~Chapter 7~
Clang—!
The sound of breaking glass rang out sharply across the room.
The head maid, growing tense, clenched her jaw and sank to her knees in place of the frightened child.
“P-please forgive her, My Lady. This child only came a few days ago and hasn’t been properly trained yet. I’ll teach her better. Please… just this once, forgive her.”
She pressed her forehead to the floor over and over until it was torn and bleeding, disregarding the pain.
Although it was a scene that would have drawn sympathy from any witness, the silver-haired woman didn’t bat an eye. Her neatly shaped brows furrowed sharply, and the sharp angle of her eyes curved even more.
“Why should I?”
“Please… have mercy…”
“And what do I gain from mercy?”
“…”
“This girl made a mistake. And unfortunately for you, your master is not one to grant mercy without compensation.”
The head maid’s complexion turned pale.
Everyone knew it: her master spoke only in absolutes.
Once, this voice had been warm and gentle, but now it was cold and merciless.
“Then again, I suppose I have no reason not to grant mercy, either. What do you say?”
“If you would pardon the child… I’ll do anything.”
“Are you saying you’ll take the punishment for that girl?”
“…Yes.”
“Hmph. Not very amusing.”
The woman smirked, as if this were nothing more than a game.
“Get out of my sight. And take that brat with you. You’ll spend a week in the Eastern storage room. You said you’d take her punishment, so bear it properly.”
“…Yes.”
The woman’s words shook the head maid even more deeply. The young girl, unable to make a sound, could only mouth words as tears streamed down her cheeks.
But the head maid felt fortunate even for this outcome. Despite the sting in her knees, hands, and forehead, at least their lives were spared.
“Although the mistake was hers, you’re the one accepting punishment. So you deserve some mercy. I’ll allow her to bring you a cup of water once a day.”
“Thank you… Thank you.”
With tears still falling, the young girl bowed repeatedly in gratitude. At a wave from the woman, the head maid rose, drew the girl to her side, and exited the room.
Only after the door was shut and they had gone a long way down the corridor did the head maid finally release the girl’s hand.
“What were you thinking?”
“I-I’m sorry… I was too nervous…”
“Ha… who sent you there? I’ve said from the very start that only I serve the Young Lady.”
“The kitchen elder told me to carry the tea… I thought I could manage…”
The head maid pressed a hand to her forehead.
This girl had only been in the estate for a week and still didn’t understand the nature of the Arfin household.
In any other noble household, spilling a drink would be a trivial matter. But this was Arfin.
“Why? What happened?” one might wonder. But only those unfamiliar with the Arfin residence would ask such a thing.
Even now, this child didn’t understand.
It was common for girls from wealthy commoner families to work as maids for noble houses. The hard chores were left to lower-ranked staff, making it a relatively favorable position. The pay was high, and working for a noble household came with a sense of pride.
But working for the Arfin family was different.
Among maids, serving the Arfin household was considered an “extreme job.”
“Have you heard? The Arfin household is hiring more maids.”
“Again? They just hired five last month, didn’t they?”
“Three of those ran away.”
“Three?! My god… Arfin pays twice as much as other houses. So why?”
“Who knows? I’ve heard the Young Lady is extremely particular…”
“Shh! You’ll be in trouble for saying that. Serving a noble is an honor. Being ‘particular’ doesn’t matter.”
The head maid felt suffocated by the constant gossip she overheard in shops across Razan.
Three of the five maids hired recently had, in reality, been lost to this house. They weren’t just “missing”—they were as good as dead, condemned to remain in a coma due to their master’s harsh punishment.
“Head Maid, I’m so sorry… it’s because of me you’re being punished…”
The young girl spoke hastily, voice shaking with terror.
The head maid shook herself from deep thought and looked down at the girl with a wary gaze.
“Have you ever been to the Eastern storage room?”
“No… I’ve only been told it’s off-limits. We’re not allowed to go there.”
That was one of the first rules every servant learned upon entering the Arfin residence. The Eastern Garden and its storage room were absolutely forbidden. No one was to approach them unless granted direct permission. Disobedience meant death.
“Whenever you bring water to the storage room, you must wear earplugs.”
“Earplugs…?”
“Yes. Strong earplugs that block out every sound. Will you be able to do that?”
“W-why…?”
The girl’s eyes widened in terror, shaking violently.
The head maid didn’t elaborate further. Not using earplugs could mean death for the girl, and that was the best warning she could give.
“From now on, stay in the kitchen. I’ll serve the Young Lady. Someone else will cover for me while I’m in the storage room.”
“…Yes.”
The girl, still quivering with fear, sank down.
The head maid pulled a handkerchief from her apron, wiped the blood from her forehead, and sighed deeply.
Once upon a time, the Arfin household had been the dream of every girl in Razan. The Young Lady had been warm, gentle, and extended a hand to anyone in need.
But those days felt like a distant, misty memory. Ever since the accident five years ago, when the Young Lady had fallen unconscious and awoken a changed person, she had been completely different.
The head maid had served Livia Arfin from childhood. At fifteen, the girl had lost her memories in a carriage accident, and until she was twenty, she had lived like an entirely different person.
As if seeking atonement for a forgotten past, she had acted with genuine remorse and humility.
She had reconciled with the Duke and Duchess, ended the feud with her sister, and even married the Crown Prince.
But after that wedding, which was never properly concluded, Livia Arfin awoke… as if she had returned to who she was before.
“The person she became when she lost her memories… it felt like a different soul had possessed her.”
Her sudden transformation shook the Arfin household, leaving everyone in confusion.
After sending the younger maid back to work, the head maid quietly made her way to the infirmary. The blood from her wounds hadn’t been properly tended to, but she knew she had to visit the Eastern storage room soon. At least a trip to the infirmary was still allowed.
“Malcolm, do you have a moment?”
Malcolm, dressed in a crisp, white doctor’s coat, was the Arfin household’s resident physician. Although the holy owner needed no doctor, the sheer number of incidents within the residence required one nonetheless.
Malcolm belonged to the Arfin household, too—a man barred from seeking help elsewhere, barred from leaving.
“What happened to your hand?”
He furrowed his brow slightly, as if he already knew.
The head maid pulled up a chair beside him.
“A new girl came in and made a mistake.”
“And you took the punishment?”
“She’s just a child. Luckily, she only received a week in the Eastern storage room. It could have been much worse.”
“Still… that’s the harshest punishment.”
“I’m used to it.”
Malcolm drew in a sharp breath and shook his head.
“Even after two weeks in that room, you can barely sleep. Yet you continue to accept this.”
“It doesn’t matter. Even when I sleep, it doesn’t feel like rest anymore. The storage room, or a bed… it’s all the same for me.”
Malcolm fell silent, bowing his head.
The head maid smiled faintly.
“Please remove the glass and treat the wounds. At least I can try to heal before going down there. You don’t have to worry… about someone like me. Not when the Young Lady can’t remember those five lost years.”
“Maybe… maybe she truly is herself now.”
The head maid gazed down at her hands.
Fifteen years. Another five years. And five years more.
The first fifteen years and these last five felt like the same person. Surely that was the true Livia Arfin.
And yet, why did she long for the Livia of those five lost years? The shy girl in a pretty dress, smiling as if for the first time in her life.
That girl… she missed her desperately.
