Chapter 29
Since the boutique was located in a busy district that was easy to get to from anywhere, Serena was able to reach her destination without much delay.
“Really, I’ll do anything! Please! I beg you! I’m asking you this much!”
“No way! Who would pay that much money for someone like you?! If you really need money, go to a tavern or something over there! Don’t act like you don’t know your place!”
As soon as she entered, she saw a young woman kneeling and pleading, and in front of her, a man who looked irritated.
The man said things to the woman that Serena couldn’t have imagined. But when he saw Serena walk in, he immediately brightened and rushed toward her.
“Oh! Welcome! What brings you here?”
The man was the owner of the employment agency.
Serena had often come to look for work in the past, just like this woman. Each time, she had been scolded rather than treated kindly, so the sudden friendliness felt a little off.
“I’m here to hire a maid…”
Trailing off, Serena shifted her gaze toward the woman. The owner quickly stepped in.
“Oh! I see! Yes! Understood! Please have a seat first. I’ll bring some tea. What kind of maid are you looking for?”
He pushed the woman who was kneeling in the way aside with his foot to make room to guide Serena to a seat.
The surprised woman hastily stepped aside. She should have been upset, but instead, she was just worried that if she upset the owner, she might not get work.
Yet, something about her face seemed familiar.
Serena watched her silently, and the owner awkwardly laughed.
“Hahaha, I suppose that was distracting. Sorry for showing you that. I’ll have her leave immediately.”
The owner grabbed the woman’s frail wrist. The woman struggled with all her might to avoid being dragged out.
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll behave! I’ll be as quiet as a mouse, please don’t kick me out!”
As Serena continued to study the desperate woman’s face, recognition finally dawned.
In her memory, the woman looked different—heavily made-up and wearing flashy clothes—but her red eyes and hair were distinctive enough to recognize her.
The woman, realizing Serena was observing her, wriggled free from the owner’s grip and ran toward Serena.
“Miss! You’re looking for a maid? I-I’ve worked as a maid, even if just for a short time! Please hire me! I’ll do my best!”
The owner, rushing after her, suddenly kicked her.
“Are you crazy?! How dare you—”
“Kyaa!”
Thump! Crash!
The woman tumbled to the floor.
“Are you okay?!”
It had been quite a loud noise. It wouldn’t have been surprising if she had broken an arm or leg.
‘Is he insane?! How can someone kick a person like that?!’
Before Serena could check, the woman jumped up and answered brightly.
“Y-Yes! I’m okay! I’m fine! I’m really tough! So if you let me work for you, I’ll do my best!”
She must have been in pain, but she smiled exaggeratedly while saying she was fine. Serena wanted to scold her for worrying about that, but she couldn’t.
Serena understood exactly why the woman was behaving that way.
It wasn’t as if a small injury would kill her, and even if it might, someone with nothing has far more important things than their own life.
To this woman, making a good impression on Serena, who said she was looking for a maid, seemed more important than herself.
It was pointless to continue checking on her condition.
Serena had no choice but to ask something else.
“I am here to hire a maid, yes, but I want a smart maid. Can you really handle it?”
“A smart person…?”
The woman’s smile disappeared, and her complexion darkened. She had misunderstood due to a lack of explanation. Serena carefully outlined the requirements for the maid she wanted.
“Yes, I need someone who understands the world well. Someone who knows everything from a sack of flour to the prices of clothes in high-end boutiques—a truly smart person.”
“Ah…!”
The woman brightened again and nodded vigorously.
“Yes! I can handle that! I couldn’t attend school due to financial difficulties, but I learned a lot to be able to do any job immediately!”
Eager to prove herself, she continued.
“A sack of flour costs about 50 silver, and high-end boutique clothes for noble ladies like you are around 300 gold!”
‘300 gold?’
The price was far off from what Serena had seen on the tags earlier, and she furrowed her brows.
The woman hurriedly added:
“I-I’ve heard that clothes made by famous madams are much more expensive! For example… Isabella. The clothes she makes cost at least 2,000 gold. Of course, I haven’t seen them myself, so I’m not sure, but I heard the price depends on the design.”
Mentioning Isabella and knowing the prices of the clothes precisely suggested that regular boutique clothes really were around 300 gold.
‘Then what was that price tag I saw earlier?’
Curious, Serena asked the anxious-looking woman.
“Do you check the price by the tag on the sleeve?”
“…What? The sleeve?”
The woman’s eyes widened.
“No, I thought boutique clothes don’t have price tags… They’re expensive, so if they were attached and got damaged, it would be a big problem. That’s why they don’t put them on.”
Serena’s expression darkened. The woman mistakenly thought she had made an error and trailed off.
Serena wanted to thank her for the explanation but could only give a wry smile at the absurdity.
‘So she really was trying to scam me…!’
She had thought something was off, and it turned out her instincts were correct.
The woman must have planned to take advantage of Serena, who looked like a clueless newcomer shopping for clothes.
‘Maybe she wanted to laugh at me struggling with such expensive clothes.’
Serena recalled the staff laughing unpleasantly. Either way, the woman had clearly intended to deceive and ridicule her.
“What are you doing?! Step aside immediately!”
While Serena seethed internally, the owner, waiting for a chance to intervene, grabbed the woman’s arm.
The woman wavered off balance, and Serena quickly grabbed the other arm.
“Sir, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to let go?”
Already annoyed, Serena was about to explode at the owner’s repeated display of violence.
“Eh…?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? Let go of her arm.”
“Ah…!”
The stunned owner released his grip. The mark of his large hand remained on her arm.
Serena glared at the blinking owner and met the woman’s eyes.
“I’ll hire you. Please start working as my maid now.”
“R-Really?!”
The woman, as if in disbelief, asked again. Her eyes trembled with emotion, almost on the verge of tears.
“Yes.”
Serena nodded. The woman buried her face in her palms.
But that didn’t last long. Brimming with tears, she bowed deeply in gratitude.
“Thank you! I’ll do my best to be of help to you, Miss!”
She was already a great help.
Since she seemed knowledgeable, Serena would likely be able to rely on her in the future as well.
With her goal accomplished, Serena was about to leave, but the owner, finally recovering his senses, blocked the woman’s way.
“No, absolutely not! This one won’t do! I’ll find another girl for you!”
