Feeling burdened by the attention, Hermia paused for a moment and drank her juice.
Even though he didn’t say anything, his eyes were all like, ‘Speak quickly, it’s frustrating!’ and he was about to grab him by the collar.
“Me… but what did I get in here?”
“ah!”
A sigh poured out as she asked while holding a health juice.
He was aiming for it. He was aiming for it… …! When I asked him about it, he saw his nose expand and contract, so I knew he was doing it on purpose.
“Oh, I was going to answer, but I suddenly got curious. So what I was going to say was… What really went into it? Profit!”
Then, this time, she hit the cushion with her fist. The maids flinched at the unpredictable action, and soon exchanged glances in bewilderment.
Are you a person who is a little… sad… ?
“Sir, I’m sorry.”
After finishing the cushion assault, she straightened her messy hair with her fingers and sat up. Despite the strange sight, Emily responded calmly as a high-ranking maid.
“Grapefruit, carrots, apples, and kale are used. The ingredients change slightly with the season. It is a healthy juice that is distributed to soldiers every Monday and Thursday.”
“Wow. I want to enlist too.”
‘Oh my… … .’
It was not something that would be appropriate for a young lady who would soon become the mistress of a duke’s castle to say, and it was even less appropriate for the villainess Helen in the novel to say it.
When they saw the girl who wanted to become a soldier just for a juice, the doubts that had lingered in their minds disappeared like a mirage.
The maids all had regretful expressions on their faces and accepted Henry’s rumors as a given. They decided to think that his strange behavior earlier might have been a result of that.
“Anyway, I don’t really care.”
Emily was momentarily dumbfounded by the answer that finally came.
“…yes?”
“You asked me earlier. Among the maids, there’s no particular type that I prefer or find difficult.”
Hermia spoke calmly and briefly recalled the past.
Immediately after entering the Count’s household, there was someone who was there at first, but left after a couple of months.
‘I started this business to earn a living, but I am still a baroness. You said you would teach Yeong-ae etiquette, but you treat me like a maid all the time. I can’t stand this kind of insult any longer.’
Of course, I was speaking to Countess Olivia Bahnsen.
At the age of fourteen, Hermia learned for the first time that not all nobles were the same.
The Baroness, who had been her tutor, was kind at first, but after finding out that she was an illegitimate child, she gradually became colder, and later even clicked her tongue when they made eye contact. It seemed that it was possible to teach an illegitimate child, but it was absolutely unacceptable to take care of her.
For some reason, he always looked very angry. He even had his hair tied up in a way that made it look like it hurt.
After the Baroness left, the head maid, Madame Laura, took over her duties, and she would often send the other children up, making excuses that she was busy.
Those sent by Madame Laura were maids who only did menial tasks. Naturally, they did not know how to tie a corset or how to take off a dress without ruining it.
Hermia had to teach the maids herself with the limited knowledge she had acquired so far. Then, one day, Madame Laura stopped coming to her room.
While things were going on like that, Mel came in as a live-in maid and soon became her personal maid.
Now that I think about it, I wonder if Mel was sent to take care of an illegitimate child because she was so bad at her job. If she was from an orphanage, her salary would be lower than that of a regular maid, so they didn’t fire her.
Most recently, Andy took over as Mel’s personal maid when she complained of a headache.
Andy was also chosen by Madame Laura, so Hermia had to sit there blankly and watch the people around her change.
No matter who came, most of them were similar, so no one could say that it was particularly uncomfortable or good. That was the honest answer that came out. It really didn’t matter who became the maid.
Emily hesitated as if she had just heard the most difficult request, then cleared her throat.
“I understand. I think you should feel more comfortable here, Miss.”
“yes?”
A pure white apron appeared before her, as she was bewildered.
Emily held out her hand and helped Hermia to her feet, then bowed her head slightly.
“From now on, please do not use honorifics towards us. You are no longer an ordinary countess, but a prospective duchess. You should gradually learn to behave appropriately for your position.”
Emily spoke in a polite but firm tone.
If Hermia continues to act like this, some of the young maids might find this young lady of commoner origin funny.
If you treat them without hesitation, you may end up with children who think they have become close to the hostess and become arrogant.
It was definitely a matter of establishing the hierarchy and then making Hermia feel comfortable in the ducal castle as if it were her own home.
Emily had just realized that this was her role.
“Please call me ‘Emily’ from now on.”
“Ah. Oh, yeah, okay, I get it.”
Hermia replied absentmindedly.
“Okay! Then shall we go on a picnic now?”
“excursion?”
She glared at Emily as she spoke animatedly.
When you say picnic, do you mean that scene you always saw when you rode along the river in a carriage on a bright day?
That thing where you put a bunch of sandwiches of different kinds into a rattan basket, spread a mat on the grass, and roll around on it?
