The Tyrant’s Leash Is Held by a Maid

Ch. 14:

’With this, I may be able to start renting a room at the Carter family’s inn soon!’

Liana followed Natasha, barely able to suppress her excitement.

She had thought long and hard about what she had heard, and now she was certain telling Natasha had been the right thing to do. It was good because she was getting a bonus, of course, but it was also good for her lady’s future.

Liana was proud of herself- it was a rare occasion that she felt that way, and so she held her head up high.

That was when she saw Illyd standing in the hallway near the door. He wore a blue cravat embroidered with golden thread, and he had a reproachful look on his face as Natasha approached.

“Don’t tell me you’re about to make the excuse that your watch was broken again.”

“What, you don’t believe me?”

“Well, I can if you really want me to…” Illyd elegantly extended his arm to escort Natasha. “But I’d rather just buy you a new one.”

“Yes, that sounds better.”

The prince and the lady smiled at each other and gracefully boarded the carriage.

A moment later Liana, who had been examining the hem of her skirt, heard Deborah’s excited voice. “We’re riding separately, right? We’ll be able to chat with each other!”

The two maids were not in their uniforms, instead wearing regular dresses so they could enjoy the evening without being ashamed of their status. They had planned to ride separately so the two lovers could enjoy their time together, but as they began to walk towards their vehicle, Liana stopped.

The window of the finely decorated carriage opened, and a slender arm pointed towards them. The tiered ruffles on the sleeves were instantly recognizable to Liana- she had put great care into choosing it, after all- and she changed direction, walking until she stood before the window.

“Did you call me, my lady?”

“Let’s ride together, Liana.” Natasha snapped her perfectly manicured nails, face sullen.

Together? Liana couldn’t keep the confused look off her face. It was extremely rare for a maid to ride in a carriage with a couple that was on a date. Was the lady trying to keep rumors from spreading?

Ah, I see… When her dark green eyes met Liana’s, the maid recognized her intentions.

Lady Natasha must have had Benjamin Owen in mind. If she was to approach him at today’s ball, her relationship with Prince Illyd couldn’t seem too serious, so she planned to make that clear by not being in the carriage alone with him.

As soon as Liana understood this, she climbed in without hesitation. Deborah, sulking at suddenly having to travel alone, trudged to the smaller carriage.

The imperial carriage was splendid on the outside, and its interior was large enough that it seemed more like a small drawing room. Its seats were covered in red velvet fabric and seemed softer than Liana’s bed. It held two tables and still felt spacious.

Liana’s eyes darted about for a moment before she found her spot and sat down next to Lady Natasha.

Illyd knocked on the wall of the carriage to let the driver know they were ready, and the three of them set off towards the imperial ball.

“Hello, Natasha’s maid,” Illyd said casually.

Liana tried to seem calm, bowing her head as she replied. “Greetings, your imperial highness.”

After a short silence, she raised her head and unintentionally looked towards Lady Natasha. Every time the prince spoke to her, Liana worried about what the lady would think.

Many women took their anger out on their maids when they suspected their husbands of infidelity. Even though the husband was at fault for harassing and humiliating employees, those employees were the ones blamed and called promiscuous.

Liana had been severely beaten for this a few times, so she couldn’t help but check her lady’s reaction. Even though Natasha didn’t seem like she would do something like that, Liana knew better than to assume. Because of this, she wanted Illyd to treat her as though she didn’t exist, but it seemed as though she would be unlucky today.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you in something other than a maid uniform. Did you choose that dress, too?”

“…Yes.”

“You have a good eye.” The prince spoke flippantly, like a child who didn’t realize his actions had consequences. “Have you considered working at the imperial palace?”

Natasha raised an eyebrow that had been perfectly drawn on by Liana, looking amused.

“Liana, did you hear what his highness said?”

“…Yes, my lady. Thank you for your kind words, Prince Illyd, but I’m afraid I must decline, as I wish to keep working for Lady Natasha.” Liana spoke firmly, hoping this would quell his interest in her.

