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Chapter 13
Anne had finally finished the mountain of dishes and tied on a large-pocketed apron, grabbing a broom.
She walked through the darkened banquet hall and into the corridor, sweeping up trash wherever she saw it.
On the floor above the banquet hall, an endlessly long corridor stretched out, lined with empty rooms.
Some of them were likely occupied by guests resting inside.
Why did I come all the way here? Who do I think I am?
Before she realized it, Anne had walked halfway down the dim corridor and stopped. She shook her head and turned to leave.
At that moment—
Creeeak.
A door slowly opened, and Matilda stepped out, tying up her loosened hair.
“Anne?”
“Oh… Matilda, sister.”
“You’re still cleaning at this hour?”
“I’m done now.”
Anne dusted off her apron and shrugged casually. Matilda walked beside her.
“……”
Was this corridor always this long?
In the dark night, with the lights deliberately turned off, even their footsteps echoed loudly.
“Do you think I’m pathetic and disgusting too?”
“What?”
“You can read and write, right? Anne, aren’t you aiming to become a senior maid now? You want to escape being just a maid with your skills, don’t you?”
Anne wondered what she meant by that.
Matilda was someone who always tried to avoid work by using tricks and excuses.
Anne usually ended up doing two people’s worth of work instead of arguing.
“No matter how kind or diligent you are, no matter how well you work, you can’t become head maid here. The position has always been passed down through the butler’s relatives. So what will you be?”
“Then I’ll just stay a maid,” Anne replied calmly.
A literate maid—one who earned slightly better pay and treatment.
Matilda bared her teeth briefly, then bit her lip.
“Come with me. I’ll become a lady-in-waiting to the Count, and go to the Claide estate. I can get the Count wrapped around my finger. They’re desperate for servants there anyway. I’ll make you head maid, and your younger brother a butler.”
Had the Count already promised Matilda the position of his wife after just one night?
Anne clicked her tongue without realizing it. Matilda’s gaze sharpened instantly.
“Hmph. I tried to help you, and you throw away your fortune? Just watch. I’ll win the Count’s heart and become the Countess. I won’t end my life scrubbing floors walked on by others.”
In a year, you might be torn apart by monsters and no one would even find your body.
Anne stood before a woman of only twenty, yet already worn down by the world.
Even if she was half a noble through Grey, her life was still precious. And so was the life of a selfish, greedy woman who would do anything for her goals.
“Sister.”
“What? Changed your mind?”
Matilda immediately brightened, secretly afraid of leaving alone for the distant frontier. That was why she had made the offer to gentle, kind Anne.
“If you ever leave the frontier after going there, make sure you pass through the northern forest.”
The northern forest was forbidden land, said to be home to witches.
Rumors said anyone who entered would be cursed to death.
But Anne had once read in a newspaper that after becoming a duchess, someone had fled there during a war and survived.
Most said nine out of ten died, but the fact that someone survived mattered.
“What are you talking about? Why would I ever leave? Are you hoping I become miserable?”
“Just in case. If you ever want to leave, go through the northern forest. The witch there might be a rumor, but monsters on the other paths are real.”
“Anne! You’re so cruel! I was thinking of you!”
Anne looked at Matilda quietly, sincerely.
I did my best for you.
She had always done everything she could for those within reach. The choice was now theirs.
Ignoring the curses thrown at her back, Anne turned and walked away.
The next day, as the sun rose, guests one by one departed for their estates. Count Claide left with Matilda in his carriage.
“Phew…”
Relief, truly. Despite their complaints, the maids wished departing guests well.
“They’re gone, so they’ll be fine. Eating good food, wearing fine clothes, becoming the ones who employ maids.”
“Right. Let’s get back to work!”
The maids busied themselves again.
They cleaned, swept, and organized the vast estate now emptied of guests. Anne was among them.
She was sweeping in a storage room on the top floor.
Dust rose suddenly, and she turned her head—through a small window, she could see the outside.
A carriage carrying Matilda was heading down the road.
It had just left the estate and was already shrinking into the distance.
Where was it going? To the western homeland of Count Claide? Or perhaps on a honeymoon?
Maybe it wasn’t necessarily a bad ending.
Then… when would she be able to leave this place?
Watching the disappearing carriage, Anne felt a faint unease.
“Anne!”
Cassie waved from outside the window.
“If you’re done cleaning, come down! How long are you going to stand there?”
Had she been staring that long?
Anne responded and left the storage room.
Right.
How long am I going to stay here like this?
I should prepare to leave.
One Year Later
In just over a year, Grey Benton had grown remarkably.
Though from a minor baronial family, he resembled Lord Hans—the duke’s son-in-law—especially in appearance.
He had even passed the entrance test for the Knight Academy and would begin in three months.
“He’s grown so much! He’ll be taller than the young lord soon.”
“And his looks… they say he’s even more handsome than the duke in his youth.”
“He must take after his mother, right?”
“Anyone who could charm our duke must’ve been stunning.”
The maids whispered while working—washing clothes, carrying laundry, glancing at the training grounds.
“Stop slacking off!”
The head maid’s voice rang out, scattering them instantly.
Anne stood nearby, not even looking at the training ground.
“Anne.”
“Yes.”
“Go to the young lord’s room and bring his laundry and any clothes needing repair.”
“Yes.”
Despite her efforts to avoid it, the head maid consistently assigned Anne tasks related to Grey, who she knew Anne was indifferent toward.
One day Anne asked why.
“You’re the only one without ulterior motives. How many maids try to seduce a young noble?”
The head maid’s voice carried through the hall even when she spoke quietly.
“But what if the young lord has feelings for her? He once gave her flowers! And her brother is the same age as his page!”
The maids laughed.
“That’s exactly why I trust you. I’ve seen enough maids lose their heads over men.”
“Don’t trust me then. Assign someone else. No matter what happens, the young lord won’t be harmed.”
Anne’s feelings toward nobles were irrelevant.
They had no choice.
But nobles who gave in to fleeting desires always had a way back. Maids, however, could lose their heads for it.
“Anne.”
The head maid’s gaze hardened.
“The lady is very pleased with you. But you must not insult nobles, even in your heart. Young Lord Grey is part of the Benton household. You must serve him respectfully.”
It felt as if her thoughts had been exposed.
And indeed, Anne had often mocked Grey Benton in her mind.
Even after returning, you still look at me with that longing, childlike affection.
Though Anne no longer treated him kindly, Grey still liked her as before.
But how long could such childish affection last?
Anne forced her thoughts away.
He would soon leave for the Knight Academy. She would leave the estate as well.
Until then, she just needed to avoid displeasing the head maid.
Anne bowed.
“I understand.”
Later That Night
Four girls gathered in a room.
Each lay in bed, only their heads peeking out from under blankets as they chatted.
“Mi-ena, remember? She still sends letters every week apologizing to the head maid.”
“She left with such arrogance, and now she’s begging. Pathetic.”
This was when most information circulated—just before sleep.
Meals were too public for secrets.
“So, there’s a broker recruiting maids for the ducal house?”
“They’re all scammers.”
“Then what about Matilda?”
“Matilda?”
The conversation shifted unexpectedly toward her…
