Chapter 49

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Chapter 49

Sera stammered and waved her hands in fear.

“Vanessa is usually very nice. That’s why.”

“Cut it out already. You’re getting on my nerves.”

Daisy grabbed Sera’s hand tightly and pulled it down. Sera could feel the pressure that went into that action.

Daisy lowered her head with a polite smile. Soon, a small but sharp voice rang.

“Just stay still. Otherwise, I’ll reveal the secret you want to hide so much.”

Enough is enough.

Daisy emphasized her last words.

“Do you think your school will be able to keep going the way it is now? Do you think Countess Tonstain will sit still?”

“…Ah, no…Madam….”

Sera fumbled for words repeatedly, but she couldn’t say a single thing in the end.

She dropped her head and closed her eyes.

Natalie didn’t even care when she saw Sera urging her. Rather, she looked at Daisy with a relieved look.

The interview continued peacefully.

“From medium quality onwards, most of the frames are sculpted by hand. So you can see that the foliole isn’t repetitive and it was combined with other shapes. However, it is difficult to see dandelions’ shape mainly because it partially used gold instead of bronze powder.”

“Right. There’s no glaring difference in design or texture, but the difference is still visible. In particular, nobles don’t buy bronze powder because it doesn’t mesh well with other colors.”

“Yes. Expensive frames always vary from one another depending on the sculptor’s artistic sense. It features a design that is not common. It is easy to recognize because the entire flame is lacquered with gold. There is a clear difference when reflected by light.”

The answer could not have been better than this.

“Well done, Natalie Winspran. The interview is over.”

Daisy raised her tone higher in a refreshing manner. She hoped Sera would be embarrassed.

“You sounded more skilled than the students before you. It’s not that you aren’t ready, but you are more ready than anyone else here. So I have decided.”

It was a moment when Daisy took an important step. She felt a little thrilled.

A new maid who will enter the new Marquisate of Jean. She wanted to take this dependable and skillful child with her.

“I will hire you as the maid of Marquis Jean.”

What was left was the other two maids and the rumored housekeeper who weren’t here.

“Congratulations on joining Marquis Jean’s household.”

“I assume you’d realize your fault even if I don’t explain it.”

Daisy entered the director’s office and sat on the chair leisurely, leaving the anxious Sera who walked behind her.

“You gave me a false report card. I’m sure you know what that means.”

Daisy smiled. The silence oppressed them as if urging Sera to answer. Soon, Sera approached her with a deliberate smile.

“Madam, so where is the report card now? I think there must be a mistake. Maybe the date is wrong? Vanessa’s performance suddenly improved a few months ago.”

It was funny how she tried to back out until the end. Daisy scoffed, she then pointed at the door.

“Look, my husband who is waiting outside has it with him. Do you think you can attack a knight commander and steal the report card?”

Sera gulped upon listening to her cold voice. She quickly denied it.

“No! How dare I!”

“I won’t tolerate any more lies. I’m sure you know I could leave here right now with the fabricated report. Then you’ll be arrested for defrauding a noble.”

Sera’s face was filled with mixed emotions. There was anxiety, but there was also a slight relief.

The likes of the Marquis Jean family would be easily taken care of by other powerful families if she just asked.

‘She seems to think Countess Tonstain can save her.’

Daisy could read Sera’s mind precisely and smiled deeply. She took something from the handbag she brought. There were two bundles of letters.

Daisy felt Sera’s hot gaze and took out a letter.

“This is a letter from a maid working for Countess Tonstain.”

Daisy quickly opened the letter and read it in a steady and low voice.

“A new maid came a few months ago. Our Madam brought her after an interview. Contrary to her supposedly high grades, I’m so annoyed because she did a very poor job. I spend every day in hell, thinking that I have to teach everything one by one.”

Tuk. Daisy only read the important part and threw the letter toward Sera. Soon, another letter was in her hand.

“Ah, I know her. Isn’t the maid’s name Basily? As far as I know, Baron’s wife, who is jealous of Countess Tonstain, bribed the head of the Maid School. It’s a secret, but it’s already well-known among the kids. The rumors about Maid School have been bad for over a year.”

