*Click.*
As the door clicked shut, Edele let out a sigh without realizing it.
‘Another day safely concluded.’
It was a sigh mixed with both exhaustion and relief, yet a faint smile bloomed on her lips, perhaps because she finally had a moment of rest in her own space.
At first, she had thought the room was terribly small, but now she found it cozy and intimate.
She sat on the bed and rubbed her hands, which were swollen and red.
It had been ten days since she arrived here.
Her hands, once smooth, had turned rough just three days after she started working in the laundry room. Even looking at them, she found herself smiling.
‘Seeing as he still hasn’t looked for me, it seems Count Krissus truly intends to use me only as a maid.’
Every time she saw Laslo returning after leaving the palace, she had felt anxious. She worried he might suddenly command Marsha, saying, “Wash that girl and bring her to my room,” or something similar.
But Laslo seemed to have no interest in her at all, as if he had already forgotten her existence.
That was something she was endlessly happy and grateful for.
‘It seems Count Krissus really did save me.’
That was the conclusion Edele had reached after replaying the events of the Birthday Banquet in her mind several times.
If Laslo had refused her that day, claiming he had no need for her, she would have been bestowed upon someone else. And she was certain that among those who had reached out for her, not a single one possessed the character of a gentleman.
‘Count Krissus even went as far as to say he would use me as a maid right there. No one might believe it, but at the very least, he gave me room to preserve my honor.’
If someone asked her later what she had done at the Krissus estate, she would be able to claim she had been a maid.
Of course, such a situation would likely never arise.
‘Does that man even know I’m grateful?’
The dead would be furious to hear this, but to be honest, Edele was glad to have escaped the Lancaster Ducal Family, even in this manner. To her, the Lancaster household was a prison from which she could never escape—a place where she could never breathe or live in comfort.
Furthermore, now that the Canyon Count Family had no reason to seek her out, if one were to look at it selfishly, this situation wasn’t so bad.
Of course, the laundry work was grueling.
Sitting in one place for long hours, scrubbing mounds of laundry in cold water, left not only her hands but her waist, her knees—her entire body—aching.
‘Still, it’s more comfortable than living with my nerves on edge all day. At least I can sleep soundly.’
Compared to living among eyes that hoped for her to make even a single mistake, this was, at the very least, a peace of mind.
The only problem was the Housekeeper.
Marsha seemed to find fault with every little thing for reasons unknown.
While it was the Housekeeper’s job to ensure the maids were working properly, it was quite troublesome that she would frequently come to the laundry room just to overturn everything Edele had washed.
In truth, if it weren’t for the need to re-wash what Marsha had overturned, her body wouldn’t have ached nearly as much.
‘Still, things got a bit better after Salia spoke up. I never expected she would do that.’
Marsha, who had only ever picked on Edele’s laundry, seemed to have made up her mind about three days ago; she flew into a rage and even laid a hand on her.
“Is this the way you’ve washed it again today? Are you stupid, or are you just ignoring what I say?”
She had struck the back of Edele’s head hard with such unreasonable claims. It didn’t hurt as much as a slap to the cheek, but the humiliation was much worse.
Edele had been so flabbergasted that she was left speechless, but Salia, the most senior maid in the laundry room, had exploded.
“My Lady! Do you not know that the laundry room is busy? If you keep doing this, there’s no point in having an extra maid!”
“Busy or not, the work must be done properly!”
“Then why don’t you show us a demonstration, My Lady! I don’t know how to wash any cleaner than this, so I can’t teach her anything more!”
With that, she had thrust a pitch-black rag and soap right in front of Marsha.
Instead of taking them, Marsha glared at Salia, grinding her teeth, before turning on her heel and leaving.
“Thank you, Salia. But… will you be alright?”
“What wouldn’t be alright? And don’t worry, I didn’t do it for your sake.”
Salia had turned away, telling her to just get back to work in a blunt tone, but Edele was sincerely grateful to her.
However, contrary to Salia’s claim that there was nothing to worry about, the quality of the meals for the laundry maids subtly dropped starting the next day. The bread portions were smaller, there was hardly any substance in the soup, and they were given fruit that was mostly spoiled.
It was clearly Marsha’s meddling.
