Chapter 37
Eyes filled with caution and fear instead of the affectionate gaze that usually looked at me.
Seeing Celly with such an expression, especially when looking at me, made my heart sink.
“Where should we start…”
No, that’s not the right way to begin. I should have denied it first. Asking “where should we start” implies acknowledgment.
“…come in first.”
I grabbed Celly’s limp wrist and led her into the room. After making sure there was no one else around, I closed the door tightly.
Turning around after closing the door, I saw Persor kneeling on the floor, looking shocked.
‘It seems like everything has been revealed.’
Seeing Persor, a doctor, kneeling like that, there was no way to keep hiding it.
“Celly.”
Just calling her name made Celly turn her trembling head. Then, our eyes met, and she quickly turned her gaze to the floor.
“Oh, Miss.”
I was too scared that whatever I said wouldn’t even register.
“…where did you hear it from?”
“Oh, Miss has been serving as a maid here for some reason, but at the Re… Reprentia Nirielle….”
His voice trembled so much that it was barely audible when he tried to mention my name.
“If you heard it from there, you must have heard everything.”
Without denying it and admitting it, Celly’s body shook pitifully, like a newly sprouted bud swaying in the wind.
“Oh, Miss! I, I didn’t have the chance to meet you, and I, I dared to be rude….”
“What rudeness could you have committed? I’m the one hiding.”
“I should have known, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Miss, please, spare me.”
Hearing Celly’s plea for mercy, I found myself frowning.
“…do you think I’m going to kill you?”
Celly didn’t respond. I sighed and looked at Persor, the culprit behind all this mess. Persor raised his hands as if he wanted to say he was wrong.
“Celly. Get up.”
“I, how dare I, Miss’s…”
“It’s an order. Get up.”
When I ordered her, Celly quickly got up. I finished straightening out Celly’s messed-up clothes and grabbed her shoulders.
“Do you obey my orders as a maid of the Violetus Manor?”
“Oh! Ah…”
“Don’t be scared. I have no intention of killing you or blaming you.”
“Miss…”
“Don’t call me ‘Miss’. While you’re here, my name is Leah. And…”
After finishing tidying up Celly’s clothes, I grabbed her shoulders.
“You trust me, don’t you, Celly?”
Startled, Celly tried to kneel again. But with both of my hands holding her shoulders, she couldn’t kneel properly and ended up in an awkward position.
“I didn’t know anything and dared to say such things to you…”
“I’m glad, Celly.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry for deceiving you for a reason, but everything else was genuine. The words I said to you, my actions, and even the promises.”
I still had my hands raised and gestured towards Persor, who was kneeling.
“Do you remember what I said to you back then? To ask Persor to look at your siblings?”
Persor politely greeted, and Celly, still awkwardly held by my shoulders, greeted him back.
“Persor will treat your siblings’ illness.”
“As it’s the first time Miss has asked for help from someone else, I’ll do my best to use all my knowledge to treat them.”
“But, I don’t have money…”
Seeing Celly worried about money made me laugh involuntarily.
“Celly.”
“Yeah? No, yes?”
“Are you worrying about money in front of me? Even though you know who I am?”
“However, I dare.”
“Fine. You dare to qualify for my help, Celly. It was fine when the maid Leia helped, but you don’t like it when the hidden Repherentia helps?”
“Pardon?”
“Did you perhaps dislike Lepherentia Neriel too? I heard there wasn’t anyone who liked Repherentia.”
“No! Surely not!”
Celly exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously.
“If it’s burdensome, think of it as compensation for hiding my identity. You’ve found my weakness, haven’t you? So consider the favor I’m granting…”
I chuckled as I spoke, then found myself trailing off. Suddenly, I realized that my kindness and favor toward Selly seemed reminiscent of someone else.
‘Laches…’
The man who naturally showed consideration and favor to me, a mere maid.
Did Laches bestow his kindness and favor upon me with this sentiment?
But there was nothing between Selly and me like what existed in our relationship.
“Child, Miss?”
Celly called me awkwardly. I brushed away thoughts of Laches that had intruded unexpectedly and continued my paused sentence.
“…Yes. Enjoy the favor I bestow upon you, Celly.”
“Thank you, thank you, Miss.”
“If you don’t plan to reveal my identity to anyone, then drop the formalities too. …Or perhaps you want to tell someone about my identity? Did I anger you by deceiving you?”
“No! Surely not!”
Celly grabbed my hands tightly as I spoke. I was surprised by her strength but she didn’t let go.
“I’m on your side, Miss! No, Lepher… No! I’m still on Leah’s side! I can devote my life! I felt ashamed and wanted to hide because I felt like I had been so rude to someone great! I didn’t have any other thoughts!”
“Okay. That’s good to hear.”
“I won’t tell anyone! Even if someone threatens to kill me, I won’t tell! Even if a sword is at my neck! Even if someone pulls out my nails and…”
“Enough. I understand, so stop.”
I interrupted Celly’s passionate description of extreme situations.
“I trust you, Celly.”
“…Miss!”
Celly’s voice trembled with emotion as she called out to me.
“Could you stop with the awkward honorifics? I’m just Leia right now. Got it?”
“Yes! No… Yes!”
My life as a maid… Is it really okay?
I nervously glanced between Celly, who spoke so innocently about not knowing anything, and Persor, who wanted to check my diet personally.
Have I gained reliable allies? Or have I just added to the people I need to worry about?
