Chapter 15
“Idel shed tears in front of me only once, when she informed me of her marriage to the Duke of Lancaster.”
How many times had I regretted not stopping her then?
No, I shouldn’t have given Idel a choice in the first place.
She couldn’t possibly make the choice of ‘escape’ herself, so why did I offer her that option? I should have kidnapped her and hidden her away. That marriage ultimately led Idel to ruin.
Even if she hadn’t married the Duke of Lancaster, the noble Idel would never have been drawn to a common soldier.
Barbara took a deep breath and unfolded the letter again.
“…I appreciate your concern, but I’m doing well.
Lord Crecy is rough but gentlemanly, …(omitted) I work as a laundry maid here. Literally just a laundry maid, with none of the sordid tasks others might imagine.
I’m striving to get used to it quickly as my clumsiness causes trouble to those around me.
…(omitted) It’s not proper for me, a mere laundry maid, to send a letter directly to you, but upon Lord Crecy’s advice that it would reassure you, I convey my regards in this way.
I also deeply pray for your health and well-being, madam.
With endless respect and affection, Idel.”
Barbara wiped away the tears that had suddenly appeared and read Idel’s letter again.
She meticulously scrutinized it, wondering if she had missed any hidden requests for help.
But Idel’s tone was so similar to hers, composed and calm. There was no hint of the dreadful events she must have endured.
The only thing that bothered Barbara was the repeated thanks to Lord Crecy.
“Perhaps she anticipated her letter being intercepted, but it doesn’t seem like it was just written to persuade Lord Crecy.”
Barbara didn’t trust him, nor did she consider him a noble, worried that her letter might distort his judgment.
However, the fact that he hadn’t laid a hand on Idel made Barbara reconsider her evaluation of him.
“Of course, using Idel as a laundry maid is infuriating, but treating her like a noblewoman would be a problem too, given her status as the wife of a traitor.”
Especially since it was Laslo Crecy himself who toppled the Duke of Lancaster.
“How can I save Idel? What can I do?”
Barbara couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Idel, with all her exceptional abilities, aging as a laundry maid.
“If Laslo Crecy has any sense, he won’t keep Idel as a maid forever, but the question is, how well can he see?”
Laslo was still an unproven figure.
Sure, his military prowess had been thoroughly proven in the final conquest war or in subduing the Duke of Lancaster, but his personal character was still shrouded in mystery.
So, countless rumors circulated, and it was difficult to find someone who truly knew him.
Barbara clutched Idel’s letter tightly, pondering for a while before reaching a conclusion.
“I may have to meet Laslo Crecy in person.”
But as someone who currently enjoyed the Emperor’s favor, he would not allow a meeting without any benefit to him. So, she needed to prepare bait that would make Laslo want to meet her.
And the most suitable bait would probably be the declaration of support from Lord Celestine Forester, who maintained a neutral stance.
“I’ll discuss it with my son and daughter-in-law.”
Generally, her son was receptive to her opinions, but if it was for Idel, the wife of a rebel family, it might be different.
With a heavy heart, Barbara rose from her seat and headed to her son’s study.
Despite her bone-chilling left leg, she limped along.
“Human adaptability is truly amazing.”
Not long ago, Idel was a duchess, and now she found herself getting used to the work of a laundry maid, chuckling to herself. Piles of laundered cloths were stacked beside her.
Perhaps it was premature to feel proud, but now she felt like she was pulling her weight in the laundry room.
Marsha was still trying to find fault, but since Idel’s only task was laundry, there wasn’t much to criticize.
“The change in my waking hours from when I was a duchess hasn’t changed, and the work isn’t complicated, so it’s not difficult.”
In fact, the time it took to finish work was much faster than when she was a duchess. Back then, it was common to struggle with account books and documents until dawn.
Moreover, building some camaraderie with other maids was one factor that helped her endure this life.
Her closest friend was Daisy from the adjacent room.
“Ouch, my shoulders. I did so much scrubbing today that my arms hurt everywhere.”
Daisy, as usual, brought a small bread to share today and chatted away.
Idel felt sorry for Daisy, who had thin shoulders, and asked, “Do guests come here suddenly? The cleaning today was like a thorough housecleaning.”
“Guests don’t come here.”
At Daisy’s casual reply, Idel paused for a moment.
“Come to think of it, that’s right. It’s been over a month since I arrived here, and I haven’t seen any visitors.”
Although it was winter, a time when people’s movements were slow, the mansion of the high noble, an aide to the emperor, always had guests regardless of the season.
Of course, Barbara knew why there were no guests at the Crecy Mansion.
“It’s probably because of Lord Crecy’s unfavorable reputation. It must be due to his background…”
In fact, Barbara herself didn’t have a good impression of Laslo at first.
It was his unkempt hair, sparse beard, outdated attire, stern expression, and the terrifying rumors about him.
“Because mercenaries in the empire were considered criminals if they hadn’t been mercenaries.”
It was hard to look favorably upon someone whose profession involved killing people for money.
Even though he had won many military victories, some nobles said giving him a title was excessive, given his reputation as the “Mercenary King.”
“I don’t know what kind of deal went on between the Duke and the Emperor, but anyway, it doesn’t seem like he’s a bad person…”
If Laslo had been as rough, wicked, and cruel as the rumors said, Idel wouldn’t have been able to live in one piece like this, preserving her body completely.
“Sister! Idel, sister!”
“Huh, yes?”
“What’s on your mind? I called you several times…”
“Oh, sorry. What were you saying?”
Idel was a little embarrassed to realize she hadn’t heard herself being called. But Daisy continued her story, thinking Idel had just been daydreaming.
“I was talking about why we were cleaning today. It’s not because of the guests, but because of Miss Linya.”
“Miss Linya? You mean the Duke’s younger sister?”
“Yes, that’s right. Haven’t you heard about her, Sister?”
Idel laughed nervously, unsure of what to say. She had only heard Marsha speak about Linia with a disdainful tone.
“Just… I’ve only heard stories about many maids quitting because of Lady Linia.”
“That’s right. It’s really tough on the days when Lady Linia is in a bad mood. Today was a bit easier because the Count left the palace early.”
Daisy spread a small piece of butter on her bread, trembling slightly. Thanks to her friendship with the kitchen maids, Idel could sometimes enjoy butter like this.
As she rediscovered how much butter enhanced the flavor of bread, Daisy continued to speak discontentedly about Linia.
“Although the Count and Lady come from commoner backgrounds, the Count apparently made a lot of money from a young age, so Lady Linia has never suffered.”
“Is that so?”
“She’s never even been hungry, so that says it all. But then she keeps pretending to know everything about maid work and orders us around to ridiculous extents…”
Daisy’s lips curled in frustration. She seemed quite bitter and unjustly treated.
“In short, she’s spineless. Honestly, if my brother hadn’t worked so hard to make her a noble and let her live comfortably like this, she should just be grateful and live without complaints. I don’t understand what she’s so unhappy about.”
Daisy listed one by one the instances where Linia had harassed the maids.
It was routine for her to make them polish the stairs and railings until they sparkled, and she even ordered them to make every fabric in the house, including clothes and beddings, free of wrinkles.
If there was even a speck of dust on the window frames, she would explode in anger and make them clean until dawn, and if she wasn’t satisfied with the laundry, she would stand by and watch the washing process.
Listening to the stories made Idel’s head ache.
