Chapter 6
Ribanou stepped into the adjoining room Grace had cleaned, and once again, her mouth dropped open in shock.
Was this really the same annex she had been living in until just recently?
The wallpaper had been stripped, spiders had built webs, and bugs were everywhere.
Just clearing away the accumulated dust would have taken days of work, yet Grace hadn’t even been her maid for a full week.
“You cleaned all this in just a few days?”
“Yes. The wallpaper was peeling in places, so I asked for leftovers and put them up.”
“…Wallpaper? By yourself?”
“Of course. This is nothing.”
Since there was more wallpaper, Grace was already planning to clear out and redo the room with the fireplace as well. That room was bigger, so it would take more time, but she wasn’t worried.
“To clean properly anyway, we’ll have to move the furniture out first. I’ll move the bed now.”
“…Seriously?”
Ribanou’s eyes were filled with suspicion. Was Grace serious, or had she gone mad from all the work?
Grace realized she’d need to show action rather than words. Rolling up her sleeves, she strode back into the bedroom.
Ribanou, flustered like a little pup, trailed behind her with a worried expression.
But Grace, brimming with confidence, easily lifted the bed Ribanou had been lying on as if it were part of her body.
Her face didn’t even change color—she didn’t look strained in the slightest.
She even carried it as she walked.
Ribanou was struck speechless with shock.
“W-wait… how are you—”
“This is nothing!”
Within minutes, Grace had successfully moved the bed into the next room. Dusting off her hands, she flashed a triumphant grin.
“There, now you can lie down and rest here!”
Grace quickly excused herself, saying she had work to finish, leaving Ribanou sitting blankly in the freshly tidied bedroom.
Familiar silence wrapped around her.
Once, that silence had been the norm. But suddenly, sitting alone like this felt strange.
The maids had always neglected Ribanou, so she spent most of her time alone. Even when they came, she barely exchanged a word in a day.
Yet, in the past few days, the annex had felt strangely bustling. Now she realized—it was because of the new maid.
That, in itself, was a kind of ability.
One person had been added, and suddenly the place felt busy.
But instinct told her—if she let Grace draw close, only for her to vanish like the others without a word, Ribanou wouldn’t be able to brush it off this time.
Now that she knew what it felt like to have someone by her side, it would take a long time to go back.
Like when her parents had abandoned her.
‘I hate it.’
Fear already gripped her.
Just a few days had been enough to get used to this. What if Grace gave up, saying it was too much, and left?
Judging by her strength and personality, that seemed unlikely—but Ribanou had a habit of always assuming the worst.
‘What will I do then?’
Every maid before had quit exactly at the one-month mark, as though it had been prearranged.
So surely, Grace would too. There was no real reason for her to stay longer.
These were thoughts Ribanou had never had before, but already her mind was tangled.
Her short life had hardly ever brought people who treated her kindly.
Grace didn’t flinch at the stench, worked diligently, and did her tasks without complaint. She was the first maid like that.
It was the first time anyone had cared for her when she was sick, or brought her meals at every sitting.
Before, whenever she was hungry, she would take medicine instead.
Medicine on an empty stomach would twist her insides, leaving her doubled over for hours—but at least the pain drowned out her hunger.
When that passed, she would crawl outside and chew on grass. She drank water from an old, nearly dried-up well in a corner.
In spring or summer, she could gather some fruit. But in fall and winter, even that vanished, and surviving became a battle.
She often thought she wanted to die. But then she remembered the people who would rejoice at her death, and her stubbornness kept her alive.
She clenched her teeth and lived on, dreaming of outlasting them and forcing their regret.
Of course, such thoughts always stayed just that—dreams.
Ribanou looked down at the skin melting off her body and sighed.
Since she’d been abandoned in this annex, she had never once looked into a mirror. But she didn’t need to—she knew she must look hideous.
And yet, why did Grace treat her as though it were nothing?
How could she?
