Chapter 25
The new head maid Louise’s inauguration speech was over in an instant.
Because of this, the maids had to leave for their workstations, arms full of nothing but curiosity.
“Wasn’t Miss Louise demoted and sent to the laundry room? How could she become head maid overnight?”
“And leapfrogging the deputy head maid at that.”
Having not heard a single detail of the story, conjectures flew back and forth all day.
“Maybe the laundry room’s true purpose is a training ground for head maids. Fitting for House Canis, where only the strong survive.”
“Eh, but I heard Miss Louise had over 20 years in the laundry room? That’s way too long for training. I would’ve quit long ago.”
There were also amusing stories that made one nod along.
“But what happened to Head Maid Myta?”
“Has anyone seen her since the incident in the Consciousness Room?”
“Weren’t all those involved disciplined? Since then, she hasn’t come to work…”
For a moment, there were stories where glances drifted my way, too.
“…She’s not doing it.”
“Did they get fired en masse?”
“Then they would’ve at least said goodbye before leaving, right? I heard Ji-anna, the dining hall maids even had a farewell party?”
Ji-anna was the name of the carrot-haired maid who had testified to my innocence.
No wonder I couldn’t find her anywhere; it seemed she had quit long ago.
That was a wise decision.
For someone who should stay in the shadows to reveal themselves means their role’s lifespan is over. For their own safety, withdrawing as quickly as possible is the best move.
I was just sorry I lost the chance to thank Blake.
“Getting fired must be it. The security people said they saw Head Maid leaving on a carriage loaded with luggage.”
“What are you talking about? I heard her chronic illness flared up and she died?”
“Hey, how can someone die from attention-seeking?”
With one rumor after another, the confusion only grew.
Was there no definite news?
The day ended in that unsettled state. On my way to the dining hall after finishing work, I received an unexpected summons.
A call from Louise, the new head maid.
“Lacy, the room’s a mess, but come in for now.”
If she had called me to the office, I would have understood, but I found myself unexpectedly touring the head maid’s bedroom.
“Yes, excuse… me.”
The unpacking was still in full swing.
It was a battlefield of a mess; I couldn’t find a place to step.
“Um, congratulations on your promotion.”
“Ah… thank you.”
Louise’s tone plummeted.
It wasn’t a delusion that even her brief head maid inauguration speech earlier had seemed bothersome.
Louise let out deep sighs and waved her hand.
“Sorry, can you wait a moment?”
“Ah, yes.”
Then, my eyes met another guest. The deputy head maid had also taken refuge, perched on the bed.
“Come over here. Be careful where you step over there, it’s easy to trip on clothes.”
Following the deputy head maid’s gesture, I found a path.
Suddenly, I was side-by-side with the deputy head maid, observing Louise’s excavation work.
Sitting in silence with an unfamiliar person, especially one much older, was awkward.
“Deputy Head Maid, may I ask how Miss Louise ended up being selected as head maid?”
“Hmm, an old misunderstanding was cleared up. A simple story.”
“A misunderstanding?”
When I widened my eyes and asked back, the deputy head maid crossed her arms and made a face.
“Originally, Louise was the closest aide to the previous Madam, so her success was a given. Somehow, things got twisted and her life went downhill, you could say.”
“My ears work just fine! Stop commenting on other people’s lives!”
“If you want to shut me up, hurry up and… whoa!”
*Thump!*
“Phew, that was close.”
She almost got hit in the face by a flying cushion, but the deputy head maid didn’t seem upset at all.
The atmosphere was completely different from when she was acting head maid.
An expression so light, as if freed from heavy responsibility.
Just like Sonia.
“Ugh, I told you the laundry room ruins a person’s personality!”
Even as she grumbled, she seemed to rely on Louise a lot.
Going all the way to the tucked-away laundry room to complain said it all.
“Well, you’ll endure as much as your temper has worsened, I guess!”
Louise retorted without backing down.
They were clearly fighting, but the flowing air was warm and friendly.
Is this how long-time friends are?
“Oh, Louise and I checked the ledger today. Your unpaid wages will be paid soon. So, just wait a little.”
“Ah, yes.”
Is that why she called me?
Then Sonia should be here too.
The amount I had glimpsed in the aide’s office and what Sonia actually received were different.
Such announcements are preferably made during the inauguration or morning address, or by summoning to the office.