Tuk. Daisy also threw a letter she just read and raised her gaze. She could see Sera’s legs shaking.

Unlike before, Sera’s eyes were out of focus and she seemed to have run out of excuses.

Daisy continued in a gentle tone.

“Oh, you mean the Maid School in the capital city? Starting last year, the maid that got hired has to give 30% of their salary to the school, isn’t it? Or is it 40%? They were manipulating the grades after they made a deal. Not everyone does that, but I heard only a few children are selected. I know because my cousin has been through it.”

Tak. Daisy lowered the letter and crossed her legs slowly.

“Today must have been harder than other days. The Maid School only reserved one maid for Marquis Jean every year, but this time Marquis Jean wanted two more.”

Tak tak tak. Daisy tapped the desk lightly at the end of the letter.

“You must have thought you could get away easily even if I sued you for your sin against nobles. If you only lied to Marquis Jean’s family, the nobles would condone your behavior.”

Her voice was calm as if she was talking about someone else, no, she even sounded related somehow.

That made Sera more petrified.

“Ma-Madam, Please forgive me!”

“Unfortunately, that is not possible. I’m not the only one involved here.”

Daisy threw another letter.

Tuk. The letter slid across the desk and fell in front of Sera.

“Countess Tonstain will be angry at you for lying to her and receiving Baroness’ money. She may be angry, but I assume she’ll have a little bit of kindness left for you as your sponsor. But, that’s not all.”

“Madam, please forgive me! It’s all my fault.”

“If I track down the maids who graduated due to corruption, there may be more victims. Not only me and Countess Tonstain, but other nobles as well….”

“I’m not in the right mind! I will give you anything you want!”

“If I keep catching your tail like this, not only this Maid School, but you and your family members will suffer. It will go down in the history of the noble world.”

Daisy frowned without removing her smile. A sigh rang in place.

“That’s too bad. Not only you, but your family who are also working in this field.”

“Madam! Please, please! Please! I beg your forgiveness. I was wrong. I’ll give you anything you want!”

Plop! Sera flopped on the floor and trembled incessantly. She clasped her hands together with a hopeless expression.

“As Madam said, my family, relatives and many people important to me work in this field. Isn’t it too much for others to bear the consequences of my actions? Please. I’ll kneel down and beg you like this. I will not move until you feel better.”

Sera shook her head and waved her hands as if praying. Her voice was filled with tears.

However, Daisy didn’t seem to care about the woman who broke down as if her world had collapsed.

“Your family and relatives, they’re people that I don’t know. And I will never know even if they pass by.”

Smirking, Daisy continued with an elegant gesture.

“Bending your knees like that isn’t worth anything to me. Well, it’s probably more fun to see this school ruined, getting you kicked out, and nobles coming to you in anger.”

“Hic, please have mercy on me, hic, Madam. I will do anything for you! Hic, so please show me mercy.”

Sera raised her head and looked up at Daisy with tearful eyes.

Looking at her pathetic gaze, Daisy turned to the other side. A long time passed.

It was not until Sera lowered her head again that Daisy turned her body to her.

“Your future can be different if you follow my instructions well.”

Daisy walked up to Sera and raised her chin. A gentle voice that fit her deep smile spread in the air.

“Did you say you will do anything?”

“Anything! I’ll pour my soul into it, Madam!”

Sera eagerly raised her voice and held Daisy’s skirt pitifully.

“It’s all over.”

Daisy said with a carefree attitude. At last, she finished one of the many tasks that she had to do.

While waiting at the door, Carlyx glanced at her as she came out of the room. It was a strange but not unfamiliar gaze.

‘I saw that gaze before. When was it?’

After some time, he recalled it. It was the look he saw after the match with Xandarvan last time.

She wasn’t bothered by Carlyx’s gaze, but she thought it was quite unusual, so she said calmly.

“Don’t look at me like that. My face is going to melt at this rate. My face is more precious than yours.”

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────