“Co in.”
Mrs Enard walked into the room. Alie felt she had to finish her conversation with her due to Serwin’s previous interruption.
‘Wouldn’t it be natural to send Milena out?’
“Milena, can you get a glass of warm water?”
“Yes, I understand.”
As Milena left the room, Alie sat in a chair to appear nonchalance. Mrs Enard stood a short distance from Alie.
‘What should I say?’
She ca as soon as Serwin left, so should that be considered a positive aning? Alie swallowed despite her dry mouth.
“It’s about what you said earlier.”
“Yes, Mrs Enard”
“What about an embroidered handkerchief as a gift for His Majesty? I think he’ll prefer the feel of Miss Alie’s hand.”
“Is that so—?”
Do you an ‘no’? Alie worked tirelessly to gain access to Mrs Enard’s innermost thoughts.
“It would be better because using the gift His Majesty has given adds to the aning of repaying. I’ll do my best to keep the cost of purchasing gold or silver coins within the total of the items.”
“…..!”
Alie clenched her fist firmly.
‘Good! Mrs Enard has said yes!’
The pointless comnts had almost overwheld her, but what matters is that Mrs Enard accepted her offer.
“Is there anything else you need?” Mrs Enard asked.
‘Didn’t Milena tell to check it out?’
Things would go wrong if she took Alie’s words literally that she was only exchanging money for the sake of a gift.
As Milena suggested, Alie decided to take another look at Mrs Enard.
“It’s okay. I just want to rest quietly. Would you please leave?”
Alie gave the opposite order to what Serwin gave her. If she obeyed her orders, she would have accepted her offer.
Moreover, she was only good at financial gain, so if she had grasped her intentions, she would have followed her orders.
Milena had predicted everything. Milena, despite her squirrel-cute appearance, was a clever and quick-witted girl. She claid that because she was recognized for her talent, she was able to penetrate Serwin’s attention even at such a young age.
‘I’m not sure why it’s so complicated, but I have to believe it because it’s Milena’s words.’
Alie just did as she was told and waited for Mrs Enard’s reply. Mrs Enard just looked at Alie without answering. The brief silence of a few seconds felt breathtaking. And at one point Mrs Enard opened her mouth.
“Yes, Miss Alie. Then I’ll go out.”
Mrs Enard bowed her head gently. Is it really working? Alie checked one more ti in a dazed mood.
“What about the other maids?”
“I’ll be at the door, so if you need anything, you can call .”
“Okay.”
“Then, please rest comfortably.”
Mrs Enard exited the room with a bow. The bedroom door shut quietly, and the room was silent. The quiet room, devoid of any quiet shuffling or breathing sounds, felt strange.
Alie cast a glance around her.
There were no eyes on Alie, finally. In the bedroom, there was nothing but herself.
Finally, for the first ti since arriving at the palace, she was left alone. It was a ti to herself that she had hoped for a lot.
“It’s a success.”
Others may not have noticed, but it was Alie’s first taste of freedom since entering the palace. Milena’s assistance was a welco change.
She can’t believe she got Mrs Enard’s help, who was just picking on Alie in the original. She won’t die like the original if she does it like this, will she?
Alie’s fist was clenched. She shuddered from head to toe.
******
‘It’s perfect.’
Alie had so alone ti in her room before dinner. It was short but satisfying in comparison to the wait. She never imagined she’d be so free, with no one watching her no matter what she did! She didn’t mind that her skirt was rolled up and back on the sofa. She followed the steps while reading a magic book, and when it beca boring, she opened her brown bag to see if the herbs were safe.
Alie took a bath after dinner. Milena moved in closer to help her take a bath. Milena turned on the water while Alie soaked in the tub. The sound of water overflowing in the bathtub echoed a little.
“I’m going to serve you today. It’s fine for you to speak freely.”
“Is that so?”
Alie looked back to see who was there. The maids were standing near the wall, so if they were whispering, they could easily gossip.
“What about Charlotte?”
Mrs Enard was so busy that she didn’t follow her bath except for the first few days. But Charlotte’s absence ca as a surprise because she was always with Milena.
“I said I’d take care of this, and I told Charlotte to clean up the powder room.”
“Didn’t she find it strange?”
“Charlotte doesn’t like to help in the bath, her hands hurt when she massages. She went to the powder room because it’s a simple thing to do with her hands.”
“I see.”
Milena put a soft bubbly soap on Alie’s shoulder. And she massaged her shoulders and back and neck evenly using soap bubbles. The reason why they don’t use fragrances was because they were worried that other scents would mix to reduce the effect of Alie’s stabilizing on Serwin.
