2.
The truth was, Ellie’s hometown wasn’t New Chesterton. She hadn’t meant to lie. The village where she lived was much deeper beyond New Chesterton. Since no one would recognize the name of her village if she mentioned it, she had no choice.
Perhaps to someone born in the capital, or at least a village near the capital, the farmhouses there wouldn’t even look like places where people lived. Hadn’t Ellie herself nearly fainted with shock when she first got off the train here?
Sarah headed straight for the stairs. The servants’ staircase wasn’t even carpeted, let alone properly maintained, and creaked with every step. Ellie followed Sarah, panting as she carried her heavy luggage.
Under the roof of a large mansion, there were typically small rooms for the maids. This place was no exception. Several doors lined up close to one another. Sarah opened the door to the most secluded room.
Ellie peeked inside. A small room with two beds side by side. Though the ceiling was slanted because it was under the roof, there was a window and the walls were clean. Seeing luggage on one of the shelves, it seemed she would have a roommate.
Sarah leaned against the doorframe and said, “Organize your things later. Change your clothes and come out right away.”
“Yes!”
With her spirited response, the door slammed shut. Ellie quickly placed her bag on the empty bed. Thinking she shouldn’t keep the head maid waiting, she hurriedly unpacked everything and changed her clothes first.
Since it was already past lunchtime, she put on a dark, plain dress. She attached the white collar and cuffs, and wore an afternoon apron with frills. Once she put on the hat with long ribbons, she transformed from a jobless applicant to a proper maid.
Ellie immediately left the room again. Even for a maid doing menial work, too shabby an appearance would lower the mansion’s dignity. Sarah examined Ellie’s attire thoroughly, as if inspecting it.
“Not bad.”
A barely passing grade. Ellie let out a sigh of relief. The stingy baron who paid meager wages had apparently spent a decent amount on clothes.
Sarah walked with Ellie through the narrow corridor. Regardless of a mansion’s size, the servants’ quarters were similar everywhere. Instead of bright wallpaper, they were painted with dull plaster, and cleaning tools were scattered everywhere. This place was no different.
But the moment they reached the main hall, Ellie’s eyes widened. The impossibly high ceiling and the massive chandelier with easily hundreds of crystals. The splendor, incomparable to Baron Myers’ residence, was almost blinding.
The face of the mansion, the space used by the owner’s family, was naturally decorated to match the family’s status. There was no comparison between a count’s family from the capital and a baron’s family who had been driven to a remote countryside. The quality of furniture was also vastly different. The designs were so intricate that they could be mistaken for decorative pieces rather than furniture.
House maids in quality uniforms were busily dusting the furniture. They all ignored Ellie and focused on their tasks. Sarah gestured toward one of them.
“Where’s Diana?”
“She should be on the second floor.”
“Tell her I’m looking for her.”
“Yes.”
The maid quickly ran up the stairs. Sarah stood Ellie in place while giving additional instructions to the maids.
Ellie looked around with her mouth wide open. Frames covering the walls and sculptures lining every pillar. Her head spun from all the glittering decorations. Even on the carriage ride from the train station, she hadn’t seen many mansions as large as this one.
While she was lost in thought, an unfamiliar voice spoke right beside her.
“You were looking for me?”
A slightly deep voice. Ellie’s head automatically turned toward the sound. And the moment she saw the person’s face, her eyes widened even more than when she had first entered the hall.
Dazzling blonde hair, vivid blue eyes, and a tall, slender figure. A gorgeous beauty befitting the luxurious mansion. If not for the maid uniform, Ellie would have certainly thought this was the lady of the house.
Sarah gestured toward Ellie.
“Yes. This is Diana Dawson, and this is Ellie…”
“Ellie Brewer!”
Ellie shouted without realizing it. Diana frowned as if her ears hurt. But even with a frown, the beauty remained beautiful.
Ellie’s cheeks turned bright red. For some reason, her heart was in tumult. Is it normal for one’s heart to race when facing someone so beautiful, even if they’re a woman?
Sarah continued, as if finding Ellie utterly pathetic.
“That’s her. She just started today. Take her around until she gets used to things. You two will be sharing a room.”
“Yes. What?”