Regardless of my worries, when daylight came, I had to move. Even though no one woke me up, I got up alone and went about my tasks efficiently. Persor couldn’t help but be amazed at seeing me work so diligently without anyone’s prodding.
In addition, with Celly now aware of my true identity, she insisted on tidying my bed and even offered to comb my hair, causing a commotion from early morning. It left me exhausted.
“Yearning to escort the lady… What on earth is that supposed to mean?”
Celly upon hearing that Nielle’s eyes were golden, which was well known about Representative Nirelle, was amazed by my changed eye color.
She asked if I didn’t suspect anything due to the change in eye color, but Persor, Nielle’s personal physician, said there was no reason to doubt, seeing as he was following me.
Seli could have sent me away because she had something to do, but Pesor showed no sign of allowing that.
While I struggled under his grip, Laches was able to pull me away.
He reasoned that even if he followed me, he couldn’t follow me all the way to the duke’s study.
“You called, Your Grace.”
Laches, leaning against the wooden wall, looked up from his book. Although there were piles of books even in the bedroom, it was nothing compared to the study.
It seemed even larger than the royal library.
“Do you like books?”
It was my first time entering the Violentus family’s study, so I found myself glancing around involuntarily.
There were rare manuscripts that weren’t easily found elsewhere.
“Just out of curiosity.”
It was a conversation similar to the one I had when I entered Laches’s bedroom before.
The only difference was the roles of the questioner and the answerer.
“Come over here.”
Laches gestured lightly. As I approached, he took my wrist and effortlessly pulled me closer, seating me next to him in an instant.
As we sat side by side in the narrow space, our shoulders touched.
“The sun shines in well here, it’s not too cold, and there’s no one else to bother us, so it’s quiet. It’s one of my favorite places.”
The warm sunlight, perfect for reading, poured in through the window behind. There was a distinct smell of old paper that could only be felt in the study.
“…The scent I smelled in Laches’s bedroom.”
A similar scent lingered in his bedroom, filled with books. The only difference was that it wasn’t mixed with the fragrance Laches used after bathing.
“But why did you call me here?”
“Just… to rest a bit.”
“…Your Grace, are you trying to drive me out of this castle?”
“What?”
Laches chuckled incredulously.
“How could it be interpreted that way?”
“I’m a maid here to work, so resting without working means I’m useless here, right?”
“You interpret things in a very peculiar way.”
“If I don’t work and just rest, I can’t be called a maid of the Violentus castle.”
“It’s rare to find someone who wants to work like you do. You don’t need to prove your usefulness. Even if you don’t seek approval, I acknowledge you, don’t I?”
“……Yes?”
Without answering my question, Laches turned his gaze back to the book he was reading.
Was it an unexpected remark to try to prove my usefulness? I hadn’t thought about it.
“Have I always been like this?”
Come to think of it, I always seemed to try to be useful and seek approval from Father and Déttor.
I felt a pang of emptiness.
“Have you exchanged enough greetings with the doctor?”
“Oh… yes. Thanks to your consideration.”
“The doctor seems quite fond of you.”
“…Mr. Persor cares about me?”
Could Persor have done something behind my back? I was worried. He was someone who knew his boundaries, so it was unlikely he would have done anything to Laches without my knowledge…
“Yeah. You collapsed last time, bleeding.”
Saying that made me feel like I was really hurt. It was just a nosebleed.
“So I called you in the morning to check on you. Since we worked together, I thought I might know.”
“Yes…”
“He said your body seemed particularly weak, so you need to be careful.”
I could tell even without hearing it.
Persor must have worried about me yesterday and responded out of a genuine desire for me to feel better.
“You were as weak as I thought.”
“Mr. Persor might have exaggerated.”
“Not only the doctor but also one of the maids asked the butler to change her duties.”
“What?”
One of the maids? I felt uneasy.
“It was the maid who got hurt last time. You saved her…”
It must have been Celly.
“Celly… I mean, did that maid request a change in duties for any reason?”
“She said that since you were in charge of Cream and Cheese and even became my personal maid, the workload would be too much for you, so she wanted to help.”
A maid helping another maid? It’s too obvious.
I felt dizzy. I worried about what would happen if this observant man sensed something suspicious.
“So I told her to do that.”
“What?”
But the response was brief.
“I needed her, and if I told her to wait because I had to take care of the puppy, it would hurt her pride.”
“Ah…”
It could happen. For example, if I was preparing Cream and Cheese’s food and Laches called me, I’d say I’d just bring this and come.
When I nodded seriously, Laches, who had been reading the book, looked up incredulously.
“…Did you really think that? If you hadn’t agreed, you would’ve been late because of the puppy.”
“You’re really good at predicting things, Your Grace. You’re wise. I respect you.”
“It’s not respect, it’s this.”
Laches shook his head and closed the book he was reading.
“Seeing the people around you worrying about you makes me think I should pay more attention too.”
“I’m already receiving enough consideration.”
“If you’re in pain, don’t hide it, and speak up.”
I replied with a slight smile and averted my gaze.
It seemed like a book I had seen somewhere before. Last time, in the bedroom, Laches was reading it.
Judging by the progress of the pages, he seemed to be reading it steadily.
“That… Is it the Golden Book?”
“It’s something like that. Why? Want to report me?”
“Of course not. I’d just lose a job. … You were reading it last time too, right?”
“You’ve got a sharp eye. Or are you unusually interested in me?”
With his chin resting on his palm, Laches raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.
