Chapter: 7
I lay sprawled on the soft, wide bed in my room and shouted,
“Coming to the Hamilton estate was the best decision ever!”
I’d been worried about how I was supposed to clean such a huge mansion all by myself, but it turned out to be needless concern.
“The maids in charge will come regularly to clean the annex. Just be careful not to run into other servants while they’re here.”
“If you put your laundry in the basket, the butler or I will take care of it.”
Remembering what Lady Lisa had told me, I was deeply moved.
Other than attending to the young master, I had nothing else to do! Was it really okay to work this comfortably?
“And on top of that, I think I’ve gotten a bit closer to the young master, too. What a relief.”
Thanks to showing him magic—no, tricks—he seemed to have opened up to me a little.
He was still curt with his words, but if I stayed by his side and took good care of him, I was sure he’d open his heart completely.
At least, that’s what I believed.
That belief didn’t last very long.
Jingle, jingle.
The clear sound of a bell rang the moment I returned to my room.
“Again?”
Sighing, I turned right back toward the young master’s room.
Knock, knock.
“Young master, it’s Mary.”
As soon as I knocked and announced myself, an answer came back.
“Come in.”
“Yes, young master. I’m coming in.”
Compared to the first time I brought his meal—when he wouldn’t open the door and I had to climb in through the window—this was tremendous progress.
He answered me properly now, which I was grateful for.
The young master’s room was always dark. The annex was located on the shaded side of the estate where little sunlight reached, and the large windows were perpetually covered by curtains.
‘Keeping the windows shut like this can’t be good for his health.’
When I’d once asked if I could open the windows, the young master had flatly refused.
“I hate it. When light touches me, my eyes hurt and my skin hurts.”
Lady Lisa had said that getting sunlight often was good for improving his condition, but the young master’s fierce opposition meant I had no choice but to keep the curtains drawn at all times.
As I entered the dimly lit room, illuminated only by soft lamps, the young master greeted me while leaning back against a plush sofa.
“What did you call me for this time?”
“Bring me a book.”
“Which book?”
“That one.”
Without even looking, he pointed at a book on the table.
He called me over just to fetch a book that was only one step away—no, close enough that he could reach it by simply stretching out his hand?
The way he calmly looked at me was infuriating. Perhaps he sensed the glare burning in my eyes, because he glanced my way.
I quickly relaxed my expression.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you bringing it?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll get it.”
Forcing a smile, I handed him the book.
“Is there anything else you need?”
Despite my hopeful question, only an indifferent reply came back.
“No. Nothing.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Are you absolutely sure?”
Apparently annoyed by my repeated questions, the young master frowned deeply.
“I said there’s nothing. Why do you keep asking?”
I glared back at him just as stubbornly.
“Because the moment I leave, I feel like you’re just going to call me again! Do you know how many times you’ve pulled the bell cord today?”
The corners of the young master’s lips curled up smugly.
“Ten times?”
That was right.
From the moment I’d brought him breakfast until now, this wicked young master had pulled the bell cord more than ten times.
And the reasons were varied, too.
“Open the window.”
“It’s cold. Close it.”
“Draw the curtains.”
“It’s dark with the curtains. Turn on the light.”
It was like training a puppy.
And the real problem was that this wasn’t just happening today.
The first day I started attending him, it was twice. The next day, five times. The day after that—ten times!
The number kept increasing, and now, a full week later, he was ringing the bell all day long.
At first, I was happy just that he called for me, but as the meaningless summons continued, irritation slowly built up.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No. Not really.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“You’ve been pulling the bell cord all day.”
When I finally couldn’t stand it anymore and confronted him, the young master replied calmly, his expression unchanged.
“I call you because I need you. You’re my maid, aren’t you?”
He wasn’t wrong.
I was his maid. If he needed me, I should come.
…But still, this was too much!
“If you need something, why not ask for it all at once? Why do you keep pulling the bell cord every time I go back to my room?”
He seemed to think for a moment, then his lips moved.
“I don’t like you going back to your room.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
Ricardo couldn’t answer Mary’s question right away. He didn’t know himself why he disliked her returning to her room.
But there was one thing he could say for sure.
“When you go back, it annoys me.”
Whenever Mary finished her task and left, he felt inexplicably irritated. It made him want to call her back immediately and keep her by his side.
That was why he made up all sorts of excuses to pull the bell cord. Seeing Mary run over right away made that irritation melt away like snow.
But once she arrived, there was nothing in particular he needed. So he’d give her trivial errands and send her away again.
Mary let out a sigh and said,
“Then should I just stay by your side instead of going back to my room? That way, I can help you whenever you need it.”
Ricardo answered instantly, without hesitation.
“I don’t want that.”
“What? Why not!”
“I don’t know. I just don’t want it.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘I don’t know’! Think about why you don’t want it.”
He didn’t like it when Mary wasn’t around, but he also didn’t want her constantly at his side.
If he had to give a reason…
“You make me uncomfortable.”
Being with Mary made him uncomfortable. His gaze kept drifting toward her, and even when he tried not to look, his nerves stayed taut, his attention fixed on her movements.
‘It can’t be helped. It’s always uncomfortable when someone else is nearby.’
The only people Ricardo considered family were his mother, Rianne, the head maid Lisa, and the old butler, Hollent.
To Ricardo, Mary was an “outsider.”
Of course, among outsiders, Mary was one of the closest. Unlike the other servants he’d seen so far, he wanted her to stay by his side for as long as possible.
Too distant to be family, too close to be a stranger.
Mary was a strange and new presence.
“Then should I wait outside the door?”
“No.”
“Why not this time!”
“It’s cold.”
“…Excuse me?”
The Hamilton estate lay in the northern region of the Hesian Empire, where temperatures stayed low even in spring. And now it was late autumn, with winter approaching.
“It’s cold, and if you stand out in the corridor and catch a cold, that wouldn’t be good.”
“Are you… worried about me?”
Eyes full of expectation, sparkling brightly.
Caught off guard by Mary’s reaction, Ricardo blurted out whatever came to mind.
“D-Don’t say ridiculous things. If you catch a cold, you might pass it on to me. And if I get sick, are you going to take responsibility?”
“Well, if the young master got sick, that would be a big problem,” Mary said, nodding.
Fortunately, she let it slide.
“So… can I go now?”
“No.”
When I tried to return to my room, the young master stopped me firmly.
“You said it’s tiring to keep coming back and forth. Stay here.”
“You said I make you uncomfortable.”
“…I’ll deal with it myself. Just sit here.”
How fickle he was.
I obediently crouched down on the floor beside the sofa. Immediately, a dissatisfied look crossed his face.
“Why are you sitting there?”
“I can’t sit on the same chair as you, young master.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m a maid, and you’re the young master.”
Over the past few days, Lady Lisa had taught me servant etiquette.
A servant must not eat in front of their master.
A servant must not sit in the same seat.
When addressing the master, one must use a title, not a name.
There were far more things I didn’t know than I’d expected.
To be a proper servant of the Hamilton family, I diligently learned all the basics.
“And so?”
And so…?
Was he too young to know basic etiquette?
When I explained the rules Lady Lisa had taught me, the young master asked irritably,
“Aren’t you my maid?”
“Yes, I am your maid.”
“Then you should listen to me, not Lisa.”
That… actually made sense.
I quickly climbed up and sat on the sofa.
“Good. You’re mine, so from now on, only listen to me.”
“Yes, young master.”
Only then did a satisfied smile finally appear on his face.
