"You're late. What were you doing to take this long?"
"My apologies. I’ve reheated it properly, so it won't be cold this time."
Roxana bowed her head in apology and set the silver basin back on the table. As she carefully reached out to take Frey’s hands to wash them, Frey jerked her hands away irritably, fumbled around to find the basin, and plunged her hands in. The next moment, the basin tipped over again. Hot water soaked the hem of Roxana’s skirt. Roxana narrowed her eyes as she looked at Frey.
"My lady?"
"It’s too hot this time! You’re determined to torment me, aren't you?"
Frey furrowed her brow, stood up abruptly, and pointed a finger at her.
"Just because I can't see, you think I'm a joke, don't you? I didn't like the previous maids, either."
"……Alice."
At Frey’s words, Roxana unconsciously muttered the name of the maid she had just met. It was a whisper, yet somehow Frey heard it and interrogated her sharply.
"How do you know that name? Was she badmouthing me? Did you come here after talking behind my back?"
"No. I just happened to see her in the kitchen earlier. That’s how I learned her name."
At Roxana’s reply, Frey let out a scoff and sneered.
"Lies. Do you think I don't know when people are whispering behind my back?"
"My lady."
"Go and fetch more water. If it’s cold or hot again, don't think I won't tell Robert."
"……Understood. I will bring it back immediately."
Roxana stood up, carrying the empty basin. As she was about to leave the room, there was a knock from the other side. When she opened the door, a maid stood there holding a tray.
"My lady, I have brought your meal."
As the maid holding the tray brushed past her, Roxana noticed her face was strangely stiff. Sensing something amiss, Roxana had barely taken a few steps away from the room when a sharp scream pierced her ears.
"Aaaah!"
Roxana dropped the basin from her hands and hurriedly pushed the door open.
"My lady!"
She had worried that Frey might have been hurt, but it was the maid, not Frey, who was injured. Scrambled eggs, still steaming, were spilled over the maid’s legs, as was the hot coffee. Hearing the commotion, Frey turned her head toward Roxana.
"Who is……."
"Are you alright?"
Cutting off Frey, Roxana went straight to the maid who had collapsed to the floor and checked her condition. She was a young maid, perhaps only sixteen or seventeen. The maid, eyes brimming with tears, shook her head.
"It hurts……."
"Let me see."
After asking for permission, Roxana lifted the maid’s skirt. The white skin of her thigh, visible beneath her undergarments, had turned bright red.
"Thankfully, the skin hasn't peeled. I will inform the butler. Please wait a moment. All right?"
At Roxana’s words, two voices answered almost simultaneously.
"No, you can't!"
"What do you think you're doing? Why aren't you fetching the water?"
Ignoring Frey once again, Roxana bent her knees to meet the maid’s eyes.
"Why not?"
"The truth is, my sister was sick today and couldn't come to work……. So I came in her place just for today. If they find out, my sister will be fired."
The sobbing maid grabbed Roxana’s hem.
"Then Father will beat my sister. That can't happen. So please, I beg you. Please?"
"I understand. Very well."
Grasping the situation, Roxana stood up abruptly and left the room, leaving the two startled people behind. She walked at a near-run down to the kitchen and encountered Alice, who was washing dishes. Alice, who looked at Roxana with an "I knew it" expression, was just about to open her mouth when Roxana spoke.
"Alice. Do you happen to have any potatoes?"
"Potatoes? All of a sudden?"
"I need them right now. Grated would be even better."
There was no time to explain the situation in detail.
"I, I do have some."
"Then please grate them and bring them to the young lady’s room. Without anyone knowing."
"Got it."
"Thank you. I’ll borrow a towel."
After grabbing Alice by the shoulders and urging her, Roxana quickly left the kitchen and drew water from the well. Soaking a towel in the water, which was cold enough to make her hands ache, she hurried back to Frey’s room.
"Show me your leg again."
"Ah, yes……."
When she placed the cold towel on the reddened leg, the maid winced.
"It’s cold, but please bear with it. It’s first aid."
"I understand."
Meanwhile, Frey, left dumbfounded, sat there blankly. Only then did Roxana turn her head to look at her.
"You weren't hurt, were you, my lady?"
Frey let out a sharp, incredulous laugh and snapped at her.
"What are you doing now? Why are you ignoring me? What about my wash water?"
"I have never ignored you. I simply prioritized what was more important. I will fetch the wash water in a little while."
"You!"
Just as an agitated Frey rose from her seat, there was a knock, and Alice entered the room with the grated potatoes.