She explained to the maids that “Serwin didn’t like it,” and their expressions and reactions were still clear at that ti. Won of similar or older age looked at each other with crab red cheeks, but she was embarrassed too and missed the right ti to explain. It was too late to regret that she should have made another excuse up later. After that, they never used fragrant oil in her bath.
“You did an excellent job today!”
Milena said with a cheerful smile. Alie’s fingers wriggled in embarrassnt.
“I just said what Milena had planned. It’s all thanks to Milena. I honestly didn’t think Mrs Enard would help.”
“I told you to trust . Are you going to believe now?”
“Yes!”
Milena grinned triumphantly, sticking out her chest. As Alie laughed with her, she suddenly had a question.
“By the way, why does Mrs Enard want money like that? I don’t think she was destitute enough to violate Serwin’s orders.”
“Oh, that’s a story that everyone knows—”
Milena began to tell the story of Mrs Enard.
“Mrs. Enard has a daughter, who has a disease, so it seems that the price of the dicine is incredibly expensive.”
“Ah.”
Alie let out a sigh. There was no dical insurance in this world. So if there is a sick person in the family, the house crumbles.
“But Mrs Enard’s salary would be high.”
“We don’t know exactly what kind of disease it is. So they must be struggling no matter how much they earn because they bring doctors from afar to buy and feed her precious dicines. It’s a tough life.”
“What about Mrs Enard’s family?”
“Her husband died of an epidemic a long ti ago. But since his wife works in the Imperial Palace, both families take care of her, but it’s not even close.”
“I see. She must be having a hard ti, too.”
Alie’s heart sank. Mrs Enard was a competent maid who kept the palace in check. Standing in a straight position with her hands together all the ti, she didn’t know she was suffering from such hardships. That’s how skillful Mrs Enard is at hiding herself.
Milena added coolly, rather than agreeing with Alie’s expression.
“Because of that poor story, Mrs Enard will sell Alie soday. So, don’t pity her.”
“That’s true, but—”
Still, a mother who does anything for her child. She knew Mrs Enard wasn’t a good person, but her heart was shaken.
“I wish there was a way to help—”
“That’s true. If Mrs Enard is on Alie’s side, you’ll be free to walk through this palace.”
Countless people are employed in the imperial palace every day, and quit and go out. A person who worked for a long ti, like Mrs Enard, was influential.
“If Mrs Enard is risking her life for money because of her sick child, why don’t I cure her child’s illness?”
“I’ve thought about that, but you can’t. It’s too dangerous.”
A witch’s magic pill had an amazing effect, so Milena initially thought of using it to treat Mrs Enard’s child. But since Alie could not go out of the palace, she needed Mrs Enard’s help to et the child, and she was in danger of being identified. There was no guarantee that Mrs Enard would continue to keep her secret if she revealed herself as a witch, even if she helped her daughter.
“She’s a woman who does anything for her own sake.”
“But the purpose is the child’s health, so—”
“What about after the child gets better? Doesn’t she want to give her jewelry and gold tableware?”
Alie was at a loss for words. Milena’s opinion was reasonable.
“If you could make a magic potion other than that wouldn’t it be better to make a dicine for Miss Alie?”
Milena smiled brightly and changed the subject.
“I still had a magic potion I wanted to make.”
“What kind of magic is it?”
“Flying! The broom I was riding on is broken and I need sothing new!”
“Oh, does a witch really ride on a broom?!”
Milena was astounded. When she saw her exaggerated look, Alie burst into laughter.
‘Let’s listen to Milena. I have to pay attention to the situation.’
But a corner of her mind continued to feel uncomfortable.
******
Serwin entered the conference room, and familiar faces bowed. Serwin was so sick and tired of this sight he was beyond words. The step toward the Emperor’s seat was heavier than ever.
‘You’re probably out by now, aren’t you?’
Serwin fell into a terrifyingly different train of thought as he sat for the eting to begin. Her crouched back didn’t leave his head.
‘No matter how much you clean, it must be an unclean environnt under there…’
‘What if she catch a cold?’
Serwin thought and clicked his tongue. Did she hate to see him so much that she would choose to crawl into such a place?
While Serwin was lost in thought, there was silence in the eting.
“Y-Your Majesty?”
“Oh, go on. I’m listening.”
The eting resud, but everyone was busy keeping an eye on Serwin.
‘A rabbit’s hind paws are stronger than I thought.’
When her soft feet struck his hand, his head instantly turned white and he couldn’t do anything.
‘What the hell is going on?’
He began to wonder why Alie rejected him. In fact, the answer was obvious.
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