Diana, who had been obediently responding, raised her voice at the end. Sarah raised one eyebrow askew.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why do we have to share a room? There are empty rooms anyway.”
Ellie, who had momentarily been excited at the thought of sharing a room with the beauty, quietly held her breath at Diana’s complaint. Setting aside her own feelings, was it okay to talk back to the head maid like that? As expected, Sarah crossed her arms arrogantly and retorted.
“It’s my decision. Got a problem with that?”
Reprimanded, Diana closed her mouth tightly. Caught in the middle, Ellie just rolled her eyes nervously.
But suddenly, the arrow flew in an unexpected direction. Diana glared at Ellie as if she wanted to kill her. As if Ellie’s arrival at this house was the problem.
A sharp gaze aimed directly between her eyebrows. Ellie swallowed hard. Even angry, she was pretty, but too scary.
On her first day of temporary employment, Ellie sensed that life here would not be easy.
* * *
Diana strode through the corridor. With the obvious difference in leg length, Ellie had to walk almost at a run to keep up with her.
Ellie’s new workplace, the Stoner family mansion, consisted of a large main building and two annexes. One detached annex was used as male servants’ quarters, and the other annex connected to the main building was the chef’s domain.
A place filled with the smell of baking bread and its characteristic hustle and bustle. Diana, entering the place, pointed halfheartedly here and there.
“This is the kitchen, that end is the pantry. Go down there for the wine cellar.”
Her speech was as fast as her steps. Regardless of where she was from, her accent was also quite unique, to the point where Ellie couldn’t understand unless she concentrated.
By the time Ellie had turned her head around to look at her surroundings, Diana was already far ahead. She had been like this throughout the tour of the servants’ area in the main building’s basement. She wouldn’t even make eye contact with Ellie, to boot.
A few kitchen maids coming out of the pantry recognized Diana and greeted her.
“Ah, Diana!”
“Diana, what brings you here?”
“Work.”
Unlike the maids who were being friendly, Diana just waved her hand as if annoyed. Despite this, they didn’t seem offended at all and just laughed cheerfully.
Ellie was somewhat impressed. Despite appearing to have no sociability whatsoever, was this the power of beauty? Everyone wants to be friends with the pretty one, after all.
Of course, Ellie had already messed up from the start. A maid with freckles all over her nose bridge tilted her head and asked, “Who’s that behind you? A new girl?”
Diana glanced back at Ellie. She should introduce her, but she didn’t even open her mouth. Ellie had no choice but to speak for herself.
“I’m Ellie Brewer.”
“Wow, she’s cute. But why a house maid?”
“We’re short on people too… Why not just come down to the kitchen?”
The kitchen maids surrounded Ellie, chirping like larks. They touched her hair without hesitation and even lightly pinched her cheeks. A few young dishwashers peeked out from the kitchen at the unexpected commotion in the corridor.
This was the first welcome she’d received since arriving at this house. But Ellie wasn’t entirely happy. It felt a bit like she was being made fun of. She waved her hands, not knowing what to do.
“Ah, no, that’s not something I can decide on my own…”
Would Diana help her? Ellie looked around frantically. But she was already far away, crossing the passage. Ellie hurriedly extracted herself from the group of women.
“Well, then I’ll be…”
“Her face is turning red, so cute!”
“Lucky you, getting to stick with Diana.”
“Yeah, that’s not fair!”
Whether Ellie was flustered or not, they chattered as they pleased. In their mundane daily life, the appearance of a new face was enough to gossip about.
Ellie quickly followed Diana into the passage. Without even looking back, Diana said coldly, “Don’t get too swept up by them.”
Ellie blinked. Was she talking to her? For the first time, Diana had spoken to her beyond the obligatory tour guidance. It was both touching and disappointing.
She should have just not abandoned me in the first place. Ellie grumbled in response, “They seem like fun people… sir?”
“Then just go to the kitchen for real.”
“That’s a bit… It’s not like I can go where I want anyway, sir?”
Diana, who had reached the end of the passage, stopped abruptly. Ellie tilted her head, confused.
Diana turned around. With her chin raised, she looked down at Ellie with cold eyes. Ellie’s heart pounded rapidly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
