Chapter 12
Roze couldn’t calm her anxious heart. Her hands trembled as she clasped them tightly. The head maid’s eyes briefly flicked down to those hands before returning to Roze’s face.
“Head Maid.”
Despite the tension, the nanny called out in an urging tone. Only then did the head maid tear her gaze from Roze and respond with a blunt voice.
“This was a direct order from His Grace. I can’t oppose it lightly.”
“But she’s someone with an unclear background!”
“I’m sure His Grace has considered that as well.”
“You shouldn’t take this so lightly! For all we know, she might have approached the young lady with ill intent from the start!”
The nanny raised her voice. One of the head maid’s eyebrows lifted in response.
“Are you suggesting she predicted the young lady would fall into the water and approached her for that reason?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
The head maid’s gaze, as if ridiculing such absurdity, rendered the nanny speechless. The nanny opened and closed her mouth a few times before frowning and rising from her seat.
“Well, the authority over the maids lies entirely with you, Head Maid, so I suppose I have no right to interfere. Even if something unfortunate happens because of this.”
“……”
The nanny’s spiteful words caused the head maid’s brows to knit slightly, but she didn’t respond. Seeing that, the nanny scowled at Roze before turning sharply on her heel and walking out.
Bang.
The door slammed shut with a loud noise, causing the maid standing beside it to flinch. Roze also turned in surprise toward the door, and at that moment, the head maid spoke.
“Now, we should discuss your wages.”
“…Pardon?”
Roze’s eyes widened. The head maid met her large green eyes and spoke again.
“Your pay, I mean.”
“Then… I’m really going to be the young lady’s…”
Roze stammered. Watching her, the head maid sighed and nodded.
“His Grace said you would serve as the young lady’s personal maid. For now, we will follow that order.”
“Th-thank you…”
“No need. I don’t need thanks from you.”
The head maid raised her hand, cutting her off. Her gaze on Roze remained cold and disapproving. Only then did Roze manage to calm down, as if doused with cold water.
“Even if it was His Grace’s command, I’m not going to keep you around unconditionally. I’ll be watching you and decide whether you’re fit to serve the young lady. Keep that in mind.”
“Yes, Head Maid. I’ll do my best.”
Roze nodded firmly. This was far more realistic. No—just getting the chance to stay by Flitta’s side was already more than she could have hoped for.
‘I have to stay near Flitta, no matter what.’
She clenched her lips with renewed determination. Just then, the head maid continued.
“Your salary will be three setenas a month.”
“…Excuse me?”
Roze’s eyes widened again. She looked up, wondering if she’d misheard. The head maid frowned at her puzzled expression.
“What? Is it too little for you?”
“N-no! Not that… It’s just… It’s too much.”
Three setenas? If she hadn’t misheard, that was an enormous amount for Roze. She had never earned that much in her life.
Back when she lived near the border, gathering herbs for an entire month barely earned her two gross. On lucky months, when she found rare herbs, it might go up to three gross—but never more.
“Too much, you say?”
The head maid tilted her head, as if she’d misheard. Roze nodded hesitantly.
One setena equaled 100 gross. So three setenas was 100 times more than what she had ever earned.
“You really are from the countryside, huh? To think that’s a lot.”
The head maid let out a chuckle. A faint snicker came from the maid standing by the door. Roze blushed in embarrassment.
She suddenly remembered how expensive everything in the capital was. No wonder she’d struggled financially since arriving.
‘Now that I think about it, I really came here without a plan.’
Should she call herself brave for coming all the way to the capital with nothing but the wish to see the man and child she loved before dying? If luck hadn’t been on her side, she might have died somewhere without ever seeing them. Her illness might not have killed her—she might’ve starved first.
‘…Heiven, you saved me.’
Roze whispered in her heart. Heiven had saved her life. He’d also given her a chance to stay by her child’s side. He had granted her final wish before death.
She almost laughed. The man who didn’t even remember her had fulfilled all her wishes. Wasn’t that funny? Her nose stung. She couldn’t understand why her nose tingled when she felt like laughing.
* * *
Aside from salary, the head maid explained many other things—how to behave as the grand duke’s maid, the daily routines, the rules she must follow.
“Normally, maids are allowed to go out twice a month. But since you’re new, I’ll allow you to go out only once every two months. No complaints, I hope?”
“No, Head Maid.”
After finishing the discussion on outings, the head maid stood up. Roze respectfully answered and looked at her.
“Now come with me. You need to formally greet the young lady.”
“…!”
Roze’s face lit up at those words. Seeing her expression, the head maid turned toward the door but commented as she did.
“You didn’t seem that happy when I mentioned your salary. But you look quite delighted to greet the young lady.”
“Ah, I…”
Roze quickly tried to adjust her expression, worried she’d been too obvious. She knew the chances were slim, but what if her carelessness revealed her connection to Flitta?
“Well, I can’t say I don’t understand. You can earn money doing other jobs, but it’s not every day one gets to serve a royal bloodline. If you hadn’t saved the young lady, you wouldn’t have even stepped foot in this place.”
The head maid muttered in a casual tone and walked toward the door. Roze hurriedly followed her out.
* * *
“This is the maid who will be serving the young lady. Go ahead and introduce yourself.”
The head maid stepped forward and introduced Roze to Flitta, then looked back and prompted Roze. But Roze didn’t respond—not because she refused, but because she hadn’t even heard the head maid’s words.
‘…My baby. Flitta, my child.’
Her eyes were locked on Flitta, who was curled up on a large sofa. Roze stared at her without even blinking.
Perhaps feeling the intensity of the gaze, Flitta, who was holding a teddy bear, rolled her light green eyes. She turned to the nanny beside her and asked softly,
“…Maid?”
The girl’s voice was clear but quiet—so much so that you might miss it if you weren’t listening carefully. Perhaps because of that, the nanny didn’t answer the child but instead snapped sharply at Roze.
“Why aren’t you bowing?! How dare you look the young lady straight in the eyes? Even if you’re some ignorant commoner, this is unacceptable. Tsk, this is exactly why I objected…”
The nanny scolded her coldly, clicking her tongue loud enough for the head maid to hear. Roze quickly bowed her head in panic, afraid the head maid might change her mind and revoke everything.
“I’m sorry, I…”
“Go ahead and greet the young lady properly.”
Despite the nanny’s harshness, the head maid calmly interrupted and urged Roze again. Only then did Roze steady herself and bow slowly.
“…It’s an honor to meet you, my lady. My name is Roze. I will do my best to serve you.”
It was a simple greeting—just stating her name and giving a polite bow. Yet, voicing that greeting felt incredibly hard for Roze. When she said her name aloud, her eyes even stung with tears.
“…Roze?”
The child repeated her name softly. Roze nearly broke down in tears but barely managed to hold them back and raised her head.
Her eyes met Flitta’s, who watched her warily like a cautious kitten. Roze’s reflection shimmered in the girl’s light green eyes—eyes that were more brilliant and beautiful than her own.
“She is the one who saved the young lady.”
At that moment, the head maid spoke again. Flitta stopped staring at Roze and turned to the head maid.
“When the young lady fell into the lake, Roze jumped in and saved her. His Grace recognized her deed and appointed her as the young lady’s personal maid.”
“…Ah.”
Flitta let out a small sound and looked at Roze again. The wariness in her eyes had softened. Likely, it was because she had heard the head maid’s explanation.
