Chapter 47
***
Sponsored by LC. Thank you ❤️ (2/8)
***
"What the hell, you here?"
"Alice, what's wrong?"
Margaret asked, recognizing the maid who had just entered the kitchen.
Alice was a maid like Margaret, but their hierarchy was not the same. Whereas Margaret was a newcomer to the mansion, Alice was the longest-serving member of the Barthez family, and had established herself as an authority among the maids.
As if to prove her point, Alice did not return Margaret's question, but instead glared at the two of them alternately, her eyes filled with irritation.
"What are you two doing?"
Margaret's shoulders tensed at the accusatory tone of Alice's voice. But then she straightened her back and answered confidently.
"Can't you tell? We’re eating."
"What?"
Alice repeated in disbelief.
"So, you've been taking care of the slave's meals?"
"Because I can't starve her."
Margaret shrugged her shoulders as if there was nothing wrong with that.
Born into a rural farming family, she had been raised to share food with her neighbors even in times of hardship, and she could not turn away a hungry person.
So, the more time went, the more Margaret noticed the slave's wrists becoming more and more emaciated. Her eyes, which reminded her of the carrots she had worked so hard to grow, were becoming lifeless and withered.
Worse, Margaret was already at odds with Alice and her group of maids. In their one meeting, she'd been the center of Alice's attention, which had led to subtle bullying.
Fearful of getting targeted by Alice after she accused the slave of being a thief, and fearful of further ostracizing herself from the group, she kept her mouth shut, but her relationship with her coworkers didn't improve.
Margaret concluded that she might as well follow her heart.
She might not be able to clear the slave’s accusation, but she could at least make sure she had a meal.
"Ha. It’s incredible."
Alice smirked at Margaret's confident retort.
It was the kind of argument that had Alice stomping her feet ever since the slave had become the Colonel's property.
Still, Alice could do nothing. Ultimately, her trickery had brought the slave to the Colonel's attention.
She was afraid that if she did anything more, it’d be beyond help, so she had been clawing at her pillow at night, and the sight of Margaret's friendly behavior with the slave was enough to make her explode.
Alice snapped vehemently, vowing to remove both of them from the Barthez mansion one day.
"That's enough, slave, you come with me at once. Head maid wants you."
Margaret's lips twitched at the mention of the head maid.
But if she left, she didn't know when the slave would be able to eat again, and Margaret, as a peripheral assistant, couldn't wait for her forever.
"You haven't had a bite yet................."
"I'm fine."
Delnia pushed herself to her feet, gently interrupting Margaret's timid retort.
"I'm sorry I have to leave, and thank you so much, Margaret."
With a final, grateful squeeze of the hand that had cooked for her, Delnia let go and followed Alice obediently. Margaret gave her a wistful look, but she didn't stop her.
Snorting with glee, Alice left the kitchen and headed for the front door with Delnia behind her.
Soon after, the second culprit of Alice's recent irritability appeared.
"Oh, look, there she is."
Josephine, standing in the doorway, spotted Delnia and blinked her eyes, her bright smile as sharp as a snake.
But the head maid’s face stiffened slightly.
Alice's face hardened slightly in contrast to the one of the head maid who had told her to bring Delnia.
As much as she disliked that spineless young lady, she couldn't help but think that if she could get rid of the slave for her, she'd be happy. The enemy of her enemy was her ally.
Delnia, unaware of Alice's inner thought, inclined her head slightly toward the head maid.
The head maid still looked dumbfounded, but she calmly explained the situation.
“The Young Lady is going out and needs someone to attend to her, so she wants to borrow you. The Colonel has also given his permission, so be careful not to cause trouble.”
In truth, the head maid didn't like the idea of interfering in the slave's affairs. Roan seemed quite unhappy after the last incident.
So she tried to pretend that the slave was away, but there was nothing she could do about it now that she was right in front of her.
The head maid was in no position to ignore the young lady’s wishes. Even if it was a lie that the Colonel had given his permission.
It might have been different if the butler hadn't been absent, but as long as she had calculated that she could protect herself in some way, she had no intention of stepping forward.
"Do you mind if I get ready for a moment?"
Delnia asked in a calm voice.
"Prepare?"
Josephine laughed in disbelief, as if she hadn't heard a word. What kind of preparation a slave needed for a casual outing?
"It won't take long, I just need to get my hat from my room."
"Then hurry up. My time is very precious, unlike yours."
Josephine waved her hand dismissively, as if annoyed by Delnia's once again calm request.
Luckily, Delnia appeared before Josephine's shallow patience wore thin.
The only change from her earlier attire was that she had removed her apron and placed a brown bonnet on her head.
Mocking her shabby attire, Josephine left the Barthez mansion. With the slave behind, her steps were as light as a butterfly in spring.
***
The carriage came to a halt in the boulevard where the shops of the capital's current designers were clustered.
Josephine, who had ordered everyone else to wait, stepped out of the carriage with only the slave.
The sun peeked through the clouds, reflecting off the jewelry on display in the windows, making the entire street dazzle. Josephine walked gracefully out into the brilliant light.
Her first stop was a shoe store. She should have bought the dress first, but she didn't mind.
It was the most popular place at the moment, which meant it was also the most crowded.
"Welcome."
The woman who greeted them, smelling of leather mixed with perfume, said a simple greeting. Apparently, she didn't recognize Josephine.
Normally, she would have revealed her identity and said something harsh, but today she was able to let it slide. After all, she wasn't really shopping in the first place.
Josephine leisurely browsed the store. It was easy to spot the women wearing the fancy dresses that proved their wealth.
"Do you happen to have any designs you're looking for?"
"I don't know."
Josephine glanced behind her as she was led by the clerk. The slave was following along gracefully like a lady, not a slave.
Josephine slowly made her way to the area where the people were gathered, her eyes lazily scanning the colorful shoes on display.
When she was finally close enough to hear their conversation, Josephine pointed to a pair of yellow shoes and turned around.
"What do you think?"
The clerk frowned at Josephine for asking the opinion of a mere maid, not herself. She muttered to herself that it was obvious that she was a hillbilly, that she wasn't very sophisticated.
And then, as if she could read the employee's mind, Josephine added smoothly.
"Since you were a noble before you were a slave."
Josephine didn't miss the chilling silence that descended on the shop at that moment.
She could instinctively sense that everyone was listening to her with rapt attention, and with a shiver of excitement running down her spine, she spoke up.
"That you were an Eperne, too. If nothing else, you have a pretty good eye, don't you think?"
The name Eperne was spoken with particular emphasis, and a muffled murmur erupted. The uncultured look of the staff, unable to take their eyes off the slave, also gave Josephine a small amount of satisfaction.
She swept a haughty glance at the slave, who was now a spectacle.
Unfortunately, the slave’s expression was hidden by her hat. She could only assume her intentions had done the job, judging by the way her pale hands were clasped tightly over her black skirt.
Part of her wanted to pull off that ugly brown bonnet, but there were too many eyes on her to remove the tacky hat.
Josephine swallowed her disappointment.
***
Support me @ https://ko-fi.com/doraaaaaaa
Write a comment