"Excuse me."
Alice looked between the three of them, her eyes widening.
"Good heavens. What is all this commotion?"
"Thank you, Alice."
Instead of answering, Roxana took the potatoes Alice had brought, removed the cold towel covering the young maid’s wound, and applied the mashed potatoes. Then, she tore off a piece of her own petticoat.
"Roxana!"
Alice tried to stop her reckless action, but it was useless. Unfazed by the frozen atmosphere, Roxana tied the long strip of petticoat over the mashed potatoes to secure them.
"For now, this is the best I can do. I will explain it to the butler, so please go home early today. He will understand."
"But really……."
The maid hesitated, glancing at Frey. Seeing her pitiful state, Alice intervened.
"I’ll explain it well to the butler, so hurry along. Go see a doctor. You must."
"Th, thank you."
Wiping her tears, the maid stood up and limped toward the door. She seemed about to leave, but suddenly stopped and looked back. Roxana, meeting her eyes, stared at her, wondering what was wrong, when the maid asked hesitantly.
"May I ask what your name is?"
"Roxana. What is yours?"
The maid’s face brightened at the sound of Roxana’s name.
"My name is Olivia. My sister’s name is Kesi. Thank you so much for today."
Instead of answering, Roxana responded with a smile. Only after the maid left and she had sent Alice away did the room fall silent. Once the situation was settled and she could finally breathe a sigh of relief, Roxana spoke quietly.
"I will go fetch the wash water and your breakfast again."
"What exactly are you?"
"Pardon?"
"Who is backing you? Is Robert looking out for you? Or is it Greg?"
Frey, who had been listening to the situation quietly since Alice entered, began to interrogate her as if she had made up her mind.
"No. No, that’s not it. I want to hear it from you. Why would they put such a strange maid by my side? My brother must be busy……. Where is Robert? Call him at once."
"The butler is away from the castle today for council business."
"You're lying, aren't you?"
"It is the truth. You may call another maid and ask."
"Why should I trust you? You’re all colluding to deceive me!"
Frey shrieked, her voice shrill, and ruffled her hair. Worried, Roxana approached to calm her, but Frey bared her claws like a cat with its fur standing on end.
"Don't touch me!"
"Understood."
Roxana took a step back from Frey, who rejected her with every fiber of her being. Frey’s ragged breathing slowed, and once she had calmed down, she threatened her with a venomous voice.
"How dare you ignore me? I won't let this slide. Either lick my feet, or go pack your bags right now. As soon as my brother returns, you’ll be kicked out of this castle in nothing but your undergarments."
She was so agitated that her complexion was flushed red and her lips were trembling. Roxana bowed her head submissively.
"I apologize for disregarding your words, my lady."
"Now that I’ve threatened to kick you out, you finally apologize."
Frey sneered at Roxana, flopped onto the couch, and extended one leg. As she gestured for Roxana to kiss her feet, Roxana added,
"However, I will not kiss your feet, my lady."
"What?"
Frey asked, doubting her ears.
"What did you say?"
"I apologize for offending you, but what I did was not wrong. A young maid was hurt by the hot food you spilled."
Her voice remained calm and steady, as if explaining something difficult to a child.
"If I hadn't provided first aid, however clumsily, it would surely have left a scar."
Frey was momentarily taken aback by Roxana, who had suddenly pushed back when she expected her to yield, but she coldly retorted.
"You're exaggerating. You seem to think I'm a joke because I can't see, but it wasn't hot enough to make a fuss over, and that girl was acting like a maid when she isn't one. She was a brazen little thing. Do you think I’ll just let this pass?"
Roxana silently chewed over Frey’s words. She wasn't entirely wrong.
The food Frey spilled had only been slightly hot, not enough to cause a burn, and it was true that the young maid had secretly worn a maid’s uniform in her sister’s place. Furthermore, Frey was the precious young lady of the Marquess of Russell. Most nobles didn't care how their subordinates were hurt or what circumstances they were in. Roxana knew one person who was the epitome of nobility: her father, the Marquess of Dalton.
Having organized her thoughts, Roxana slowly knelt before Frey. Then she asked,
"My lady. Can you not show a little mercy?"
"Mercy?"
"Yes. Just as one might offer water from a canteen to a dying beast on the roadside, can you not offer a small mercy to a poor child?"
"Why should I do that for someone else?"
"It is not for someone else. Only then will you be happy, too."
"You are becoming more and more insolent. Who do you think you are?"
"My lady."
Frey was just about to unleash a torrent of words, her expression one of utter disbelief.
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