Chapter 15
“Yes, young lady.”
Adeline, who had been holding a fork with her squirrel-sized hand and chewing for quite a long time, put the tableware down for a moment.
“Lucy, how long have you been working here?”
“Hmm, I think since I was about six.”
“Six?”
Adeline’s eyes widened.
At six years old, one could hardly do proper menial work. It would already be good if no accidents were caused.
“Wow, you’ve been here for a really long time.”
“Actually, at first it wasn’t me but my mother who was a maid in Claudius. She has passed away now.”
‘Why did they even bring the child of a maid to work here?’
She felt curious, but didn’t show it. There was something else she really wanted to ask.
“You must have been very sad, Lucy. But… it must have been really nice too! I’m a little jealous.”
“Pardon?”
“You worked together with your mother!”
Adeline gave a suitably childlike answer and smiled brightly. It was also somewhat sincere.
“Oh….”
After hesitating for a moment, Lucy soon returned a smile.
“I suppose so. It was really nice. I’m just grateful to the person who took in someone like me, who couldn’t even do proper work.”
Lucy looked at Adeline with a somewhat sentimental expression.
It had been just a casual question for Adeline, but it seemed different for Lucy.
“The former viscountess was very considerate toward me and my mother. I’m truly grateful.”
She stared at Adeline again.
‘Yes, there really were such grateful times.’
The words Adeline had spoken earlier kept echoing in Lucy’s mind.
It must be nice to work with one’s mother…
‘I thought too lightly. At that age, she must have gone through something terrible.’
Lucy’s eyes quickly became moist.
“Hm?”
Adeline immediately noticed the change like a ghost and smirked inwardly.
It wasn’t intentional, but it seemed like the perfect moment to ask a question.
“Well, Lucy. Actually, I had a concern. I think Lucy might know the answer….”
Adeline paused slightly and stirred the salad in front of her with a fork for no reason.
‘How much pressure did she feel? She’s still a child.’
Lucy understood well because she had experienced it herself.
Thinking about how she woke up one day to find that her parents, who had loved her so much, were gone, and the only person she could rely on for pampering was Amy, made her heart ache.
How discouraged must she have been to hesitate to even ask a maid a question?
“Please ask anything!”
She answered a little too loudly without realizing it.
She looked like she would find the answer no matter what, even if she had to ask others.
Adeline slightly changed her original plan of asking about the gardener Louis.
It seemed this maid named Lucy was rolling straight into her lap on her own.
She had to grab opportunities firmly when they came. Especially in a situation where she had nothing.
“Well, you know….”
“Yes, please speak!”
When Lucy’s gaze, which had been moving up and down following Adeline’s lip movements, finally fixed on the child’s small lips, the child carefully spoke.
“Can you tell me a way?”
“Of course!”
Lucy had already decided.
If it was a method she didn’t know, she would somehow find it and tell her.
But then…
“…How should I make my uncle like me…? I don’t know….”
Why did she have to ask something like this?
It wasn’t something she could simply answer as impossible.
‘Adults are bad, seriously.’
Lucy barely controlled her collapsing expression and spoke with difficulty.
“Lady, that is….”
“After all, I shouldn’t eat so much, right?”
Before her answer was finished, Adeline spoke rapidly as if she actually already knew the method.
Lucy’s breath caught.
“What do you mean by that!”
“They said if I eat too much, it costs a lot of money and he will dislike it….”
What kind of scoundrel would say such nonsense?
While Lucy barely swallowed the curses rising to her lips, this tiny young lady continued speaking.
“So I couldn’t stop and ate everything, right? Should I just eat a little starting tomorrow, Lucy?”
Lucy clenched her fists.
“If you leave food on your plate, the chef will be sad. So please don’t say such things, understood?”
“Mm.”
“If you want more to eat, should I bring something else right now…!”
“Oh, n-no, it’s fine.”
Adeline smiled awkwardly.
Somehow Lucy was more passionate than Adeline’s intention.
Adeline had only been thinking of minimum care, like a proper meal…
“Please don’t worry too much about your uncle. I will mobilize all my connections.”
Her expression was almost solemn.
“It may take some time, but please trust me! I’ve worked here for quite a long time.”
Lucy seemed to be planning something big in her own way.
‘Well, it’s good to be diligent. At least she’s not a maid like Amy.’
Though she felt a little self-disgust that she felt relieved just by solving a food problem, Adeline decided not to think further.
As for the gardener, she could get closer and casually ask later.
Today, it would be enough to just agree with her and finish the meal.
“Thank you, Lucy!”
