Chapter 61

The new life went by in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, a full moon passed and it became autumn in full force. Laundry and cleaning, which were difficult and arduous at first, have now become quite proficient, and I have been praised for it.

“Didn’t she originally say that she was the handmaiden of a noble lady? So, I thought she couldn’t do the dirty work although she’s very good. Please, work here for a long time.”

“There’s nowhere to go but here.”

“That’s right… Marina, please, take care of this as well.”

The maid, who was the leader of the maids in charge of the laundry, handed me a beautiful pile of laundry.

Marina Salt…

It was the name of the sickly former maid to whom I accidentally borrowed the status. I pricked my conscience for pretending to be her without permission, though I guess I would have to live with it, anyway.

It was so heavy that my legs staggered the moment it came together, but I did not complain. It was because a life of hard work every day and a weekly wage in return was much better than a life of fearing when Cassius would attack.

Right now, it was time for me to grab a bundle of laundry and hurried to the laundry room.

“Marina Salt, isn’t she really annoying?”

“Wow, that’s what I just thought, too. She’s been fawning so much, it’s going to be difficult for all of us.”

At that, my footsteps slowed down on their own. I listened and walked slowly. Apparently, this was not something they would want me to listen to.

“It’s really annoying. Marina originally used to be clumsy, how did her stamina improve like that?”

“I know. Did she take any good medicine?”

The two maids were so engrossed in their gossiping that they did not even notice I was passing a hallway a few meters away from them. The cleaning tools had been out of their hands for such a long time that I thought that they would be scolded enough to cry if the head maid found out about that.

‘Cute.’

I smirked.

Gossip stemmed from jealousy… Compared to the days when I was treated like a crazy lady in the social world, it felt just the same.

Since I am being loved by the head maid and maids who had been working here for a while, they could not say this in front of me and were gossiping like this.

‘I am going to work here as long as possible.’

Since the owner of the mansion was the leader of the merchant community, the high-ranking nobles did not even come near us because they thought it was vulgar. The only aristocrat who came was only an ambivalent status that lies between the baron-level commoners and the nobles.

Consequently, no one saw me, even as they passed me by to the Capital.

‘It was nice to have peace of mind.’

After leaving the laundry in the laundry room, the task assigned to me was to fold the white handkerchief neatly. It was surprising to see that so much work was put into the white handkerchiefs I had been using without thinking before.

However, I did not feel grateful to the maids who would have worked to prepare a handkerchief for me at the time. It was because I also did not really want the owner of this family to say thank you to me either.

“Marina, give it to me!”

When I folded the handkerchief, the maid in charge of filling every drawer in the house of the leader beckoned to me.

“Marina did a really good job. It’s a pity you’ve been off for a few years, but I’m glad you’re back so healthy.”

The real Marina returned to her hometown because she was so weak that she could not work for a while. And, that was already several years ago. In addition, it meant that only a few people in this mansion remembered the real Marina.

Naturally, at some point, I was now remembered as ‘the girl named Marina Salt, who returned home from being sick and unable to work properly.’

To be more precise, it could even be said like, ‘I thought she was going home because she was sick and unable to work, though it turns out that a girl named Marina Salt went to the capital and became a companion of a noble lady.’

The hectic routine ended only after the sun had completely set. I savored my taste buds as I shoved baguettes into the chef’s meticulously crafted chicken stew.

‘I want to stay here for a long time, even for the cooking.’

I did not know what kind of person the house owner, leader of the merchant, was as they always left the mansion, but his motto was quite respectable.

‘There should not be as much trouble with eating, wearing, and sleeping.’

As the saying goes, delicious food was served every day in the mansion, and several maid clothes that were provided were to wear while working. Beds were also prepared with soft mattresses, thick blankets, and thin blankets.

Even if you search the entire empire, you would hardly find a mansion with such good treatment. Because of that, it was questionable that there was always a shortage of workers for such a place.

‘‘If it was this good, there would be very few people who would quit except for unavoidable circumstances…’

Well, it was none of my business.

