CH 1.05

For some reason, thanks to the three of them, I was recognized as a servant of the mansion and could eat three meals a day in the dining room used by the lower-ranking servants.

Mind you, even though it was a dining room reserved for low-ranking servants, it was absolutely luxurious.

I basically ate as much as I wanted, because there was a wide variety of choices, and their tastes were heavenly.

It was more luxurious than a lowly nobleman’s.

Because of this, it made me feel like I didn’t have to fight in a messy conflict. I was like, hurray for neglect! 

Well, it was not quite the life of depravity I had hoped for, but no problem.

Because no one would notice.

I helped with the laundry a bit, and sometimes helped with the cleaning because I had too much free time. In a sense, I was enjoying my life.

I disliked the obligatory work, but it was great to work like this for a change.

I never knew that.

I never knew that work could be surprisingly fun.

All right, please forgive me if I was being insincere.

I wasn’t getting paid.

“By the way, are you three on Madam’s side?”

“We’re not, but we don’t like Mrs. Miriam.”

“Exactly. I do wish Madam the best! That’s what I’m sitting here for!”

“Lil-san, you can get married if you want to. By the way, I’m in Madam’s camp! Because we’re close in age, and maybe I can become Madam’s maid!”

The three girls disliked the housekeeper, Mrs. Miriam.

They didn’t hate Mrs. Miriam so much as they hated her daughter Elise, but in turn, they hated Mrs. Miriam too.

When I asked them why, I understood.

These three were highly educated young ladies from respectable families, all of whom had graduated with excellent grades from a decent training elite school and were employed at the mansion as maidservants.

However, although they were fortunate to have landed the job, their beauty caught the attention of Elise, the Viscountess’s daughter.

Elise, whom I have yet to meet, seemed to be a very arrogant and conceited woman, and she would immediately explode in anger if any of her servants were better than her in any way.

Consequently, the girls were condemned to work as servants for things they have never experienced.

Indeed, they were too well-dressed to be servants, and when they talked, they sounded intelligent.

On top of that, they were literate.

Most servants couldn’t read or write.

So, when I found out that the three of them could, I thought, as expected of a dukedom. I was impressed that even the servants were educated to a certain level.

Actually, not really.

For those who had received such advanced education, it was a complete harassment for them to work like maidservants. Of course, if they didn’t like it, they could quit, but then they would never be able to get this job again.

Basically, a letter of recommendation was required to work at a nobleman’s residence.

If this was their first job, they needed a letter of recommendation from a relative or the academy, and if this was their second job, they needed a letter of recommendation from their previous employer.

And it was the job of the person in charge of housekeeping to write letters of recommendation.

Of course, when the house was as big as the Duke of Lindbeld’s, it was unlikely that the head of the household would write the letter directly. Thus, Mrs. Miriam, who wanted to control the house, seemed to be the one writing the letters herself.

They could appeal to the training school where they graduated, but fortunately or unfortunately, the Duke of Lindbeld provided a lot of financial support to such training schools.

The schools didn’t want to incur the Duke’s wrath.

In other words, if they appeal, they would just be silenced.

Nevertheless, even though these three were reduced to being maidservants, they weren’t so pessimistic.

That was because there was a contract in place.

Although the right to hire personnels lay with Mrs. Miriam, who ran the household, it was the Duke who actually hired them, and it was also him who signed the contract.

And as for the breakdown of wages, that was the work of my husband. However, it was usually assigned to the chief steward.

That contract stipulated a minimum wage.

No matter what kind of work they did, they were guaranteed that minimum wage.

And since these women were contracted as maidservants, their wages were much higher than the wages of lower-ranking servants.

What was more, the girls told me that it was a servant’s job, but that it was quite fun because everyone was sympathetic.

They said the Maid Union could be a good thing if they liked you, but if they didn’t, they would treat you quite badly.

In order to be liked, they were always on edge, deceiving each other, and they couldn’t stop the cycle of telling each other off.

When I heard that, I was like, Oh My God! I was horrified.

Women could be very cruel at times, but this was a real bog battlefield!

But even if they had bad personalities, they had graduated from elite schools and were experienced maidservants, so they seemed to be doing their jobs well even if they were in the midst of the bloodthirst.

In fact, it seemed that the more they slacked off, the more they got told off, and in a way, keeping an eye on each other’s presence was good for business.

Speaking of which, their salary was increased every year, but nothing was said about it, so they kept increasing it.

It has been five years since Elder Sister Lil was reduced to being a maid, but she remained because her salary was higher than other households’ maids.　

She was quite a gutsy woman, and I enjoyed getting to know her.

She had a list of things she was going to do someday, and that was very encouraging.

I’d love to see it next time.

If it’s possible, I’d like to do the same with her.

Especially to my husband who threw me into this current situation.

I would consult her next time, so please give me a good idea, Sister.

Hence, while it wasn’t exactly ideal, I’ve been able to live in peace for so far. I’ve been spending time with them.

And lately, I’ve been thinking that maybe a life of depravity wasn’t really for me.

In spite of what I said, I preferred being physically active.

However, moderation was always the best.

“Ah, right! Here you go.”

And with that, Lina took out a cute wrapped baked confectionery from her pocket.

Isn’t this pretty expensive? I thought to myself.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s okay. It’s okay. It was a gift. I’ve eaten a lot of it. Besides, I’m giving it to both of you. Feel free to take it, you’re a friend!”

I was impressed by Lina’s cheerful smile.

That’s right. The Lina I met here was my very first friend.

When I was a Count’s daughter, I didn’t have any friends, so now I was having the most fun and brightest time of my life.

Of course, it was my life.