CH 8

When I turned around, the maid who had been tending the fire was squatting with one hand wrapped around her.

‘Huh? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?’

Because it bothered me, I kept looking back at her while pulling the cart.

I’ll get tired of working if I go out to care for someone who was injured while I was a maid.

I’ll just pretend I didn’t see it and try to pass by, but my slow pace abruptly stopped.

After acting like Garnett Willinger for a while, I guess I really became Garnett. I felt bad when I saw someone who was injured, and I couldn’t just walk by.

‘Since there’s no one watching anyway.’

I parked the cart to one side and approached her.

“Are you okay? Let me see.”

She flinched and looked back at me.

She looked my age, with her gentle brown eyes and red hair braided on both sides.

Her face was drenched in sweat or tears, and the back of her hand was swollen red as if burned in a hot pot.

“Wait a minute.”

She stared blankly at me as I pulled a small medicine bottle from my waist and applied the ointment.

“It will burn, but do not scratch or touch the wound; instead, leave it alone. In order to avoid infection.”

“Yes. Do you know about medicine?”

“I get blisters on my hands every day when I pull a cart. That’s why I carry it with me.”

“Oh.”

She nodded at my vague reply.

Her eyes looking at me were bright and innocent. It was the first sincerity I had seen in this world.

A noise could then be heard in the distance.

When I saw the maids hurrying to work, I quickly shoved the medicine bottle.

“Take care not to get any water on it.” Then.”

I dashed back to where my cart was parked.

I pushed the cart again and walked away as if nothing had happened.

* * *

I was carrying the ingredients that had arrived today, but the bustling was different from usual.

‘It’s strange. Is there something going on?’

I kept looking around because the servants murmured and the chaotic atmosphere was unfamiliar to me.

I became anxious that something had occurred that I was unaware of.

I was driving carefully to avoid the crowds and keep the cart from tipping over when suddenly people rushed toward me.

The soldiers were controlling the surrounding in order to keep them at a safe distance.

It looked like a very high-ranking person passing by.

“Go over there! Get out of the way!”

As the density increased in the narrow space, I lost my balance and stumbled while pushing the cart.

“Oh… Oh…!”

Eventually, the cart collided head-on with someone who was walking backward, and the cart fell to one side.

“Oh, no!”

The loaded vegetables and fruits spilled on the ground, rolling under people’s feet.

As I watched the scene in dismay, I heard the hallucinations of the witch supervisor swearing in my ears.

‘You ignorant thing! Don’t even dream about dinner tonight.’

To do this hard work and not to eat dinner was just saying to die.

I straightened my apron and desperately picked up what had fallen.

Again, the carts were crowded.

There was dirt on it, but fortunately nothing was seriously damaged.

‘Let’s see. Is there anything I haven’t picked up yet?’

As I squatted at the feet of people and looked around with my eyes wide open, I saw a red apple rolling in the distance.

‘Oh, no. That apple. When did it roll over there!’

I crawled between people’s legs, concentrating on the fallen apple.

I was about to grab the apple quickly, but a long, white hand grabbed the apple first.

“No, hey, that’s…!”

I was about to tell the person to hand over the apple because it wasn’t theirs, but a glowing face, whether it was a halo or an aurora, was staring down at me.

Suddenly, I felt as if all the noise and movement around me had stopped.

It wasn’t an illusion, it was real. Because everyone who saw this scene was frozen like a statue.

It was Grand Duke Shiraz who was looking down at me.

I was so startled that I fell on my butt and sat down on the spot.

‘Why is this person here?’

Even within the castle, the areas for high-ranking people and servants were separated, so the servants rarely saw the Grand Duke.

I’ve heard that sometimes he came out to take a look around the castle, but I couldn’t believe I ran into him at this moment.

The soldiers who were controlling the people earlier were looking at me with puzzled expressions.

No wonder. From the moment I crawl to pick up the apples, I felt the air was cold.

I was squatting on the ground and had no idea what was going on above.

Instead of wearing the military uniform when I had seen him for the first time, he was dressed comfortably, revealing his smooth, muscular body.

His languid appearance looked like a young and attractive male god who had just popped out of Greek mythology.

