Chapter 20
“Speaking of the little bush, it seems that Count Canyon’s daughter was given to Laszlo?”
“It was the most dramatic scene at the Victory Banquet, you know? Everyone was begging for it like a pack of dogs, and the Emperor handed it over to Laszlo.”
"It was a lesson for everyone. Poor woman."
Duke Berrington tapped his tongue and shook his head, but Isaac laughed.
“Count Canyon thought he could secure the connection by giving his daughter to the Duke of Lancaster. It’s utterly ridiculous. But considering he managed to protect his family in this mess, he’s not a complete fool…”
Everyone noticed the subtle differences in his words.
"Are you planning to use Count Canyon?"
“These days, he has kept a low profile.”
Isaac shrugged.
“Well, I’m just keeping an eye on him. I don’t think Count Canyon can accomplish anything significant.”
“Even Baron Owen or Count Titian could achieve good results if used correctly.”
They continued their conversation, mentioning families who could be made scapegoats in their place. The harm done to those families was not their concern.
* * *
“Edil, today you are the one who will go and get the laundry. We will wash the remaining laundry that we did not wash yesterday.”
Celia asked Idyll to collect the laundry while dividing up the day's tasks.
In fact, collecting the laundry was one of the easiest tasks in the laundry room. It also allowed for a bit of peace of mind if done discreetly.
When Edel first started working, Celia and Lila took turns collecting the laundry. But as time passed and they grew closer, Edel also began to take on that task.
“The head maid said she’s going out with Miss Linnea, so take your time.”
This basically gave Edel some free time.
Idil tried to refuse, but Celia and Lila already had their hands wet, so she had no choice but to take a large basin and leave the laundry room.
I placed the basin in the cart at the entrance of the palace connected to the laundry room, and decided to start from the upper floors heading directly to the second floor.
As she pushed the cart with the ease of someone who had done so for a long time, she felt a strange sense of nostalgia.
“It’s been almost two months since I started working here.”
Today marks exactly the fiftieth day.
Although she hadn't been here for very long, Edel was feeling increasingly concerned about the strange things about this mansion.
“The absence of a personal servant is absurd, but for the head butler to be the actual power in the palace… that’s really strange.”
While the head maid position is indeed important, it is essentially senior maids who manage other maids.
It was unheard of for a head servant to exert real power in a nobleman's house of this size.
Furthermore, Marsha used her authority in a particularly frivolous way.
“She creates factions among the few servants, and acts like a queen.”
The accumulation or delay of work was not only due to a shortage of servants, but also to some servants who were going along with Marsha and shirking work, which prompted other servants to take on those extra tasks.
“Younger or less experienced maids suffer particularly.”
Marsha's close maids spent time having snacks or chatting with her, while others had to take on more tasks under her orders.
The new servants could not refuse Marsha's orders, because they were in a vulnerable position and could not easily leave work for fear of losing the recommendation.
“The head butler likely wields considerable influence and can spend money within the budget approved by the Count. Hence her power.”
Given the poor quality of food and supplies at the palace, it appears that the budget was not used properly.
Perhaps she had a poor view of quality or simply didn't bother to look for good dealers.
“She even manipulates Linnea as she pleases. It is likely that she deliberately exacerbates Linnea’s feelings of insecurity.”
In this way, she can easily control Linnea.
Edel often saw Marsha whispering to Linnea, pretending to know things.
It appears that Marsha was calling on tailors or jewelers she knew, but it was clear how other nobles would view the items the maid chose.
Although it wasn't her problem, it sent shivers down Idil's spine.
'She must be getting commissions from these sellers.'
Edel sighed at the utter chaos that Count Crisis's family was experiencing.
“Why doesn’t Count Chrysos correct anything? Even if he is busy, he should manage his family’s affairs first so that other problems can be solved.”
Edel sighed as she gathered the laundry from Linnea's room.
The owner's empty room was filled with all sorts of decorations. She seemed to buy whatever was fashionable whenever she wanted, without any consistent taste.
Perhaps she bought it because of the maid's "modern" suggestions.
'If she knew a few of her peers, she wouldn't be easily manipulated by the head maid. But perhaps her position made that difficult for her.'
I heard that Laszlo struggled to be integrated into the nobility.
He was a man who lost his parents at a young age and ended up on the streets with his sister, becoming a mercenary king after starting out as a guild boy.
It was easy to imagine the hardships he overcame, but despite everything he went through, he did not gain the respect of the nobles, who did not consider his past anything praiseworthy.
“One of the common people they despised has suddenly become the emperor’s favorite and a great nobleman – they must be seething with jealousy.”
Perhaps for this reason, in Edel's view, Laszlo seemed to focus only on his duties at the palace, as if he wanted to prove himself to them.
But simply doing his job well will not make him part of the social elite, nor will it win him allies among the nobility.
Frankly, he lacked the charisma of aristocrats to swallow their pride and approach him first.
“He must be intelligent, or able to provide financial benefits to those he works with, or have connections that help him get close to the emperor. Even his appearance must be impeccable… but he doesn’t seem to care about any of that.”
Although his hair and mustache concealed a decent face, Laszlo vehemently refused to show himself or care about his appearance. His personality was also rough, making it difficult for Edel to see if she could gain anything from him.
"If his family's reputation is like this, could the situation get any worse?"
Linnea could hardly lift her head if she was not accompanied by her brother.
'Count Crisis doesn't realize the fact that he has become a nobleman. Perhaps if he hadn't received the title, there wouldn't have been a problem, but since he has it, he is required to bear the responsibility.'
Idel thought angrily as she headed towards Laszlo's bedroom.
Then I heard whispers coming from Laszlo's office. It seemed that someone was discussing something inside, and perhaps one of the maids had left the door open after serving them tea.
"The yellow fox? The red rat?"
Idil was curious for a moment, but she quickly shook her head and turned her attention away.
'I am no longer part of this class, and I am even implicated in the crime of treason. I should not listen to these political talks.'
As she approached the office, someone inside the room noticed movement outside and suddenly opened the door.
"Who are you?!"
A young man, whom Idil had never seen before, shouted as he rushed out.
He did not appear to belong to the Imperial Guard or the Palace Knights; his clothes seemed rather simple, but his gaze was sharp and harsh.
Although she was surprised, Idell was afraid of being accused of eavesdropping, so she lowered her head respectfully and greeted him.
“I am a maid from the laundry room, I used to collect the laundry.”
The man did not lift his cold gaze from Edel, but looked inside the office where Laszlo was and asked him:
“This maid is someone I have never seen before, sir. Has her identity been properly verified?”
Upon hearing these words, Laszlo approached him. He looked a little different than before; he had shaved his beard recently, probably only a day or two ago.
'As I expected, he basically looks good. In fact, his appearance could be quite impressive in society if he takes good care of it.'
Edel was able to quickly notice Laszlo's true features, and yet it was clear that Laszlo himself was not using these features to his advantage, which bothered Edel.