Chapter 34
Why is this man acting like this again?
“Like I said, I’ll go to the dining hall to…”
“Then what about helping with the bath?”
Oh no, I forgot about that.
“I’ll go call someone for you.”
“Why call someone else when you’re here?”
“…Me?”
“Yes.”
To think I’d hear someone tell me to help them bathe in my lifetime.
I drew patience up from my dantian. I bit my lower lip, barely maintaining my sanity.
Don’t forget.
Right now, I’m not Princess Leisy, I’m maid Leisy.
This man is my employer, who is higher than the heavens.
I gently closed my eyes and smiled.
“I, I’ve never learned how to assist with bathing, so I don’t know what to do or how. So…”
“Just do as I say.”
“Y-Yes?”
“You can’t possibly be planning to push me to bathe and then just ignore me, can you?”
“That’s such a far-fetched argument…”
What do I do? There’s absolutely no way out.
I should be thinking, but my head was foggy from the steam filling the bathroom.
Was it because of that?
I saw the hidden side of this situation.
Telling me to help him bathe meant offering me the moment when he’d be most vulnerable.
That could mean two things.
Negatively, it could be a situation where he suspects me. If I were an assassin, it would be the perfect opportunity to target his life.
The moment I acted, my identity would be revealed, and this man, having prepared himself mentally, would somehow subdue me. Maybe he already stationed knights outside while I was preparing the bathwater.
Running a positive train of thought, it could be a case of trust in me. To the point of showing everything.
But since I haven’t built any achievements, maybe that’s not it.
Maybe he just wants to get his money’s worth from the expensive maid he brought in.
Anyway, during the bath, there would be no one to watch or interfere.
Then, perhaps this is an opportunity.
A chance to calmly talk about the textbook I already completed.
And since things have come to this, let’s provide service that satisfies him. Let’s also subtly ask him to score points and hire me as a dance teacher.
Hoo—
I took a deep breath and raised my head.
“What should I do first?”
The ashy eyebrow twitched slightly.
As if he didn’t expect me to respond like this.
Could it be he was just trying to tease me?
But it’s too late now.
I’ve already made up my mind.
Ash Canis’s hand slowly fell away.
In an instant, his gaze darkened.
“Isn’t that something you should know even if you don’t know how to assist with bathing?”
Each time his voice rang, my toes curled painfully.
Watching him raise his arms to the sides, my heart sank.
It meant to undress him.
Just a single layer of robe.
Just untie the belt and it’s over.
But to undress someone who isn’t even my marriage partner…!
I raised my hands and slapped both cheeks *smack smack*.
“What are you doing now?”
I looked straight into Ash Canis’s eyes with teary eyes.
This man holds the key to my path to the Euphorian Kingdom. Am I in any position to be picky about means and methods now?
“I’m tired and sleepy, you see.”
“What?”
“I can’t serve you properly with a hazy mind.”
I had steeled my resolve, but when it came time to start, my heart was pounding like crazy.
Hoo, heart, don’t act up.
Please calm down, I say.
I reached out to the belt while brainwashing my oblivious heart.
My hand touched the belt. As expected of something used by the head of the Canis family, it was soft and fluffy.
Just pull this and…
“Uh…?”
Instantly, my breath caught.
This feeling. I’ve felt it before. In the not-so-distant past.
The sensation of all the blood in my body flowing helplessly, like rain outside the window.
As expected.
Black ink dripped onto Ash Canis’s stiffening face.
Plop— plop— plop—
“Lei—”
His voice faded as if sinking into a swamp.
“…Be on guard.”
It’s the same.
Just like last time, the sensation in my body slowly tried to return.
“M-Master…?”
“You, really…”
My slumped body was caught in Ash Canis’s arms this time.
“To the medicine dispensary, immediately…”
“I’ll be fine if I rest.”
I pushed his shoulder. My strength was insufficient, but I resisted with all my might.
“You suddenly collapsed and you’re saying that?”
“The medicine dispensary said there’s no problem. So please let me go.”
Only then did the arms holding me loosen. I didn’t miss this chance.
“I’m sorry for startling you right after you returned from the expedition. I’ll send someone else, so please bathe comfortably.”
