Chapter 39
"What are you saying? We've benefited so much from Edel, how could we possibly be upset about something like this?"
“That’s right. Thanks to Edel, we can now use hot water.”
At those words, Marsha's expression changed completely.
"What do you mean? Using hot water? And how is that because of Idil?"
“Oh my God, the head maid, don’t you know? And when Edel collapsed, the Count came into the laundry room.”
Celia's smile deepened.
“He was shocked that we were washing with cold water in the middle of winter. So, starting today, a heating system has been installed in the laundry room to use hot water.”
The servant, who was silently tearing his bread in front of Celia, nodded in agreement.
“The Count ordered me and Benjamin yesterday to build a furnace in the laundry room and to repair the furnace in the servants’ bath immediately after breakfast today.”
At this, the other maids looked surprised and asked again.
"In the bathroom too?"
"Really? So we can use hot water when we shower?"
The servant nodded vigorously, even as he chewed his bread. Benjamin, who was sitting next to him, continued explaining.
“Of course. He even told us to pile up lots of firewood near the laundry room and bathroom so that we wouldn’t run out until the weather got warm.”
"amazing!"
The servants' table buzzed with joyful excitement at Benjamin's words.
They suffered greatly in the cold weather, unable to use warm water. Now, they can finally bathe in hot water!
However, amidst all the joy, Marsha's face turned red, then pale with disappointment.
"Everyone, please be quiet!"
She screamed, startling the others, who looked at her in bewilderment, wondering why she was behaving this way.
“I have never heard of anything like this! No one will move until I confirm this with the Count. Do you understand?”
Marsha's arrogance had exceeded everyone's expectations. Idel stared directly at the annoyed Marsha and spoke calmly.
“The Count himself gave the order, and you’re saying we shouldn’t begin until he confirms it? Are you suggesting that your authority is higher than the Count’s?”
Marsha's eyes flashed with anger, but Edel felt no fear whatsoever. She had never been afraid of the head butler, and everyone around her agreed with her.
Even Marco, who was usually silent, could not back down today and spoke up.
“We have finally managed to bathe in warm water, but you don’t seem happy about it. Would you prefer to bathe in cold water, madam?”
“No, of course not! It’s just that I hadn’t heard about this, so I thought there might have been some misunderstanding.”
"What is the misunderstanding...?"
Someone muttered quietly, and everyone cast sideways glances at Marsha.
Marsha felt trapped, and tried to change the mood by yelling at Idell.
“Anyway, Edel! Starting today, your duties in the kitchen will be washing the dishes, cleaning the vegetables, and preparing the ingredients. If any of the vegetables get spoiled because of you, I won’t let it slide, so be careful!”
"I look forward to working with you, Head Chef."
Idil greeted the cook with only a bow, which only made Marsha's expression more displeased.
* * *
Although Edel has been promoted to kitchen maid, that doesn't mean she can avoid putting her hands in cold water. After all, hot water can't be used to wash vegetables.
In addition, the start time had moved up earlier, so she was now waking up at 5:30 a.m.
When she came to the kitchen at such an hour before dawn, she lit the oil lamps, checked the embers in the stove, and placed the breakfast ingredients that had been prepared the night before on the table. This served as a signal for the beginning of her day.
“There’s nothing left to prepare for this morning, so I’ll wash the lunch ingredients beforehand.”
The previous maid started preparing lunch after breakfast, but since Edel was still inexperienced, she had to be more diligent.
When the cook, Arturo, arrived, she helped him prepare the servants' breakfast. Afterwards, she washed and prepared more ingredients.
“So, it’s time to serve breakfast and lunch to Linnea. After that, it will be time for the servants’ lunch. There’s hardly a moment to breathe.”
After cleaning the dishes and preparing the dinner ingredients, I finally got a short break, but by 5 pm, it was time to start preparing dinner again.
“The kitchen is just as difficult as the laundry room. All the tools here are old too. The workflow is extremely inefficient.”
