Chapter 22
“Haaaah-.”
They say life is a series of real battles, don’t they?
“You’re going to make food with this?”
I don’t know about that, but I do know it’s been a series of failures.
“Even though we practically live in the stables, did you really think it was food for people?”
Turns out the clump of plants I thought was nerotine was actually fodder for the horses.
At least one of my internal questions was answered.
The reason Racy nearly died after eating the chromcho.
“Sigh, what can I do. It’s my fault for stepping forward without even knowing properly.”
Even if I can’t tell plants apart, I’m confident I can appraise artworks well.
“Get out, right now!”
After the Ritual Chamber, now the stables are off-limits too.
I feel like a fly that’s been swatted in the palm of a hand.
“Uuugh…….”
Huh? I was feeling self-loathing, but I didn’t make a sound out loud.
I suddenly raised my head at a pained-sounding groan that reached my ears.
A maid was staggering while clutching her stomach. Looking closely, it was Louis, the influential figure of the laundry room.
“Louis, are you really alright?”
Louis, let’s see……
I think she got demoted to the laundry room after causing some trouble?
For someone who caused problems, she got along well with her colleagues. She blended in well regardless of age.
Come to think of it, Louis was also the one who taught me the work when I first went to the laundry room.
I remember her voice was loud and a bit overwhelming, but she was always at the center of things.
“I-I’ll be fine if I just go to the bathroom…… Uuugh!”
I could even hear the bubbling, gurgling sound from here.
If the stable manager hadn’t stopped me, people from the stables like Daniel probably would have suffered like that too.
Maybe instead of messing up in the stables, it would be better to receive basic training in the kitchen first.
But in my current condition with this ankle, I’d probably just get turned away.
“Leave the rest to us and go to your room to rest.”
“How can I do that in this situation? We’re already short-handed and everyone’s struggling, how can I just leave?”
Since the day after the wolf statue broke, there have been mass absences in the maid department.
If it was just the work of junior maids, I could have brushed it off as them taking it easy, but…
Even the Head Maid hasn’t been seen.
Fortunately, the Assistant Head Maid took over the duties, so there hasn’t been a major disruption.
However, everyone seems to be saving their words, which is concerning.
Are they facing reprimands for the accident in the Ritual Chamber?
I haven’t even been able to complain about them docking my meager salary.
“But in this condition……”
“I told you I’m really fi— Ugh!”
Louis’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat. It seems even forcing herself is reaching its limit.
“Shall I help you?”
As Louis raised her head, a look of bewilderment spread across her face.
“You, you’re……”
Was Louis also distrustful of me?
Still, I have experience in the laundry room, so I probably wouldn’t cause an accident there.
The answer came from a different place than expected.
“Racy… was it? May I shamelessly ask a favor? The laundry room is busy, you see. I’ll definitely repay this kindness next time.”
As she said that, I saw a hand pushing Louis’s back.
I guess because the laundry room work is tough, the bonds between colleagues are tight, or something.
It was a sight you’d never see among the cleaning staff, so I was momentarily taken aback by the unfamiliarity.
When I stepped into the laundry room after sending Louis off, I regretted it.
What was I thinking, forgetting the stifling steam?
Still, considering my situation with the crutch, they assigned me tasks with minimal movement. I should endure as much as I can, seeing as they made that consideration.
By the way, it definitely felt noticeably less crowded.
Even though the workload should have returned to normal after the Taweira merchant group’s share disappeared, people were moving nonstop.
They also looked utterly exhausted.
What in the world happened?
“Louis! I just can’t do it anymore!”
Huh?
The person who barged in through the door was none other than the Assistant Head Maid.
“The work is full of things I don’t know, the Family Head and the Chief Aide are terrifying! What on earth do they expect me to do?”
Was she always like this?
Just this morning, although she looked awkward, she maintained a dignified attitude.
The people shook their heads as if familiar and continued their work.
It seems she came here to complain.
Her head swiveled, looking only for Louis.
“Oh? Aren’t you Racy from the cleaning staff?”
Oops. I should have covered myself with a blanket or something.
“Are you helping with laundry room work?”
“Ah, yes, well……”
Oh no.
They’ll probably nag me about leaving my post again or something.
What excuse can I make?
