Chapter 6.
Fortunately, Ariel was quick to grasp Luen’s true intentions.
‘She’s figured out my lie, hasn’t she?’
‘If I don’t eat, she won’t eat either.’
‘Honestly.’
“Alright. I’ll eat too.”
With a sigh, Ariel picked up a piece of bread from the table.
Even in the kitchen, she had noticed how truly damp and hard the bread was.
“…”
As Ariel brought the bread closer, Luen finally straightened her posture, having been slumped against her chair.
Then, she reached for her own portion of bread.
Pretending to eat her bread, Ariel stole a quick glance at Luen.
‘Is it because she’s a noble, after all?’
‘Even the way she eats bread is different from mine.’
Luen delicately tore off tiny morsels of bread, much like a hamster nibbling on corn, and placed them into her mouth.
Then, she chewed daintily.
Watching her chew the bread with such a small mouth was unexpectedly endearing, and Ariel found herself unwittingly staring at her.
That, it turned out, was her undoing.
Sensing the scrutiny, Luen abruptly raised her head.
“…”
Their eyes met, and Ariel involuntarily flinched.
Under Luen’s increasingly piercing gaze, Ariel managed an awkward smile and spoke.
“Is it delicious?”
“Don’t look.”
“Yes…”
Ariel’s shoulders slumped as she lowered her head once more, her reply a quiet murmur.
With that, their meager meal concluded.
Ariel gently wiped the breadcrumb-strewn table with a piece of plain cloth.
‘It’s really dirty.’
It wasn’t merely the breadcrumbs.
Because no one had bothered to maintain it, the entire room was so squalid it could easily be mistaken for a sewer.
It possessed the kind of visual decay that might attract a YouTuber specializing in exploring abandoned buildings.
‘I’ll have to clean tomorrow.’
Though whether Luen would permit it remained uncertain.
Regardless of Luen’s refusal, Ariel was determined to proceed with the cleaning.
-She crumpled the cloth.
After crumpling the soiled cloth and tucking it into her pocket, Ariel exhaled a warm, weary sigh.
Then, she spoke softly towards Luen, who was already making her way to the bed.
“I’ll be going back now.”
“Do as you wish.”
‘Still so cold.’
‘But well, at least she’s not pointing a knife at me like before.’
Deciding to simply accept that things were better than before, Ariel offered a parting remark.
“If you lie down right after eating, you won’t digest properly, so please wait a bit before sleeping.”
“I’ll handle it myself.”
“Ah! I said you shouldn’t lie down!”
Despite Ariel’s earnest warning, Luen stubbornly trudged to the bed and settled herself down.
‘Sigh.’
Ariel, letting out an inward sigh, spoke once more.
“Really… I’ll be going now. Have a good night.”
She bowed her head respectfully.
After bowing her head, she slipped out of the room.
And so, another day drew to a close.
****
The next day.
The moment Ariel opened her eyes the next morning, she was greeted by a terrible, throbbing ache.
“Oh, my aching back.”
Ariel gently patted her throbbing lower back, then struggled to pull herself from the bed.
Every inch of her body protested, yet shirking her duties was simply not an option.
There was a compelling reason behind her unwavering diligence.
‘I need money to buy a farm, but…’
It wasn’t merely for that purpose.
The reason, she recalled, stretched back to last night, when she had visited the latrines.
As Ariel relieved herself, carefully holding her skirt bunched up to prevent it from touching the ground, she overheard the chatter of maids from outside.
‘The Grand Prince is returning soon?’
It was the news that the Grand Prince, who had been away at the academy, would soon return to the family estate for his vacation.
Although the inner workings of the ducal household had never once alluded to his existence.
Regardless, this development spelled ill fortune for Ariel.
‘Her mother is so wary of Luen.’
‘Would her mother’s brat be any different?’
Therefore, she absolutely had to forge a bond with Luen before the Grand Prince’s return, no matter the cost.
After that, merely weathering the scrutiny would prove overwhelming, let alone forming any true closeness with her.
‘Let’s assume the Grand Prince will return within a month.’
Clenching her fists in resolve, Ariel prepared herself for the day.
She washed her face, brushed her unruly hair, and then donned her maid’s uniform.
She then proceeded directly to the storeroom to gather her cleaning implements.
A typical maid would have been preparing breakfast, yet Ariel had other priorities.
‘If I go to the dining room now, I might be stuck there until dinner again.’
Left with no other choice, Ariel resolved to clean Luen’s room first.
-Knock, knock, knock.
‘Is it because it’s early morning?’
‘No, she never responded anyway.’
Ariel offered a bitter smile, knocked once more, and then let herself in.
With the curtains drawn tight, the room remained shrouded in perpetual twilight, as if it were still the dead of night.
‘First, I need to open those curtains.’
Ariel strode purposefully to the window and swept the heavy curtains aside.
Through the expansive window, glorious morning sunlight immediately flooded the chamber.
“Hmm!”
‘Why would she cover such a wide window instead of using it?’
Moreover, the lush garden was visible just beyond the pane.
As it was summer, the sight of delicate, swaying flowers immediately captured her gaze.
‘How wonderful would it be to drink tea here?’
After indulging in such thoughts and admiring the view, she eventually turned away.
One by one, she drew back all the remaining curtains that shrouded the other windows.
‘Now it finally looks like a place where people live!’
Of course, it remained undeniably filthy, but.
At least it no longer resembled a haunted house.
Only slightly.
No, it now appeared to be the residence of an exceptionally untidy individual.
Nodding with a sense of accomplishment, Ariel meticulously scanned the room.
