Chapter: 5
“Excuse me for a moment.”
I held both of the young master’s stiff hands. I wanted to show the suspicious young master that I wasn’t going to do anything with my hands.
Now, I just needed to gently rock the chair so that the candy would fall from the chair back…
Thud!
The hard tip of his shoe smashed into my knee.
“Ah!”
The pain made my knees give out, and I fell backward, landing hard on my bottom.
“Ouch…”
My knees and bottom hurt so much that tears welled up. It felt like my entire bones were crying.
“I-I told you not to touch me!”
I hadn’t expected an apology, of course.
But to think he’d kick someone like a ball, knock them down, and then get angry at them—it was audacious.
“I’m sorry for touching you without permission, young master. But there was no need to kick me so hard. I could have been seriously hurt.”
When I spoke gently, the young master’s shoulders flinched.
It seemed he was troubled by being unable to respond easily.
Finally, a faint voice slipped out between his barely moving lips.
“Mi….”
Mi?
“Whether a lowly maid gets hurt or not is none of my concern.”
The young master snapped abruptly but quickly averted his gaze.
Judging by his light green eyes wavering, I didn’t think he actually meant what he said…
Why does he have to speak so harshly? Is apologizing really that hard for him?
I brushed the dust off my clothes and stood up.
“That’s true, young master. I am a maid. But I’m also human, just like you. I feel pain when I fall, and I get hurt when you say harsh words.”
“…So what? You want me to apologize?”
I shook my head lightly at his sharp tone.
“No. A half-hearted apology is meaningless.”
I knew. I knew the young master felt sorry.
Children are honest. They can’t hide their expressions or hearts, and even when they lie, it shows. The young master was no different.
His downturned mouth was tightly closed, and his green eyes were dark with guilt.
He couldn’t meet my eyes and kept avoiding my gaze. His hands fidgeted awkwardly. All of it came from discomfort.
But admitting he’s sorry must be difficult for him.
Even if I accepted a verbal apology now, he would likely never admit fault so readily in the future.
So it was better not to push it further.
“When you truly feel sorry for me later, then apologize properly.”
The young master hesitated, then tightly shut his eyes and said,
“I-I said I’d apologize, but you refused. Don’t change your mind later!”
I smiled and replied with a simple, “Yes, yes.”
“All right, then. I’ll show you the magic I meant to show earlier.”
Hearing this, the young master gave me a look of disbelief and shook his head vigorously.
“No need, so don’t touch me.”
“Why do you dislike being touched so much?”
“…….”
“Young master?”
His expression darkened, and he pursed his lips while frowning, muttering in a small voice.
“…It’s dirty.”
“Excuse me? Dirty? No, young master, my hands are clean. My nails are trimmed too.”
I held out my hands in front of him.
“Who said you’re dirty?”
“Of course… I, said it’s dirty.”
“Huh? Young master, why…”
Suddenly, I remembered. Ah, I hadn’t bathed him yet.
“I’m sorry. I planned to bathe you after giving you your medicine…”
I hurriedly explained, and his sulky expression turned to one of disbelief.
“What nonsense! Why would you bathe me?”
“Well, of course… because I am your maid.”
“Fool! You’re a girl and I’m a boy.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I don’t see you as a man, not at all.”
Seeing a four-year-old as a man would be… criminal.
“…What?”
“I’ve taken care of children your age before. I bathed them and helped them get dressed. So to me, you’re not a man, and I can help with bathing and dressing anytime.”
I explained as clearly as possible to avoid misunderstanding.
But the young master’s face became increasingly grim.
What? Did I say something wrong?
“So… you mean I’m like your little brother now?”
“No! That’s not it at all. You’re the young master.”
He still glared at me as if displeased but eventually sighed.
“I don’t need help bathing. I can wash myself. Dressing too.”
“Huh? But… I heard nobles have maids who assist them.”
“I don’t need that. And…”
He paused to catch his breath, then grimaced as he continued.
“You saw my face. You know. I’m dirty.”
I tilted my head and examined his face.
Unlike the other children I had cared for, he looked neat even in the morning. I hadn’t even brought water for washing his face yet, but his skin was smooth.
“I don’t see it. There’s no sleep in your eyes, no drool marks.”
“…Not that.”
“Huh?”
He looked frustrated and tapped his cheek.
“I mean, it’s not just my face. My whole body is worse.”
Ah… now I understood why he said he was dirty.
That’s why he threw the clock, pushed me… all of it.
My heart ached.
What had happened that made this little boy naturally believe he was dirty?
“You’re not dirty at all, young master. It’s just… being sick.”
The young master let out a self-deprecating laugh unusual for his age.
“It doesn’t matter what’s true. Others just see me as dirty and disgusting anyway.”
“No. Not at all…”
“Not at all. All the other servants said the same. Not disgusting, not scary…”
Recalling past events, he squeezed his eyes shut, and his hands trembled.
“But they avoided touching me. After touching me, they rubbed their hands like they were dirty, worried the sickness would spread. Even wore gloves.”
He finished in a trembling voice, holding back tears, and glared at me with wary, wet green eyes.
“You’re the same. You stared at me because my face looked strange and gross.”
“No! I only looked at you because…”
I faltered, remembering Lisa’s warning:
1. Never talk about the young master’s appearance.
The words I wanted to say were exactly about his appearance. I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
If I slipped up, I might get fired…
My eyes fell on the young master’s face, which seemed about to burst into tears.
He looked like a small, abandoned animal who trusted no one—a pitiful sight. I couldn’t just stay silent.
“You’re beautiful, young master.”
“…Beautiful? Are you teasing me?”
“No. I’m serious. Your brown hair looks soft, like freshly baked bread. Your eyes sparkle like jewels, like a prince from a storybook.”
The young master glared at me, unconvinced.
“Don’t lie. No prince’s face would have such filth.”
“Yes! There’s a story in a fairy tale I read as a child about a prince cursed by a witch, with marks on his body from the curse.”
“…Really?”
It was actually a lie. I wasn’t sure if I had read a story like that, but I had no such book at home.
Still, saying this made him more likely to believe me.
“Yes, really. If you don’t believe me, I’ll bring the book during my holiday.”
Saying it confidently, the young master’s voice softened slightly.
“So… what happens to that prince?”
I smiled and replied.
In the story, the prince cursed by a witch…
“Meets the princess, breaks the curse, and lives happily ever after.”
Of course, a happy ending!
