Episode 14
“Miss? Did something happen?”
When I couldn’t easily take a step with a serious expression, Marie carefully asked in a creeping voice.
Since she had been severely scolded by me, she had been almost absolutely obedient.
In Marie’s tiny head, the afterimage of Seril inside the capsa and the bracelet I had offered temptingly must surely remain. So, she’s probably pretending to genuinely worry about me like this.
I shook my head from side to side and said to her.
“No, it’s nothing. Marie, let’s go back now.”
There’s no need to worry in advance about an incident that hasn’t even occurred. I just hope that man has lips as heavy as a lock.
As I elegantly turned my body, fluttering the hem of my dress, I felt a sharp gaze staring at me from somewhere.
It was extremely blatant to the point of being rude, but since it must be Theodore Vitraice or one of his subordinates, I pretended not to know and received the knight’s escort. My fiercely pounding heart seems to say that my connection with him doesn’t end here.
If I think that I met some ‘black curtain’ that the past me couldn’t meet because I didn’t go out on this day, and thus didn’t know until death, is that too much of a leap?
But the man’s sly tongue, somewhat melancholic temperament, and dark eyes exuding a dangerous scent are so impressive that it’s hard to dismiss as a momentary encounter.
‘So, if we meet again someday, we won’t be able to part smiling like today.’
Before boarding the carriage led by the knight’s hand, I glanced in the direction where the gaze felt strong, wearing a languid smile. And like a half-mute, I moved my lips mumblingly and mouthed a word silently.
‘Let’s meet again next time.’
I’m not sure if he saw my words, but judging by the loud laughter that seems to come riding on the flowing wind, it doesn’t seem like there was no gain. So, let’s consider this round a draw.
As soon as I bought the stationery and returned home, it quickly became evening time, so Marie’s hands became busy. She removed the dress with dirty hems and brought new clothes.
Not only did she bring water with jasmine floating in it in case my skin was damaged from the brief sunlight, but she was also engrossed in making a whitening agent to smooth my skin.
While receiving Marie’s service, I cast my gaze toward the capsa. As if her senses are gradually returning, the groans coming from inside are getting stronger.
With Marie’s help, I changed into slippers and at the same time approached the capsa and slightly opened the lid. I see Seril, whose face is swollen from tears, unable to even open her eyes properly and just flailing her hands toward the air.
I called her name softly and gently in a smooth and kind voice.
“Seril, are you coming to your senses?”
Perhaps her throat was parched from crying for a long time, Seril moves her dry lips and searches for water.
“Ugh……. Wa, water!!”
“Oh, goodness. You must be thirsty, poor thing. Yes, I should give you water. But before that, don’t you have something to say first?”
But stubborn Seril firmly closes her lips and doesn’t give the answer I want.
I looked at her and smiled faintly. Yes, this is like you.
I reached out and gently stroked her swollen cheek. As if soothing a child. And I said in a light voice like singing a song.
“Yes, that’s right. You should keep being stubborn like this. I don’t feel upset at all because you act this way. Come to think of it, you said you were thirsty?”
I gestured to Marie to bring a cup of water. And smiling with my eyes at Seril who is glaring at me with narrowed eyes, I poured the water Marie brought into the capsa.
“Here, this is water. Crawl like a dog and drink it gratefully.”
And without time to hear a response, I closed the capsa’s lid and whispered lastly.
“If you think of becoming a dog, bark woof woof. Then I’ll let you out. Of course, it shouldn’t be too late. Before your pretty back gets full of bedsores, and your bottom gets dirty with excrement. It’s not hard. Just bark woof woof. Oh, but don’t think of using shallow tricks. If you try to deceive me with clumsy thoughts, I’ll unhesitatingly strangle and twist that slender neck.”
Her body is full of bruises, and she hasn’t eaten or drunk for a day and a half. The interior of the capsa, narrow without any gaps, must also be draining her stamina.
If left like this, she probably won’t be able to regain consciousness until tomorrow. She doesn’t even have the strength to wail!
But I have no intention of giving Seril room to rest comfortably inside the capsa and recover her stamina. So I gestured toward Marie.
“Marie, I have a favor to ask you.”
“Just say it.”
“It’s not a difficult task.”
“What is it?”
“It’s very simple. You just need to come into my room every two hours and kick that capsa for ten minutes.”
Marie’s face turns pale. She shakes her head with tears welling up in her eyes.
“Ah, Miss. Please don’t make me commit more sins. How much do you intend to torment me? Do you intend not to forgive me for the morning’s incident?”
“What? Punishing a maid who deceived her master is a sin? Fine, if you think that way, I won’t make you do it.”
At my words, her face brightens up. But that lasts only a moment, and at my following words, it turns black like charcoal and becomes filled with despair.
“Instead, I’ll call people. I’ll scream and pant like a mad person. I’ll shout that I discovered Seril in the capsa and faint. Oh, yes. You’re making a face like what am I thinking. It’s just a very interesting story that while I was out visiting my mother, you stole my bracelet, and Seril caught you, that’s all. Yes, like this. Brave and righteous Cheryl told you she would report it to me, and panicked, you couldn’t overcome the fear and knocked her out with nearby objects and then beat her to near death.”
