CH 9

Chapter 9 – The uncouth daughter’s room judging

I went up the stairs to the second floor and saw a beautiful maid standing by the wall. About the same age, I guess.

She is sharp and beautiful, with straight chestnut-colored hair tied in a single knot, and has no expression on her face. A little scary.

"I have asked this maid to take care of Miss Agnes."

The maid bowed reverently, and I bowed hurriedly.

"Good night, Miss Agnes."

"G-Good night, Lord Nazelbert."

I greeted him awkwardly, and Lord Nazelbert smiled with satisfaction and walked down the stairs.

I was very excited. He's so cool every single time, isn't he, Lord Nazelbert?

I turned to the maid and greeted her.

"My name is Agnes Evantail. I will be staying with you for a while."

"I am the head maid in charge of the Duke of Florescence's detached house. Please call me Kelly."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Kelly."

"Please do not call me that, Lady Agnes. It must be cold outside, isn't it? There is hot water in the bathtub in your room."

"Thank you very much for everything."

She seems to be rather friendly to me, the "Potato Lady".

She has a pretty face and few facial expressions, which makes her look plain, but she never showed any signs of looking down on me. Maybe it was Lord Nazelbert's instructions, but he even prepared a warm bath for me.......!

"That's too kind and touching."

Until now, I have no memory of a woman of my age being kind to me.

The maids who were obedient to the Marquise of Evantail used to ridicule me for being a "bad daughter" who complained about all the rigid rules, and everyone outside the house used to scorn me for being an "ugly, potato lady".

I knew it was because I could not rebel against my family's precepts and dressed out of place, but it was difficult for me, who could not disobey my parents, to acquire a modern, common-sense attire.

"This is your room. Come in, Lady Agnes."

"Y-Yes."

Kelly opened the door to reveal an elegant, well-kept room.

The furniture was not flashy or pretty, but it was beautiful and instantly recognizable as high class, with a sofa and table covered in a soothing light purple fabric.

The bedspread, also in light purple and white, was embroidered with a beautiful floral pattern. In a vase, pale pink flowers were inserted as many as possible.

"Wa, what a lovely room!"

It was a far cry from my own room in the Marquisate of Evantail, which was overwhelmed by massive furniture in heavy colors.

In my room, there was a collection of wedding chests from my ancestors.

In this country, there was once a custom for a bride to bring a set of furniture with her when she married. The wedding chest was one of them. And the Evantail family still practices the old custom.

As my parents insist, the things themselves are wonderful. They are fine chests of quality and carefully crafted.

But, but, but.......!

The total number of chests that had been brought into the house over the generations because they were too good to throw away was about to reach 30.

For every bride who married into the family, about three chests came as a set.

Some brides, like my grandmother, would bring five or six chests by themselves.

The sturdy chests grew in number without breaking, and ten of them were placed around my bed. If there were to be an earthquake, I would be out in a single shot.

How about that, Duke of Florescence, this sleek room!

It doesn't feel suffocatingly claustrophobic, and the wide windows seem to offer a good view of the outside.

"This is the bathroom."

The bathroom I was shown to smelled very nice. It smelled sweet and gentle, like a mixture of lavender and apples.

This room, too, was calmly designed.

Voluminous bubbles protruded from the golden cat's paw bathtub.

Kelly, with her arms, rolled up, expertly undressed me, and urged me to get into the bathtub, where she silently washed my body. Unlike the maids at my parents' house, who scrubbed my body roughly, Kelly's hands were nothing short of gentle.

Finally, after having the lather removed with hot water, I was wiped down and put into a fluffy bathrobe.

"Wow, so soft and light."

Hearing my impression, Kelly says, "Eh?　It's just a regular bathrobe."" No, our bathrobes are stiff and extremely heavy.

I leave the bathroom and sit down on a soft chair, and Kelly immediately offers me a cup of cocoa.

"Thank you."

In fact, the only time I have cocoa is when we go out. In our house, sweets are forbidden.

Thanks to the bath and the cocoa, my body is completely warmed up. Although I'm trapped in a situation that doesn't allow me to be optimistic, I'm happy right now.

As I brush my teeth and get ready for bed and sit down on the soft, canopied bed, Kelly looks at me with a smile on her mouth. She is not very expressive, but I know she is smiling at me.

"Lady Agnes, then, have a good night."

"Yes, good night."

The lights dimmed, Kelly left the room, and I crept over to lie down in the middle of the bed.

" ......Isn't this bed too big?"

It is so large that three people could sleep in it with room to spare.

Wrapped in comfortable bedding, before I knew it, I was off to a peaceful dream world.