Chapter 14 ….
“Eek…!”
Flutter.
And of all things, it was the stocking.
It fell onto someone’s face. Elena and the maid both stared ahead with startled expressions.
Sluice.
The stocking, which had been draped over someone’s face, slid off.
“Gasp…!”
The maid made a choking sound. Elena gulped.
“Maxim…”
Maxim let out a breath and slowly blinked his eyes. The maid, not knowing what to do, prostrated herself on the floor, and Elena covered her mouth. Maxim looked back and forth between the two women, then stared at the pale, thin object lying on the floor.
He could roughly guess what had happened.
“…Why are you doing this?”
“Maxim, I’m sorry. We were, no, I was… just talking to reach an amicable agreement, but then of all times…”
You happened to pass by. Elena swallowed the rest of her words.
“…Elena, this is a maid’s job. That girl is assigned to you.”
“B-but, I didn’t come here to enjoy such privileges. Besides, I’ll probably be leaving soon…”
It seemed this naive woman had no idea about Hazel’s grand plans. For some reason, feeling like they were fellow victims made Maxim’s mood improve considerably.
And he thought she was just demure, but she had quite a stubborn side too. Maxim smiled wryly.
“Whether it’s temporary or not, you are a guest here. But as a guest, do you intend to break the rules of this mansion? By taking away the maid’s work, are you trying to steal her job?”
Elena sharply turned her head to look at the maid prostrated on the floor. The maid was now looking at Elena with resentful eyes. The maid, whose eyes had been welling up with tears, pressed herself back onto the floor.
“Master! No! I’m truly a useful person! I can not only do laundry but also cook well… and I have a talent for sewing! Please don’t send me away!”
Elena turned pale. Maxim’s words sounded to her like he was going to fire the maid. If that happened, just as he said, this poor maid would lose her job because of her.
For Elena, who had a family to support and had been desperately searching for the highest-paying job she could find, this was unacceptable.
“I… I never intended that! Maxim, please don’t.”
Elena quickly placed the remaining laundry from her lap into the laundry basket. Then she sprang to her feet and gave a bright smile.
“The maid has plenty of work to do.”
“I see. That’s a relief. I thought Mrs. Greta had hired redundant staff.”
Elena quickly shook her head. That sounded like a threat that could also implicate Mrs. Greta if she wasn’t careful. Elena fidgeted with her fingers. She still felt that this was work she should be doing, but it seemed she had to yield for now.
“Where are you off to, Maxim?”
Elena quickly changed the subject.
“I just stopped by briefly to pick up some documents. You should do the work you’re supposed to do.”
“…But I don’t have any work to do.”
Maxim smiled wryly again. Considering the murderous schedule Hazel had in mind for Elena, she shouldn’t be saying that. Well, for now, ignorance is bliss.
He could see exactly what Hazel was thinking. Maxim stared for a moment into Elena’s blue eyes.
Why, he wondered.
Just why did this woman catch Hazel’s fancy?
The sapphire blue eyes stared back at him. A wave, as if threatening to swallow him whole, seemed to surge within them. In that instant.
[Maxim. I was just teaching that girl her place. She needed to know exactly where she stands.]
Images flashed through his mind like fragments: a crying woman, Camelia purring viciously, and a party in disarray. Maxim ran his tongue over the inside of his mouth.
He sometimes saw glimpses of the future like this. It was one of the abilities passed down through the imperial bloodline. In the previous generation, Hazel had inherited this ability, and in this generation, Maxim had inherited it.
When the ability transferred to Maxim, Hazel’s power faded. Hazel used this ability for the sake of the country, but Maxim mostly utilized it for private purposes.
Thanks to that, his department store business was thriving and satisfying investors, so it was all for the best.
Anyway, it always had a 100% accuracy rate, so this event would surely happen too. It seemed things were going to get bothersome, involving Camelia, Elena, and even Maxim himself. Maxim clicked his tongue.
“You’ll have work to do soon, Elena.”
Maxim added.
“Be careful at the party.”
Elena nodded with a surprised face. Maxim brushed past between Elena and the maid.
As Maxim turned the corner and disappeared, the maid and Elena’s eyes met again. The maid glared at Elena, her nose red.
“Are you going to take my job again?”
Elena quickly shook her head.
“Absolutely not!”
“Then that’s fine.”
The maid, speaking curtly, gathered the laundry and stood up abruptly. Elena, who had helped the maid, stopped her.
“…I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
This guest seemed just too kind. It was the first time she’d met a young lady who apologized so easily to a maid. Moreover, she knew Elena hadn’t had bad intentions.
What hidden schemes could someone so transparent possibly have? The maid swallowed a sigh and spoke.
“It’s alright. But I have a lot of work to do today.”
Elena nodded and let the maid go. Watching the maid retreat, Elena gloomily bowed her head. He told her to do her work. What was she supposed to do?
The work she needed to do right now.
Just as Elena was pondering as if her gears were stuck, another maid came running up to her.
“Miss! Miss! Reanna has a fever!”
The maid, shouting in a shrill voice, grabbed Elena’s hand. A startled Elena lifted her skirts and started running.
That’s right. She had work to do. Elena gritted her teeth.
“Elena went out?”
“Yes, Madam.”
“Hmm.”
Hazel gazed outside with a worried look. It was just about to start raining. Going out in this weather?
“And Reanna?”
“Reanna is sleeping now. She seemed to have a slight fever since yesterday. After the young lady Elena gave her medicine, her fever went down a bit.”
Hazel pressed her temples with a calm expression. The doctor who used to care for Reanna in Levunto had said that if the child took medicine, she might live a bit longer, but if not, she wouldn’t last long.
The image of Elena, muttering with a pale face, came to mind.
How must her heart be burning inside? The youth of this era seemed to suffer too much. Hazel let out a sigh.
“Who is acting as the primary physician for the Adelof Ducal family these days?”
“It’s Mr. Miles.”
“Does Mr. Miles handle young girls well? Elena said it’s an illness she’ll have for life.”
“Well… After that incident, His Highness the Crown Prince became independent from the imperial palace, and Her Majesty the Empress personally selected and assigned him.”
That meant he was overseeing Maxim’s overall condition, including his mental health.
“First, contact Mr. Miles and have him see Reanna. Greta, do you know why I brought those children here?”
“How could I presume to judge, Madam.”
“Greta, they say fate works in mysterious ways, don’t they? I’m thinking that perhaps those children are destined to form a deep connection with us.”
Mrs. Greta nodded. It meant she understood what Hazel was implying.
She thought that if Hazel had considered bringing Elena here, she must have weighed many things.
After that incident, Maxim had turned cold, as if something had sunk deep within him.
“Do you know why I’m telling you this now?”
“I will look for a nanny to care for the child, of course, and also seek a new primary physician. We should be able to allocate from the surplus budget.”
“Don’t worry about the budget. If funds are needed, Her Majesty the Empress will provide them herself.”
That meant the imperial family itself had expectations for this matter. Mrs. Greta broached the subject carefully.
“In that case, what about summoning Mr. Ollendo?”
“Ollendo?”
“Yes.”
“That is a good idea as well.”
Ollendo was counted among the most renowned doctors in the empire. He currently served as the imperial physician, responsible for the health of the royal family. If it was Ollendo…
‘There might be a way.’
