Episode 16

“Oh my, what are we going to do? You didn’t ask beforehand.”

“Again?”

“We’re busy, so could you just grab something and not get in the way?”

The bottle the tea attendant handed me was the cheapest of the bunch.

‘It's a price that makes my hands tremble if I were to buy it myself.’

In other words, it wasn't something completely unaffordable on a maid’s salary.

“The tea leaves are almost... out.”

“We've had a lot of important guests lately. What can we do?”

“When will they be restocked?”

“Who knows. They were a gift, so I’m not sure. Is there a problem?”

“Of course not.”

I smiled brightly, placed the tea leaves and hot water on the trolley, and pushed along.

‘How many times has it been now?’

These petty antics were nothing new.

To be precise, they’ve been a daily occurrence ever since I was sent to the main residence.

Often they were small obstacles like refusing to supply me with the necessary consumables such as today—

Bam!

A heavy weight suddenly slammed into me from the side.

I quickly let go of the trolley and braced myself for what was to come.

Thud!

Luckily, I managed to keep my balance using my palms and didn’t fall completely.

‘My hand's a bit scraped up though.’

As I looked up, a familiar dress hem came into view.

“Don't you know you must be careful with every step in this mansion?”

“Serving the Madam is important, but you shouldn't neglect your surroundings.”

The maids belonging to the main residence solemnly lectured me and left.

Their faint laughter left an echo.

‘How childish.’

What’s the point of tripping me in a carpeted hallway?

I wrapped my injured palm with a handkerchief and resumed pushing the trolley.

Ever since my reassignment, some of the main residence maids had taken every opportunity to pick fights while I was alone.

‘Is it intimidation or straight-up jealousy?’

I had expected this from the moment I became a personal maid.

'It must displease them an outsider who just arrived at the mansion took the place next to Madam.'

Or perhaps there was animosity from the beginning.

Unfortunately, the foreign Countess failed to capture the affection of the servants.

Furthermore, many staff members had already been replaced due to the Countess.

'Who would be happy if their duties changed and their salary was reduced?'

The issue is that most of the burden fell on me.

'It's funny but sad.'

In truth, it wasn't a significant problem.

It's not like I was limited to a certain budget. I could simply ask for high-quality tea leaves.

Frankly, it didn't matter if the tea the madam had was worth the price of a mansion or a single room...

"Madam, I've brought some tea and snacks."

"Is it that time already?"

The Countess rose from her bed and headed towards the balcony.

The summer scenery beyond the set table was breathtaking.

Her hands moved gracefully as she sliced the berry tart.

"Is it to your liking?"

"Of course. Sonnet, you always ask that."

It was a relief that the madam lacked the ability to discern the price of the tea leaves by taste.

'She's been having fewer nightmares lately.'

Thanks to that, my sleep pattern had also become peaceful.

"When it gets warmer, different flowers will bloom in the garden. I'd like to show you—oh my!"

"Pardon?"

"Your hand, what happened? Are you injured?"

The teacup the madam was holding slipped from her grasp.

I quickly saved the cup from crashing to the ground and situated it on the table.

"I fell on my way here."

"Fell? How?"

"By mistake."

I could confess honestly, but...

'If the issue grows unnecessarily, I'd be in trouble.'

Even if the madam were to advocate for me, her position in the mansion was still precarious.

Moreover, it was awkward for her to intervene proactively in matters among the servants.

Above all else...

'What if we all get a pay cut?'

If this were to violate the dignity clause, there would be no solution.

In this situation, maintaining the status quo was the best course of action.

"Did you get treated?"

"It's just a minor scrape."

"Just a minor scrape? These small wounds can be very dangerous."

Her delicate forehead wrinkled as if she were the one injured.

"Hurry to the doctor's office. If you mention my name, they'll see you quickly. Aren't you acquainted with a physician there?"

How did she know?

Her rounded eyes crinkled adorably.

"You're close, right? That silver-haired doctor."

"Um, well, I suppose you could say that?"

"How did you get to know him? Is he from your hometown?"

