Chapter 6
“Mrs. Bohen, Mrs. Bohen! I have just heard from the knight outside that this woman is the Duchess of Lancaster!”
"What? The Duchess of Lancaster?"
Marsha's eyes widened as she scanned Idil up and down again. However, she had no intention of showing Idil any respect. Quite the opposite, in fact.
"Oh my God, it's an unforgettable day when the Duchess is treated like a servant. Ho ho ho!"
With a sly smile, Marsha pretended to be generous when she ordered the maid who was laughing with her.
“In any case, we must follow the Count’s orders. Mina! First, wash this woman and feed her, then put her to bed. The room at the end of the hall, isn’t it? Give her that room.”
"concept!"
"And you're the new one. What's your name?"
Edel didn't particularly mind being called "the new one" by the head maid. She would have been happier if she'd been assured she wouldn't be summoned to Laszlo's bedroom, but since she wasn't certain yet, she couldn't bring herself to smile.
She answered in the weakest voice she could muster.
“Edel, my lady.”
It felt strange, but oddly comforting, not to attach the name “Lacaster” or “Canyon” to her name.
“Oh my God, you’re answering so politely, it must be because you’re a noblewoman? Ho ho ho! You’ll have to keep up this good manners.”
Marsha's eyes twinkled as if she were expecting something amusing, then she pointed at the young maid and turned around.
The young maid, Mina, raised her chin and looked at Idil haughtily as soon as Marsha left. She reminded Idil how Marsha had behaved when Laszlo wasn't around.
"You look a mess. Follow me, Duchess."
Despite Mina's mockery, Idil wasn't particularly bothered. She'd endured the worst ridicule and slander in society; this was nothing to her.
Mina, who seemed too busy to be sarcastic any longer, led Idil straight to the bathroom.
“This is the bucket of water, this is the plunger, this is the soap, and this is the towel. Do you even know how to wash yourself with just this explanation?”
“No, but I don’t have any clothes to change into… Do you have any spare maid uniforms?”
“There must be some maids who will be reduced… I will find one for you. Just take a shower first. The smell is unbearable.”
"Understood. Thank you."
“Oh my God, you’re even thanking me. You’re still so calm, aren’t you?”
Mina scoffed, but she didn't forget to explain everything that was necessary.
“After you finish washing, go to the room at the end of the hall. This is your room. I will bring your meal there, so eat, and return the tray to the kitchen in the morning.”
"What time should I go to the kitchen in the morning?"
“Seven o’clock in the morning, don’t be late even a little, or you will be punished.”
"Understood."
When she saw that Idell showed no sign of annoyance or humiliation, Mina looked annoyed and added something else.
"It's best if you get a good night's sleep. Starting tomorrow, you'll realize how difficult the work of the maids you used to hire is."
And so Mina betrayed and left Idil to her own devices.
It seems that Mina wants to see Idil angry, but compared to Marsha, she still looks completely naive.
'However, she is rather nice. She brings me clothes and food,' thought Idel.
Edel was grateful even for these small gestures of kindness.
It made sense, given that in the past, a traitor of this stature had been executed in the town square, stoned to death. It was understandable that people harbored ill feelings toward her.
“First, I must take a bath.” As that maid said, I must smell very bad.
Despite her efforts to maintain cleanliness, compared to the days when she used the finest cosmetics and perfumes, she constantly felt that she smelled bad.
It was late October, and the idea of a cold shower was daunting. However, it was better than the unpleasant smell, so Idil gritted her teeth and poured cold water over herself.
"Yes."
The water was colder than I expected.
She let out a trembling breath through her teeth.
'Take a quick shower. As soon as possible.'
Edel took the handkerchief that she had wrapped around her neck, soaked it in water, lathered it with soap, and began to scrub her body, which was covered in sweat and dirt.
In the dark and quiet bathroom, she was rubbing her body vigorously, then suddenly burst into a hollow laugh.
“I think that just three weeks ago, I was being bathed by the maids…”
It felt as if those luxurious days had been three years ago, not three weeks ago.
When I looked back, I realized it was a flower protected in a greenhouse.
