Chapter 35

“I thought it was just a rumor, but are you really living as a maid? But Ayla, if you’re living as a maid now, you must behave accordingly. How can you stare at me, the Marquis’ esteemed daughter, like that?”

“You… Bumped into me first.”

“Me? When? Oh my, this girl is really funny. Did you just talk back to me? Even if you didn’t do anything wrong, if I say it’s your fault, then it is your fault.”

Claire’s fingertips went over Ayla’s face and hit her on the chin.

Ayla could feel her face heating up with a surge of humiliation.

“Miss Claire?”

“Oh, Grand Duke Arrot! You came early.”

“The flowers are gathering, so the butterfly can’t be late.”

As she looked at where the voice was coming from, a well-dressed Owen was approaching Claire and Ayla.

The two people seemed quite close, as if they had gotten acquainted to each other at the banquet that was held the other day.

The eyes of Ayla, who was standing there hesitatingly, and Owen met, but he didn’t do anything.

‘That’s right… Birds of a feather flock together.’

She was a little expectant, perhaps because Owen was a familiar figure. He doesn’t know.

The inside of her mouth, swallowing dry, was bitter.

People who don’t know where she is coming from would think she’s very gentle and gentlemanly.

Ayla grumbled, ‘Even so, he is Owen Arrot.’, in a low voice, but the two seemed to be focusing on each other and could not listen.

“But what happened?”

“Oh, Grand Duke. It is nothing. I was educating an impudent maid.”

“Is that so? When I saw it from behind, it seemed like you were being reckless with this child… The child was standing still and you bumped into her and it seemed like you were talking carelessly, or am I wrong?”

“What? T-That…”

“Miss Claire. Maybe it’s because I’ve been living outside for a long time, but I don’t know about etiquette or anything. However… No matter how high your status is, shouldn’t you admit when you’re at fault so that your subordinates can learn from you?”

“…”

“A beautiful lady should have a beautiful heart, too.”

When Owen finished speaking, Claire glared at Ayla once and entered the tea party with a condescending expression.

Owen lightly grabbed Ayla’s shoulders, who was standing absent-mindedly with her head down, and gave her a soft smile.

“Even so I am Owen Arrot, weren’t I a little cool?”

Owen’s voice became playful as usual.

Ayla raised her head and gave him a small nod.

Then, she briefly replied, ‘Yes, Grand Duke.’. After replying, a pretty smile formed on Ayla’s mouth.

***

“Miss Ayla will be in charge of Lady Claire’s tea and dessert.”

Don’t they say life is unpredictable. She avoided the mud and got a poop.

Would it have been easier if the Grand Duke had pretended not to know her earlier?

Starting with ‘The tea is cold.’, if she poured hot water, Claire said it was hot; and then the tea was too bitter, and then it was too sweet.

She harassed Ayla by inventing all reasons as to why she could make such broken macarons.

She doesn’t know how many new cups of tea have been served thanks to that.

“What is it this time?”

When Ayla entered the dining room, a woman with dark red hair, who appeared to be a maid at the north palace, spoke first.

“This time, the black tea is bitter…”

“Isn’t black tea bitter, or is it sweet? Claire, she is always like that. Being capricious is also a disease.”

“… Pfft.”

Ayla quietly burst into laughter at the woman’s honest words.

She looked at Ayla with strange eyes.

“You have a good personality. You are laughing amid this. I am Diane Kerlot, a maid at the north palace. You’re Ayla Serdian?”

“How do you know?”

“Is there anyone among the maids that doesn’t know Ayla Serdian? I guess you’re the only one who didn’t know. You’re very famous.”

Saying what she wanted to say, Diane headed outside.

For some reason, Ayla really liked her.

***

Tap, tap.

Ayla, who couldn’t beat Claire’s torment, prepared the tea again and came out to the living room.

She heard footsteps walking from far away.

The sound of footsteps grew closer, and, coming in through the fluttering curtains, the owner of the regular and perfect walk was one of the people Ayla knew.