Episode 15
That’s what I ordered.
April leaned back lazily on the armrest of the one-seater sofa.
She sat up stiffly and leaned back on the armrests, looking at the maids lined up in front of her with sullen faces.
“I’m having trouble deciding who to choose.
April’s sharp eyes scanned the faces of the maids.
“Will they be loyal to me when Count Falcon has no money?
On the surface, it looked like she was choosing one of them, but that wasn’t the whole story.
Even if she did choose one, there’s no guarantee that person would truly be her handmaiden.
“We don’t have time to find out.
Plus, they’ve only known each other for a short time, so it’s hard to build a solid foundation of trust.
So what should she do?
April thought calmly.
‘You can either bully them into submission, or you can offer them the right reward.
“And both of those things can be solved with one thing. Money.
The best reward for labor and service is money.
This is true in the East, West, and beyond.
The more valuable the reward, and the greater the amount, the more devotion to April will increase and the better the quality.
‘When I said I wanted a maid, I didn’t realize I’d be so broke.
I can’t believe I don’t have the funds in hand right now.
“I’m going to wrap up the interview and call Gordon in to take a closer look at the books.
She cleared her throat, thinking she’d better see if she could pick another pocket.
Meanwhile, the head maid spoke to the maids in a stern voice.
“What are you all doing, without greeting the lady?”
The three maids exchanged a stern look, then bowed toward April.
“Good afternoon, my lady.”
Just as they raised their heads again, Mrs. Nora spoke up.
“Would you like to introduce yourselves in turn first…….”
“No, thank you.”
April cut the maid off mid-sentence.
“Like I said, I can’t remember all the names of unimportant people, and I don’t want to put in the effort.”
At her cynical comment, the maids pursed their lips as if they’d made a promise.
April frowned slightly, as if she were uncomfortable in her position, and continued.
“What are you girls good at, or something like that?”
Before April could finish, Lady Nora turned to the three maids and ordered them in order.
“Corinne. You first.”
The maid standing right next to the head maid nodded briefly, then looked at April and said.
“I’m good with makeup, my lady.”
“Makeup?”
“Yes. Before I started working for the Countess, I worked as a makeup artist at a famous salon in town.”
Hmm. I see.
“I don’t like it.
April’s face is already perfect.
Why have a maid who’s good at makeup when she’s gorgeous even when she’s barefaced?
I didn’t see the point.
“Okay. And you?”
April’s gaze shifted to the maid standing in the center of the room.
The second maid, who was nervous, chewed her tongue and blinked back tears.
“I, I have…… good strength! I can give my mistress a nice cool massage while she bathes.”
“Hmmm.”
April snorted again, this time heavily.
If she couldn’t even take a hot bath, wouldn’t a massage…… be useless?
She shifted her position. Her brow narrowed slightly as if she was uncomfortable no matter how she sat.
For some reason, the more she listened, the more her hopes were dashed.
April’s face grew even grimmer, and this time she pointed at the last maid without speaking.
Mrs. Nora quickly sensed April’s discomfort and interrupted the last maid on her behalf.
“Now introduce yourself.”
“…….”
But the last maid didn’t open her mouth.
“…… her!”
Panicked, Mrs. Nora tried again in a low voice, barely above a whisper, but her lips remained pursed.
It was as if she was choosing which answer to give.
The maid’s behavior intrigued April, and she raised one eyebrow.
At that moment, the maid finally spoke.
“I can read the lady’s mind better than anyone.”
“……what?”
April’s lips parted slightly.
“You can keep an eye on me?”
The last maid nodded stiffly, and April let out a small, foot-stomping laugh.
“Now that’s an unexpected, unconventional answer.”
The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it became, and April burst out in a series of crystal-clear giggles.
She swept her hair back absentmindedly with one hand, then turned to the last maid, her eyes narrowing.
“How are you going to prove it?”
“For example…….”
The last maid trailed off and looked around, and when she saw something, she walked over.
