Episode 7-
“Excuse me… have you seen a young woman pass by here?”
Estella didn’t answer—she just stared at him. So he kept talking.
“She’s… um… pale, pretty, cute… and she was holding an apple…!”
Estella quietly listened to his rambling description, then calmly asked,
“Who exactly are you looking for?”
“Huh? What?”
“Your sister?”
“Ah…”
The man looked flustered but quickly nodded.
“Y-Yes. That’s right… my sister… she forgot something…”
“I see.”
Estella replied flatly, showing no emotion. The man carefully asked again,
“Have you seen her?”
“Yes.”
Estella casually pointed in a direction.
“She went that way.”
Without even thanking her, the man immediately ran off in the direction she pointed—
which was completely opposite from where the woman with the apple had actually gone.
Estella stood still and watched him disappear into the alley, then clicked her tongue.
“They don’t even look alike.”
And he dared to say she was his sister.
Estella glanced toward the alley where the woman had gone.
“I should’ve taken just one apple.”
In the end, her steps turned toward the path the apple-giving woman had taken.
****
Estella had good instincts.
The proof? Just as she caught up to the woman, the man suddenly appeared again.
“Ka, Kamila!”
Yes, Estella’s instincts were definitely sharp.
“Huff… huff… Kamila… I’ve been looking all over for you…”
‘I gave him the wrong directions, and yet he still got here quickly.’
“Kamila, huff… huff… please, just talk to me for a second, okay?”
“I told you—I don’t want to talk to you!”
Estella quickly stepped between them.
The man had reached out his hand toward Kamila, and Estella smacked it away just in time, shielding her.
“Unwanted physical contact without consent is a crime, you know.”
Her calm warning made the man scowl.
“A crime?! Who do you think you are—wait. You’re that woman who gave me the wrong directions!”
Not worth answering.
Estella ignored him and leaned toward Kamila to speak softly.
“You should go.”
“Huh?”
“Think of it as paying me back for the apple earlier. I’ll handle things here.”
“But…”
The man tried to shove Estella aside and grabbed Kamila’s arm again.
“Where do you think you’re going?! Kamila! Talk to me!”
Estella lightly kicked the back of his knee.
The man stumbled, and she grabbed him by the collar and yanked him backward.
Whoosh–! Thud!
“Ow!”
The man hit the ground in an instant, and Kamila stood frozen, mouth open in shock.
Estella didn’t even frown while taking him down—she made it look effortless.
The man, crumpled like a scarecrow, opened his eyes wide in rage.
“Kamila!! Don’t tell me—you hired someone?! You seduced me and now this?!”
“I never seduced you! I’ve told you so many times!”
“Then why did you confess to me?!”
“Giving someone a glass of water on a hot day isn’t a confession!”
“But… you gave it just to me!”
“Because you were the only one delivering to the house at the time!”
“And… and the bread too! You gave me bread!”
“I told you—our butler gave it to me to pass along because you skipped your meal!”
“You’re lying!”
Estella sighed and glanced at Kamila’s shopping basket.
“Aren’t you in a hurry to deliver those apples?”
Despite the shouting, Estella spoke in a calm voice that made Kamila blink in confusion.
“Huh?”
“Let’s go. I said I’d take care of this.”
The man got up and yelled again, approaching them.
“Who are you to tell her to go?!”
Estella didn’t even turn around. She just flicked her arm back and hit him in the nose.
Thump!
“Ahhh!”
The man clutched his nose and fell back down. Estella grabbed him by the collar again.
“You need to be quiet.”
He’d already experienced her strength twice—so the moment she touched him, he started shaking.
“I-I didn’t do anything wrong! Kamila is the one who seduced—”
“I said quietly.”
That short threat was enough to shut him up.
“…I-I didn’t do anything wrong…” he mumbled.
Estella turned to Kamila.
“Hurry and go. If you stay, he’ll just keep yelling.”
“Ah… o-okay…! I’ll go get someone!”
“Do what you want.”
Estella gave a slight nod, and Kamila dashed off like a rabbit.
Then Estella, still holding the man by the collar, tried to leave the area—
or at least, she tried to.
But then—
“Kyahhh!”