And above all… she was filthy.
Edel deliberately looked away from the areas where the mice were clearly living. With her current workload, she simply didn't have the energy to clean the kitchen.
Now, after washing the lunch ingredients, her hands were so cold that she could barely hold a knife.
“Ho… ho…”
She rubbed her frozen hands together and blew on them, and felt the same tingling sensation in her fingertips as if she had frostbite on her feet.
She wished she could warm her hands by the stove, but if she did, one of Marsha's spies was sure to make a fuss.
“It’s already late. However, I need to prepare a little more.”
Edel made her fists and opened them several times before picking up a small knife and starting to peel the potatoes.
After soaking the peeled potatoes in water, she had to peel the onions, tears streaming down her face, then she would open a large pumpkin, remove its entrails, and peel off the thick skin.
"Important! Don't be lazy and do it right!"
While Edel was peeling potatoes, another kitchen maid, Lola, arrived for her shift and immediately began to grumble.
It seems that Lola, who was loyal to Marsha, had been instructed to constantly monitor and scrutinize Idil's every move. This was also the reason why Idil was unable to warm her hands by the stove.
Sometimes, Lola did her best to sabotage Idyll's work, but after Arturo reprimanded her for it, she toned down the work a little.
And of course, Idil, who long ago abandoned the path of the “obedient maid,” will no longer tolerate Lola.
“Lola, you might want to attend to your own chores. You didn’t clean the bowl yesterday.”
"Perhaps I forgot! Where did I leave it?"
"Where will he be? Where I left him."
Lola looked at her with angry eyes and shouted.
“If you knew it hadn’t been cleaned, you should have done it! Why did you leave it there?”
“Lola, don’t slack off and do your job properly. This is your responsibility.”
“W-What did you say?”
"Why are you so surprised? It's the same thing you've been telling me ever since I started working here."
Edel smiled gently and went back to peeling the potatoes.
“Arturo will be here soon. If I were you, I would have cleaned this bowl instead of wasting time.”
Lola gritted her teeth and rushed towards the bowl.
Arturo was the type of person who got angry easily, and if he found out that Lola had left without cleaning the bowl yesterday, he would likely throw every tool she had cleaned on the floor while cursing her.
'What made her think I would cover for her?'
Edel couldn't understand Lola's rude attitude. Did she really think that shouting alone would make the others back down?
Shortly after, Arturo entered the kitchen, his usual scowl in place, and the moment he saw Lola scrubbing the bowl, he exploded with anger and hurled insults.
The string of profanities was enough to make Idell feel like her ears were dirty. But what bothered her even more than her ears was her nose.
'The Count really needs to hire a new cook. Forget the swearing, a cook who smells of tobacco should be fired immediately.'
Arturo's arrival was always preceded by the unpleasant smell of tobacco. The sight of him cooking while smelling of smoke made Idil frown, especially since he didn't bother to wash his nicotine-stained hands.
Since she found out about this, she ate the food he had prepared for her, which made her stomach upset.
"Edel! Are the breakfast ingredients ready?"
"Yes, Chef."
Idil calmly placed the ingredients she had prepared the previous day in front of Arturo, who was still angry.
Finally, he calmed down a little and took a knife out of the kitchen drawer.
* * *
“Oh, my leg…”
It was 3:30 PM.
After finishing the lunch dishes and preparing the ingredients for dinner, Edel sat on the stairs that connect the kitchen to the storage attic, trying to catch her breath.
Her back and legs ached from standing all day, and all she could do was moan as she went down the stairs.
"Perhaps I'll rest my eyes for a moment."
After waking up at dawn and being busy ever since, she was very tired.
Lola rarely visited this part of the kitchen, so she wasn't caught.
Edel leaned her twisted body against the wall and closed her eyes. Just as she was about to drift away, she heard someone enter the kitchen.
"Is it Lola?"
The sound of the woman's heels clicking on the floor made Idell open her eyes in alarm and press her ears.