Chapter 38
“Hanayo-nim,”
“Didn’t I tell you that if you keep running around like that, I’ll shave your head, Johan?”
Celido glared at Joan and the other maids who were running around like crazy, enough to send shivers down their spines.
“This is not the Second Consort’s palace, It’s Her Majesty the Empress’s palace. If you run around here like you did there, you might find a broomstick flying at your legs.”
“That’s not the important part!”
Johan didn’t flinch at Celido’s stern words.
Despite the harsh words, everyone in the palace knew that Celido’s, who spoke so harshly, was a person with a warm heart.
“We’ve all ended up in a mess.”
“If you did something that deserves a mess, then a mess is what you’ll get.”
Celido remained indifferent even to Joan’s complaint.
“That’s why I warned you that if I go to that palace, I won’t see a good sight. Why did you come to me after making a mess? You should go to your noble Empress.”
Cellido openely disliked Jezel.
Of course, she used formal language consistently, but her tone carried a strong sense of disgust and contempt.
Cellido valued loyalty and piety above all else.
The reason she endured in this lonely and stern palace was solely due to her beliefs.
“Celido.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Anel had been very warm and courteous to Celido since the day she first entered the Empress’s Palace.
“I don’t have many places to lean on in this palace.”
At that moment, Anel had smiled faintly.
“But seeing you stay like this puts my mind at ease.”
“Yes, I must stay and serve Your Majesty. How could I leave the palace?”
Celido was deeply moved by Anel, who understood her feelings. She had worried that Anel might see her as a traitor, but Anel believed in her. She had seen that Celido was not that kind of person.
“I still remember your deep admiration for Empress Sun, Her Majesty also held you in high regard.”
“Your Majesty…”
Celido was on the verge of tears. Anel held both of her hands and comforted her.
“I will also hold you in high regard, so I hope you can trust me as well.”
Celido finally nodded, shedding tears and mucus. Anel had felt this warmth and understanding from her since the days of Samyu’s engagement. Anel was truly a warm and wise person.
However, the Second Empress, while enjoying all the grace Anel had bestowed upon her, was rumored to be not only ungrateful but also raging about Anel betraying her.
“Celido was truly insufferable.’’
Sitting in the place of Hwangbi, one could attribute it to the caprice of our Emperor, and let it be.
But shouldn’t she at least get along well with Hwanghu? It’s a matter of serving the higher-ups with sincerity.
However, as soon as Jezel became Hwangbi, she behaved as arrogantly as if she didn’t even think of a frog or a tadpole.
“A few days ago, did you hear about the clash between Hwanghu and Hwangbi Mama?”
“I heard it, They say Hwanghu stepped on her quite coolly.”
Celido laughed heartily, as if to express satisfaction, while jotting down numbers in the ledger. Her large nose, adorned with glasses, was wiggling with joy.
“Yes, well, but you know, when we heard about it, we laughed a bit, and it seems like Hwangbi Mama is going to cut off all the maids!”
“Hmm.”
Celido replied nonchalantly, as if watching a fire on the other side of a river.
“Hmm, not ‘Hmm,’ ma’am! Please help us a bit! We can’t be cut off like this. All five of us were kicked out overnight.”
“Hmm.”
Celido remained indifferent.
Joan and Joan’s friends had ambitiously aimed for a turnaround in life, and Celido had clearly warned them. Big gains come with big risks.
Celido believed that Johan should take responsibility for that risk.
“Ma’am.”
Johan began to cry. If even Celido came out like this, she had no one else to rely on.
Other maids who followed Joan were in the same situation, so they also clung to Celido’s coattails.
“Start looking for other jobs. I’m not sure if any noble will hire you who were kicked out of the palace. Oh, and it might be wise not to ask for a recommendation letter – it’s just nonsense.”
Cellido raised her glasses.
“I don’t show mercy to those who are disobedient.”
“Master Hanjo, please don’t do this, Please help us just once. We admit we were wrong. I’m Johann You personally chose and raised me. Is there anyone in this palace who braids hair as well as I do?”
“Hmm.”
With a nonchalant attitude, Cellido remained consistent.
In frustration, Johann stomped her foot.
“I’ll do as you say, just tell me what to do!”
Exactly what Cellido had been waiting to hear.
Cellido smiled brightly, contrasting with the cold expression from earlier, resembling the warmth of a spring day.
“Hey, Johann.”
“Yes.”
Johann responded, feeling a chill down her spine.
