Chapter 8
At that moment, he remembers catching her when she almost fell out of the carriage.
She recoiled from the shock and pushed him away.
“To be so scared just because she touched a mercenary. Her future will be harsh.”
Of course, he could understand why she hated him. Although he was merely following the emperor's orders, he was responsible for the annihilation of the Duke of Lancaster's family.
Although she had pushed him away recklessly, she quickly apologized politely, which impressed him somewhat. It was a display of composure.
However, despite her apparent mental strength, her body appeared extremely fragile.
"How do women have such slim waists? Are their organs properly positioned inside those rib cages?"
For Laszlo, whose body was as strong as a tree trunk, his physical build was incomprehensible. It seemed unreasonable that he had endured the uncomfortable journey in the carriage with such a fragile body, and maintained an upright posture.
He ordered the driver to go slowly, fearing that her body would break if they went at normal speed, and it was a lucky decision.
If the carriage is shaking uncontrollably, she may have made a mistake in trying to open the carriage door.
“I don’t know what she is trying to protect so badly that she is willing to risk her life for it.”
Laszlo ran his hand through his still-damp hair, sighed, and stood up from his seat.
"Well, maybe I'll find some use for it if I keep it nearby."
He decided to deal with the complicated matters tomorrow, and turned off the oil lamp.
Although the light had gone out, he could still feel the warmth emanating from the lamp, and Laszlo found himself thinking about Edel's back. He didn't know why the thought came to mind.
* * *
Idyll woke up early in the morning, with a faint light filtering in.
Although she was dozing off as if in a swoon, her body was still moving unusually. It was probably around six in the morning.
She washed her face with cold water that she felt would freeze her face to wake her up, then picked up a piece of cloth that she had left in the corner of the bathroom and began cleaning the room.
So much dust had accumulated that she had to wash the cloth four more times.
“I can’t believe I slept in a place like this.”
She laughed dryly.
Whether she slept in a room cleaned by maids morning and evening, or in this dusty, dilapidated room, the quality of her sleep did not differ much, which amused her in a way.
Edel opened the window to let in the cool morning air. Her body felt cold, but it seemed to sharpen her mind.
“Oh, I can do that. That’s fine.”
She tidied her appearance, cheered herself up, and then headed to the kitchen with an empty tray.
In the kitchen, the servants and maids would go out to have breakfast.
However, contrary to the warning that they would be in trouble if they did not arrive before seven, some seats were still empty even though it was past seven, and Marsha was nowhere to be seen.
The assembled servants looked at Idyll, whispering among themselves, but no one spoke to her first.
"It's not polite for me to start the conversation either."
She remembered the social etiquette she was accustomed to and took in the atmosphere. Around 7:30, Marsha entered the kitchen, yawning.
She was followed by two maids who seemed to be carrying themselves with slightly more authority.
It seems everyone was there finally.
"Is everyone here?"
Marsha, who was sitting haughtily at the head of the table, frowned as she inspected the servants gathered in the palace.
Then she noticed that Idil was sitting at the back and smiled.
“Today, let’s start by introducing our new colleague. The newcomer! Stand up and introduce yourself.”
When she called, Idell stood quietly and bowed her head politely.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Edel. I’ll be working as a maid on Count Crisis’s estate starting today.”
Since no one knew about her arrival last night, most of them looked at her with curious eyes.
The young men would sparkle with expectant eyes or whistle quietly, while the maids, who were short of hand, were visibly delighted.
Marsha watched this silently before making a casual comment.
"Why don't you share your past experience as well? The former Duchess of Lancaster?"
Edel wasn't surprised to learn that Marsha wasn't going to let it slide so easily.
However, the others were naturally shocked, and the kitchen soon became noisy with snorting.
“Lancaster? Isn’t that… where the lord was recently destroyed…”
"It seems so. She said she was a duchess."
"Huh! A duchess? And she works as a maid here?"
“This is unbelievable!”
The servants, who had dealt with the back-floor gossip of nobles all their lives, could not easily accept the fact that someone who had been a “duchess” had become their colleague.
However, Marsha spoke coldly and mocked them all.
