Chapter 60

For me, and for the maids who work in the royal castle, serving in the royal palace, the prince's palace, the princess's palace, the harem, or the detached palace is a great honor. After all, it’s where we can directly serve the royal family.

The royal palace, being the place where His Majesty the King lives, is truly special, and it’s directly under the supervision of the Chief Maid! Only veterans work there!!

And according to rumors, the women who serve there are so "strong" that they don’t even move the King’s appetite… Wow, … wow.

Speaking of rumors, the news of this personnel transfer has already spread like wildfire. And of course, in a bad direction.

As the Chief Maid said, everyone expects that Scarlett, who is to serve before Lady Primera, the debutante lady and the pride of the kingdom, will have her pride shredded to pieces. Everyone seems to be smiling faintly, as if they are looking forward to Scarlett’s downfall.

Even Maena and the other maids and servants have heard about it, so it must have spread quite a bit, right?

It’s not about where it started, because personnel transfers are something everyone finds out quickly, so I’m not going to point fingers, but it’s pretty nasty.

But for Scarlett to be the subject of such rumors… I’m worried about her future…

Of course, it’s not all bad talk.

So, by noon, I had to tidy up the room and, with Maena and the other maids, servants, and workers, welcome the famous Scarlett as a new recruit. Of course, everyone was surprised, and some even looked displeased, so maybe they were saying nasty things?

I told them not to believe all the rumors, but… her behavior was quite noticeable, even to me, who didn’t know much about it!

After that, I conveyed the Chief Maid’s words that Scarlett must handle the transfer documents and procedures herself, and she was greatly indignant.

"Why must I, a viscountess, do such menial tasks?! And to begin with, even when I was serving in the inner palace, I had to follow someone of lower status than me like you!!"

"Enough of that. If you don’t handle these procedures properly, you might lose your position in the royal castle and even return to your family in disgrace, tarnishing the honor of the Viscount family."

"That’s impossible! I am… the Pigeot family is known for producing talented individuals?!"

"If you are talented, that’s fine. But if you can’t do what you need to do, that’s the result."

"…What are you?! Who do you think you are?!"

"I am your superior. You need to understand that. While it’s true that maids of noble birth are considered based on their family status, as you said, the Pigeot family has assured me that you can be treated like the daughter of a newly ennobled family. If you doubt it, you can ask the Chief Maid."

Honestly, I’m at my limit right now.

I sometimes think it would have been better to nurture a more motivated girl, but I don’t show it in my words or attitude because I’m an adult! I’m not holding a grudge over being called an "old lady" the other day!!

"I’m supposed to guide you, so I’ll do my best. If you take pride in being a lady, start by being mindful of your words and actions. Also, if you don’t submit the documents to the clerks by 3 PM, you won’t be able to start work tomorrow. If that happens, you’ll be immediately dismissed, so be careful."

I’m nervous about whether she can handle it, thinking it’s a favor.

She seems like the type who might drop out unexpectedly. She’s a lady, after all! But I’m worried because she hasn’t been able to do many things so far. Ah, maybe this is the nurturing part of being an old lady… I get a bit of a far-off look, but this is necessary! Ultimately, I’m the one who will be held responsible!!

"What’s with you, a late bloomer…?"

"If you know you’re a late bloomer, that’s self-deprecation, isn’t it?"

I answered reflexively.

Yeah, that’s right. Scarlett is already 18! In my previous life, she would have been in her prime as a high school girl, but in this world, she would already be married with children… Such insults can hurt both sides… If you know you’re doing it, what kind of joke is that…

Yeah, I get it… being a late bloomer and all!

Yes, I understand. It’s fine, I have Lady Primera, so I’m okay.

I have a skill, so I’m fine… Yeah, I’m not damaged. I’m not!

Well, I’ve had my share of dreams.

In my previous life, I got into otome games, entrusting my dreams to them… Ah, remembering it hurts.

"…What, what! Do you think you’re being treated well by Lord Aldar Saul?!"

"I don’t think I’m being treated well."

"What?! He rarely writes letters, and when he does, it’s only to you! Don’t you realize that?!"

"That’s because his younger brother and my younger brother are good friends."

Yeah, that’s not the only reason, but it’s not a lie.

Now, Merle Rav and Dean Dain are very good friends, and I often receive cheerful letters from my brother. He’s an angel.

Ah, I’d love to see them having fun like puppies playing together!

Well, I’ll be busy for a while, so I’ll listen to a lot of stories when winter comes.

Right now, it’s the garden party… Yeah, the garden party…

"Stop talking nonsense and get to it."

"Do you really think that? I can’t believe it!"

"…What?"

"That man has never approached a woman on his own before! Even when Hans Edward took him around, he didn’t need to move, and people didn’t leave him alone!"

"That’s why—"

"I can’t believe it! How insensitive are you?!"

"That’s why!"

This girl is shouting nonsense at the top of her lungs!

What is she, scary!

And don’t call me insensitive.

Who’s insensitive, who?

In the first place, the reason he interacted with me was to improve the relationship between Lady Primera and Dean Dain, and to keep things from getting too tense until the engagement announcement. The fact that I, a subordinate of Lady Primera, am friends with someone from the other family is also a form of deterrence against other factions, but… well, it’s almost an open secret, but I guess Scarlett doesn’t know.

If she shouts like that, it might echo down the hallway.

Wait, did her comment about me being insensitive echo down the hallway…

When I turned around, several people were peeking through the open door of the new room… Hey, wait, who was nodding just now?

"Just get ready properly! Do you understand?!"

Ah, this girl is really troublesome from the start!

I don’t know how to handle her at all!