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Chapter : 30
I heard she was a countess in Luikaron. And yet…
“Hit… hit every day?”
She endured that? Bella couldn’t believe it.
“Yes. In the beginning, it was really bad. Even when her whole body was covered in bruises, she didn’t complain once.”
“……”
“The strange part is, at some point, the matriarch started only following Milena. Now, she gets anxious if Milena isn’t around.”
Bella put down her teacup. Her fingertips felt icy. She swallowed nervously. It felt like she had caught a glimpse of Milena’s true side through Sophia’s evaluation.
“She was that devoted…”
“Milena always treats the matriarch sincerely. I think her pure heart reached her.”
Lady Sophia paused, then added,
“She’s also very clever. She can read, keeps track of medicine times precisely, and records the matriarch’s condition in a log.”
“I heard she’s from nobility…”
“Yes. She was the daughter of a count in Luikaron. But she never shows it. In fact, she works even more diligently than other maids.”
Bella bit her lip. Her character was as beautiful as her looks. A strange jealousy rose sharply. In fact, Bella had called Sophia today to hear a different answer.
“And Kaisa… what’s their relationship? Do they seem special to you?”
Bella worried her question might be too direct and quickly added,
“Oh, I’m just curious since they take lessons together.”
Lady Sophia answered without hesitation:
“They live together.”
“Live together?”
“Yes. They came to Sierne and live relying on each other. At first, I thought they might be lovers. I thought it was impossible for a handsome man and a beautiful girl to live together without anything happening. But situations can create variables. They look very close to each other.”
Bella nervously fiddled with her chair. She felt strangely uneasy. She licked her lips.
‘Of course. I’d feel the same way.’
She held her teacup tightly.
“I see.”
“One more thing—Milena is truly a good child. She doesn’t hate anyone and is always positive. I think it’s fine for you to keep her close. She’ll be a good companion.”
Sophia genuinely spoke her opinion about Milena. She didn’t know what Bella was thinking at all. Bella smiled awkwardly.
“Was my answer helpful?”
“Yes… thank you, Lady Sophia.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll get back to work now.”
Sophia stood up and left. Bella went out to the balcony. The garden was visible at a glance. She saw Milena walking with the matriarch.
Milena’s fine blonde hair sparkled in the sunlight. She smiled brightly while holding the matriarch’s arm. After the matriarch developed dementia, had Bella ever walked arm-in-arm with her like that? Even Bella herself hadn’t done it—but Milena had.
Bella sighed softly. If Milena had been a bad person, it would have been easier. She could have felt jealousy or resentment and had a reason to push her away.
But as Sophia said, Milena seemed like a genuinely good person.
Of course, whether Milena was good or not, Bella still had the right to follow her own feelings.
Milena outside the window was still smiling brightly. Bella watched her with complicated emotions.
Sunday afternoon.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Hmm? Who could that be?”
Bella tilted her head. No one was expected.
“I’ll go see.”
Kaisa headed to the door. The sound of the door opening, and a stranger’s voice was heard.
“Hello. I’m a maid sent by Count Keister.”
Reivan sent a maid?
“What’s the matter?”
A middle-aged woman took off her hat and stood with hands folded. Her gaze fell on me. Her smile felt oddly out of place. She didn’t fit the lazy Sunday afternoon.
“The count sent me. I will work as a maid managing this house.”
I exchanged glances with Kaisa.
It wasn’t completely unexpected. Reivan had been watching Kaisa all along. Maybe he wanted Kaisa to be a swordmaster. In that case, sending a watcher made sense.
“Please, come in first.”
After guiding the maid into the living room, I whispered to Kaisa in Luikaron:
“Why would the count send a maid?”
“Probably a watcher.”
“I think so too.”
I clicked my tongue lightly. Reivan likely intended to use her to gather information about us. He probably didn’t expect to uncover any major secrets. I doubted the maid even spoke Luikaron. Still, we needed to be careful.
Sigh. I was happy to move in, and that happiness was broken in a single day.
“What’s your name?”
I asked the maid.
“Marta.”
“Alright, Marta. The house isn’t organized yet… would you like some tea?”
I went to the kitchen to prepare tea. In the meantime, Marta looked around the living room. Her gaze wasn’t ordinary. She was clearly more than a simple maid.
Kaisa came close and spoke quietly.
“Humph. The count is acting unnecessarily.”
“If we refuse, it might raise suspicion.”
“But we can’t leave her here forever.”
“Right. We’ll have to figure out a way.”
I offered the tea to Marta carefully, trying not to offend.
“Marta, we really appreciate it, but this small household doesn’t need extra help. The two of us are enough.”
“You were not the ones who hired me. The count did. He will pay my salary.”
She openly said she served another master, not us. Maybe honesty was better. Servants always follow their employer’s will. Marta spoke firmly.
“The count asked me to pay special attention.”
She didn’t look like she would back down easily. Perhaps a compromise could work.
“This house doesn’t have many people. But having someone here all the time feels… awkward. How about visiting twice a week?”
“The count said I should work every day.”
“It would be inconvenient for us, Marta.”
“Ah.”
Marta let out a sigh. She probably didn’t expect me to be so straightforward. Kaisa glanced between me and Marta with curiosity.
“Kaisa can’t understand what’s being said. How uncomfortable it must be not to communicate.”
“I’ll try my best.”
“Trying isn’t enough. So how about a compromise: twice a week? We can’t refuse the count’s request.”
Marta glanced toward Kaisa. Her expression wavered. Kaisa’s tightly-closed expression wasn’t pleasant either.
Try interrupting a peaceful Sunday afternoon. Anyone would make that face.
“……Well……”
As Marta tried to respond, Kaisa suddenly got up and went to the kitchen. What was he doing? He came back with a broom.
“Clean. Me. Good.”
He said in broken Sierne and started sweeping the floor diligently.
Marta’s eyes widened in surprise.
“House. Clean. Me. Do.”
Kaisa kept sweeping with a serious expression.
“No. Someone else.”
Ah!