Even on the day the Duke's family's demise became clear, she worried about the future as she soaked in a bronze tub, surrounded by warm, perfumed water, in the presence of the maids.
'From now on, I will have to bathe in cold water, even in the dead of winter. It seems the Crisis family does not provide warm water for their servants.'
To avoid frostbite, she may only be able to wipe herself with a damp cloth. By spring, her skin may become dry and flaky.
As a duchess or daughter of a count, such insults were unimaginable, but she had to accept this new reality.
'At least I'm not dead. And it's not as if I'm facing something so unbearable that death would be better.'
Although she contemplated giving up on life when she arrived here, she wasn't someone who desperately awaited death. All living beings possess an instinct for survival.
As long as she didn't become a plaything for someone's vulgar desires, she wanted to live.
She did not aspire to a great life.
She simply wanted a quiet, modest life where she could take care of herself. That was all she wanted.
For this reason, she saw a glimmer of hope in Laszlo's decision to hand her over to the head servant as an "extra hand".
"At least he doesn't seem to have any immediate plans to do anything to me... Let's stay alert and learn to work hard."
Edel carefully unbraided her hair and washed it with soap and water. If the water had been warm, the dirt and oil would have washed away easily, but with cold water, it seemed to stick even more.
However, she had to do her best. That's how she would always live.
Once the washing was finished, Edel quickly dried herself and took the maid's outfit out of the laundry basket that someone had left behind.
She did not know who her owner was, but he was very large on top and she had to roll up her sleeves, even though the skirt was rather short, and far past her ankles.
'However, this is better than nothing. They even provided a shirt and drawers.'
There was no petticoat to inflate the skirt, but Idéal was grateful that she didn't have to wear just one dress over her bare skin.
That was much better than wearing her dirty, smelly clothes again.
She emerged from the bathroom, her old clothes clutched in her hand, and headed down the hallway to the room Mina had indicated. A faint light filtered through the open door at the end of the room.
This appears to be her room.
When I opened the door, I found a room with a sloping ceiling and a small window through which cold air seeped. Inside were a narrow bed, a table, and a dilapidated chair.
There was no wardrobe, but there were three nails on the wall, presumably for hanging clothes.
The room looked empty for a while, with dust on the table and cobwebs in the corners being noticeable.
“So, people live in such small rooms as well.”
This was the first time she had seen a room this small. The balcony of the room she had occupied was larger than this.
However, Idel quickly rejected the idea.
“I am no longer noble.”
The criminal, who should have been beheaded and her head displayed on the walls of the castle, should have been grateful to have a room of her own, even if it was like this.
In fact, what she was most grateful for was the meal placed on the table. It was just a loaf of brown bread, a glass of water, and half a brown apple.
"Let's eat."
The meal she had eaten in prison during the day had long since been digested. With the tension from anticipating death subsiding and after finishing her shower, she was extremely hungry.
Idil closed the door tightly, sat down, and carefully tore the bread.
The bread was dry and sour, and it tasted bad, but she chewed it diligently and washed it down with small sips of water.
After finishing baking, I bit into the small piece of apple.
“Ha…”
The apple made a crisp sound when she bit into it, and the sweet and sour juice filled her mouth, making her suddenly feel alive.
She always preferred fruit to cakes, biscuits, or sweets. The sweet, refreshing taste of seasonal fruit was far more refreshing than the sweetness of cream or sugar.
Even while being transported to the capital in a dilapidated cart, she had missed out on a lot of fruit.
“I thought I would never taste a piece of fruit again before I died.”
She is thinking about her misery with this thought, and is now chewing a small piece of apple.
Even something as small as that gave her courage.
"Will I be able to eat fruit again tomorrow?"
She smiled for no reason.
If you can persevere, and find hope in these little sweets, perhaps you will find peace someday.
'I'll leave cleaning the room for tomorrow. As that maid said, I need to get a good night's sleep.'
After finishing each piece of food on the tray, Idil carefully folded her old clothes and lay down on the bed.
The bed was hard, but it took her no more than five minutes to fall asleep.