Natasha laughed out loud at her maid’s polite refusal, wrapping an arm around her shoulders affectionately. “Why, Liana? It’s a great opportunity.”

“Exactly. It’s a much better offer than being a maid of Baldwin. Why are you so frightened?” Illyd, who had leaned in to stare at the cowering maid, straightened his back with a sigh. “If anyone saw you, they’d think I threatened you with my status.”

“That’s true,” said Natasha amusedly. “And I would seem like a wicked woman, arguing about what I said to your highness.”

Liana had considered replying, but at this she looked down again. It was clear that whatever she said would be nothing more than fodder for the two nobles to entertain themselves with.

There were many such employers- the kind that found it amusing to fluster their maids and then watch them squirm. The thought that this was nothing but a nasty hobby of theirs put Liana a little more at ease. She sat still, hoping they would reach the palace soon.

The aristocrats quickly lost interest in the unresponsive maid and began a new conversation.

“Is it the fourth prince of Etaila who’s coming today?” Natasha asked.

“That’s right. He’s coming instead of the second prince, what was his name…?” Illyd tilted his head, a contemplative look on his face, then shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t recall. I think it ended with… zelo, perhaps?”

“You don’t remember?” Natasha said incredulously. “Shouldn’t your highness know the name of the prince here as the Etailan delegate?”

“My brother is the one who does all the diplomatic work. I’m the extra- I’m practically expected to cause trouble.” Illyd glanced at Liana. “And I’m oddly bad at remembering people’s names.”

“Oh, please. Aren’t you just not memorizing men’s names?”

“Not at all!” Illyd said, laughing. “It’s the same for everyone. I don’t even know the names of the maids who have been working for me for ten years. I started calling all of them Anna to make things easier.”

“That’s not a bad idea… it’s definitely a pain to memorize each individual name.”

Liana had been silently listening to their conversation with her eyes glued to the floor, but she raised her head when Natasha spoke again. “In that case, your highness, would you like to make a bet with me? About whether or not you’ll remember my maid’s name a month from now.”

Liana stared at the lady with a puzzled expression. Illyd, however, looked quite tempted.

“And which side will you be betting on, Lady Natasha?”

“That you’ll forget, of course. And I won’t allow Anna as your guess!”

“Alright, I accept.” Illyd smiled cheerfully and turned his gaze towards Liana. “So, what’s your name?”

The light of the setting sun streamed in through the window, painting Illyd’s blond hair in shades of red and orange. Liana kept her eyes fixed on the wall as she replied, hoping her face wouldn’t show her thoughts.

“I am Liana Siodo, your highness.”

“Liana Siodo…” he muttered, before smiling widely. “Well, that’s a relief. She may be difficult to make eye contact with, but at least her name should be easy to remember.”

—

Liana limped down the stairs, exhausted. The toilets for the nobles were quite close to the banquet hall, but those for the servants were not.

She dragged her tired feet onwards, passing the fountain, the carriages, the storage shed, and the conservatory. Even then, she had to keep walking for a while before she finally found her destination.

Liana entered the restroom and immediately sat down in the small chair in the corner, letting out a groan of relief as she took off her shoes. She was wearing a new pair of heels, and they hadn’t been broken in yet, leaving her feet blistered and bleeding. No wonder Deborah had been worried to see her walking around.

Liana wet her handkerchief and wiped the blood from her heel. She grimaced in pain as the water touched her wound, but she pushed through, cleaning it as best she could. She then put on the bandage Deborah had given her. It had adhesive attached to make it easier to apply on one’s own.

I’m glad it’s only this bad.

She sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. The sight of her hair stuck to her sweaty face reminded her of what the prince had said earlier.

An easy name to remember…

It was not uncommon for a master to forget their maid’s name. Often they didn’t bother trying to remember it in the first place and just called the servants by a name they had chosen, like Illyd calling his by the name Anna.

But it wouldn’t make any sense for a maid to forget her employer’s name. The very thought was absurd.

A role where you didn’t need to bother remembering names, and a role where no one bothered to remember yours.

It’s a natural difference between us.

Liana took a deep breath, trying to take that gap for granted.