Chapter 8
At that moment, he recalled catching her when she almost fell getting out of the carriage.
She had recoiled in shock, pushing him away.
‘To be so frightened just because she touched a mercenary. Her future is going to be rough.’
Of course, he could understand why she would hate him. Even though he was merely carrying out the emperor’s orders, he was the one responsible for the annihilation of the Duke of Lancaster’s family.
Although she had pushed him away impulsively, she had soon apologized politely, which impressed him a little. It was quite a display of mental fortitude.
However, despite her apparent mental strength, her body seemed so fragile.
‘How do women have such slender waists? Are their organs properly contained within those rib cages?’
For Laslo, who had a body as sturdy as a tree trunk, it was an incomprehensible physique. And it was unbelievable that she endured the uncomfortable journey in the carriage with such a fragile body, maintaining an upright posture.
He had instructed the driver to go slowly, fearing her body would break if they traveled at normal speed, and it was a fortunate decision.
If the carriage had been shaking uncontrollably, he might have missed her attempt to unlock the carriage door.
‘I don’t know what she’s trying to protect so desperately that she’s willing to risk her life for it.’
Laslo ran his hand through his still-damp hair, sighed, and got up from his seat.
‘Well, maybe I’ll find some use for her if I keep her around.’
Deciding to deal with the complicated matters tomorrow, he extinguished the oil lamp.
Even though the light was gone, he could still feel the warmth from the lamp, and Laslo found himself thinking about Idel’s back. He didn’t know why she came to mind.
* * *
Idel woke up early in the morning, with faint light seeping in.
Even though she had fallen asleep as if fainting, her body still moved out of habit. It was probably around six in the morning.
She washed her face with cold water that felt like it would freeze her face off to wake herself up, then picked up a rag that had been left in a corner of the bathroom and began cleaning the room.
So much dust had accumulated that she had to rinse the rag four more times.
‘I can’t believe I slept in a place like this.’
She chuckled dryly.
Whether she slept in a room cleaned by maids morning and evening or in this dusty, shabby room, the quality of her sleep wasn’t much different, which somehow amused her.
Idel opened the window to let in the chilly dawn air. Her body felt cold, but it seemed to sharpen her mind.
“Phew, I can do this. It’s okay.”
She tidied up her appearance, encouraged herself, and then headed to the kitchen with an empty tray.
In the kitchen, male and female servants were coming out for breakfast.
However, contrary to the warning that they would be in trouble if they didn’t arrive before seven, a few seats were still empty even though it was past seven, and Marsha was nowhere to be seen.
The gathered servants glanced at Idel, whispering among themselves, but no one spoke to her first.
‘It’s not polite for me to initiate the conversation either.’
Recalling the social etiquette she was accustomed to, she just observed the atmosphere. Around seven-thirty, Marsha entered the kitchen, yawning.
Two maids who seemed to carry themselves with a bit more authority followed behind her.
It seemed like everyone was finally there.
“Is everyone here?”
Marsha, sitting arrogantly at the head of the table, frowned as she surveyed the gathered servants of the mansion.
Then, she noticed Idel sitting at the far end and smirked.
“Today, let’s start by introducing our new colleague. Newcomer! Stand up and introduce yourself.”
At her call, Idel quietly stood up and bowed her head politely.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Idel. I’ll be working as a maid at the Crissus Count’s estate from today.”
Since hardly anyone knew that she had arrived last night, most looked at her with curious eyes.
The young men shone with expectant eyes or whistled softly, while the maids, who were short-handed, were visibly pleased.
Marsha watched this silently before casually throwing in a comment.
“Why don’t you share your previous experience as well? Former Duchess of Lancaster?”
Idel wasn’t surprised, knowing Marsha wouldn’t let it slide easily.
### However, the others were naturally shocked, and the kitchen quickly became noisy with murmurs.
“Lancaster? Isn’t that… where the master recently… destroyed…”
“It seems so. She said she was a duchess.”
“Huh! A duchess? And she’s working as a maid here?”
“That’s unbelievable!”