Although it was a different area from the commoners, there were some nobles who came out with their families and enjoyed themselves in that way. Of course, the countess would mercilessly click her tongue whenever she encountered such a sight.
The Countess’s idea of a picnic was a boring one, involving spreading out a large sunshade, bringing in a table, and sitting elegantly in the shade.
Hermia’s heart began to swell with anticipation.
I really hope that the picnic that Emily is talking about is one where they spread out a mat and have a picnic!
* * *
I knew this would happen.
A sense of emptiness appeared in the eyes as I watched the red tea dripping into the teacup.
As the perfect shade was created under the wide-open shade, a table was naturally set up. Then pound cakes stuffed with nuts, strong black tea, and fresh milk were quickly brought out.
Behind the main building, instead of the splendid garden that had been expected, there was a wide parade ground. Across the parade ground, the official residence building, just as large as the main building, also displayed its majestic presence.
Hermia sat bitterly on a rather desolate hill overlooking the entire landscape.
I had a vague inkling of it when I came across male servants on my way up, panting. They must have been carrying heavy things on their way down.
She sat at the perfectly set tea table and picked up her fork without showing it.
Of course, if you just ask, it won’t be hard to bring a mat, but I felt like I ‘had to’. It’s a bit disappointing, but what’s the point of asking?
‘Greed is truly endless. It hasn’t even been a day since I decided to come to my senses, and now I’m talking about a mat.’
I tried to calm my mind and focus on the cake that was melting in my mouth. Even then, I couldn’t believe that pound cake could be this soft.
There was a separate problem.
“Oh, I’m full.”
As I put down my fork without finishing even a single piece, Emily, who was standing next to me, immediately asked me a question.
“Doesn’t this suit your taste? Should I bring you another dessert?”
I’m full, so why another dessert? Hermia shook her head briefly and quickly.
“No. No. This is enough. It was delicious.”
“You don’t have to force yourself to say it’s delicious. Just ask and I’ll prepare anything for you. How about something like chocolate cake or peach tart?”
“No. I’m just really full. I overate this morning and had juice and snacks earlier.”
“It’s candy… … .”
Emily frowned even as Hermia looked genuinely embarrassed.
Since I left the petrification, my breakfast would have been limited to a small loaf of bread and half a piece of fish, and I barely touched the biscuits I prepared for a snack, so how can you call it ‘overeating’?
Emily was about to say that a six-year-old would have eaten more than that, but stopped herself. That wasn’t the right thing to say to someone who had been malnourished by force.
“I guess I’m used to the amount of food that a master or a prince eats, so I keep asking for more. You’ll have to eat lunch later, so don’t force yourself to eat.”
“Huh? Lunch?”
Hermia asked with an embarrassed look on her face.
I feel full as if I’ve already eaten a day’s worth of meals, but I have to eat again?
I was about to say that I probably should skip lunch.
“The lunch menu is beef bourguignon. It comes with a tomato salad, and it’s topped with three kinds of grated cheese, which is really great.”
“You have to eat that.”
The voice of my heart that came out instinctively rejected the rejection.
As I turned my head and finished saying ‘Damn.’ in a small voice, I saw other maids coming up the hill in the distance.
There were already eighteen people inside the tent, and the sight of a group of a similar size quickly approaching was almost intimidating.
She tilted her head as she watched the women rushing up the hill like a herd of bulls.
The maids, wearing wide-brimmed hats to block out the sunlight, each held something in their hands. When I squinted, I saw that they were telescopes for the performance.
“What kind of opera performance is there here?”
A sudden performance at the stadium? It was a ridiculous thought, but it wasn’t impossible for the Duke of Rockford.
As Hermia was wondering about the absurd guess, a pair of golden binoculars was placed right in front of her.
“I’ve never seen an opera, but it’ll be just as much fun. Maybe even more so.”
Emily assured, smiling sinisterly.
It didn’t take long for me to understand what she was saying, because the young men who had come out of the dormitory were lining up and entering the parade ground with measured movements.
They were all naked under the bright morning sunlight. It was a sight that could not help but make your eyes pop out.
“oh my god!”
The surprise was short-lived, and the women who came up late simultaneously raised their telescopes. None of them had been doing it for a day or two.
“I guess it’s one of our essential routines… … .”
Emily looked down with a face more kind than the Pope’s and spoke shamelessly. After a while, the others also started to speak up one by one.
“Our Sir Jonathan is getting fatter day by day. How wonderful.”
“Where did Sir Charlie go? Ah. I found him!”
It seemed like there was even someone watching them closely. The young maids standing under the canopy stamped their feet and then ran over to grab the hem of their clothes and shake them.
“It’s been three minutes! Us too!”
“It’s not over yet. Just wait.”