3
She wasn’t afraid of him. His face is pretty and he’s tall too, I’m so envious. Such useless random thoughts swirled in her mind.
Diana spoke mockingly.
“Is that how you normally talk?”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“Your speech is neither here nor there, isn’t it?”
Diana imitated Ellie’s speech pattern while shrugging her shoulders. Ellie realized now. The kitchen maids from earlier weren’t trying to mock her, but were genuinely being kind. Because right now, Diana was thoroughly making fun of her.
“I-it’s because I’ve never made friends outside my village before.”
“I’m not your friend though.”
Diana smirked, raising one corner of her mouth to ridicule her. Ellie bit her lip in indignation. Only her face was pretty. What a nasty witch.
But Diana had already decided to drive Ellie away by any underhanded means necessary. He snickered and said:
“You saw it earlier. None of the house maids welcome you.”
Ellie’s eyes, already large like a calf’s, grew even wider. Diana anticipated an easy victory. With a few more words, wouldn’t she pack her bags and leave in tears right now?
But that was the kind of thinking only someone who didn’t understand the weight carried by a breadwinner would have. For her family, this kind of petty harassment was nothing. Ellie raised her hand high and began pointing fiercely at him.
“You!”
Diana tilted her head as if to say ‘go on.’ Ellie exhaled sharply through her nose. Once she’d opened her mouth, she had to say something. This time she pointed toward the window.
“You leave!”
“What?”
“If you don’t want to share a room with me, then you quit! Because I absolutely won’t!”
A chilly silence descended. Diana said nothing. However, she didn’t appear intimidated by Ellie’s forcefulness. Her blue eyes blazed like blue flames.
Maybe that was a mistake. Ellie cautiously observed him. It felt good to shout so boldly. But immediately afterward, practical concerns followed. She was a stone that had just rolled in today, and Diana was a firmly embedded stone. If he were to badmouth her behind her back, her life would become extremely difficult.
Belated regret washed over her. She should have just prostrated herself and asked for mercy. She was about to plead again, when Diana suddenly turned around sharply.
Could he be surrendering? It seemed like she had handled the situation well with her firmness. Or was he rushing straight to the head maid? Ellie hesitantly followed him, half in doubt.
As they entered the main building, a maid who had just come up the stairs stopped Diana.
“Diana, are you busy?”
“No.”
“Then help me out. There’s a big stain on the reception room carpet that needs to be removed immediately.”
The maid demonstratively shook the bucket in her hand. Then she glanced sideways over Diana’s shoulder.
Diana looked back briefly as if to see what was behind her, and when his eyes met Ellie’s, he quickly turned his head away again. Then he immediately snatched the maid’s bucket.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.”
The maid immediately took the lead. Diana hurriedly followed her. She didn’t say anything to Ellie about following them or where to wait.
Ellie stood there bewildered, then hastily ran after them. Since she hadn’t received any instructions other than to follow Diana, she had no choice.
The three of them crossed the servants’ area boundary to the reception room. Several house maids were already gathered there. Upon seeing the unidentified dark stain on the carpet, Diana asked:
“What was spilled?”
“I don’t know. A guest was here earlier… and then I made it worse by spraying vinegar on it trying to clean it…”
The maid who had made the mistake explained incoherently with a miserable expression. They couldn’t leave it like this when guests might arrive again tomorrow. A maid who had just joined in said energetically:
“It’s okay. At least now we know vinegar doesn’t work, so let’s try another method.”
The maids took turns trying various cleaning techniques they knew. Diana also took a place among them.
Ellie stood against the wall, one step back. She couldn’t interject carelessly when she didn’t even know who was who yet. Besides, she didn’t know anything special about cleaning either.
“Oh? It seems to be fading a bit.”
“Let me try over here.”
“It’s working, it’s working!”
After continued attempts, they finally found the right combination of cleaning agents. But by then, the stain had already spread in all directions. All the maids were lying on the floor, scrubbing vigorously around the area. Ellie couldn’t decide whether she should help now or remain quietly unobtrusive.