A scream rang out from behind them, followed by the unmistakable sound of someone tumbling down the stairs.
Estella, who had been dragging the large man along, and the man himself, who was being dragged like a sack, both turned with stunned faces to look at the staircase.
“Ka-Kamila?!”
“Huuuuh… s-someone help me…!”
It looked like Kamila had fallen down the stairs while trying to run away.
Estella let out a short, helpless laugh at the ridiculous situation.
“This is unbelievable.”
****
“Oww… it really hurts…”
Kamila sniffled and squirmed as the doctor examined her.
“I don’t think any bones are broken… hmm… But she’ll probably have trouble moving around for a while.”
At the doctor’s diagnosis, the butler of the mansion Kamila worked to let out a troubled sigh.
“Sniff… I’m so sorry…”
“No, it’s not your fault. First, let’s focus on getting you treated.”
“Okay…”
The butler turned to Estella.
“You helped Kamila, didn’t you? Thank you so much. And to even carry her all the way here…”
Since Kamila couldn’t walk because of her injury, Estella had no choice but to carry her. She couldn’t possibly leave Kamila in the hands of her stalker.
After walking a long way to reach the mansion, the people there had clearly been shocked—
Because, after all, Estella looked exactly like a “noblewoman mourning her late husband.”
“I deeply apologize for the trouble we’ve caused.”
It was already overwhelming that a noblewoman had helped, and on top of that, she was still in mourning. The butler’s careful tone showed that he was afraid Kamila might get blamed.
“I really don’t know how to repay you… goodness…”
Estella gave him a polite smile.
“It’s fine. I helped because I wanted to.”
Her brief reply seemed to ease the butler’s expression slightly.
“Sigh… Still, this is a bit of a problem.”
He wasn’t really speaking to Estella—just letting out his worries.
“Now that Kamila can’t work, I’ll have to find another maid…”
Estella’s eyes sparkled for a second.
A new maid?
Just then, Kamila suddenly tried to stand up and shouted,
“I-I can still work!”
But the pain in her ankle made her grimace and sit back down.
Seeing that, the butler shook his head.
“No, you can’t. How could you do maid work in that condition? You’ve already been managing this huge house all by yourself.”
She’s the only maid in this entire big mansion?
Estella recalled what she had seen while walking through the house.
It must’ve been tough for her to handle all this alone.
Yet, for some reason, Kamila didn’t want to give up her job.
“N-no… I really can—”
“Stop being stubborn. It’s just not possible. I’ll have to hire someone to fill in for you for a month or two.”
“……”
Kamila’s eyes welled up with tears. She looked just like a sad little cat—pitiful and heartbroken.
But even Estella had to admit: there was no way Kamila could work on that injured foot.
“I’ll report this to the master. Just stay here and rest.”
“Sir…”
“I’m only hiring someone temporarily—for a few months. Don’t worry. You can return once you’re healed.”
“……”
After a few more comforting words, the butler left the room with the doctor.
Now alone with Kamila, Estella spoke.
“You’ve been managing this whole mansion by yourself?”
“Not completely alone… The butler helps… and the gardener… and the head chef too…”
In other words, she was doing most of it alone.
“It’s a pretty big house. Isn’t it hard?”
“It is… but the pay is good. And it’s only really busy for three months. The rest of the time is okay.”
“Three months?”
“Yes… The master only stays at this mansion during the spring each year.”
Estella had heard that nobles often moved between mansions depending on the season.
But it’s spring right now.
It was just the start of the social season. That made it strange for the master to be here in Chaméron instead of the capital.
“The master stays at this Chaméron mansion only in the spring.
So, if I work hard every day during this season, for the rest of the year I only have to come in once or twice a week.”
Whether she was always this talkative, or if she was just venting because she felt down, Kamila shared a lot.
“Everyone wants to work at this mansion. I know for sure that once they hire a new maid… she’s going to take my place…”
Apparently, even in the off-season, the salary stayed the same.
Yeah… I’d be nervous too in her position.
Now that she understood the situation, Estella sat beside Kamila.
“Kamila.”
Kamila looked at her, her eyes full of worry and hopelessness. Estella carefully spoke.
“How about… I work as your replacement?”
