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Episode 10
“So… what do you mean when you say it was a waste to throw desserts away?”
…So that wasn’t why she called me?
Carefully, I confessed that I had been eating the desserts that were meant for the young master.
“Did Ricardo really say he’d throw the desserts away if he didn’t eat them?”
Only then did something I hadn’t thought about earlier hit me.
If I said he tried to throw away perfectly good desserts, wouldn’t the young master get scolded?
Panicking, I quickly corrected myself.
“No! He didn’t say that exactly! He just told me to clear them away. I was the one who thought that on my own!”
As I hurriedly explained, I heard Lady Lianne let out a soft laugh.
Since she was laughing… maybe I wasn’t being kicked out?
“Were the desserts good?”
“…Yes. They were really delicious.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Um… you weren’t calling me to scold me?”
Lady Lianne laughed gently again, then spoke kindly.
“If you ever want some, just go to the kitchen and ask.”
“R-really? I’m just a maid… is it really okay for me to eat something so precious?”
I was so shocked that my eyes widened.
I’d never bought desserts myself, but I knew well how expensive sugar and cream were.
“It seems Lisa didn’t tell you. Maids assigned to the annex receive special benefits.”
“Oh… like employee benefits?”
I asked, recalling words I’d heard back when I worked at the restaurant.
“Yes. Those benefits are only given to Ricardo’s personal maid. So you may eat desserts freely without worry.”
As expected of a grand duke’s household, even the employee benefits were on another level.
I nodded again and again, answering “Yes!” over and over.
All this time, I’d been worried that I was a bad person stealing a child’s snacks. My heart finally felt at ease.
“Thank you so much!”
Once the tension left my body, a big grin spread across my face.
Ah—get a grip. I’m still in front of Lady Lianne!
I quickly fixed my expression and carefully asked,
“Then… why did you call for me?”
“I wanted to ask whether anything has been difficult for you while staying by Ricardo’s side.”
If we’re talking about difficult things, there were plenty.
On the first day, pillows and a clock were thrown at me.
The next day, the door wouldn’t open, so I had to climb in through the balcony.
And how many times had he pulled the bell cord by now?
The moment I reached my room, the bell would ring again.
Every time I ran back, I was greeted by his mischievous face.
Just remembering it made my brow tighten.
“Something difficult would be…”
I wondered where to even start—then decided not to.
I didn’t want to tattle.
And I didn’t want the young master to get scolded.
Besides, it wasn’t only hard all the time.
“The young master is a bit prickly, but he’s also kind. Being with him can be tiring sometimes, but there are more fun moments than hard ones, so I’m okay.”
“That child… kind? In what way did you feel that?”
“When I told him I couldn’t read, he said he’d teach me.”
“Ricardo did?”
“Yes. And when I asked if I could study by the window with sunlight, he allowed me to open it. When I told him I didn’t get to eat many tasty things as a child, he started sharing his desserts with me.”
Lady Lianne stayed silent for a while.
…Did I talk too much?
I darted my eyes around nervously. That brief silence felt unusually long.
“I didn’t know he had that side to him. In front of me, he always acts like a child.”
“He is still young. No matter how mature a child is, they can’t help acting spoiled in front of their mother. And since he doesn’t see you often, it’s probably even more so.”
I suddenly snapped back to my senses and shut my mouth.
Lady Lianne had been so kind that I’d started talking to her the way I talked to village parents.
“It’s alright. Speak comfortably. I’m glad to learn about a side of my child I didn’t know, thanks to you.”
Her gentle voice put me at ease.
At the same time, something came to mind.
Sometimes, the young master would look toward the main house through the open window.
Even though it was hidden by thick trees and walls, he still stared that way.
Each time, loneliness and sadness filled his eyes.
‘At ten years old, he should be showered with love in his parents’ arms.’
I hesitated.
Was it really okay for me to say this to her?
Lady Lianne was the lady of the house.
I was just a maid who’d arrived not long ago.
I know it might be overstepping.
But somehow… I felt like Lady Lianne would listen.
I gathered my courage—for the young master.
“Um… my lady. You let the young master live alone in the annex so he wouldn’t be hurt by others, right?”
“That’s correct.”
Lady Lianne nodded lightly.
I asked carefully,
“Was that what the young master wanted too?”
There was no reply for a long moment.
“If it were a decision you made alone, wouldn’t it be good to talk with him about it once? He doesn’t say it, but sometimes… he looks lonely.”
Had I said something I shouldn’t have?
My heart pounded hard, and I fidgeted with my fingers, anxiously waiting for her to speak.
“Thank you for telling me. I seem to have forgotten something important.”
Phew.
Relief washed over me at her kind voice.
Lady Lianne really was a good person.
“I will go to the annex this evening. Will you go back and tell Ricardo that I’d like to have dinner with him?”
Was she coming right away? I was startled by her decisiveness.
But then came words that surprised me even more.
“Mary, you will come to the dining room with us.”
“M-me too?”
“Yes. I heard from Lisa that since you arrived, Ricardo has been eating much better. Stay by his side so he can eat comfortably.”
Dinner with Lady Lianne and the young master… together?
From what I’d learned, a maid wasn’t supposed to dine at the same table as their masters…
Could this also be an employee benefit?
No—this feels way beyond employee benefits…
That evening.
There really was a seat prepared for me in the dining room.
Seeing the table filled with all kinds of food made my mouth water.
“Sit down.”
“Y-yes!”
I hesitantly sat beside the young master.
“Ricky, have you been well?”
Lady Lianne still wore a black veil, but this one was thinner and slightly see-through.
I could see the gentle curve of her smile.
“Yes. Have you been well, too, Mother?”
Wait—was this really the young master I knew?
Lady Lianne said he acted childishly, but he seemed nothing like that.
He was far more grown-up than when he was with me.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
After that brief exchange, the two of them began eating as if accustomed to the silence.
…That’s it?
As I nervously glanced around, the young master shot me a look.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you eating?”
The refined tone from earlier was gone. This was the sharp young master I knew.
“Oh! I am, I am!”
I picked up my fork and knife to cut into the thick steak in front of me.
I never imagined a day would come when I’d eat a steak this big.
I’d never cut meat with a knife before.
Trying not to be obvious, I watched how Lady Lianne and the young master held their utensils.
‘Hold the knife like this… the fork like that…’
I tried copying them as best I could, but it didn’t go well.
Screeech.
The knife scraped loudly against the plate.
My heart felt just as torn up as the ruined steak.
Watching Mary’s distressed face, Lady Lianne realized something.
‘I made a mistake.’
By the rules, it was unthinkable for a maid like Mary to eat at this table.
But she had made an exception.
Because Lisa told her that since Mary arrived, Ricardo had noticeably brightened.
Unlike other servants, Mary genuinely cared for Ricardo.
Lady Lianne wanted to thank her for that kindness.
Gratitude had made her forget something important.
That this place would inevitably make Mary uncomfortable.
Lady Lianne was about to call a servant to cut the meat when Ricardo sighed and said bluntly,
“Are you trying to eat the plate instead of the meat?”
