Chapter 7
“…I’m sorry for coming without notice, Lady Ibeuna.”
“…It’s fine, Chloe. You’ve only been Lady Shainon’s maid for a day.”
Her tone sounded as if she were tolerating it just this once—probably because there were guests present.
“Next time, I’ll make sure to contact you before visiting. But today, it was really urgent…”
As I spoke timidly, hesitantly, I could feel the gazes of everyone around me—Lady Ibeuna included—shifting toward me.
“Chloe, this matter can be discussed later—”
“Actually, I came in a rush after checking the annex’s budget! With the current funds, it’s nowhere near enough to properly care for Lady Lilith!”
I ignored Lady Ibeuna’s attempt to stop me and continued speaking, wearing an innocent expression.
“The annex where Lady Lilith is staying is dirtier and more disorganised than I expected. There’s so much that needs fixing. But right now, we can barely even afford proper meals…”
“Chloe!”
Lady Ibeuna raised her voice sharply and called my name. Then she glanced toward Johann, Noel, and the Harriet family servants. She clearly didn’t want the internal affairs of House Shainon exposed in front of Harriet’s people. Because it would be like exposing Shainon’s disgrace.
That was exactly why I had to speak now. Once the issue was brought out like this, they would have no choice but to give me what I needed.
“Yes? Is something wrong, Lady Ibeuna?”
I widened my eyes and tilted my head, acting completely clueless.
“In any case, I just wanted to ask if the lord might consider allocating a bit more budget to the annex.”
“…That’s enough now.”
“It’s just that—without it, we can’t properly care for Lady Lilith.”
Lady Ibeuna clenched her teeth tightly. In contrast, I simply offered a pleasant smile. Then I heard a small laugh from the side—it was Noel. She seemed to realize I had brought up the topic intentionally.
“Noel. Shh.”
Johann quietly warned her with his eyes. Now that the subject had come up in front of others, they wouldn’t be able to ignore it anymore. I smiled inwardly, satisfied.
“What are you talking about?”
A woman’s voice suddenly called out from the direction of the main building. I turned my head.
“L-Lady Blis…”
“I asked what you were just discussing, Ibeuna.”
A woman stood there, a few maids behind her. A member of the Shainon family? But I haven’t heard anything about her. When I first arrived at the estate, I was told about Gideon Shainon—the head of the household—his wife, their only son, and Lilith’s grandmother, Maria Shainon.
I was warned to be especially careful around them. But no one mentioned a woman named Blis. She looks strangely familiar… As the woman came closer, I noticed her light brown hair and red eyes. She resembled Lilith.
“Explain what I just heard, Ibeuna.”
“Lady Blis, that is…”
“Quickly!”
“….”
Ibeuna bowed her head and stayed silent.
“Are you neglecting Lilith?”
“That is not the case.”
“I trusted my brother when he said he would take care of Lilith! Was all of this his doing?”
“…No, it wasn’t.”
“Then… was it Mother?”
Ibeuna struggled to respond, and Lady Blis bit her lip hard. Then I remembered—Lilith’s mother, Beryl, had a twin sister. Right, Blis. She married some count, didn’t she? She was one of the very few people who cared about Lilith, the so-called villainess.
While I was lost in thought, I felt someone’s gaze and looked up—Blis was staring right at me.
“You’re Lilith’s maid?”
“Yes, Lady Blis.”
“I’ll take care of the issue with the annex. Please continue looking after Lilith from now on.”
Her red eyes—so similar to Lilith’s—locked with mine.
“…Yes.”
I bowed my head.
“Tell Lilith I’ll come see her later.”
“But Lady Blis—”
“Ibeuna, we have guests right now. I’ll discuss this with my brother and mother later.”
Things had gone better than I expected. Now that it’s handled, I should head back. I glanced around to read the room and spoke.
“Then I’ll return now. Lady Lilith must be waiting.”
“See you later, Chloe.”
Noel waved at me.
“Yes, Lady Noel.”
Noel mouthed something only I could see. Think about what I told you. She was reminding me—House Shainon wasn’t a good place to stay for long. Maybe she was starting to like me. I even gave Johann, standing beside her, a polite nod before turning around.
I took a step toward the annex—then paused.
“…”
As I cautiously turned back, everyone was looking at me curiously.
“Um, which way was the annex again?”
Apparently, I was worse with directions than I thought. Unlike the path to the main building, I didn’t get lost on the way back to the annex.
“So I think everything will work out fine.”
As soon as I returned, the three maids around my age rushed up to me. I gave them a quick summary of what happened.
“Thank goodness…”
“So we don’t need to worry anymore, right?”
I looked around but didn’t see Verdi. I asked the three girls.
“By the way, where’s Verdi?”
“Well…”
Meria hesitated.
“…?”
None of them seemed eager to speak. Then Anne, walking over, spotted me and said,
“What are you all standing around for? Lady Lilith is awake.”
“She’s awake?”
“Verdi’s with her, but who knows? She might already be dead.”
Anne smirked coldly.
I wasn’t sure if she disliked me or if that was just her usual attitude, but her voice and tone were icy.
“I’ll go check.”
I didn’t pay much mind to Anne’s words and hurried toward Lilith’s room. I stopped at the door to catch my breath, then raised my hand and knocked.
“Lady Lilith, it’s Chloe. I’m coming in.”
When I entered, I saw Verdi’s back—she was kneeling in front of the bed.
…What’s going on?
Verdi wasn’t moving. A sense of anxiety crept up. Don’t tell me she’s really…
“Chloe!”
Just then, Verdi turned around with a bright smile.
Oh… she’s not dead. Thank goodness. Relieved, I walked over to her.
“Verdi.”
“How was the main house? Took you a while.”
“There were… a few things to handle.”
“Lady Lilith has woken up.”
“Then why are you still here like this?”
She was kneeling far from the bed. I tilted my head. Verdi smiled awkwardly.
“I was afraid she might be scared of me again. She was looking for you, so I was just telling her you went to the main house.”
“…I see.”
Her voice was calm, but her hands on her knees were trembling slightly. She was still scared of Lilith, but trying hard not to show it. I gently placed a hand on Verdi’s shoulder.
“Go ahead and stand up. The annex situation should be resolved soon.”
“Really? That’s great.”
“Lady Lilith and I will stay here. Please take care of the other tasks.”
Some girls outside seemed unsure what to do. They’d probably listen to Verdi better than to me. She nodded.
“All right. Thank you, Chloe.”
She whispered her thanks and quietly left the room. After the door closed, I turned to face the large bed. A sheer curtain surrounded it. I could feel a small presence behind it. Though she didn’t make a sound, Lilith felt like a frightened animal hiding, wary of the world.
“My lady.”
“…”
“Lady Lilith, it’s me, Chloe.”
The figure in the bed flinched at the sound of my name.
“C-Choee?”
“Yes. May I come closer?”
Rustle, rustle.
Lilith pushed aside the curtain and peeked out with her soft, pale face.
“Choee!”
She smiled brightly at me. I slowly approached the bed. Lilith looked at me without a trace of fear.
“Did you have a nice dream, my lady?”
“Mm-hmm!”
She nodded so hard it looked like her head might fall off. We only met yesterday… All I had done was hug her trembling body and try to comfort her. Just that small act—and she already trusted me. She wasn’t used to even the smallest bit of kindness. I reached out and gently cupped her soft cheek. It looked like it would squish with just a little pressure.
“Choee, ajja.”
Lilith patted the space next to her with her tiny hand.
