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Chapter 10




‘It’s impossible. The Empress didn’t even trust me in the first place. If otherwise, why would she hide her identity.’
Meanwhile, Senior Maid Wember was peering over the maids like a hawk.
She continued, “And as far as I know, out of all of Her Majesty’s people, there is no one who is specifically favored by her.”
“…”
“…”
The maids were looking at each other, their gazes  moving unstably from  place to place, perhaps an action that stemmed from their guilty conscience.
“Her Majesty has graced you with this job, so why can’t you show a little respect to the child she has chosen?”
“But, Senior Maid Wember…”
“You know we can’t…”
“Don’t make excuses. Although the child is young, she was chosen by the Empress herself.”
The maids tried to protest, but Wember drew a firm line.
“And it was her Majesty who promoted her to an official maid.”
“That’s…”
“You…aren’t going to defy Her Majesty’s orders, are you?” the senior maid asked as her eyes squinted with suspicion.
The startled maids’ complaints immediately ceased.
‘…wow, how could she control the maids with such ease?’
I was amazed by the absolute power of her words.
“If you are jealous of your new superior and cause trouble…”
Wember smiled coldly.
“What do you think will happen to you if you receive the Empress’ anger?”
The sound of the maids’ swallowing could be heard from all the way here.
A new realization dawned upon me.
‘She is worthy of the title ‘Senior maid’. It seems that by the time you become a senior maid, you’ll be able to handle all sorts of problems.’
I couldn’t compare to her at all.
I gazed at the senior maid who had skillfully handled the situation.
“If you understand me, you should all get going.”
The maids dispersed quickly.
To their departing backs, Wember, the senior maid, raised her voice.
“If I hear any complaints about the youngest maid in the future, I won’t let you off!”
‘Is it over?’
‘What am I supposed to do now?’
I was a little flustered and confused about the situation.
Well, I guess it’s right to say thank you here, right?
I spoke up carefully, “Senior Maid Wember, thank you so much for your help.”
However, the senior maid shook her head lightly and smiled, “You don’t need to thank me.”
“I should have disciplined the maids more strictly in the first place to prevent this from happening.”
“But…”
“You’re shocked, aren’t you, Charlize?”
‘Ah.’
I stared at her in surprise.
She remembered my name.
Senior Maid Wember bent down, and her clear eyes came in contact with mine.
The corner of her eyes crinkled into a crescent  as she smiled.
“I’m a little sorry that this incident happened in our first meeting, but it’s nice to meet you.”
“Well, I’m glad to meet you, too!”
“Do you like the rose crystal brooch?”
I could feel warmth creep up on both of my checks and nodded bashfully.
The senior maid, who saw my response, spoke in a friendly voice.
“I’m glad you like it. The brooch looks very good on you.”
“Thank you.”
‘I feel flattered by her compliment even though I’m still wearing my old uniform under the brooch…’
I could feel my heart pounding.
The person who’d praise me so far was only Sister Rose…I mean the Empress.
I fiddled with the brooch hanging on my chest.
“My name is Lisa Wember, the senior maid of the Empress’ Palace.”
Wember.
I glanced at the senior maid with curiosity.
Seeing that she had a family name, the lady in front of me must’ve come from an aristocratic family.
I used to have a vague idea that the ladies from the nobility would be snobbish and arrogant…
However, Head Maid Hayden and Senior Maid Wember were unexpectedly kindhearted.
“By the way, Charlize, you’re still very young… Isn’t it hard for you to work as a maid?”
“It’s okay, I can do it.”
“Alright…”
The senior maid nodded, but nevertheless, failed to conceal the pity from her face.
‘…it’s kind of strange that someone cares about me like this.’
Somehow my heart was bubbling with unfamiliar feelings.
Before I got sidetracked any further, I switched the topic hastily.
“Speaking of which…why are there only pretty things in the palace?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“The garden and the building are both wonderful, even Senior Maid Wember is very pretty.”
The words that came out of my mouth weren’t flattery. I was being truthful.