"No, I don't actually know where Sir Ute is from."

"Ah... I guess you guys are around the same age!"

"Now that you mention it, I don't know his age either."

"...Aren't you two close?"

"I did hear his life's greatest secret."

"What kind of relationship do you have...?"

A mutually beneficial contractual relationship.

A relationship where we sought to matchmake you and your husband.

But since I couldn't reveal the truth, I merely smiled vaguely.

"Yes, well. As long as you’re not on bad terms. ...Ah, Sonnet!"

"Yes, Madam."

The Countess fiddled with the handle of the empty teacup before speaking.

"Do you know any trustworthy physicians?"

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, no! It's not about me, but I heard from a friend of a friend..."

So you're talking about yourself.

The madam fidgeted with the edge of the table and voiced various symptoms.

So vividly, as if she were the one experiencing them.

"—So, I was wondering if you knew a discreet and knowledgeable doctor... What are you doing?"

"I was taking notes."

"Ah, since when?"

"Since Madam first said, 'I heard from a friend of a friend.'"

As a servant in this mansion, wielding note-taking tools was essential.

I tore off the thin sheet of paper and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry, Madam. I'll discreetly inquire about a trustworthy person."

"Oh..."

"Then, may I go to the examination room now?"

"Oh, yes! Of course, that should come first! Go quickly and get thorough treatment."

The madam pushed me gently and added a heartbeat later.

"Sonnet!"

"Yes?"

"Don't tell anyone in the mansion about this!"

Her brilliant pink eyes were clouded with worry.

I nodded reassuringly and smiled.

"Of course."

---

"These are the symptoms."

Clap, clap, clap!

The sound of enthusiastic applause echoed through the room.

The owner of the examination room covered his mouth with both hands and mumbled.

"Miss Sonnet, you're truly the best."

"Is this helpful?"

Keep praising me.

"Absolutely! Statistically, there are many cases where the female lead comes in person... but since it turned out this way, this actually reduced my workload."

His bright smile was like a burst of sunshine.

Is it possible for there to be two suns in this world?

Ute Velvet nodded as he attached my note to the inside of a file.

"Thank you so much. I'll handle this from here."

"Yes..."

"Did you come all the way here just to give me this... or for your injury?"

"Oh, right."

There was another reason I was sent here in the first place.

I unwrapped the handkerchief from my palm.

"I fell. It's nothing serious, but the madam insisted I come."

"How hard did you fall..."

The doctor frowned and stood up from his chair.

Then he knelt on one knee in front of me.

"...What, what are you doing?"

"Could you lift your skirt a bit?"

"What?"

"Lift your skirt—oh, no, that's not what I... Hah."

His face, as pale as candle wax, turned ashen.

Ute Velvet closed his eyes tightly and hung his head.

"I'm sorry. I'll call a female doctor."

"No, that's not necessary... but why did you ask me that?"

His perplexed green eyes suddenly narrowed.

Ute sighed like a mother who had caught her daughter sleeping with a whole jar of chocolate in her bed.

"Your skirt is stained."

He pointed to a part of my skirt with his index finger.

It was tangled and didn't appear clean.

"You had no idea?"

"Not at all."

"If you're okay with it, I can handle it. Could you lift your skirt?"

His composed features rested as if he had never been flustered.

As I lifted the skirt slightly, dried blood scabs slowly came into view.

Below the left knee, my shin was vividly bruised.

"Goodness... That must hurt."

Ute Velvet knelt down and carefully disinfected the wound.

'I can't breathe.'

He was too close.

I stared into the void, clenching my fist tightly above my thigh.

At the edge of my gaze, an eye test chart came into view.

"You didn't come right away. It must have been quite painful."

The alcohol-soaked cotton was cold, but the man's hand gently handling my wound was warm.

No matter how hard I bit my lip, all my senses focused on my left shin.

"Miss Sonnet shouldn't take this wound lightly."

"Yes."

"What if it was worse than this..."

"Yes."

"Are you truly alright?"

"Yes."

"What about my request?"

"Yes?"

---

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