Anyone else would have flinched at least once. But Grace never had.
It was strange. And maybe… maybe she could believe that Grace was different.
But at the same time, she was afraid.
Afraid Grace would be just another fleeting encounter.
Grace spent the entire afternoon cleaning.
She still prepared Ribanou’s meals in between, but otherwise worked tirelessly. What had once seemed like a daunting task was nearly finished.
Still, there wasn’t enough time to clean the chimney today.
At last, when evening came, she straightened her aching back.
“Hmm. The dusting’s more or less done, so I’ll tackle the chimney next, then re-paper the walls.”
After staring at the freshly cleaned room, Grace dashed to the kitchen to fetch ingredients from the cook.
She carried up a steaming stew, warm bread, and a fresh salad.
“Young master! Time for dinner!”
Ribanou had been staring toward the doorway. The moment it opened, she shot to her feet and locked eyes with Grace.
Only for a brief second, before looking away. But Grace smiled brightly.
“You must be hungry.”
“…That’s not it.”
“Then you were waiting for me?”
“Not that either.”
“Right, right. Just eat first.”
Ribanou sneaked a glance at her.
She looked just as energetic as she had that morning. Hadn’t she exhausted herself cleaning all day? Or was she pretending to be fine?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Sensing her gaze, Grace asked. Ribanou quickly turned away as if nothing had happened.
“I wasn’t…”
Her face gave away every thought. Pretending ignorance only highlighted how much of a child she still was. Grace couldn’t help but smile faintly.
Then, suddenly, she placed her hand on Ribanou’s forehead.
“Your fever’s gone down a lot.”
“…U-uh…”
Flustered, Ribanou ducked away from her touch and muttered:
“I want to be alone. Leave.”
“Ah. Yes, ma’am.”
While Grace had been busy, Ribanou had made up her mind to keep her distance.
She couldn’t trust that Grace’s diligence would last.
If she believed too easily, the only one who’d be hurt was herself. Better to wait and see.
With that thought, she sneaked another glance at Grace.
“I’ll step out. Call me if you need anything after you eat.”
Grace withdrew calmly, while Ribanou slumped her shoulders for some reason.
Within a few days, Grace had finished cleaning the chimney and re-papering the walls.
Ribanou moved into the new room. With the fireplace lit, warmth filled the air, and her cold disappeared without a trace.
But just when her walls seemed to be lowering, she began to shut herself off again.
Grace didn’t let it discourage her. After all, she was the only one by Ribanou’s side.
Day by day, time passed, until Grace had been her maid for two weeks.
“Huh?”
One evening, after finishing her chores, Grace spotted Ribanou slipping out.
It was the first time she had seen her go out first. Where was she headed?
If she had left openly, Grace would have assumed it was a simple walk. But sneaking out made her curious.
So she followed quietly.
Though night cloaked everything in darkness, Ribanou seemed to head deeper and deeper into secluded corners. Grace’s curiosity only grew.
Then she saw—Ribanou meeting someone.
Stretching her neck to see, Grace frowned. The other person wore a black robe, hiding their face completely.
‘Who could that be?’
She crept closer to catch some of their conversation.
“Ribanou… is it…?”
“…I did…”
But the voices were too faint to hear clearly.
Still, they spoke smoothly, like they were used to meeting.
Grace had thought she was the first to get close to Ribanou. But someone was already there.
She had believed gaining Ribanou’s trust was only a matter of time. Depending on this robed figure, it might not be so easy.
Frowning, Grace resolved to do even better. She shifted her stance—
Crunch.
She stepped on a dry twig. The sound cracked loudly in the silence.
The robed figure jerked their head up, staring directly toward her.
“Who’s there?”
The voice was harsh, metallic, and unpleasant.
The moment she heard it, Grace’s heart dropped like a stone.
She still couldn’t see the face, but the voice was unforgettable.
Grino Eggpara. It was definitely him.