The beauty of the Empress’ Palace had exceeded my imagination. I couldn’t help but admire the breathtaking sight of the palace.
Even the people who worked here, like Senior Maid Wember, were  very beautiful.
When she heard me, Senior Maid Wember couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Oh, thank you for saying that.”
She patted my head.
“But, if you think about it that way, then I must say that Charlize really fits this palace.”
“Pardon?”
“Because Charlize is the prettiest kid I’ve ever seen.”
I let out an awkward laugh at her praise.
Because her words had reminded me that I was going to be one of the most beautiful women in the future.
Although in the end, my life was ruined because of that beauty.
‘How ironic.’ I brooded in resentment.
However, Senior Maid Wember’s words cut through my chain of thought.
“You know, Charlize.”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember what I said earlier?”
I tilted my head and looked up towards the senior maid.
Wember’s smile grew while she spoke, “I said that you’re the only one who can please Her Majesty.”
‘Ah.’
I stiffened up at her reminder.
As if to cheer me up, the senior maid patted my shoulders lightly.
“So, from now on, you’ve got to take care of the Empress, okay?”
‘…I don’t think that’s possible.’
It seemed that the people of the Empress’ Palace hadn’t found out about the truth of our relationship yet.
‘Well, I don’t even know why the Empress called me after our last meeting.’
Feeling uneasy, as if thorns was pricking my skin, I quickly turned around.
“Well, by the way, are we going to work with other maids?”
“Yes, that’s right. Originally, the official maids were only me and the head maid.”
“Oh, really?”
“Now that Charlize is here, there are three of us,” Wember shrugged lightly <b>.</b>
She continued explaining the inner working of the palace.
There were only three official maids, including me. The other maids only came to help with chores.
“The head maid usually calls around five people to help with the chores, but they only come in the morning and go back in the evening.”
“There are fewer people than I expected.”
“Yes, it’s because Her Majesty doesn’t want to waste labor cost.”
Come to think of it. The novel did describe a reason for the Empress’ behavior.
‘The Empress didn’t trust anyone. Thus, she didn’t have many people by her side.’
Didn’t the novel describe her as such?
But to say that…
‘The atmosphere at this palace is more welcoming than in my previous workplace.
Usually, the ambience of the palace follows the personality of the owner.
That means the warm atmosphere of the empress’ palace was due to the Empress’ own gentle nature.
If the Empress had a dreadful personality, as the novel had described, everyone would feel uncomfortable.
‘But no one is like that. Everyone looks so comfortable working here.’
I’d never felt this relaxed before.
The Empress’ routine, which the senior maid explained, was roughly like this:
The Empress is a very earnest person, so she opens her eyes no later than seven in the morning.
It was remarkably early, given that ordinary aristocrats would only wake up around lunchtime.
After having a light meal, she would start her work.
If she didn’t have any special event at lunch, she would sit in front of her desk until evening. She wouldn’t let go of the documents until right before she went to bed.
‘This… Doesn’t she seem like a workaholic?’
I was scared out of my wits.
Remembering the time when the Empress was hiding her identity as “Sister Rose,” it made me wonder; how did she even have the spare time to meet me?
“So when does the Empress rest?” I questioned unknowingly.
What if she got sick when she was so wrapped up in her work?
Wember shook her head.
“It’s…she hardly rests, that’s why we’re very worried.”
“…she works that much?”
“Yes, although on Tuesdays and Saturdays, she’d take some time off work, and go out for a while, but…” the senior maid trailed off, having a concerned look on her face.
‘Tuesday and Saturday.’
I held my breath.
Those were the days we promised to meet each other.
The senior maid smiled as if to assure me.
“But don’t worry, Her Majesty is quite the generous master.”
So it won’t be too hard to work as her maid.
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That’s what the senior maid implied as if to comfort me.
But my heart still felt heavy.
‘She works so hard, yet she still spared her precious time to see me.’
Meanwhile, the senior maid straightened her body.
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Nox
Diya
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