Her gaze soon fell upon Luen, and she made her way to her side.
‘She sleeps in a strange way.’
Luen was curled into a tight ball, entirely enveloped by her blanket.
“Young lady, you need to wake up.”
“Get out.”
“No, you can’t. Do you know how dirty your room is, young lady?”
“…”
At Ariel’s words, Luen merely burrowed deeper into her blanket.
‘There’s no helping it.’
‘I suppose I’ll have to clean the bed later.’
“I’ll start by tidying up other areas first.”
“I told you to get out.”
“It’ll be done quickly.”
With a noncommittal reply, Ariel set about cleaning the room.
She gathered the haphazardly strewn rubbish, swept away the dust with a broom, and then diligently scrubbed the floor with a mop.
As time wore on, the once grimy floor began to gleam with a newfound luster.
‘She must really have a talent.’
‘Among countless possible talents, to possess one for cleaning.’
‘It was so profoundly humble, it almost brought tears to her eyes.’
‘Still, it was undeniably better than having no talent whatsoever…’
Forcing herself to find solace in the thought, Ariel exhaled a warm, heavy breath.
She then cast a glance towards Luen.
“…”
At some unknown point, Luen had risen and was now perched on the edge of the bed, observing the room with an air of profound disinterest.
Her wildly disheveled hair was particularly striking.
Ariel chuckled to herself, then her gaze suddenly snagged on a small splinter of wood lying beneath the bed.
‘How could I have missed that?’
Stepping towards it, Ariel swiftly picked up the wooden fragment.
Just then.
“Ah!”
A sharp, stinging pain made Ariel gasp aloud.
The wooden fragment, she realized, bore a wicked, sharp splinter.
A crimson bead of blood welled from her pricked index finger.
Ariel sharply drew in a breath.
As Ariel inhaled sharply, she instinctively pulled the plain cloth from her pocket.
Just as she moved to staunch the bleeding with it, something cold abruptly seized Ariel’s hand.
It was Luen.
“Ah, young lady?”
“Stay still.”
Luen, having sharply cut off Ariel’s words, drew in a deep breath.
Then, she gently placed her hand over Ariel’s wounded one.
-Flash!
A brilliant flash of light erupted, and a wave of warmth enveloped Ariel’s hand.
Simultaneously, the torn flesh instantly mended itself.
“What in the…”
Ariel’s eyes flew wide open in utter astonishment.
And with good reason.
‘This is.’
‘This is the ability the female lead developed.’
‘The power of healing!’
‘It was never mentioned in the novel?’
‘How does Luen possess this ability?’
‘And why.’
‘Why is she showing me an ability that was never even mentioned in the novel?’
A torrent of questions raced through her mind.
At that moment, Luen spoke.
“If you tell others, I’ll kill you.”
“Yes, yes. Of course! I’ll take it to my grave.”
“…Continue working.”
“Thank you, young lady.”
Bowing her head respectfully, Ariel immediately straightened up.
Then, she reached down for the wooden splinter she had dropped.
“Ah!”
The wicked splinter, still very much intact, once again pierced Ariel’s finger.
“…”
Ariel glanced at Luen sheepishly.
Luen, in turn, regarded Ariel with a gaze of utter disdain.
****
The Grand Duchess Consort’s private terrace.
Enjoying her afternoon tea, she frowned at Rachel’s words.
“That maid still hasn’t left the mansion?”
“Yes. The brazen girl is still walking around with her head held high.”
“Hah! The audacity of that insignificant wretch.”
The Grand Duchess Consort, setting down her teacup with a sharp clink, glared at Rachel and spoke.
“My beloved son must inherit the title of Grand Duke. No matter what! Yet, a half-wit who hasn’t even inherited the Grand Ducal family’s abilities holds the right of succession!”
“…”
“I’m paying you to bury that b*tch. Yet, you can’t even do that properly?!”
Startled by the unexpected outburst, Rachel flinched and quickly bowed her head.
“I-I’m sorry, madam. That maid, I will certainly…”
“Enough! It’s my fault for associating with imbeciles like you.”
With a dismissive wave, the Grand Duchess Consort rang the small bell on her desk.
Ring.
As the faint chime resonated, a tall, distinguished old gentleman opened the door and entered.
“You called, Grand Duchess Consort?”
“Yes, Steward. Have you perhaps heard the rumors?”
“Forgive my impertinence, but given my age, my hearing is not what it once was… May I inquire as to the nature of these rumors?”
-Sip.
Elegantly raising her teacup, the Grand Duchess Consort took a delicate sip of tea before speaking.
“It concerns the maid who recently joined us.”
“Are you referring to the Grand Duke’s personal maid?”
“Yes, that girl. I have some pressing matters to discuss with her…”
The Steward, instantly discerning her true intentions, inquired softly.
“Shall I bring her?”
“Please do, Steward.”
“I shall fetch her at once. If you’ll excuse me.”
With a respectful bow, the Steward departed the room.
Watching him go, the Grand Duchess Consort allowed a faint smile to grace her lips.
‘Come to think of it, there’s no need to necessarily chase her away.’
Commoners, as a rule, were perpetually strapped for cash.
For enough coin, commoners would readily sell even their own offspring.
‘Therefore.’
‘I just need to butter her up and bring her to my side.’
‘What if she refuses?’
‘Killing a commoner is no trouble at all.’
She took another sip of tea, then spoke softly.
“The tea tastes wonderful. Don’t you agree, Rachel?”
“Yes, yes…”
Rachel replied, a trickle of sweat running down her brow.