What she picked up was a stool. She set it down right in front of the couch where April was sitting, then turned back to where she was standing and finished her sentence.
“I thought your ladyship might need a stool right now.”
April’s eyes lit up.
She stared at the stool for a moment, then placed one slender leg after another on it.
Her posture, which had been twisting and turning in discomfort, relaxed.
A smile of satisfaction crossed April’s face.
“Hmmm. That’s it. I feel better with this.”
April’s expression relaxed a bit.
How nice of her to recognize what she needed before she was asked.
The last maid was observant and unassuming, which she liked.
That was a plus.
‘I suppose it would be convenient in many ways to have a child around who could move like a limb.
Meanwhile, sensing that April’s words were favorable toward me, the last maid gathered her courage and spoke again.
“I was born the second of three sisters.”
“Enough.”
But April cut her off firmly.
“Your poor family history is not what I want to know.”
“Yes, ma’am. Pardon me.”
But the last maid was undeterred, and after a glare, she spoke up again.
“Madam. If you’ll give me another chance, I’d like to tell you about another of my organs.”
“Okay, fine. What is it?”
April asked with a smile, and the maid’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm.
“I have wide feet, so I’m good at hearing rumors, and I’ll be able to tell you about them when I get back.”
“Hmmm. Really?”
That’s a little tantalizing.
“If the original is going to force me to play my part and go with the flow, I’m going to take every opportunity to socialize, whether I like it or not.
I was vaguely thinking, “If that’s the case, I’ll do it voluntarily, not by choice.
April’s curiosity was piqued when she met someone who seemed to slip in and out of her life at just the right time, someone who had appealing qualities.
“I need a kid like that.
Even if she wasn’t necessarily possessed, as the stepdaughter of a local noble, April’s standing in the capital was limited.
It would be a lifesaver to have someone who could give her the inside scoop on the social scene.
But April was cautious, and after a series of stabbings in the back, she was reluctant to decide who she wanted by her side.
She couldn’t open up and trust completely.
“Why does this girl look so good to me that she wants to be my maid?
If only I could understand the purpose, I would be less hesitant.
The last maid would not have been paid either.
Nine times out of ten, she’d turn down a job as a maid of honor to a fickle, temperamental woman who could never be called kind or friendly.
April cast her gaze back to the last maid’s face.
It was a pretty face, though not as pretty as hers.
“……ah!
As she studied the last maid, she realized something unusual.
“Those eyes.
April couldn’t help but smile.
It was so easy to read the greed in the maid’s eyes.
“So that’s what it was?”
April chuckled softly, the question that had been weighing her down like a decade-old traffic jam clearing up in an instant.
All three maids, including Lady Nora, exchanged puzzled glances, unable to understand why April was suddenly like this.
After a long moment, April stopped laughing, and the corners of her mouth pulled up in a smooth line.
“You’re quite the dynamo.”
April slid her feet off the stool and crossed her legs.
Propping her arms on her knees, she cupped my chin and looked at the last maid with an amused glint in her eye.
“I’ll leave her here, and you two can leave.”
At April’s command, the first and second maids bowed and quietly left the room.
Mrs. Nora glanced back and forth between April and the maids with a vaguely uneasy glance, then fell silent.
April stared at the last maid and asked a question.
“Is there a reason you want to be my maid?”
Her eyes were smiling, but her voice was cold.
The last maid looked surprised for a moment, as if she had read April’s mind, then stiffened.
Her hands were clasped together, the bones showing in the backs of her hands, and her lower lip was white from biting down hard. He seemed to think it was a lost cause.
‘To think you’d use me as a stepping stone is quite unorthodox, given the values of this place.
It wasn’t hard for April to see that the young maid was looking for a hand-me-down.
‘That’s why she wants to stay by my side, even if she doesn’t get paid, instead of looking for another manor.
Being April’s dedicated maid also means that, unlike other maids, you’ll have more opportunities to attend social events.
You won’t be able to marry a great nobleman, but you might be able to meet a baron or knight.
That’s what the last maid, Joan, was aiming for.
