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Chapter 21
“Yes, that’s right. The three senior maids take turns supervising the entire household every month.”
Old Banya chuckled lightly as she led her along.
Ebel carefully inspected even the maids’ bathrooms, checking whether they had enough hot water and whether anything was lacking.
What she was especially curious about was the snacks outside of regular meals.
“Twice a week, they get pastries or cookies, and milk is distributed as well. Fruit can be taken every morning before starting work. All of it is grown personally by Dawson, the gardener.”
No wonder their nutritional status is so good.
Nodding, she sat in the servants’ dining area and tried the snacks herself.
Not because she wanted to eat, but to clearly assess their condition.
“The taste isn’t bad. What about birthdays?”
“On birthdays, bonuses are distributed differently depending on seniority.”
“No gifts?”
“The mistress occasionally gives gifts when she feels like it.”
But the children were likely sick or could become sick, so moments when the mistress felt like giving were probably rare.
With those curtains, they barely saw any sunlight, so it was easy to fall into gloom.
‘Victor must have wanted me to take control of the household. Well, then this much spending should be fine, I guess.’
After a brief thought, she instructed that a bottle of wine be given out for each birthday.
Honestly, who dislikes alcohol?
Wine with the Bayern name is easy to resell, and it makes a good gift for loved ones or family. It was the safest choice that everyone would enjoy.
“The mistress is giving wine for birthdays!”
“Gah! My birthday is in two days!”
“But what about those whose birthdays already passed?”
“I want to receive it… my birthday was at the beginning of this month. But what if she finds me cheeky?”
As soon as Ebel gave the instruction, the maids gathered closely and started murmuring among themselves.
Even though they lowered their voices, excitement over free wine made it hard to keep quiet.
Exactly as Ebel had planned.
“Banya, gather everyone whose birthday has passed this year and distribute the wine at once. Give them about half a month’s time, should be enough?”
“I will do so. This Banya is once again moved by the foresight of the prospective mistress.”
In truth, Ebel mentioned giving out wine first because there would be many tasks to assign.
If the sudden mistress ordered a full house cleaning, the staff would follow, but complaints would be inevitable.
So first, she gave a small reward, then gave instructions citing necessary reasons.
Among Ebel’s goals for coming here, the “full house cleaning” was clearly the top priority.
“By the way, mistress, after a more thorough investigation, the maid who had the coughing disease was Mina. She started working at twelve, but her health deteriorated quickly, and she quit soon after.”
“And?”
“Both the butler and I occasionally had a cough, but that was in winter. Everyone thought it was just a cold. Those who did develop a cough quickly left, fearing it might affect the young masters. Among the long-term staff, no one has the illness.”
“So… among those who quit due to health, did anyone die?”
This was an important matter.
If the servants were fine, but the masters had lung problems…
Observing the servant quarters, the main difference seemed to be the building materials. While unlikely, it raised the suspicion that the problem might really be the house.
But then, why were senior staff like the old Banya perfectly fine?
‘Maybe problems only arise if you grow up inside this house.’
[Environmental Lung Disease? Research Notes]
[No illness]
- Victor: Rarely at home as a child, always stayed in the capital as an adult.
- Genevieve: Was at a convent during childhood, returned much later.
- Damian: Still young, currently healthy, frequently goes outside.
[Illness present]
- Seosanna: Weak since childhood, mostly stayed inside the house.
- Seosanna’s husband: Died from illness. Shared a bedroom with Seosanna, lived in the mansion.
[Partial / uncertain]
- Young maid: Coughing disease appeared at a young age.
- Other servants: Started working at the mansion as adults; those who developed coughing disease quickly left.
- Anselm: Young, rarely goes outside.
As she wrote a few notes in her notebook, Old Banya replied.
“As far as I know, no one died. I’ve also heard that Mina regained her health after leaving the job.”
That was almost certain enough.
‘Even if the cause is the house, I don’t know what exactly in the house is the problem. Other than different building materials…’
Naturally, aristocratic residences are made of stone and marble for durability and longevity.
Could the stone itself be the issue?
“May I take a look at your room as well?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll visit later. You started working in Bayern after becoming an adult, right?”
“Yes. I started at twenty-two.”
Ebel left the maids’ quarters and immediately ordered Old Banya to begin cleaning.
“From today, start a full house cleaning. Remove all curtains except in Seosanna’s bedroom and open the windows wide. Send the old curtains to the incinerator, and make sure they are actually burned.”
“Understood.”
“No mold anywhere in the house. Got it?”
The maids would be very busy, but there was no choice.
After inspecting the servants’ quarters, she headed next to the main kitchen’s food storage.
She intended to do whatever she could while the staff quickly moved for the sudden cleaning.
“What is all this! Taking down the curtains—what if a curse comes in?!”
However, Ebel’s ambitious plan missed one important point: Genevieve’s vehement opposition.
“Why are you doing this?”
Heading toward the parlor, she noticed Genevieve struggling with the maids and stopped.
Genevieve threw down the curtains she had been gripping and approached Ebel threateningly.
“We aren’t even married yet! What are you doing? How can you already try to control the household?”
“I’ve already discussed this with Victor. This is absolutely necessary for the children’s health.”
“Hah! Do you think you’re a doctor? Thick curtains keep out the bad air. What if Anselm’s cough gets worse?”
Good grief.
Ebel raised an eyebrow.
It was difficult to know where to begin, but she had to explain.
“In 1861, Dr. Pasteur discovered germs. Around last year, it was revealed that diseases are caused not by poison or curses, but germs.”
“Wha—what did you say?”
“Germs. Getting sick is always due to germs. Prevention requires a clean, sanitary environment. So these old, filthy curtains that gather dust are no longer acceptable.”
“Filthy? I chose these curtains carefully!”
Ah, so that was the problem.
But it didn’t matter.
Her patients were the twins, and germs easily invade those who are young or weak.
They also thrive in dirty environments.
Ebel raised her eyebrow again and issued the next order to the maid.
“Oh, remove all the carpets too. Open the windows wide. Let sunlight into this house.”
“No! You can’t! What are you saying?”
“I already explained. This comes from the latest medical journals. You might want to read The Lancet later. Ventilation, cleanliness, and sunlight are most important.”
