Episode 8:
“Excuse me?”
I opened my eyes wide, and the servant looked flustered.
“I-I’m so sorry! Yesterday, the young master said that dress was torn and should be thrown away, so I—I thought it would be fine to dispose of it…!”
“No, no, it’s okay!”
Seeing the servant’s expression, as if about to burst into tears again, I quickly waved my hand.
But my mind was spinning with worries.
‘What should I do?’
Thankfully, I had put my wallet safely in the drawer, but I still needed to wear that dress until I returned a year later.
Should I borrow one of Demius’ clothes for now? But it would be too large, so I’d have to alter it… Where could I borrow thread and a needle?
I was lost in thought when a voice snapped me back to reality.
“Um, if it’s clothes, you can wear the ones over there.”
“Huh?”
I turned in surprise toward the wardrobe the servant was pointing at.
Inside was a massive wardrobe, large enough for two men to lie down vertically, packed with dozens of dresses.
I hadn’t even noticed them before, not thinking they were mine.
“…All of these dresses are mine?”
“Yes. Young Master Demius personally ordered that they be prepared for you.”
I gasped and covered my mouth with both hands.
Every dress Demius had chosen was exactly my taste.
Simple solid colors, delicate floral embroidery—just like the clothes I had worn before—all neatly arranged before me.
‘He’s really thoughtful.’
I realized anew how kind Demius was and clenched my fists with determination.
‘I’ll have to work hard!’
I couldn’t just sit around in someone else’s house without earning my keep!
Luckily, I was confident in tasks like laundry, dishwashing, cleaning windows, scrubbing floors, farming, and chopping firewood.
I rolled up my sleeves and asked energetically,
“What can I help with from now on?”
“…Huh?”
The servant’s eyes widened even more than before.
The young servant, who had been frozen in place, quivered and finally managed to say,
“Y-you… don’t have to do any work!”
“Huh? Then how am I supposed to pay my way?”
“…Uh?”
Tears began to well up in the young servant’s eyes. Their face flushed bright red, clearly at a loss for an answer.
‘Ah, I see.’
Suddenly, it hit me: this enormous castle belonged to the Grand Duke’s family.
All the servants reported to the steward, and the steward answered directly to the Grand Duchess—my lady!
So she would assign me suitable tasks herself.
Feeling like I’d solved the puzzle, I called out cheerfully,
“I’m going to see Lady Mother!”
“Ah, Miss—no, M-Madam…?”
I ignored the servant’s pitiful shout from behind and ran down the corridor.
“That was a mistake.”
Grand Duchess Seres muttered seriously, covering her mouth with her hand.
A few days ago, Melissa had suddenly shown up, demanding something to do. Seres had sent her away, telling her that patients should rest in bed.
But had that been a wrong judgment?
Melissa had gone back with a shocked expression, saying she had nothing to do. Yet suddenly, she had begun moving energetically all over the castle.
“Kyah-hah, kyah-hah!”
The first sign was the sound from the garden.
In fact, the high, thin sound wasn’t exactly bird song.
Curious, Seres went to investigate, and what she saw was unexpected.
“You mean this flower is edible?”
“Of course!”
Amid the murmuring gardeners, there was a small girl with orange hair—Melissa.
She plucked a flower and put it into her mouth. The gardeners looked at her with astonished expressions.
“Surprisingly refreshing!”
One gardener widened his eyes and asked his companion,
“You knew it was edible?”
“I had no idea.”
The gardener crossed his arms and shook his head.
“I’ve got 30 years’ experience, and I never knew. But how did the young lady know?”
“She’s not a young lady—she’s Madam!”
“Oh, right!”
The veteran gardener, Mona, slapped her forehead and laughed heartily.
Then she leaned on Melissa’s shoulder and asked warmly,
“How did our Madam know this?”
“My father was a farmer and a botanist!”
Melissa smiled brightly as she chatted,
“So I got to try all sorts of things as a child!”
Try all sorts of things?
Farmer and botanist?
‘Impossible.’
A farmer of common birth wouldn’t have been able to read or learn, and botany was an advanced subject taught only at the Imperial Academy.
She must have overheard it somehow…
Seres thought it was a likely lie from a spy as she turned away.
Then she remembered the laughter had led Melissa into the garden in the first place.
‘Ridiculous.’
Mistaking it for bird song… unbelievable.
Yet similar sounds began appearing throughout the castle.
“Kyah-hah-hah!”
Approaching the kitchen, Seres froze.
‘What is going on?’
She had a pounding headache while dealing with tasks and decided to stretch by taking a walk and fetching some food from the kitchen. There, she heard a similar “bird sound.”
Peeking inside, she saw a commotion.
“Remarkable!”
The normally stern head chef, who disliked anyone peeking in, widened his eyes in surprise and exclaimed,
“How could I not know such ingredients were in the garden? I’m unfit to be a head chef!”
“What do you mean?”
Melissa clenched her small fists and shook her head.
“Without you, Chef, I couldn’t have brought out this flavor. I didn’t realize the recipe could taste this good either!”
“R-really?”
The usually strict chef blushed and cleared his throat.
“Ahem… Well, I am a former top chef at the most prestigious hotel in the system. I could have earned more there, but as one gets older, one wants to return home, right? And here we have our Grand Duchess herself!”
“That’s right. Mother is truly heroic and amazing!”
Tsk.
Seres frowned at the sudden praise.
Even as a spy, she was careful enough to praise the lady of the estate to appear credible.
‘From the garden to the kitchen now…’
Was she trying to poison someone? Seres decided she would need to monitor meals more strictly.
Yet, similar laughter continued echoing throughout the castle.
According to the steward, the sounds came from the laundry, stables, even the compost area.
Melissa’s laughter was so infectious that even the usually stern servants couldn’t help smiling.
‘Unbelievable.’
Seres pressed her throbbing temples.
Fine, maybe a spy would explore the castle, seeking secret passages or information from servants.
But the reliable servants reported Melissa’s actions so far had only been: picking herbs, making salad, showing laundry methods, feeding horses, and observing compost-making.
‘Weird.’
Even if these trivial acts were meant to ease the servants’ suspicions, she hadn’t done anything of real importance.
‘What on earth…’
The steward had even guided Melissa through the castle, pointing out the library and archives she might be interested in.
They had sent trusted knights to monitor the library and archives overnight, but for days, Melissa hadn’t set foot there.
Later, the steward tried to lure her to the library and archives, but Melissa cheerfully declined, saying,
“I don’t like studying!”