One person glanced at Ellie standing still. Soon after, she exchanged whispers with a nearby maid, and they giggled together. Ellie, not understanding what was happening, just rolled her eyes.
The next person, and the next. The whispers continued endlessly, being passed along. The secret conversation finally reached Diana. He seemed to listen to the story, then glanced at Ellie.
Ellie’s face turned bright red as if on fire. At least it was clear they were talking about her. And definitely not saying anything good.
Amid all this, the carpet cleaning continued. The floor finally regained its original uniform color. The maid who had caused the accident shouted loudly:
“It’s done!”
“Phew, we made it.”
“Be more careful next time.”
“Thanks everyone.”
The maids rose from their positions, patting their shoulders and backs. Diana, who had been cleaning with them, tossed the brush into the bucket and was the first to leave the reception room.
Ellie hurriedly followed Diana out. Then she quickly called out to stop him.
“Excuse me…!”
Diana turned around. He looked at her with weary eyes, as if to ask if she had more to say. Ellie didn’t hesitate and went straight to the point.
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
“For what?”
“For yelling at you.”
Diana narrowed his brow. It meant that he didn’t think an apology was necessary, but Ellie interpreted it in the opposite way. She fidgeted with her fingers and continued hesitantly.
“You probably won’t listen to me, since we just met today, but…”
The furrow between Diana’s brows deepened. Ellie abruptly thrust her hand in front of his face.
“I have three younger siblings. Not just one, but three, can you believe it?”
Three fingers spread wide. Diana pushed her hand aside and replied:
“That’s not hard to believe.”
“That’s why I really need this job. So please help me adjust, please. Okay?”
Ellie clasped her hands together and made the most pitiful expression in the world. Even a calf about to be sold today couldn’t look as pathetic.
Diana exhaled a deep sigh. He habitually tried to brush his hair back, then remembered he was wearing a cap and lowered his hand.
The maids coming out of the reception room passed the two of them and rushed down the stairs. Diana glanced at them and opened his mouth.
“It’s almost dinner time, so we’ll talk later.”
Had her humble appeal failed? Ellie drooped her head, looking dejected. Diana expelled a “ha,” a sigh of exasperation.
“Fine, just follow me for now. Do you want to get fired on your first day?”
He turned around as soon as he finished speaking. Thump thump, he quickly ran down the stairs.
“Huh?”
Ellie’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit’s. Hadn’t he wanted her to be fired immediately?
Diana looked back and gestured for her to come quickly. Ellie hastily took a step.
“Y-yes, thank you!”
Diana frowned again at her expression of gratitude. But Ellie hummed a tune as she quickly descended the stairs.
Despite the prickly manner of speaking, he doesn’t seem like a bad person, Ellie arbitrarily concluded about her new roommate.
* * *
In a secluded attic room. A candle dimly illuminated the interior. Two maids who had finished their daily duties sat facing each other on their respective beds.
Diana glanced at Ellie’s wide-open luggage bag. Wrinkled clothes and one extra pair of shoes were all she had brought. Just looking at that, it was clear her claim about desperately needing the job wasn’t a lie. He spoke as if sighing:
“So you’re determined to work in this house.”
“Yes, yes.”
Ellie nodded her head eagerly. Even during dinner, all the other maids had ignored her. Without Diana’s help, she would never survive here.
To Diana’s eyes, Ellie Brewer seemed utterly harmless. She appeared innocent and naive, unlikely to become a risk factor.
But sharing a room was an entirely different matter. He raised an eyebrow and asked:
“What about going down to the kitchen?”
Ellie was at a loss for words at Diana’s question.
She wasn’t unaware of why he was persistently trying to send her to the kitchen. Kitchen maids, like the cooks, usually had separate accommodations near the kitchen.
If Ellie went to the kitchen, naturally Diana would be able to have the room to himself again. But could she really do that at her own discretion?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
