‘Edele was always strong, even while being exploited by her father’s shallow greed. The only time she ever broke down in front of me was when she announced her marriage to the Duke of Lancaster.’
I cannot count how many times I have regretted not stopping her more firmly back then.
No, in the first place, I shouldn’t have given Edele a choice.
She couldn’t possibly have chosen to ‘run away’ on her own, so why did I offer her the option of fleeing, promising I would help? I should have just kidnapped her and hidden her away.
‘That marriage is what ultimately cast Edele into the abyss.’
If only she hadn’t married the Duke of Lancaster, that noble Edele would never have been dragged off by a man of mercenary origins.
Barbara took a deep, steadying breath and unfolded the letter again.
「……I know you are worried, but I am doing well.
Count Krissus is taciturn, but he is a gentleman, and…… (omitted) I am working here as a laundry maid. It is literally just work in the laundry room; there is nothing illicit as others might imagine.
I am currently working hard to get used to the chores as quickly as possible, as my clumsiness has been causing trouble for those around me.
……(omitted) It is impolite for me, now just a mere maid, to write directly to you, but I share these regards because Count Krissus told me that you would be able to rest easy only if I sent a reply.
Furthermore, I pray deeply for your health and peace.
– With endless respect and affection, Edele.」
Barbara wiped away the tears that had welled up and read Edele’s letter once more.
She scrutinized it carefully, searching for any hidden plea for help that might have been tucked away in case the letter was inspected.
However, Edele’s writing style was surprisingly similar to her own—composed and calm. There was no sign of the shock one would expect from someone who had suffered a terrible ordeal.
The only thing that bothered her was the repeated expressions of gratitude toward Count Krissus.
‘She must have kept in mind that the letter would be inspected, but it doesn’t seem like it was written solely to appease the Count.’
Barbara had never trusted Laslo, nor had she ever recognized him as a true noble; she had been worried that he would be offended by receiving her letter.
Yet, simply by the fact that he hadn’t laid a finger on Edele, Barbara decided to drastically revise her assessment of him.
‘Of course, it angers me that he has Edele working as a laundry maid, but it would have been problematic to treat Edele, the wife of a traitor, as a noble.’
Besides, it was Laslo Krissus himself who had brought down the Lancaster Ducal family.
‘How can I save Edele? What can I do…….’
Barbara had no intention of watching Edele grow old as a laundry maid without ever being able to showcase her exceptional talents.
‘If the Count has any eye for talent, he wouldn’t keep Edele as a maid forever, but the problem is the extent of his judgment.’
Laslo was still an unverified man.
While his martial prowess had been perfectly proven by the final war of conquest and the suppression of the Lancaster Ducal family, the human side of Laslo Krissus remained veiled despite his fame.
Thus, countless rumors swirled, and it was hard to find anyone who truly knew him.
Barbara gripped Edele’s letter tight, pondered for a long time, and reached a conclusion.
‘I think I need to meet Count Krissus myself…….’
But as he was currently the man who held the Emperor’s favor, he would never grant a meeting that offered him no gain. In other words, she needed to prepare bait that would make Laslo want to see her.
And the most fitting thing for that would likely be a declaration of support from the house of Marquis Tolein, which maintained a neutral stance.
‘I must discuss this with my son and his wife.’
Although her son generally accepted her opinions without objection, she didn’t know how he would react if it were for the sake of the former mistress of a traitorous family.
With a heavy heart, Barbara rose from her seat and headed toward her son’s office, limping on her aching left leg.
* * *
‘Human adaptability is truly astounding.’
Edele smiled to herself, reflecting on how, just a short while ago, she had been a Duchess, yet now she was accustomed to life as a laundry maid. Beside her was a pile of laundry that had been washed white.
Perhaps it was premature arrogance, but she felt she was now pulling her weight in the laundry room.
Marsha was still constantly looking for ways to nitpick, but since all Edele did was wash clothes, there wasn’t much to complain about.
‘My wake-up time is no different than when I was a Duchess, and the work isn’t complex, so it isn’t difficult.’