“Let’s start with the seal.”
Whether she liked it or not, Cellido handed over a paper.
It was a slave contract. With tears in her eyes, Joanne pressed her thumb to the ink pad, leaving her mark on the document.
Other maids, each with tears in their eyes, followed suit, imprinting their thumbs on the paper.
Celido examined the contract, then neatly folded the paper.
“From now on, do as I say.”
“…Did Sarah go to the 1st Imperial Palace?”
Jizel spoke with a trembling voice. At the moment, she was not in her right mind due to anger.
“It’s not just Sarah, Some other maids also went to the 1st Imperial Palace with her.”
Johan cautiously observed Jizel’s reaction.
She did speak as instructed by Celle, but whether it would be effective was questionable.
“Why?”
“That’s…”
Johan hesitated before speaking.
“It seems they heard that the treatment of maids in the 1st Imperial Palace is decent.”
“Huh!”
Jizel snorted, Jizel was also well aware of the rumors about Flora.
She had seen Flora Rodian a few times at the Grand Banquet.
Flora Rodian was not an indulgent supervisor or mistress. She was indifferent and arrogant to everyone.
So, she would treat maids well? It sounded like a lie to anyone.
“It’s probably just a change of scenery.”
With Giselle venomous words, the remaining maids exchanged glances.
“Why the 1st Imperial Palace? The Empress doesn’t have any interest in the 1st Princess ‘’
Giselle almost shouted, expressing her frustration. Though she wasn’t the object of the emperor’s affection, she considered the transactions between them to be something special.
Moreover, Johann had even bestowed jewels upon Giselle, a privilege that neither Anel nor Flora had received. While she might not have necessarily defeated Anel, she had at least triumphed over Flora Rodian.
But why did it have to be the title of the First Imperial Consort? Giselle clenched her fists.
“Did you think a noble-born empress would be more advantageous?” she questioned.
Instead of answering, Joan lowered her head. She had prepared various words, but it seemed unnecessary.
Giselle moved just as Celia had predicted.
“Why did you stay?” Giselle asked with a cold attitude.
The remaining individuals didn’t look particularly pleasing. It seemed like they had their own hidden motives.
Johan, perceiving Giselle’s feelings, prostrated herself and spoke while looking into Giselle’s eyes.
“We stayed because we want to remain loyal to Empress Mama!”
That was exactly the answer Giselle had been waiting for.
“So you stayed because you want to be loyal to me?”
Giselle looked at the maids with disdainful eyes.
Now, there were only three maids left. Considering that just a while ago there were about twenty, it was a humiliating reduction.
However, Giselle had decided to change her attitude.
There was no need to be upset over those maids.
Maids were abundant in the world.
It was difficult to find noble-born attendants, but maids could be easily found at any time.
Especially young commoners who dreamed of working in the royal palace were plentiful along the streets.
Giselle was well aware of that.
The problem was the remaining three.
Giselle carefully examined each maid.
They seemed to have endured quite a bit working in the royal palace. They folded their hands politely, but their eyes were far from submissive.
Can I trust these ones? Giselle was skeptical.
Above all, the laughter of the maids who had mocked her not long ago still echoed in her mind.
In her heart, she wanted to just replace all of them. But Giselle couldn’t do that.
She was, quite literally, an outsider.
1st Imperial Consort, thanks to her prestigious family, had many contenders.
Even if she didn’t receive the Emperor’s favor, she had a remarkable father.
The Empress was the same.
Even though the influence was waning, there was no one in the empire who didn’t know the name Anel Morata.
But what about Giselle?
Giselle truly had nothing.
Hiring new maids didn’t guarantee they would be any different.
No, new maids might be more arrogant, lacking proper education.
In the end, Giselle pondered and pondered, and finally let out a sigh.
“Fine, Let’s endure it once more.”
When permission was given without actually giving permission, the maids burst into laughter.
It was Celido’s strategy that worked.
“However, since we won’t be hiring new maids, you all will have to work more to compensate for those who left.”
But at Giselle’s following words, the maids stopped smiling.
They were expected to do the work of twenty people with just three? Are they insane?
Johann knew the size of the Lamppas Palace too well.
While it might not be the largest in the imperial palace, it was larger than most noble estates.
How were they supposed to manage it with just three people? The maids looked distressed.
Whether they liked it or not, Giselle, thinking she had the upper hand, dismissed the maids.
It was a precarious truce among those with no other options.