“G-goodness. Miss!!! How can you say such things!!”
“Shh. Be quiet and keep listening. As you struck wildly unable to overcome the fear, Seril’s wounds became bigger than expected. Fearing she might die if left like this, you started treating Cheryl with trembling hands. But then my footsteps started to be heard. Panicked, you used all your strength to put Seril into the empty capsa and pretended not to know while serving me. Fortunately, I went out to buy stationery without knowing anything. But when you returned home and went to prepare jasmine water to serve me, the fainted Seril woke up, and I happened to hear her groans and open the capsa. Shocked, I scream and call everyone. How about it? How do you feel after hearing an interesting story?”
I looked leisurely at Marie, who is panting with a face as if about to faint.
The reason I can commit such atrocities without issue is all due to the immense power of the ‘Miss’ status.
The reason I can spout such nonsense and make assertions close to coercion and get away with it is because I am the young lady of the Wischwaltz family.
Therefore, even if I scream and gather people, no one will listen to Marie’s words.
Because she is already rumored far and wide as a maid who was caught harassing me. If I add that she tried to steal my valuables in advance out of fear of being chased out, surely no one can refute it.
Of course, Seril could refute my words, but all she can do, unable to speak properly, is communicate through gestures. Even that can be dismissed as nonsense from not being in her right mind.
Above all, the foster father, angry at the fact that a maid tried to deceive his foster daughter, would surely not be able to lift his head to me out of sorry if such incidents happen in succession.
And he would try his best to cheer me up. Hmm, this seems not bad either?
However, since taming a new maid like Marie is tricky, I waited patiently with a generous heart for her to make a wise decision.
“Ah, Miss, I’ll do it. I’ll do it, so please don’t cause such a thing. I was wrong.”
Marie knelt and clung. She was genuinely afraid of being chased out of the mansion. For them, there is no job with higher income than working at the count’s house, especially serving the miss.
Could those who have lived eating soft bread with jam and tea, wearing clothes mixed with cotton and muslin as compensation for serving a noble’s young lady, do menial work?
I can assert, no. Those who have lived better than commoners could never melt hard black bread with saliva and break cold ice water to do laundry.
Moreover, Marie is a maid specially educated to deal with nobles. With her standards already raised to the maximum, she could never sleep in an old bed where sewer rats roam.
Above all, for maids like Marie, there is nothing more terrifying than being chased out involved in dishonorable matters.
Word of mouth has truly tremendous power, leading to situations where not only other noble houses but even general stores refuse them.
So, from the beginning, there was no choice. I hold the hilt of the sword. Poor Marie. She is merely a slender butterfly caught in my spider web.
She will remain tied to the thread and swaying until I suck her bodily fluids dry and discard her to the ground.
I nodded and personally helped Marie stand up. And to her, who is trembling with shaking eyes, I said strongly as a warning.
“Yes, that’s right. Don’t ever argue with my orders again. My patience isn’t that long.”
Marie nods her head. She shakes it so vigorously that her neck seems about to fall off. Finding that appearance funny, I laughed loudly. And I kissed her cheek.
“Then, work hard.”
***
The evening dinner with my foster father was quite good. The salted pig’s tongue was fresh, and the ham cooked in wine was very tender.
Especially the lark skewer seasoned with lemon and butter was an indescribable delicacy, and I couldn’t help but exclaim at the cooking technique that used sage to eliminate the unique gamey smell of the meat.
The veal pancreas roast seasoned with eggplant and the meat jelly with mashed pine nuts were also perfect in themselves, very satisfying.
Finally, only after rinsing my mouth with cherries pickled in honey, cheese, and wine could I subdue my hungry stomach. If it weren’t for Roena chattering at me, the mood would have been much better.
Roena couldn’t keep her mouth shut throughout the dinner. It seemed she had sold her perfect table manners somewhere, as she was trying hard to throw various stories at me.
Perhaps the excitement of having a new family hasn’t faded yet, her softly blushing cheeks were very cute and pretty. Her lively sparkling eyes were fixed on me all along.
The topics of conversation were very diverse. Throughout the meal, she mentioned various things across literature, history, art, and more.
The problem was that most of the topics she brought up were only according to her own interests, with no consideration for me at all. Roena seemed to have forgotten that I am a commoner who hasn’t even received proper education. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have led the conversation topics with such content.
What came out of her mouth were stories of very high difficulty that the past me wouldn’t have known at all if I hadn’t studied to death to beat Roena.
Since they are contents I already know, I could respond leisurely like this, but otherwise, I surely couldn’t even answer, my face would turn red, and I would feel ashamed of myself.
I felt deep anger at her attitude of being intoxicated with her own mood and not considering the other person. The behavior of hers, who would surely say with her characteristic embarrassed face ‘Ah, sorry. You don’t know this’ if I couldn’t answer in time, felt horribly detestable.
