Chapter: 19
A quiet morning bathed in transparent sunlight.
Rianne, resting while drinking tea, unfolded a letter from Ricardo.
To Mother,
I hope you are spending your time peacefully.
I have a request regarding Mary’s salary.
Mary has been performing her duties exceptionally as my personal maid. Working alone in the annex is not easy, yet she has never once shown any sign of hardship.
Therefore, I kindly ask that you consider increasing Mary’s salary.
She herself said that her current pay is sufficient, but this is my personal desire to reward the excellence of someone in my service.
I hope you will consider this request generously.
Wishing you a safe and pleasant day.
Yours sincerely,
Ricardo
The handwriting was careful and elegant, yet carried a childlike awkwardness in some strokes.
Ricardo’s thoughtfulness was evident, too, in the way he clarified that this was his personal wish, so as not to cause any misunderstanding for Mary.
Rianne smiled warmly at her son’s endearing request.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my salary for the month.
I had thought the envelope looked too thick from the start. Counting the bills inside, my eyes nearly popped out.
So shocked, I even retrieved the contract stored deep in my drawer to check it again.
Now that I could read the contract, I compared the amount written there with the money I had just received.
“Something’s wrong!”
Gripping both the envelope and the contract, I ran to Lady Lisa in the annex.
“Head maid…!”
“What is it, Mary?”
“I… I think the salary envelope has changed. It’s different from the amount written in the contract…”
Lady Lisa checked the envelope’s contents and said gently,
“This is indeed Mary’s salary envelope.”
“All of this… is my salary?”
“Yes. You have served the young master diligently and excellently, so you are receiving the corresponding reward. If someone exceeds expectations, it is only natural to reward them.”
“That’s… I was just doing what I was supposed to. It’s not really that amazing…”
Her voice, gentle but firm, settled over me.
“Mary. Don’t belittle yourself. Excessive humility can be harmful.”
“Oh… yes. I’m sorry.”
“If you’ve done your work well, it’s okay to be a little proud. You deserve this salary, Mary.”
Her warm praise following a sharp piece of advice made my heart feel light.
Clenching my fists, I vowed,
“Thank you. I’ll work even harder from now on!”
“Good, that’s the attitude.”
“Oh, Head Maid, may I request permission to go out?”
“Yes, of course. Is there a reason?”
“Since I’ve received my salary, I’d like to buy some things I need and maybe a small gift for the young master.”
Uncle Harmon had said that the first salary is meant to be spent on oneself.
I had given every penny of my first salary from the village to Aunt Emma, so I hadn’t spent a single coin on myself.
Thus, I wanted to use my first salary from Hamilton meaningfully.
When I explained my intention, Lady Lisa raised an eyebrow.
“A gift for the young master isn’t spending on yourself, is it?”
“It is for me. I want to buy it to express my feelings—how happy and grateful I am to meet him!”
I pictured the young master receiving the gift and smiling, and a bashful smile spread across my face.
“You have such a kind heart, Mary. Very well, I was planning for you to go out anyway, so I’ve prepared the carriage. Take your time getting ready.”
“Thank you! Head Maid!”
I prepared to go out, heart racing.
I realized I hadn’t told the young master I was going out.
Since Lady Lisa had already sent the carriage, there was no time to inform him.
It should be fine—I’d be back quickly.
Arriving at the shopping district, I moved about busily.
“First, I need to buy clothes.”
The only luggage I had brought was three sets of worn clothes. While at the mansion, I always wore my maid uniform, but I decided to buy a few sets of clothes for outings like today.
“Hello!”
“Welcome, miss. Feel free to look around.”
As I browsed slowly, my eyes landed on a cream-colored dress. Subtle frills and tiny embroidered flowers made it beautiful, and the fabric was soft.
“Do you like that dress?”
The shop lady had approached me with a gentle smile, holding the dress out.
“Try it on if you like it.”
“Oh, no. It’s okay!”
“Come on, just try it. I think it would suit a pretty young lady like you.”
I was nudged into the fitting room.
After changing carefully and stepping out, the lady clapped her hands with a bright smile.
“Oh my, I knew it! It looks perfect on you. Finally, the dress has found its owner.”
Even if not as radiant as her praise, I thought it suited me well. Wearing such beautiful clothes for the first time, I felt a little unfamiliar looking at myself in the mirror.
“Clothes really are wings, huh.”
I smiled shyly and thanked her.
Having received my salary, I wondered if I could boldly buy it.
I peeked at the price tag—and froze.
“Goodness… why is it so expensive?”
No wonder it looked pretty—the price was enormous.
I could afford it with my salary, but…
“I’ll look around a bit more.”
I quickly went back into the fitting room and took off the dress.
The shop lady tried to persuade me with a special discount for a young lady, but in the end, I only bought three much cheaper outfits.
It was disappointing, but I had no choice.
“If I spent recklessly on such expensive clothes, I’d run out of money.”
I decided to postpone short-term happiness for future security.
No—wait. I got three new sets of clothes!
Until now, all my clothes were hand-me-downs from Aunt Emma. Threads were coming loose, some parts were worn through, and the sizes didn’t fit well.
Now, just being able to buy clothes that fit me made me happy.
Next, I headed to the general store.
Soap, hair ties, socks… I bought a few small necessities, all the cheapest.
Quickly finishing the essentials, it was time to buy a gift for the young master.
I had already decided: a handkerchief.
Something he used often.
“I can’t just buy this anywhere if it’s for the young master.”
With my heart pounding, I headed to the department store.
I paused in front of the huge building, catching my breath. Its sparkling glass and gold accents were overwhelming.
I hesitated before moving forward. As I neared the door, a guard in a black uniform blocked my way.
“What’s the matter?”
“Uh… I’d like to buy a handkerchief.”
The guard scanned me from head to toe.
“Sorry, little miss, but this place isn’t for someone like you. Only customers meeting certain standards can use this department store.”
He dismissed me outright.
“Standards?”
“Yes. People who belong here, whose status is confirmed.”
Confirmed status.
In other words, only nobles could enter.
“I thought anyone could go to a department store.”
People in the village had said so. Unlike the past, nowadays anyone could enter a department store regardless of status.
Magazines advertised it that way, and I remembered Aunt Emma getting excited and chatting about it with neighbors.
When I pressed him, the guard answered lazily.
“Yes. Only for those qualified, of course.”
“What qualifications?”
“Either very wealthy, or sent on errand by someone of high rank.”
“That’s not what ‘anyone’ means.”
I wanted to say so much, but my words wouldn’t come out.
Making a space meant for “anyone” inaccessible to “anyone” felt wrong.
But a small voice in my head agreed with the guard: I didn’t have the right to enter the department store.
I hesitated, thinking it was common sense that someone like me couldn’t enter that sparkling space.
Finally, I didn’t argue further and took out the certificate Lady Lisa had given me, proving I was a Hamilton servant.
“Here.”
The guard snatched it from my hand. When he saw the Hamilton name, his expression subtly stiffened.
He cleared his throat and said politely,
“Why didn’t you show this sooner? My apologies for the trouble.”
Returning the certificate, his movements were careful.
“The handkerchiefs are on this floor in the accessories section. Enjoy your shopping.”
“Thank you.”
The guard opened the door for me. His sudden change in attitude left me surprised.
Does etiquette require qualifications, too?
My excitement from earlier suddenly felt dampened and heavy.