“Just let it go. Louis was sick, so she’s filling in.”
Luckily, someone else stepped in to answer.
“Louis is? What’s wrong, where does it hurt?”
“She said her stomach has been hurting since morning. She kept running to the bathroom, so we sent her to rest.”
“Why would someone who could chew through steel bars have a stomachache?”
The maids of Canis Manor generally started working in their mid-teens to early twenties.
At a glance, you could tell the Assistant Head Maid and Louis, both seemingly in their forties, had worked together for a long time, even in different departments.
Having been at Canis Manor for less than two months, I wouldn’t know that shared history.
Somehow, I felt envious that they had people with whom they shared such time.
“That’s strange. The situation is just like back then……”
“Back then? When?”
“When the Young Master… no, when the Family Head was sick.”
That Ash Canis was sick?
Well, judging from her calling him ‘Young Master,’ it’s probably a story from when he was young.
I couldn’t imagine it at all, thinking of his current appearance that seems capable of slicing monsters with just a glance.
“Why are you bringing that up here?”
“Don’t you remember? Back then, Louis also said her stomach hurt and practically lived in the bathroom. In the meantime, Myta secured the nanny position.”
“Now that you mention it……”
Little Ash Canis and the Head Maid taking care of him……
I just couldn’t picture it.
I stopped thinking, blaming my poor imagination.
“I find Myta the scariest when she’s quiet. It always feels like she’s plotting something… ah.”
We made eye contact again.
The Assistant Head Maid, who had completely forgotten my existence for a moment, ahem, cleared her throat.
Returning to her usual dignified expression, she strode over to me.
“Helping others is a good thing. But it’s better not to draw attention.”
“This just happened because of the situation……”
Eek, did that sound like talking back?
However, she didn’t look displeased at all.
“I heard you’ve been frequenting the stables lately? Was that also due to an unavoidable situation?”
“That’s……”
I could feel the strength in the Assistant Head Maid’s hands gripping my shoulders.
“Just for a while is fine. Be careful with your actions until I tell you otherwise.”
But I need to find opportunities to meet Ash Canis, whether at the stables or elsewhere.
“This is sincere advice for your own good, and out of gratitude for helping Louis. Do you understand?”
I had no choice but to nod.
Her gaze seemed to genuinely worry about me.
It felt like the first time I was receiving guidance from an adult other than my father.
* * *
It was a night where not even moonlight could intrude.
A dark shadow slipped into the stables while everyone was asleep.
The footsteps were somewhat blatant, but it wasn’t a problem. The stable hand on duty was fast asleep, oblivious to the world, having succumbed to the sleep-inducing incense.
Myta waved her hand through the pungent smoke rising from the incense burner.
“Ugh, at my age, what kind of hardship is this.”
It couldn’t be helped.
All the maids who were Myta’s hands and feet had been taken away. Not just from the cleaning staff, but from the laundry room and dining hall too.
“If only Annetta hadn’t made such a big mess……”
Perhaps it’s pointless to resent her since I’ll never see her again.
Myta had received notice to leave the manor by tomorrow.
So she packed her bags in front of the messenger.
There was another reason she didn’t resist.
“If you thought I’d just leave quietly, you’re mistaken.”
That way, they’d let their guard down.
Now that the achievements she’d built over a lifetime had been trampled, there was no more loyalty.
“Since Racy isn’t here, please convey my apologies to the Head Maid. I’m going through menopause lately, my mood swings are severe, and I just couldn’t control my anger.”
Coincidentally, she had also been informed of the perfect scapegoat.
“Let’s see, the feed trough… that one.”
Myta took a cloth pouch from her bosom and poured its contents into the feed trough. Then she stirred it well with a wooden stick.
Cassanrid grass, called poison grass. By tomorrow, the horses would have abdominal pain. Well, in severe cases, they could even be at death’s door.
Either way, the upcoming inspection in a few days would be disrupted.
“That’s right. You shouldn’t have messed with my mood.”
The magical tool that would have shown the crime scene had been destroyed in advance. With no evidence, they’d have to deduce the culprit from the circumstances.
All she had to do was slip through the search net and leisurely return to her hometown.
The plan was perfect.
Myta could hardly contain the laughter that threatened to burst forth.