The servants, who had dealt with the backstairs gossip of nobles their whole lives, couldn’t easily accept the fact that someone who had been a “duchess” had become their colleague.
However, Marsha coldly spoke, mocking them all.
“Quiet, quiet! Why are you all making such a fuss? She’s just a criminal who managed to save her life by the emperor’s mercy. Her status is equal to or lower than ours.”
The maids who followed behind Marsha echoed her words with laughter. Especially Mina, who had guided Idel to the bath and her room yesterday, seemed more enthusiastic than the others.
Marsha waited for the atmosphere to calm down a bit before asking Idel.
“Idel! Don’t new maids usually start with something? No?”
“No. I’m not sure.”
“I thought a duchess like you would know such things like the back of your hand, but apparently not?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Feeling a determination to somehow provoke her, Idel deliberately behaved even more quietly. She didn’t know much about what new maids did, but she was certain she would be assigned the most troublesome and difficult tasks.
Marsha looked down at Idel with a haughty expression, speaking to her like a judge addressing a convict.
“You’re 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 get comfortable, you better teach the newcomer well, right?”
“Really… Is that… okay?”
“What are you talking about?”
“No, I mean… Are you sure it’ll be smooth later on?”
At that, Marsha chuckled.
“Maybe the dead Duke of Lancaster will come back to find his wife?”
The maids following Marsha laughed along, but most of them couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable, watching Idel’s reactions.
It wasn’t because they were afraid of retribution. It was because it was considered impolite to laugh and joke in front of someone who had lost her husband and family just recently.
And that’s why Marsha was behaving even more rudely.
‘I wonder if she hopes to see me shed tears?’
But in reality, Idel was unfazed.
To be honest, she felt relieved that the Duke of Lancaster’s family had been destroyed.
‘No one knows how dreadful it was to live as the Duchess of Lancaster.’
It felt like she had gained the freedom to breathe in exchange for losing everything she had enjoyed as a noble.
Life in this mansion might be difficult, but it seemed easier than the days when she felt like she was walking on knives as a duchess.
So, she wasn’t afraid of becoming a laundry maid.
Of course, she was a little surprised when she followed Celia to the laundry room.
“Is this… the laundry room?”
“Oh, yes. Well…”
During her unmarried days, as part of her education to become a proper lady, she had visited the laundry room a few times. A perfect lady should know every nook and cranny of the household.
Anyway, the laundry room of the Count Canyon she had seen back then was much cleaner and more pleasant than this.
‘Even though there were rumors that the emperor had rewarded him with land and a huge sum of money…’
Compared to the rumors of considerable wealth, the laundry room was surprisingly shabby.
The building itself wasn’t old or cramped. But the items inside looked too shabby compared to the status of a count.
The metal tubs stacked with laundry of various kinds looked old, and the wooden chairs where the maids sat to do laundry seemed half-rotten.
The laundry soap was scattered haphazardly on the sticky floor, and there were water stains everywhere.
Idel forced herself to straighten her wrinkled brow and turned her attention to the wall covered in thick mold.
“It’s not just this laundry room that seems odd. Despite the mansion being large and grand, the interior feels a bit awkward.”
She chuckled as she recalled the various parts of the mansion she had seen yesterday and today.
“Does Count Crisarus dislike spending money on the mansion? But if nobles don’t manage their estates properly, that would be even more of a problem…”
But now wasn’t the time to bring up such matters. Idel looked at the pile of laundry in front of her and followed Celia’s instructions, rolling up her sleeves.
“It might be my first time, but I can’t explain it multiple times… So, it seems this place is constantly busy…”
“Yeah, it looks like it.”
“Alright. First, we only make soap once a month, and it’s stored over there, so you take it out and use it… After breakfast, come to the laundry room by 8 o’clock and start washing the clothes for the master and Miss Linnia…”
Celia hesitated between using informal or formal language but proceeded to teach Idel about the laundry room tasks step by step.
It wasn’t particularly difficult.
“The problem is how long my stamina will last.”
No, her situation wasn’t something others needed to know about, so she had to endure no matter what.
“I shouldn’t rush into things from the beginning. I need to manage my stamina and use it wisely.”
