Done by Sid/Alina
Chapter 19
The doubts stirred by the tremor of the sacred artifact in the sanctuary became clear the moment he held Aira’s hand again.
She was different from the first time she had come to Julienne Palace for an escort.
“Though I’ve never tried it before…”
Valter raised his hand, lost in thought.
“It seems I’ll have a chance to use it soon.”
Deep in thought, he sat on the balcony when a man approached him. It was Ellen Chesswig, the third son of the Chesswig Count family and one of Valter’s trusted subordinates. A perpetual troublemaker who squandered his family’s wealth at gambling halls whenever he could.
“To think you’d visit me for something as trivial as a broken leg, Your Highness,” Ellen said, moved by the idea that Valter had come to see him after he’d been injured in a recent mission and bedridden for a while.
But before Ellen could bask in that sentiment, Valter parted his lips.
“I didn’t come to see you.”
Ellen’s eyebrows twitched in disbelief.
“Then, why would His Highness the Crown Prince come to the Count’s estate, especially with my parents away on business…?”
“To buy a bottle of wine.”
At this, Ellen’s gaze shifted to the wine bottle placed next to the prince. Sure, it was a high-quality wine that commoners or lower nobles could rarely afford, but couldn’t a servant fetch such a thing with a mere snap of his fingers?
“And to enjoy the charity event.”
Hearing this, Ellen let out an “Ah,” his mouth opening slightly.
“My sister occasionally hosts such social parties with other noblewomen. But I’ve never seen anything particularly worthwhile come out of them…”
Valter, who let Ellen’s words drift past him, had a faint smile on his lips.
Though Aira hadn’t noticed, Valter had been there. He had personally witnessed how she shone.
“This ring is not part of Luna Marceline’s private collection. It is my own,” she had declared.
Unwavering eyes and a clear voice. The memory of that moment brought him an unexpected joy.
She had definitely changed.
What she sought… was it, perhaps, to defy her fate?
“Bring a glass,” Valter commanded.
A servant scurried off to fetch it, while Ellen, now seated opposite Valter, gave him a bewildered look.
“You came to buy wine, and now you’re drinking it here?”
“I’ll take this one… and offer you something even better, Your Highness,” Ellen said.
“No need. This will do,” Valter replied.
**
The night before, Luna hadn’t been able to sleep a wink.
By morning, Aira would surely tell the Count what had happened yesterday and accuse Luna of theft. Her already fragile position would completely collapse.
She had to act first. Today, she would gamble everything on this plan.
“Jessie, what are you doing?”
Luna’s gentle voice, accompanied by a hand placed lightly on her shoulder, startled Jessie, who was arranging salads on plates.
“Miss Luna!”
Luna beautifully smiled back at her. It was almost unheard of for noblewomen to touch a servant’s body unless they were hitting them. To nobles, commoners were nothing more than dirty but useful furniture.
But Luna was different. The touch of her hand on a shoulder, back, or waist reminded the maids that she did not treat them with the same disdain.
“I was preparing breakfast. Here are the Count’s dishes, yours, and Miss Aira’s as well.”
Jessie leaned in slightly closer to Luna and whispered as though sharing a secret.
“I added lots of goldberries to your dish, Miss. You’ll love it.”
Goldberries, tiny fruits the size of a fingernail, cost five berks apiece. Considering a maid’s daily wage was about ten berks, the goldberries on Luna’s plate alone were worth Jessie’s weekly wages.
“Thank you, Jessie. As always, I can count on you.”
Luna’s radiant smile looked angelic. The maids were always overwhelmed with gratitude whenever a noblewoman like her looked at them kindly and smiled.
She was nothing like Aira, who constantly glared at them with cold eyes and only assigned grueling tasks. The maids often whispered to each other, wishing Luna had been the legitimate heir.
“Oh, right. I ran into Aira earlier… She was furious about the dust in the west annex hallway. She never lets even the smallest flaw slide. Sigh…” Luna let out a soft sigh and shrugged lightly, as if exasperated.
“Most of the guests stay in the east annex anyway. I don’t really see the need to go that far, but since it’ll be hard on all of you if Aira lashes out, I think it’s best to take care of it today.”
“We don’t have much choice. It’s our job, after all,” Jessie replied with a forced smile, though her dissatisfaction was evident.
As Luna had said, most of the guests visiting the Marcelline estate were guided to the east annex. The west annex contained only a few guest rooms, a large library, and the late Countess’s former quarters. It wasn’t a space that needed daily cleaning. But Aira seemed unable to tolerate the maids resting, assigning them strenuous tasks without hesitation.
“Still, Miss Luna, you always worry about us. It gives us strength.” Jessie smiled, thinking once again of how angelic Luna was.
“Oh, right. Could you take this to Mr. Jim for me?” Luna suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled out two small vials from her pocket.
The long, finger-sized vials contained a blue liquid.
“Is this medicine for the horses?” Jessie asked.
“Yes, it’s for Fabian. The Count’s prized horse hasn’t been feeling well lately, so I had Amy get this for me.”
Fabian, the white horse cherished by the Count, was said to be growing weak due to age. The Count had been quite concerned about him recently.
“The Count will be so pleased!”
“Yes, though the correct dose is just one vial, they ended up sending two. I’m not sure what to do with the extra.”
“Why not give it to one of the other horses?”
“No, it’s probably better to discard it. If we give it to a healthy horse, it might get too energetic and become difficult to manage. Jessie, could you handle the extra vial for me?”
Jessie nodded, understanding Luna’s instructions.
“Yes, Miss Luna.”
As their eyes met, Luna seemed to have a sudden thought.
“Oh, be careful when disposing of it. If it ends up in someone’s food, it could be a disaster.”
“A disaster?” Jessie asked, her expression suddenly nervous.
Seeing her frightened face, Luna burst into laughter. She smiled reassuringly at the startled maid.
“Don’t worry. It would just cause an upset stomach for about a week. Haha, Jessie, you’re so gullible!”
“Miss Luna, you scared me.”
After finishing the lighthearted exchange, Luna turned away, a clear smile lingering on her lips.
**
Jessie pushed a trolley laden with plates down the hallway, her brows slightly furrowed.
The early morning corridor was quiet. The personal maids and attendants were busy assisting their masters with washing and dressing, while the other maids had left to start cleaning the west annex at her suggestion.
After delivering breakfast, Jessie herself would have to help with the west annex cleaning.
“…”
Listening to the sound of the trolley’s wheels echoing through the hall, she recalled what Luna had told her earlier. It was the reason her expression was so troubled.
“Well… Jessie, I’m not sure if I should tell you this…” Luna, kind and compassionate, had spoken with a sorrowful look on her face.
“I think Aira is planning to dismiss a large number of maids in three days. She’s already submitted a hiring plan for new staff to the Count.”
When Jessie widened her eyes and asked why, Luna had explained.
“You know how harsh and picky Aira can be. I’m trying to dissuade her, but… your name is on the list. Just in case, I think you should start looking for another job outside the estate. And please, don’t tell anyone else about this. I’m only telling you, so keep it to yourself, okay?”
