The maids stared at the item in shock.
“My lady, this is a maid’s uniform… Why would you bring sothing so filthy?”
“To wear it.”
“…Pardon? Don’t tell —”
“I’m going to disguise myself as a maid and stay behind. One of you will wear my dress and leave. If you pull the hat low enough, no one will get a good look at your face.”
Their jaws dropped.
“I-I can’t wear such an expensive dress! And if we get caught—”
“It’s only until you reach the bottom of the mountain. Change back into a maid’s uniform inside the carriage, then inform my parents at the marquis’s estate that I’ve decided to stay. I’ll compensate you for keeping quiet.”
I pulled out so gold coins from my pocket—one for the coachman, and one for each maid.
“You two keep these, and give this one to the coachman.”
“My lady…”
One of the maids, her hands trembling, shut her eyes tightly and pushed her coin back at .
“I-I don’t need this! You’re doing this to protect Lady Natalie, aren’t you? We’ll just help you!”
“She’s my sister, not yours. And if things go wrong, you’ll be fired.”
“Which is exactly why we can’t take the money!”
“…What?”
One of the maids spoke up in an unexpected tone.
“Our employer is Count Redfield. If we take money from anyone else and follow their orders, wouldn’t that an we’ve served another master? That would be grounds for dismissal.”
“Technically speaking, yes, but—”
“But! If we do this without taking a single coin, we can at least say, ‘We had no choice because Lady Doris ordered us.’ That way, we wouldn’t be responsible.”
“…Oh? Is that how it works?”
“Of course, but only if my lady allows us to bla you if things go south.”
“…Hmm.”
That actually made sense.
In fact, not paying them might be the safer option.
“…Alright. I’ll hold onto the gold coins for now. If you ever find yourselves in a position where you can’t avoid getting fired, co and claim them then.”
“Understood! So, who will stay and who will leave?”
“You decide. I don’t mind either way.”
The two maids suddenly looked at each other with sparkling eyes—
And then they started playing rock-paper-scissors.
Three rounds of fierce competition later, the winner threw her arms up in victory and cheered softly.
“I’m staying!”
“Ugh…”
The losing maid picked up my dress while the other helped her put it on. As I slipped into the maid’s uniform, I muttered,
“You two seem to be enjoying this a little too much. Be honest. I won’t scold you.”
“Ah… W-Well, just a little.”
“….”
I couldn’t really bla them.
Imagine being dragged along on a business trip, working hard the whole ti, and then suddenly being told that one of you gets to go ho early while the other gets to stay behind and spy on a senior officer. And all responsibility would fall on the boss, not you.
“Just rember—no reckless behavior.”
“That’s what I should be telling you, my lady. Also, here. Keep this in your skirt pocket.”
The maid playing my double handed a small tal tool that looked like a scraper.
“What is this?”
“It peels radishes, digs out potato eyes, and if you press hard enough, slices carrots. A multipurpose tool!”
“…You’re talking about food, right?”
“That depends on your decisions, my lady. Now, let’s remove your makeup and fix your hair.”
As I tucked the tool into my pocket, knowing it could serve as either a kitchen utensil or a self-defense weapon, the maid undid my hair, tousled it slightly, and tied it back in a low ponytail. She didn’t use any hairpins.
“Your hair is so smooth, my lady.”
She combed through it a few tis in reverse, then dusted my face lightly before adding a simple maid’s headpiece.
And voilà! A perfect working maid.
“How do I look?”
“Hmm… A little awkward, but not bad. You’re not planning on walking right up to His Highness, are you?”
“Of course not. As long as I just pass by people in the hallways, I won’t get caught. Uniforms are recognized before faces.”
There’s a joke about “high-visibility vests.”
So guys abroad once conducted a social experint to see how far they could get by simply wearing fluorescent safety vests. They managed to walk into zoos, amusent parks, and concert venues without tickets, taking pictures as proof.
When people see soone in a uniform, they register the role first before the person.
And if even a prince wouldn’t care about a re maid, then Percival certainly wouldn’t, either.
Dressed in my gown and wearing my hat low, the disguised maid left the convent. I waited until I could no longer hear the sound of the horse’s hooves before heading to the maid’s quarters.
A short while later, a nun knocked on the door.
“Is the Redfield maid present? Lady Natalie has been sweating profusely and requires assistance changing.”
“I’ll be right there!”
The maid answered in my place.
Once she walked off, we headed down the hallway toward what had been my and my sister’s room.
Just as we reached it, Percival stepped out.
I tensed.
Sensing my nerves, the maid stepped forward first, addressing him.
“I’ve co to assist Lady Natalie in changing. May I enter now?”
Percival barely even acknowledged her, simply looking her up and down before giving a half-hearted nod.
Good. He didn’t even register .
Since the hallway was narrow, we had to brush past him, and my apron’s frill barely grazed his sleeve.
Percival clicked his tongue loudly.
“Ugh… Disgusting.”
Making sure we could hear him, he muttered a curse under his breath and roughly dusted off his sleeve.
I waited until he disappeared around the corner—
Then ntally flipped him off with every foul insult I could think of.
Hey, you ungrateful bastard, the dishes you eat from every day? A maid washed those!
Only after he was out of sight did I step backward into the room.
…If it were my sister, she wouldn’t want to see her right now.
So instead, I focused on simply being there for her.
The maid spoke first.
“Lady Natalie. Are you awake?”
“Mmm… Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Your fever has gone down a little. Don’t force yourself to move. I’ll help you into a dry nightgown now.”
“Alright… The dicine helped… I feel sleepy…”
As she changed my sister’s clothes, the maid glanced at and gestured toward the bed. I crawled underneath.
If that bastard tries anything, I’ll jump out imdiately.
And I’ll grant my sister’s unspoken wish—
Dropping a picture fra on his head.
While I remained silent, the maid continued talking.
“Did anything happen while I was away?”
“The nuns… They’re cold when they speak, but they’re competent. They even noticed my injured foot from hiking yesterday and treated it.”
“Oh dear, really? I’m glad they helped.”
Sister. When did you get hurt?! You still walked around with like nothing happened?!
Then she asked,
“Did Doris make it down safely?”
“Yes, she left in the carriage.”
“She was complaining about how boring it is at the marquis’s estate… I hope she’s alright…”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine. My lady is quiet, but she always finds ways to amuse herself.”
My sister let out a quiet chuckle.
“True. I never thought that demure girl would set foot in a place like the Sacred Salon.”
“Everyone has unexpected hobbies—oh, my lady, let wipe your back one more ti. You’re sweating a lot.”
“…I guess I am. …Thanks.”
Hearing my sister say those three slow, deliberate syllables made freeze. The maid was even more shocked.
“Th-th-there’s no need to thank ! It’s only natural!”
“Right. It must be dull for you here. Feel free to pass the ti as you like. You don’t have to stick by my side.”
“Understood! Please call anyti.”
As she left, she placed a spoon beside my sister’s pillow—if she knocked it against the bedfra, the sound would draw attention.
…But if anything really happens, I’ll step in.
What exactly is Percival planning by keeping my sister here for another day?
Before I could figure it out, I heard a knock.
Tap, tap, tap.
And then his voice.
“Natalie. Can I co in?”
Percival’s tone was noticeably casual.
I tightened my grip on the tal tool hidden in my pocket.
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