Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

TL: Jenn

“……”

“Dark hair, green eyes… are you going to find a man with that ordinary appearance?”

Wh, what are you talking about?

The Duchess was thinking about marriage that I had never done before.

Hey, we’re strangers.

Besides, saying that my appearance is ordinary in front of my face…it’s too much!

“Well, if you want to, I can find you a good match.”

It’s like she’s holding back some words she couldn’t say…

“You.”

“Yes.”

This darn social hierarchy.

I was bewildered inside, but I answered the Duchess’ rude call nicely.

“Then what do you have to say here?”

At that moment, I raised my hand like a student asking a question to the teacher.

“Wh, what was the question?”

The Duchess gritted her teeth while smiling.

Oh, it was a red light. Red light!

“I asked if you were having a hard time here.”

The Duchess also had musical talent. She always speaks with staccato even in casual conversations.

Of course I’m kidding. I bowed my head, pretending to be agonizing while avoiding the glaring Duchess.

Ha, if it comes out like this, I have no choice but to talk about my difficulties.

“I’m afraid we’re short of manpower.”

“……then?”

“The food seems to taste poor.”

“……then?”

“Everyone kept marking their own territory.”

Ah, I said it!

This was the number one thing you should never say in front of your boss.

Now, the situation will be messier.

If the Duchess said it to the servants of the main building, the servants of the main building would say it to the servants of seperate building. If they knew it, the only victim would be me.

“Say it!”

“Huh?”

“Something like you don’t get paid well or working for Chloe is hard!”

I looked back on my situation for a moment.

This…It’s like a mirror in front of a stepmother in the fairy tale, Snow White!

If I answer that it’s not hard to serve Chloe here, I’ll be a broken mirror.

Ah, I’d like to ask something if I met God later. Why is he giving me such an ordeal?

But as my silence grew longer, the Duchess continued,

“Fine, it must be hard for you to bring it up yourself since it was about your mistress.”

“……?”

It seems like the complaint I gave out earlier was invalid.

Well, is it good that I’m not in trouble?

The Duchess, who didn’t know what I thought, only smiled brightly.

“There’s one thing you have to do.”

“What is it?”

“It…no, be closer to the child.”

She almost called Chloe “it”, right? did she fix it in a hurry?

“And tell me what she’s doing.”

Oh my god, how could she ask for such a bizarre thing?

I bravely asked her,

“You mean to…monitor her?”

“Monitor? I’m just curious about how she’s doing. She’s my child even though she’s my foster child.”

Ah, yes. Even though she often abused her.

I scratched my head. And when I was about to say no, The maid next to the Duchess put a heavy pocket on the table.

That heavy rattling sound, no way…!

“Now, this is a sign of my gratitude for working so hard.”

“That’s…”

I gulped. Then, the Duchess kindly took my hand and put the heavy pocket on my hands.

“If I give you jewelry, you’ll change it to money anyway, so I only put gold coins in it.”

Jewelry and gold coins. The Duchess’ words were full of sweet and seductive words.

The tip of my finger that touched the heavy pocket was shaking. The Duchess, who untied the knot in the heavy pocket, pulled up the corners of her mouth.

What’s wrong with her? Did she want to bribe me with money?

It was too much money to begin with…

***

I came back with a heavy heart and a heavy pocket.

Of course, the physically heavy one was the pocket. The Duchess gave it to me as I put it in my apron.

“Lady, the Duchess asked me to keep an eye on you.”

I went straight to Chloe and confessed it.

Chloe turned her head as if she was surprised by the sound without looking at me.

“……what?”

I kneeled down quietly.

“……why would you tell me that?”

“She also gave me money.”

Chloe was silent for a moment. Would she be looking at me with a more distrustful eye than before?

But soon, she asked me an unexpected question.

“So you didn’t take it?”

“No, I take it.”

I answered as confidently as I could because I had committed a crime. Then, Chloe’s expression soften.

She soon got out of bed and approached me. She held out her skinny hand to me and said,

“Then give it to me.”

Ha…my lady, she’s like a gangster sometimes.

I rummaged through my pocket with a gloomy face. Chloe smiled for the first time when I handed over the gold coins to her hand.

“Alright, good job.”

…such a snobbish smile.

