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Chapter 11
“The maid who takes care of the Grand Lady is a girl named Milena. I heard she originally comes from Luicaron, but her ship was wrecked and she drifted into Sieren. I don’t know what she did in the past, but she is very calm and intelligent.”
“I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
“Well, I think it would be better if you see for yourself. Milena should be in the garden with the Grand Lady right now. Would you like to check?”
Rayban nodded.
He still couldn’t understand why a calm and intelligent maid was such a big deal.
But the moment he saw Milena—and the moment he saw his grandmother smiling brightly at her—all of his thoughts had to change.
“Am I seeing this wrong? Grandmother…”
“No, you are seeing it correctly. The Grand Lady is particularly fond of Milena. Ahem… it seems she believes she is Lady Scarlet.”
“…You mean my deceased aunt?”
“Yes, My Lord. It seems she feels a sense of nostalgia from Milena, as if she were Lady Scarlet.”
Rayban’s gaze wavered at those words.
After the illness began, he had lost the grandmother he knew. She was always crying, frowning, or angry.
But now she was smiling so brightly it was unbelievable.
“Big sister! Big sister! Make this flower too!”
“What should I make for you? A ring? A necklace? A crown?”
“Mm… mm… a ring!”
The Grand Lady, who had completely become like a child, waved her fingers excitedly.
Even as her hands moved, making swishing sounds through the air, Milena showed no fear at all.
She checked the time and said,
“If I make you the ring, you must promise to take your medicine.”
“I don’t like medicine! I don’t like it!”
“Then I won’t make the ring either.”
Milena turned her head away as if sulking, and the Grand Lady became flustered.
Then she nodded like a child.
“Then I’ll take it! I’ll take the medicine!”
At that moment, even Rayban was so shocked he could not speak.
The maid who had just arrived had done what no one else had been able to do.
Kaia was still worried, but I was adapting quite well.
I didn’t know if Lady Sophia was praising me or being sincere, but she said I was the first person the Grand Lady had ever taken such a liking to.
The Grand Lady held my hand tightly and shook it.
“Will you come again tomorrow?”
“Yes, ma’am. I will.”
“Promise!”
I hooked my finger with hers as she offered it. Seeing her bright, childlike smile made me feel lighter too.
Of course, bath duty and helping her change clothes were still difficult.
She was afraid of water, so I had to persuade and soothe her carefully before she would finally enter the bath herself.
She had truly become like a child.
I felt both pity and sadness for her.
After saying goodbye, I left the bedroom.
“Gah! You scared me. Lady Sophia?”
“You’ve worked hard again today, Milena.”
“Ahaha…”
I scratched my cheek awkwardly. By now, she looked at me almost like a believer looking at a saint.
Honestly, it was just because I had experience taking care of young Roella.
Back then, Roella was a sharp, pessimistic child who viewed the world coldly.
She had been sick since childhood and had no friends.
That changed only after the Marquis brought me to her as her companion.
In the original story, I was supposed to become someone who tormented Roella—but this time, I became her closest friend instead.
The same methods I used on Roella were now working on the Grand Lady.
Sometimes I wondered if it was alright to treat an elder this way, but seeing her smile like a child made me feel relieved.
“I just did what I had to do.”
What I regretted was that I hadn’t seen the Count even once in the past week.
I wasn’t sure what he was doing, but I rarely saw him.
He seemed to visit the Grand Lady often, but our timing never matched.
“Still, I never expected you to do this well. The Count wishes to express his gratitude to you.”
“Huh?”
My eyes widened and I swallowed hard.
I had hoped for this moment, but I didn’t expect it to come so soon.
“His Lordship feels sorry for your circumstances. He wants to hear your story directly. He also said that if he can help you, he would like to. Would you like to meet him?”
“Yes! Of course! It would be an honor!”
I answered too quickly, my voice rising.
Seeing my reaction, Lady Sophia smiled.
Kaia… we did it!!
I screamed inwardly.
Rayban looked at Milena with a calm gaze.
The maid Sophia had brought was surprisingly neat and composed.
In other words, she didn’t quite feel like an ordinary maid.
Her flowing golden hair and clear eyes gave off a rare impression.
Her delicate features fit perfectly on her small face—she was undeniably beautiful.
Perhaps that was why the Grand Lady mistook her for Scarlet.
Scarlet had once been a noblewoman admired by many.
“I’ve heard you have done a great deal of work. You have taken good care of my grandmother.”
“I only did what I was supposed to do, my Lord.”
“Even so, doing your best and doing it carelessly produce very different results. I truly appreciate your effort.”
“It is an honor, my Lord!”
“I hear you came from Luicaron. I would like to hear your story.”
At that, Milena lifted her head slightly.
It felt like she might cry.
“Thank you for listening to me, my Lord.”
She would not miss this opportunity.
If not now, she didn’t know when another chance like this would come.
She could finally leave an impression on the Count of Caster and ask for help.
She swallowed hard.
“There is a shipwreck that happened about a month and a half ago. It was a cruise ship departing from the capital of Luicaron. It hit reefs near the Sea of Monsters. I couldn’t get on a lifeboat, and when I opened my eyes, I was on a Sieren fishing boat. I was rescued, but I could not return to Luicaron and ended up here.”
“I see… Were you alone?”
“No. I met one other person on the ship. Fortunately, he was someone I knew, and we are currently staying together.”
“That is at least a relief.”
“Yes. Thanks to him, I was not scared or lonely.”
The Count nodded, his expression sympathetic.
“You must have suffered in a foreign land. But your Sieren is quite fluent.”
“I have always been interested in languages. I once studied Sieren with a private tutor.”
In truth, I could understand the language due to the “possession bonus.”
I could read, speak, and understand all languages in this world.
“…A private tutor? So you must have come from a well-off family.”
“Ah. I was a noble lady in Luicaron.”
“I see.”
The Count’s eyes widened.