But Louise was still preoccupied with unpacking… no, with making a mess.
What in the world was she looking for?
“Louise, didn’t you set it aside separately?”
“I think it got mixed in when I unpacked earlier… Found it!”
The item Louise grabbed landed squarely in my hands.
“It was sent for you from the townhouse.”
“The townhouse… you mean from the Euphorian Kingdom?”
“Correct.”
The letters numbered about six.
They were all from one person.
The sender’s name was Nina.
The townhouse manager? Or the head maid?
There was no family seal or anything, so that possibility seemed slim.
“The courier who changed last year must have mixed up the spelling, I guess. Your name and mine are similar, right?”
Louise and Lacy.
If you slurred the pronunciation after drinking, they might sound similar, but mixing up the spelling isn’t easy.
“Of course, I went to return it. But you have to be able to communicate! They yelled at me, asking who Lacy was! Told me to burn it or deal with it myself. So irresponsible, right?”
Listening to Louise’s complaint, I carefully examined the letters.
Stained with various colors and with rough surfaces—their quality was the lowest grade.
The kind even commoners could buy if they saved on living expenses, too shabby to bother storing individually.
“Miss Louise, why did you keep holding onto these?”
She could have disposed of them as the courier said. It was troublesome.
“Sorry. When I first received the letters, I thought they were mine and opened one.”
As she said, only one letter’s seal was broken.
“My friend seems to miss you a lot, so I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away.”
“Fri…end?”
Lacy could have had… friends too. It’s just that I don’t know.
While cleaning the room the soldiers had turned into a disaster zone, I had confirmed it again. I had nothing in my possession to infer Lacy’s past.
So I had assumed there were no lingering attachments or connections left in the Euphorian Kingdom.
But to think letters had come…
“I don’t know what happened between you, but Lacy, how about you open your heart?”
It seemed Louise thought Lacy had fought with the sender, Nina.
“…I’ll think about it.”
Perhaps expecting a flat refusal, Louise brightened up.
“Good. If you need anything, just say so. I can at least help deliver a reply to the townhouse.”
It was a very kind thing to say. A considerate promise too.
But that was only if I were the real ‘Lacy’.
“Miss Louise, what’s the reason you’re suddenly being so kind to me?”
“Uh, well…”
Perhaps not expecting such a direct question, Louise’s gaze swam through the air.
Not that it mattered—I could roughly guess the answer anyway.
“Umm, I owe you a favor, and I feel sorry, and other various things, you know…”
As expected.
She must be grateful I filled in for her when she was sick.
It probably weighed on her conscience that she didn’t step forward even when the owner of the letters she was keeping appeared.
But that alone didn’t explain this situation.
What change of heart happened in just a few days?
“Actually, thanks to you, I found the resolve to finish a long-postponed task.”
I tilted my head. Why thanks to me?
“I haven’t done anything, though?”
“You don’t have to take the lead and do something to influence others, Lacy.”
I roughly understood the context.
Even if I couldn’t grasp the exact meaning.
When I stared at Louise with a puzzled expression, she shrugged her shoulders.
“Anyway, it’s like a life task, I guess. I decided to achieve it. It’s a personal matter, so I can’t explain in detail.”
“So, becoming head maid is also part of solving that task?”
Louise’s complexion rapidly paled.
“As a re…sult, it turned out that way. Not that I wished for it…”
Why does she dislike it so much? However tough it is, it’s better than the suffocating laundry room, isn’t it?
She could become a real power in the estate.
“Since it’s come to this, I’ll do my best. The order of Canis Estate will be restored to how it was before, so rest assured.”
I don’t know how the past Canis Estate was, but looking at the deputy head maid’s relieved face next to Louise, I thought things might improve compared to before.
“Oh dear, I’ve kept you too long, haven’t I? The dining hall will close soon. Go get your dinner.”
“Yes. I wish you both a peaceful evening.”
Finding gaps to step, I carefully walked and reached the door.
As I grabbed the doorknob, a sudden question arose.
Is it okay to leave like this?
If I open this door, the conversation ends here.
Clearly, we won’t be able to have deeper conversations, even if we gloss over things.
“Um, I have one more question.”
“Huh? Go ahead.”
I looked Louise straight in the eye.
“What happened to the former head maid?”
I might not get an answer to this if not now.
