Chapter : 11
“She is the maid who takes care of the Grand Madam. Her name is Milena. I heard she is originally from Luikaron, but her ship was wrecked and she drifted to Cyern. I do not know what she did in the past, but she is very calm and smart.”
“I do not see what that has to do with anything.”
“Well… I think it would be better if you saw it with your own eyes. Milena should be in the garden with the Grand Madam right now. Would you like to check?”
Rayban nodded. He still did not understand what was so special about a calm and clever maid.
But the moment he saw Milena—no, the moment he saw the Grand Madam smiling brightly at Milena—his thoughts changed completely.
“Am I seeing this wrong? Grandmother is….”
“No. You are seeing it correctly. The Grand Madam especially likes Milena. Ahem… she seems to think she is Lady Scarlet.”
“…You mean my late aunt?”
“Yes, Count. It seems she feels the nostalgia of Lady Scarlet from Milena.”
Rayban’s eyes shook.
After the illness began, he had felt as if he had lost his grandmother. She only cried, frowned, or became angry. But now she was smiling so brightly it was hard to believe.
“Sister! Sister! Make this flower too!”
“What shall I make? A ring? A necklace? Or a crown?”
“Um… a ring!”
The Grand Madam, who had become completely like a child, wiggled her fingers.
Every time she moved her hand, there was a strong whooshing sound of wind. Yet Milena did not seem afraid at all. She checked the time and said,
“If you promise to take your medicine while I make the ring.”
“M-medicine? I do not like medicine! I hate it!”
“Then I do not like making the ring either. I will not make it.”
Milena turned her head away as if she was sulking. The Grand Madam became restless. Then she nodded like a child.
“Then I will take it. I will take the medicine!”
Even Rayban was speechless when he saw that.
The new maid had done what no one else could do.
Kaisa was still very worried, but I was adjusting quite well.
I did not know if Lady Sophia was just praising me or being sincere, but she said I was the first person the Grand Madam had ever followed like this.
The Grand Madam held my hand tightly and shook it up and down.
“Will you come tomorrow?”
“Yes, Elder. I will come again.”
“Yes, sister! Promise!”
I hooked my finger with hers and shook it. When I saw her smiling so brightly like a child, my heart felt lighter too.
Of course, helping her bathe and change clothes was still difficult.
She was even afraid of touching water. But if I spent enough time coaxing her, she would eventually step into the water by herself.
She had truly become like a child.
Sometimes I felt sorry for her. Sometimes she seemed pitiful.
After saying goodbye to her, I left the bedroom.
“Oh! Lady Sophia?”
“You worked hard again today, Milena.”
“Ahaha.”
I scratched my cheek. Now she looked at me almost like a devoted believer looking at their leader.
In truth, it was only a little easier because I had taken care of young Roela before.
Back then, Roela was a twisted girl who looked at the world negatively.
She had been sick since childhood and had no friends, so it was natural.
Until the Marquis called me to become her friend.
In the original story, I went to Roela’s side and bullied her. But this time, we became true best friends.
The way I coaxed Roela back then, I was now using with the Grand Madam.
Sometimes I wondered if it was alright to treat an elder like this. But when she smiled like a child, I felt relieved.
“I only did what I had to do.”
The only regret was that I had not seen the Count during the past week.
I did not know what he was busy with, but it was hard to see him.
It seemed he visited the Grand Madam often, but our timing never matched.
“Even so, we never expected you to do this well. The Count wishes to express his gratitude to you.”
“What?”
My eyes widened and I swallowed.
I had hoped for this moment, but I did not expect it to come so soon.
Seeing my trembling eyes, Lady Sophia continued.
“He feels sorry for your situation. He said he would like to hear your story directly. If there is any way he can help, he wishes to do so. Would you like to meet the Count?”
“Yes! Of course! It would be an honor!”
I answered in a high voice without realizing it. Seeing how happy I looked, Lady Sophia smiled as well.
Kaisa, we did it!
I shouted inside my heart.
Rayban quietly observed Milena.
The maid Sophia brought looked more neat and refined than he expected.
In fact, she did not feel like a maid at all.
Her bright blonde hair flowed in soft waves, and her clear eyes shone with a rare light.
Her delicate features fit perfectly on her small face. She was beautiful enough to stand out anywhere.
Perhaps that was why the Grand Madam mistook her for Scarlet.
Scarlet had also been a model noble lady.
“I heard you have worked very hard for my grandmother.”
“I only did what I had to do, Count.”
“Doing your best and doing things carelessly lead to different results. I truly wish to thank you for your effort.”
“It is an honor, Count!”
“I heard you drifted here from Luikaron. I would like to hear that story.”
At his words, Milena unconsciously lifted her head.
She felt as if she might cry.
“Thank you for simply listening, Count.”
I will never miss this opportunity.
If not now, who knows when such a chance will come again? This was my chance to leave a strong impression on the Keister Count and ask for help.
I swallowed.
“A ship was wrecked a month and a half ago. It was a cruise ship that departed from the capital of Luikaron. It struck a reef near the Monster Sea. I could not board a lifeboat. When I woke up, I was on a fishing boat from Cyern. I was rescued, but I could not return to Luikaron and came to Cyern instead.”
“So that is what happened. Did you come here alone?”
“No. I met one more person from the ship. Thankfully, he was someone I knew. We are living together now.”
“That is at least a small relief.”
“Yes. Thanks to him, I was not afraid or lonely.”
The Count nodded. Fortunately, he seemed quite empathetic. His eyes were full of sympathy for me.
“It must have been difficult in a strange land. Yet your Cyern language is very fluent.”
“I have always been interested in languages, so I learned Cyern before. Thankfully, my tutor taught me well.”
In truth, knowing the Cyern language was one of my possession buffs.
I could understand, read, and speak every language in this world. I had prepared for unexpected situations—perhaps even exile. You could say I was especially gifted in languages.
“A tutor, you say. You must have come from a wealthy family.”
“Ah. I was the daughter of a Count’s family. In Luikaron.”
“Oh.”
The Count’s eyes widened.