I filled my stomach while diligently eating a stew made with various vegetables in a sweet and savory chicken broth. When I ate food that was so delicious that I wanted to eat it over and over again, I felt better.

“Marina, do you have time?”

Meg, a maid I had worked with a few times, sat in front of me with a bowl. She was not particularly hostile or particularly friendly to me — just an ordinary co-worker impression.

Since I already had chicken in my mouth, I only nodded my head to answer.

“Are you done with work today?”

“Yes.”

“Well, would you like to come to the night party?”

“What party…?”

I tilted my head.

Even though it seemed like a party among servants, it was the first time I had heard of such a thing being held here as well.

“We decided to hold it in the courtyard before it gets colder. It’s a matter of the owner’s permission. But, don’t come if you don’t like it.”

“I’ll go.”

“Really?”

Meg’s face brightened.

“Then, I’ll tell everyone you’re coming!”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“Of course, you should be invited because everyone is curious about you. In the past, when you were working, you went back to your hometown without coming back for a little.”

“If you have any questions, why don’t you come and ask?”

“Yeah… Though the atmosphere around you—”

Meg slurred her words before opening her mouth again.

“Anyway, you must definitely come. Got it?”

“All right.”

“Good!”

As she clenched her fist, I smiled back and grabbed the empty bowl before getting up from my seat.

‘A night party…’

Even when I was at the Count, I have seen servants hold small parties with each other a few times. At that time, I thought that it was just a show, but I did not think that the day would come when I would participate in it myself.

After tidying up the dishes, I went back to my room and rested for a while. There was no need to go in advance as the night party literally takes place only after the night is deep.

After the moon rose high in the sky, I slowly made my way to the courtyard.

‘…Am I too late?’

The courtyard was already crowded with servants.

Most of them were wearing plain clothes, though there were also a few people who were wearing maid uniforms or maid uniforms like me.

“Marina, come on!”

Meg beckoned to me.

Around her, there were a mix of maids I had worked with a few times and maids I had never seen before. As soon as they saw me, they murmured.

“Oh, it’s Marina?”

“I can’t believe she’s really coming… I didn’t believe it at all!”

“Wow, it’s really nice to see you.”

It is true that I was a little wary at first because they had no reason to welcome me like this. However, it was not long before I realized that they were just curious about me and wanted to get to know me.

“Marina, tell me about the Capital.”

“Aren’t all noble girls pretty? I heard they take a bath with milk every morning? Shall I try washing my face with milk…”

“My cousin once bought bread in the Capital, and it was really good! Do you know of a bakery called 〈 Bread Baked by a Mermaid 〉 Have you been there?”

“Everyone, stop bothering her. She’s completely frozen now.”

“It’s all right.”

I responded with a smile. It has been a while since I have seen strangers who haven’t been hostile towards me. Because of that, I quickly opened up to them and really enjoyed the party. Even compared to what I drank at the Duke of Brudenell, the savory wine was a bonus.

‘I should stop drinking.’

When I got drunk, my body naturally tensed up. It seemed that I would not make a mistake if I stopped at this level.

“I’ll be on my way first. I’m a little sleepy…”

“Oh, go ahead. I’m just going to drink this!”

Meg exclaimed cheerfully while raising a glass full of wine. I did not know her since I was just working, but I thought she was a really pleasant colleague.

“…Hey, thank you for inviting me. Really.”

“It’s nothing.”

Meg chuckled as she leaned towards me as she continued, “Everyone wants to get to know you. Oh, aren’t they all… Still, a lot of people want to get to know you!”

“I don’t think so.”

At her words, I shook my head.

It would be nothing more than simple curiosity about a maid who came from the capital. Of course, it was kind. Nonetheless, that was it. In no time, they would be the ones who would quickly leave my side as long as I satisfied their curiosity.

“I’m not lying? Why’re you so suspicious of others?”

Meg poked my chest with her finger.

“I think you’re living life too hard. Just enjoy it. Why are you acting like an old man when you’re not that much older than me?”