***

Chloe spent countless hours idling during the day when the eyes of the servants were on her, and secretly read books at night.

Such habits were a great help to Chloe when she was later treated as a legitimate duke’s daughter.

I thought it would be more beneficial for me to pretend that I didn’t know Chloe’s double life.

But on the other hand, I was the only one who could help Chloe.

I could get books for Chloe, who can’t get out of the annex.

Well, the more I think about it, the better this idea was. In the novel, Chloe said she already finished all the books in the annex around the age of 15.

Yesterday, I asked Mrs. Deo for a day off. I wondered what to do if she didn’t let me but I was given permission by evening. Fortunately, the servants here have rights to take a day off.

“I asked for a day off yesterday, so I’ll be out this afternoon.”

Chloe is my master, so I informed her of my absence in advance.

But as expected, she didn’t say anything.

I didn’t expect an answer in the first place, so I didn’t think much about it.

Chloe was looking out the window again today. However, unlike before, I felt like she was thinking about something today.

Because she has been glancing at me from time to time since I revealed yesterday that the Duchess told me to spy on her.

Is she thinking about me?

I said again,

“Then, I’ll be going?”

“You.”

Oh no. As soon as I said it, she turned around. I didn’t think she’d react!

“Wh, why?”

“Take this with you.”

Chloe threw me a small pocket. I barely got it before it fell to the floor.

“What is this?”

“You’ll know when you untie it.”

Chloe replied bluntly. Instead of asking back, I untied the knot in the pocket myself.

“Huh?”

The pocket was filled with gold coins. I opened my eyes wide and soon realized something.

These are some of the gold coins the Duchess gave me.

The Duchess’ name was not written on the gold coin, but I naturally noticed.

Chloe, who was stuck in a separate house and didn’t even receive a nice meal, couldn’t have had gold coins in the first place. Except when she exhorted it from me.

“Thank you. I’ll use it well!”

But didn’t it mean that Chloe has come to trust me to some extent?

I looked at Chloe in anticipation. But Chloe turned her head and pretended not to know.

Tsk.

***

Coming out to the city, I bought a book and delivered some gold coins Chloe gave me to my house.

I also sent the letter that I wrote all night. Of course it’ll be thrown away without being read.

Phew, this is the melancholy of a young girl.

They prefer money over their daughter and my letters. That’s just how they are.

I tried to erase the faces of my family that came to mind. Thinking about it only hurts my head. Those wicked people…

I finished my tasks, but the vendors which were lined up on the street caught my eye. Those thinly sliced chicken and tasty skewers were really an unexpected ambush.

I calculated the money in hand. The value of a single gold coin was enormous, so the money I received back then was very valuable. Even if I buy that skewer, no one will notice.

I was attracted to the scent while keeping my eyes fixed on the greasy, glossy skewer.

Ah, this mouth-watering smell…!

“Haha, lady. You’re eating so well!”

Gasp! When I came to my senses, I was already eating my third skewer.

After being put into a spell by the magnificent skewers, I smiled gently and asked the vendor,

“Excuse me, could I bring this home in pieces?”

“What do you mean?”

“Um, I mean to cut one skewer into three pieces.”

When I demonstrated it with my hands, the uncle nodded as if he understood.

“Then, give me three.”

I wanted to give Chloe this delicious taste too. She has never been outside the mansion since I worked at the duke’s mansion.

Of course, it’s also because of my conscience after eating three delicious skewers secretly.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you!”

I picked the paper bag that the uncle handed me and headed straight back. Arriving at the mansion, I immediately informed Mrs. Deo that I had returned from my outing. Before I went to Chloe, I stopped by the kitchen first.

The dining room was empty at this time.

“Hmm~”

I hummed as I went into the kitchen.

I went into the empty kitchen and hide what I had bought. After looking at the kitchen and dining room once again, I checked that no one was here and got out.

“Lady, I’m back!”

I ran quickly to Chloe’s room, ignoring the other maid’s call.

After seeing me, she looked at me as if she was seeing a strange person.

“What’s that on your clothes?”

“Huh?”

“You spilled something.”

It was the first time Chloe commented on something. I was surprised as I lowered my head and lamented.

The sauce of the skewer was all over my skirt. Everyone who saw it must have thought I ate those skewers with my skirt.