wife, wrapping that daughter in love. Watching that affectionate scene, she had once again realized her own situation. That was why she had hidden in the secluded backyard and burst into tears she had been holding back. But of all things, she was caught crying by Milena.
To be honest, she had been truly flustered. But Milena’s reaction was completely different from most people.
“The person who cried in the backyard today. Let’s just say it was me, not you.”
That girl, saying that while taking off her own cardigan and handing it over. The body heat transferred from the cardigan had been so warm.
‘Even though she recognized me… she didn’t mock me.’
The people Cecilia had encountered until now were not like that. Everyone smiled kindat to her face, but behind her back, they scrutinized her every move. As if they were testing her, saying, ‘Let’s see how far you can go.’ And if Cecilia showed even the slightest behavior unfitting of a ‘Lady of Lucert,’ they mocked her openly.
“Well, I knew that would happen.”
“She isn’t the real Young Lady after all, is she?”
“A lowly origin can’t be helped.”
Or, on very rare occasions, some people tried to get close to her, but no one was truly interested in “Cecilia.” All they wanted was a connection with the ‘Lady of Lucert.’
Actually, Cecilia knew it too. She was a Lady in name only, a substitute for the real daughter. Therefore, the most she was allowed were those kinds of shallow emotions. That was why every single word from Milena felt so foreign.
“There doesn’t have to be a grand reason for one person to help another, does there?”
The moment she heard those words, her eyes grew hot with a sense of shame. Usually, if she looked like she was about to cry, subordinates would make a huge fuss as if the sky were falling. But this girl was different again.
“Then, may I take my leave? I have to get back to cleaning soon.”
Milena didn’t ignore Cecilia. She didn’t try to force a favor either. With a kind but dry attitude, she maintained a proper distance so that Cecilia wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. Yes. In front of that girl, she didn’t feel like a substitute lady of the Duke’s house…
She felt like just a ‘person.’ But…
‘Forget it. Her attitude will change soon enough anyway.’
Cecilia shook her head cynically. Because everyone had been like that so far.
‘Let’s not expect anything.’
Settling her mind, Cecilia took a sip of the juice. The uniquely refreshing yet sweet taste of orange juice filled her mouth.
‘It’s truly strange.’
Even though she didn’t have a single grain of expectation for that girl. Even though she knew full well it would end up being the same. …Even so, she somehow felt not too bad.