Next to Grand Duke Shiraz, his aide Huey was staring intently at me.

Even in that brief moment, Huey seemed to recognize who I was.

I’ve been living like I was holding my breath, but… the hardships of the past have come to nothing.

“I, I’m so sorry!”

I got up from the ground and quickly lowered my head.

I lowered my gaze as much as possible and looked only at the ground.

‘Who is this? Aren’t you the wife of Willinger, the traitor?’

My heart was pounding because I thought those words would come out of the Grand Duke’s mouth.

I didn’t know how the decision that saved me back then will suddenly change today.

Shiraz is a fickle villain.

Fortunately, he showed no interest in the poor maid.

As if in front of an invisible person, he never looked at me and only the apple he held in his hand bounced upwards, then crushed in his fists.

“Marcus. I’ll smash that bastard’s head like this.”

I didn’t know what the two of them had just been talking about, but the Grand Duke uttered something eerie to hear and stared at the crushed apple.

I flinched because it felt like my head, not the apple, was being crushed.

As I flinched my shoulder, his gaze turned to me.

He looked at me and smiled as if it was fun to see me surprised by my nervousness.

I must have looked like a timid maid trembling in fear.

He raised one side of his lip and smiled, but the smile turned cold.

I kept stepping back little by little, avoiding his gaze.

If I went a little further back, it seemed that I could blend into the crowd. Then his gaze will not be fixed on me as it was now.

“Stop there.”

When he gave the order, the leg I was walking backward became stuck to the ground.

“Take it.”

When he swung the apple at me, I instinctively unfolded my apron to accept it. My mind had gone blank, and I had no idea what had just happened.

I didn’t even look back after holding the apple in my hand and walked into the crowd.

I picked up the cart I had dropped and ran as fast as I could away from the scene.

Even as I ran away, my heart pounded because I was afraid Shiraz would recognize me and call me back.

* * *

Since the day I met Shiraz, I’ve been looking around all the time.

I was careful not to repeat such a ridiculous mistake again.

But at some point, a strange air current began to flow around me.

I went into the dining room for lunch as usual, but as I entered, the dining room suddenly became quiet.

‘What is this? This cold feeling.’

I felt a strange atmosphere, but I acted casually as usual.

The silence of the dining room was filled with murmuring voices again.

Seeing that the eyes of the maids who served food on my plate were not kind, I had a feeling that something was going to happen to me.

Sure enough.

“The noble Lord’s wife wouldn’t like this kind of honey porridge in her mouth.”

The maid scoffed as she put the soup on the tray.

At that moment, a giggle could be heard around.

“Okay, so now you’re in the same position as us, huh? I can’t believe you have to eat this with lowly things. Perhaps even more miserable?”

As she threw the hard bread on my plate, the maid who placed it took a step further.

“This kind of stone-like food doesn’t go over anyway. It’s not good to waste things.”

She took back what she gave.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I just took what I was given and walked to the table.

If I make a big deal out of nothing and become known, my plan to live as a maid like someone who doesn’t exist will be in vain.

There must have been some talk about me among the maids. The fact that I was the Lord’s wife before I became a maid.

They didn’t even know how I lived, and they showed blatant hostility just because I was an aristocrat.

However, I can’t explain my unfortunate situation here.

I sighed and picked up the spoon.

‘I’m hungry, let’s think while eating.’

I thought while eating soup.

‘Who is it? Who talking about it? That soldier? Or the witch supervisor?’

No matter who said it, it has already happened.

‘I won’t be here for long anyway. Let’s be patient. If Shiraz goes to battle, I will also run away.’

With that in mind, I bravely put the food in his mouth again.

A loaf of bread was suddenly placed on my tray at the time when the unprovoked hatred towards me was creating a sharp air.

‘What?’

I looked up and saw a familiar face looking at me and smiling broadly.

“Thank you very much for last time. Can I sit here and eat with you?”

I nodded my head casually, but I was a little worried that it would be okay for her to be friendly with me.

As I looked around, thorny eyes were directed from me to the woman now sitting in front of me.

She acted as if she didn’t care, it was whether she was direct or courageous.