If anything, her workday ended much earlier than it did when she was a Duchess. Back then, it was common to struggle with ledgers and documents until the sky turned a pale gray at dawn.
Furthermore, slowly building friendships with the other maids was one factor that helped her endure this life.
Her closest friend was Daisy in the next room.
“Oh, my shoulders. I mopped so much today that every muscle aches.”
Daisy had brought a small piece of bread to share, as she did every day, and was chattering away.
Edele, feeling a pang of pity at the sight of Daisy patting her slender shoulders, asked, “Are we expecting guests? Mopping to this level of deep cleaning so suddenly.”
“We don’t get guests here.”
At Daisy’s nonchalant reply, Edele paused for a moment.
‘Now that I think of it, that’s true. It’s been well over a month since I arrived, and I haven’t seen a single visitor.’
Though it was the depth of winter, a time when travel was infrequent, mansions of high nobles who were close to the Emperor usually had guests regardless of the season.
Of course, she wasn’t unaware of why no guests came to the Krissus mansion.
‘The rumors about Count Krissus aren’t good. Because of his origins, no doubt…….’
In truth, she hadn’t had a very good impression of Laslo at first either.
His unkempt hair, patchy beard, attire that was far from the trends of high society, his fearsome expression, blunt responses, and the terrifying rumors surrounding him were all factors.
‘In the Empire, there is a perception that mercenaries are people who would have become criminals if they hadn’t become mercenaries.’
It was hard to look kindly upon a profession that killed people if the price was right.
Since Laslo even held the title of ‘Mercenary King,’ the nobles often said it was excessive to grant him a Count’s title, no matter how many military merits he had accumulated.
‘I don’t know what kind of deal passed between the Count and His Majesty the Emperor, but in any case, he doesn’t seem like a bad person…….’
If he were as rough, violent, and cruel as the rumors suggested, Edele would not have been able to keep herself intact like this.
“Sister! Edele sister!”
“Oh, yes?”
“Is something worrying you? I’ve called you several times…….”
“Ah, I’m sorry. What were we talking about?”
Edele was slightly flustered that she hadn’t even heard her being called. However, Daisy seemed to think she had just drifted off, so she continued the story.
“I was talking about why we mopped. It wasn’t because of guests, it was because of Lady Lynnia.”
“If you mean Lady Lynnia, that would be the Count’s younger sister, right?”
“Yes, exactly. You’ve heard about her, haven’t you, sister?”
Edele smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. She had only ever heard Marsha talk about Lynnia in a sour tone.
“I just…… heard that many maids quit because of Lady Lynnia.”
“That’s right. Days when Lady Lynnia throws tantrums are truly difficult. Today was actually less so because the Count returned from the palace early.”
Daisy shook her head and spread a small piece of butter onto her bread. Thanks to Daisy being close with the kitchen maids, Edele was occasionally able to get butter like this too.
Just as Edele was realizing once again how much butter improved the flavor of bread, Daisy continued to talk about Lynnia in a dissatisfied tone.
“They say the Count and the Lady came from commoner roots, but since the Count has earned so much money since he was young, Lady Lynnia has never had to suffer a day in her life.”
“Is that so?”
“She’s never even gone hungry, so that says it all. But she keeps acting like she knows all about maid work and picks at everything. It’s gotten to the point where it’s just plain nonsensical, the things she demands…”
Daisy’s lips jutted out in a pout. She seemed quite displeased and aggrieved.
“In a word, she’s immature. Honestly, considering her brother went through all that trouble to make her a noble and give her a life of comfort, she should just spend every day being grateful. I really don’t understand what it is that she’s so dissatisfied with.”
Daisy began to list, one by one, the things Lynnia had done to harass the maids.
Making them polish the landings or railings until they shone, like today, was a common occurrence, and she would even order that not a single wrinkle be left on any fabric in the house, including clothes and bedding.
If she wiped her fingertips across a window frame and even a speck of dust came off, she would fly into a rage and force them to clean until dawn. If she didn’t like how the laundry was done, she would even stand right by their side to watch the entire washing process.
Listening to it all, I felt a headache coming on.