When Edele sent her a look of apology, Salia, chewing on an undercooked potato, whispered,
“This won’t last more than a day or two. It’s a hassle for them to prepare our meals separately, too. Just wait and see.”
And just as she said, from today’s meal on, they were given the same food as everyone else.
Of course, in the meantime, Edele had to go without dinner for about two days, but she didn’t mention it to Salia.
It wasn’t as if she had been starved for more than two consecutive meals—just dinner for two days. To Edele, who had been forced to starve frequently under the excuse of needing to manage her figure, it wasn’t much of a big deal.
‘Even when the meal quality dropped, the fruit was always provided, anyway…’
She rubbed her rough fingertips, recalling the ‘proper’ slice of apple she had eaten that evening.
In any case, the day had ended.
Thanks to being provided with maid uniforms, undergarments, and even nightgowns that fit her properly, she could sleep much more comfortably now.
‘Let’s go to sleep quickly. I need to get plenty of rest to work tomorrow.’
She lay down with that thought, but then someone knocked softly on her door.
Edele’s eyes flew open.
‘Who is it at this hour?’
A chill ran down her spine. She wondered if Laslo, who had been quiet until now, had suddenly come looking for her.
The knock came again, light and hesitant.
Edele carefully rose from her bed and asked.
“Who… is it?”
“Um, I’m Daisy from the room next door.”
The visitor outside pressed close to the door and replied in a nearly whispered voice.
Edele took a deep breath before opening the door.
Standing outside was a girl with a thin shawl draped over her nightgown.
“What is the matter at this hour?”
“Ah… well, may I come in for a moment to talk?”
Daisy asked, glancing around while still whispering.
It was clear that the servants, having spent a grueling day, would not welcome anyone chatting in the hallway.
“Please, come in.”
Relieved that the person wasn’t Marsha or Mina, Edele let Daisy inside.
Although there was a chair in the room, it was already being used as a makeshift shelf, so she had to have Daisy sit on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry I can’t offer you a proper seat.”
“Oh, no, it’s not that! It’s nothing particularly important anyway…”
Daisy was a girl with grayish-beige hair and clear, light green eyes. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen.
Her smile was so pure that Edele’s guard lowered before she knew it.
“May I ask what you’ve come for?”
When Edele asked once more, Daisy let out an “Ah!” and pulled two small containers from her robes, placing them on the table.
“I wanted to give you these.”
“What are these?”
“One is a cream for your hands, and the other is an ointment for pain. It might not be much for someone who was a noble, but it’s better than having nothing at all.”
“Yes…? But why are you giving these to me…?”
She couldn’t help but ask. It was only natural, as she had only exchanged nods with Daisy a few times and had never shared a proper conversation with her.
However, Daisy spoke with eyes full of understanding.
“I heard you’ve been bullied by Lady Bohen, haven’t you? You must be in a lot of pain, right?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone else. I told you, I’m in the room next door.”
Edele had difficulty understanding what she was talking about. Perhaps seeing her confusion, Daisy added,
“The walls are thin, so I can hear everything. Every night, you moan in your sleep.”
“Pardon? I do?”
“Ah… you didn’t know…”
Edele truly hadn’t known. When she fell asleep, her memory usually cut off as if she had fainted.
“O-oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’ve disturbed your rest, Daisy.”
“Not at all! Ever since I was little, I could sleep perfectly fine even with my father snoring right next to me. That’s not it… I just wanted to give these to you.”
Those words felt so foreign. In the world Edele had lived in thus far, there was no such thing as doing something “just because.”
However, not a single trace of falsehood could be found in Daisy’s clear, bright eyes.
Edele opened the containers Daisy had placed on the table, one by one.
The hand cream felt rich with oil, and a sharp, minty scent wafted from the ointment intended for aches.
“Can this ointment be applied to my lower back or knees as well?”
“Yes. Lower back, knees, shoulders, neck, back… you can apply it anywhere. Even though it smells quite pungent, it feels rather refreshing after you put it on.”
At those words, Edele scooped up a little bit of the ointment and applied it to her knee. The thick, sticky texture didn’t feel particularly pleasant, but the spot where she had applied it soon turned cool, and a moment later, it began to radiate a warm, soothing heat.