“Quiet, quiet! Why are you making such a fuss? She’s just a criminal who managed to save her life thanks to the Emperor’s mercy. Her situation is equal to or less than ours.”
The maids who followed Marsha echoed her words with laughter. Mina, in particular, who had shown Idil to the bathroom and her room the day before, seemed more enthusiastic than the others.
Marsha waited until things calmed down a bit before asking Idel.
“Edel! Don’t new maids usually start with something? No?”
“No. I’m not sure.”
“I thought a duchess like you would know such things as well as the back of your hand, but apparently not?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Having sensed the urge to provoke her in some way, Edel acted more calmly. She didn't know much about what new maids did, but she was certain she would be assigned the most irritating and difficult tasks.
Marsha looked at Edel with an arrogant expression, and spoke to her like a judge addressing a convict.
"You have been assigned to the laundry room. After breakfast, follow Celia. And Celia!"
The maid, named Celia, with black hair, looked at Marsha with a troubled expression.
“If you want to feel comfortable, it’s best to get to know the newcomer well, isn’t it?”
"Really... is this... okay?"
"What are you talking about?"
“No, I mean… are you sure it will be smooth sailing later?”
At that, Marsha laughed.
"Perhaps the dead Duke of Lancaster will return to find his wife?"
The maids who followed Marsha laughed, but most of them couldn't help feeling uncomfortable as they watched Edel's reactions.
It wasn't because they were afraid of retaliation. It was because it was considered impolite to laugh and joke in front of someone who had recently lost her husband and family.
That's why Marsha was acting even more rudely.
'I wonder if she hopes to see me shed tears?'
But in reality, Idel wasn't upset.
To be honest, I felt relieved that the Duke of Lancaster's family had been destroyed.
'No one knows how awful it is to live as the Duchess of Lancaster.'
She felt as though she had gained the freedom to breathe in exchange for losing everything she had enjoyed as a noblewoman.
Life in this palace may be difficult, but it seemed easier than the days when she felt like she was walking on knives as a duchess.
Therefore, she was not afraid of becoming a laundry maid.
Of course, I was a little surprised when I followed Celia into the laundry room.
"Is this... the laundry room?"
“Oh, yes. Okay…”
During her single days, as part of her training to become a proper lady, she visited the laundry room several times. The ideal lady should know every nook and cranny of the house.
However, the laundry room at Count Canyon that she saw at that time was cleaner and more pleasant than this one.
"Despite rumors that the emperor rewarded him with land and a huge sum of money..."
Compared to the rumors of great wealth, the laundry room was surprisingly shabby.
The building itself wasn't old or cramped. But the items inside looked very shabby compared to the state of the Count.
The metal basins piled high with laundry of all kinds looked old, and the wooden chairs on which the maids sat to wash clothes looked half-rotten.
The laundry soap was scattered randomly on the sticky floor, and there were water spots everywhere.
Idle forced herself to straighten her wrinkled forehead and turned her attention to the wall covered with thick plaster.
'It's not just this laundry room that looks strange. Although the mansion is large and luxurious, the interior design looks a bit awkward.'
She laughed as she remembered the different parts of the palace she had seen yesterday and today.
'Does Count Crisis hate spending money on the palace? But if the nobles don't manage their properties properly, that will be an even bigger problem…'
But now was not the time to bring up such matters. Idil looked at the pile of laundry in front of her and, following Celia's instructions, rolled up her sleeves.
“This may be your first time, but I can’t explain it multiple times… So, it seems this place is constantly busy…”
“Yes, it seems so.”
“Okay. First, we only make the soap once a month, and it’s stored there, so you can take it out and use it… After breakfast, come to the laundry room by 8 a.m. and start washing clothes for Mr. and Miss Linnea…”
Celia hesitated between using informal or formal language, but proceeded to teach Edel the laundry room tasks step by step.
It wasn't particularly difficult.
'The problem is how long my endurance will last.'
No, her situation was not something others needed to know about, so she had to put up with it no matter what.
'I shouldn't rush things from the start. I need to manage my stamina and use it wisely.'