Having said my piece, I left the bathroom.
I heard footsteps following me, but they didn’t last long.
I stopped on the landing coming down and leaned against the wall. My entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
“Why have I been like this lately…?”
I’m sorry to Ash Canis, but the person to assist with his bath will arrive just a little bit late.
* * *
“It’s overwork.”
As always, Sonya’s opinion was firm.
“You have a weak body but try to work as much as everyone else. It would be better to work smart.”
Being a maid at Canis Castle is a stable job, but since compensation is directly linked, attendance is important. So, close maids sometimes secretly cover each other’s assigned tasks.
But Sonya is the only person I could call a friend.
Previously, I changed my workplace at Sonya’s request, but since I was assigned to clean the master’s study, that method became unavailable.
“Or how about asking the head maid to reduce your workload? Head Maid Louis would probably consider your circumstances, right?”
“I… guess so?”
“Then it would be better to meet with the head maid tomorrow.”
The change in work assignments wasn’t just for me.
The Canis Castle maid department underwent a major personnel reshuffle.
Investigating popular and unpopular departments to provide differential compensation. They made significant changes to work hours, locations, and departmental service periods.
Thanks to such efforts, work was handled efficiently, and more staff were assigned to the laundry room.
Because of this, the minimum number of personnel was left behind, and maids were allowed to go out.
“Anyway, let’s enjoy the Spring Festival happily today!”
Excitement bloomed on the cheeks of Sonya and the other maids.
They picked out their prettiest clothes to wear and decorated their hair, necks, or wrists with at least one flower ornament.
They were already prepared to participate in the festival’s highlight, the dance time.
The reason they put their all into the dance time is simple.
The confession time right after the dance.
Although Canis men are conservative and blunt, only during the Spring Festival do they gather courage to reveal their feelings to someone they’ve liked.
Most of the couples formed this way ended up getting married, they say.
So, it was about maximizing the appeal hidden under the maid uniforms.
“But Leisy, is that your only outfit?”
Suddenly, the conversation’s focus shifted to me.
“Yes.”
The only clothes I have are two sets of pajamas and two maid uniforms.
I thought it was fine since it just looks like a normal dress if I take off the apron and let my hair down.
“Sonya, what have you been doing sharing the same room?”
“I wanted to lend her some too! But…”
The surrounding gazes moved diagonally between Sonya’s and my heads.
Everyone nodded, understanding the reason Sonya couldn’t help me.
Yeah, I’m short.
It’s all because support from the detached palace was cut off during my growth spurt when I should have been growing a lot. It’s unfair.
“You should have bought at least one set of clothes in advance, right?”
“Well, I didn’t have the chance.”
This is my first time going to the village since coming to Canis Castle.
You have to pass through the forest surrounding the castle to go to the village or anywhere else. But wild animals roam the forest, they say. So there’s a rule that women must travel by carriage.
I didn’t even know that and tried to cross the forest barefoot to meet Blake.
What would have happened if I hadn’t met Daniel and Victor then?
Just imagining it makes my head spin.
“Well. Lately, it seems like you’re the busiest in the maid department.”
“And probably under the most pressure too.”
“So today, don’t think about anything and just have fun. Buy clothes, buy snacks to eat.”
“Haha, I will. Thanks for worrying about me.”
I brought my entire settled salary in my pocket. I wonder what I can buy with this.
“But why isn’t the carriage coming?”
It wasn’t originally the time for carriages to move, but we were waiting for a carriage at the castle entrance.
It was specially arranged by Louis asking the stable manager for us to ride according to our off-duty time for the Spring Festival.
“I’ll go check!”
We were chatting while waiting for the carriage when a familiar face passed by.
“Oh?”
“Oh…”
It was Loxier.
It was the first time since parting at the medicine dispensary.
I guess he plans to stay put at the castle for a while.
Wouldn’t it be awkward for both if Ash Canis sends him on another errand?
Loxier, whom I thought would just pass by, changed direction and approached me.
“You’re not going to the Spring Festival, are you?”
“…And if I am?”
Maybe because his rude remark left a strong impression, my answer didn’t come out nicely.
He scratched the back of his head irritably and glared fiercely.
“Stop it.”
