Chapter 12

Gathering information is a constant in this world.

There are always chatty people and those who love rumors.

Today, as always, I’m energetically doing the laundry.

When I put on the maid’s uniform, I instantly transform into one of the recognized maids of the Lindveldt Duke household.

As for why I have such a thing, to my surprise, it was in the closet.

It’s probably some form of harassment, but I was very pleased.

Thank you, Lady Miriam.

I won’t forget your gift!

So, dressed as a maid, I happily did the laundry while chatting merrily with the other maids.

They are incredibly well-informed.

Moreover, they occasionally pity me and bring me snacks, which is just the best.

Mainly beauty-related items, but thanks to them, I’ve become quite presentable over the past month.

Thanks to having nothing but free time, I’ve been getting plenty of sleep.

It’s a well-known fact that lack of sleep is the enemy of beauty, and thanks to the wonderful bedding, I’ve been getting quality sleep, which has eliminated the dark circles under my eyes and restored my pale complexion to its natural color.

Not only that, but it’s also thanks to the livestock food, which is terrible but high in nutrients, though I absolutely don’t want to admit it.

By the way, I reached my limit after ten days and haven’t touched it since.

“Young is so great! If I pulled an all-nighter, it would take months for my skin to recover... I think I was seventeen, right?”

Saying this is Lil, the first sister I met in the laundry room. She has dark blue hair and eyes that exude an intellectual glow, and she has a strong, motherly personality.

She’s about to be a late bloomer at twenty-five, but she doesn’t seem to be in a hurry at all.

“Really, such smooth skin. I’m so envious. And this whiteness. How do you get such a complexion?”

While saying this, she caresses my skin and pinches my cheeks with both hands, peering closely. This is Laila, the second sister.

Her pink hair flutters softly and gently touches my face.

She’s only nineteen and has smooth skin herself, yet she touches my skin enviously.

By the way, my fair skin is a family trait.

I was born with fair skin due to my family’s genetics.

For women, fair skin seems to be a lifelong aspiration, and I’m envied by many.

“By the way, did you know that the head maid is super angry?”

While scrubbing the laundry, spreading rumors is eighteen-year-old Reina, the new maid.

With her bright orange hair and eyes, she’s full of energy and always seems to be having fun.

She’s a rumor lover and knows so much that it’s hard to tell where she gets her information from.

Not only does she know the rumors in the city and the social scene, but she even knows about events in the social world, making me wonder who she is.

“I know, but that woman has a loud voice. It spreads quickly.”

“She’s doing as she pleases because the Duke isn’t here, but without the Duke, there’s nothing she can do.”

The subject of the rumor is Lady Miriam.

In a place where only low-ranking servants are around, if she shouts, the news spreads quickly.

To me, it seems like something that has been happening for a long time.

The content is about the fact that the master never visits this mansion—rather, this residence.

I haven’t seen the master in this residence for a month, and Lady Miriam has been getting frustrated.

When she saw my unappealing appearance, she seemed to be trying to make me a concubine, but without the master, it’s impossible.

She seemed to have confidence that she would be favored, but since she hasn’t been touched yet, she should just give up.

If she doesn’t, she’ll really be a late bloomer, and I’d like to kindly advise her.

After all, according to what I’ve heard, Lady Miriam’s daughter, Elise, is twenty-three.

In noble society, that’s considered a late bloomer.

It’s apparently true that the previous Duke treated her like a daughter, and she’s supposed to have a decent dowry.

While being part of the duke’s household makes it easier to enter the social scene, the reason I don’t know about her is related to the princess.

If the woman who was after the man you were planning to marry lived in the duke’s residence, it wouldn’t be a pleasant feeling.

In other words, she’s being completely ignored to be completely ostracized from the social scene.

If the princess treats her this way, it’s only natural that others will follow.

She’s not invited to social events.

Moreover, the master doesn’t seem to be trying hard to do anything for her.

Therefore, only a few people know about her, and by the time I, who is younger than the princess, entered, she had been completely forgotten.

I think my half-sister knew about her, but not telling me was probably a form of harassment.

Now that I think about it, that might have been one of the reasons the master chose me.

Still, the dowry is known, so there are people who propose marriage.

However, after living a life where you can have anything you want in this duke’s household, other families seem inferior, and she hasn’t married yet.

Moreover, she pretends to be frail and delicate.

I understand what the master meant when he said she’s always sick.

Rather, it was all an act.

“The lady has appeared, and the situation is quite unfavorable, but what’s happening now?”

“For now, the lady seems to be observing. I haven’t heard of any moves, and besides, the maid union and the servants are all on the head maid’s side, so even if she wants to do something, she can’t act rashly.”

That’s right.

To change the current situation, the first step is to gather information.

For now, these three are my main sources of information.

And they are also my source of nutrition.

Currently, the power dynamics in this residence are completely in their favor.

If they don’t do anything to me, I won’t do anything either.

However, since they have become a threat to my lazy life, I will deal with them with all my might—so I thought.

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