“You’re very welcome. The chef is especially good at making infused liquor… ah, the juice is also amazing!”
“…What a wonderful chef!”
“R-right?”
Lucy scratched her cheek awkwardly.
But listening to the chef talk, she suddenly became curious.
‘…But is it necessary to have so many chefs to mobilize all connections?’
In a viscount’s household, she had never heard of keeping several chefs unless it was an imperial palace.
Could there be something else unique about Claudius that she didn’t know?
Recently, Adeline had been particularly sharp about everything, so she didn’t want to overlook even such small things.
It was more natural to ask Lucy now than suddenly later.
“By the way, Lucy.”
“Yes, young lady.”
“Are there really that many chefs?”
“…Pardon?”
“To the point of mobilizing all connections?”
“…….”
An awkward silence fell in the large space.
‘Mobilize chefs? Suddenly, why chefs?’
Lucy’s somewhat stunned expression made Adeline blink as well.
Adeline slowly observed Lucy.
‘…Why is she making that face? Did I say something wrong?’
Thinking inwardly gave no answer.
After a few seconds passed—
Adeline finally turned her gaze to the window as if pretending not to notice.
“No, forget it.”
At that behavior, Lucy’s expression became more serious.
Thinking from a child’s perspective was not an easy task.
‘She probably still finds it hard to reveal everything in her heart. I must take better care of her in the future.’
Adeline, who didn’t know that Lucy’s misunderstanding had deepened, finished her meal by putting down her fork and knife completely.
She also had no idea that the maid who didn’t want to disappoint the cute young lady had completely misunderstood her intention.
And even less did she know how far Lucy’s confidently mentioned “connections” reached.
After that storm-like day, Adeline had to spend her daily life again only in the annex.
It was natural.
The butler Randolph didn’t show even the tip of his nose, and Adeline didn’t bother looking for him.
Well, anyway, she would meet him soon because of the tutoring work.
‘He’ll come looking for me himself anyway.’
No matter what the truth was, it was he who had to finish the work, so Adeline had nothing to regret.
Moreover, these days were, in a sense, more comfortable than the life of the crown princess.
There were no piled-up documents or annoying audience requests.
The only difference was…
“It’s done! It’s done!”
That she had gained a new maid who was playful and foolish despite first impressions.
“What are you talking about, Lucy?”
Adeline, who had been standing on a stool and looking at the garden outside the window, jumped down from the stool.
‘Since that night’, after a few days of proper rest, Adeline’s condition was at its best recently.
Thanks to that, the strange energy that tried to surface whenever there was a gap also felt mostly suppressed.
“Lady! It’s dangerous!”
Of course, Lucy was overly dramatic about everything regardless.
But her attention and care weren’t too bad.
“What is that in your hand?”
Adeline naturally ignored Lucy’s complaints and held out her hand.
Lucy immediately placed the letter into Adeline’s palm.
“I told you to trust me, right?”
Seeing Lucy’s rare proud expression, Adeline narrowed her eyes and looked at her.
The winter dress seemed a little hot, so I altered it a bit… Huh? Where did the shoulder go?
…I like off-shoulder too, Lucy.
Though it was a short period, Lucy was very enthusiastic in many ways.
If you use bath essence, bathing will feel better!
That’s shampoo, Lucy.
…Ah, the scent is nice!
There were many clumsy parts.
But Adeline didn’t mind Lucy’s small mistakes much. Lucy was probably assigned to handle ordinary chores.
It was likely her first time serving as someone’s exclusive maid. Of course, she was more clumsy than expected.
“I called a very reliable backup support!”
But what on earth was the matter that made Lucy act so confidently after such a long time?
Curious, and a little uneasy at the same time.
“What backup support?”
Wasn’t that support already someone who cooked delicious meals for her every day?
Adeline, asking as if she truly didn’t know, watched Lucy smile and point at the letter she had just given her.
‘What is this that makes her act like that?’
Adeline slowly unfolded the letter with a puzzled expression.
“Hm?”
Starting from the first line addressed to Lucy, Adeline’s expression gradually became strange.
“Lucy, this is… don’t tell me….”
“How is it? Isn’t it very reliable? Aren’t you excited?”
Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Adeline unfolded the paper again and stared at the letter.
Actually, Adeline’s interest right now was not the content of the letter but the handwriting.
‘What is this? It looks familiar but also not…?’
How many times did she reread it?
Like a lightning strike, one person suddenly came to mind.
‘Don’t tell me this is…?’
Yes.
This slightly familiar handwriting that felt both right and wrong was definitely….
