Chapter 39

Chapter 39

She shouldn’t have been caught eavesdropping. Nina stiffened for a moment, then noticed that the maid had moved in the opposite direction.

She turned right around the corner. She unexpectedly met Rima Vein.

“·······!”

Rima Vein seemed a little surprised to see Nina suddenly appearing from around the corner.

Nina looked at Rima Vein very naturally and calmly and bowed her head.

Rima Vein teaches Shuelina and Nina, Shuelina’s personal maid. They already knew each other’s faces.

“Hello, professor.”

“… … Did you hear, no, are you on the way to the Grand Princess?”

Rima Vein gazed at Nina for a moment to say hello. She wanted to ask her if she heard something, but Nina seemed to be impatient.

“Yes. At first glance, it seems like you were talking about the fact that the lady was angry this morning….“

“How much have you heard?”

Rima Vein’s eyes sharpened.

Considering the situation, after being caught by the Grand Princess’ personal maid after they were swearing at her, she became wary.

“Oh, I think I heard the word princess and pajamas on the way.”

It was clear that she was wondering what Nina was thinking without changing her expression.

“Do you have classes later? I think you’d better be careful today.”

“Why would I…….”

“Ah·······! Then I’ll be going to the Princess quickly. Because the lady hates being late.“

Nina gave a brief warning to Rima Vein, and then moved quickly with an uncomfortable expression, as if she was tired of Shuelina.

“Lady········!”

I was sitting on a swing with my feet dangling, and Nina ran to my side.

“Lady, isn‘t it cold? Cover yourself with a blanket first. You’ve been out for so long in the middle of winter.”

Nina spread the blanket out and covered me with a worried face.

It wasn’t very cold because I was wearing a very thick coat, but she got it for me anyway, so I had to cover up with it.

I hugged the blanket and sighed for a long time.

“Young Lady. Have you been upset all day today because your pajamas were damaged?”

“I‘m not upset.”

“Even if your cheek is puffed up like this?”

At Nina’s words, I touched my cheek. Where did it puff out? I’m fine.

“I’ve only been in the garden all day…… I will take the ribbon off of my pajamas and change it out with a new one.”

“Ooh·······.”

Nina kneeled one of her knees on the floor, leveling our eyes. She let out a dissatisfied sigh.

‘I tried to hold it in.’

Thinking that I have no reason to show off and be upset, I tried hiding it.

But I guess I was more upset than I thought. My efforts turned out to be contradictory and in vain.

Somehow, I don’t want to eat, and I just want to stay outside in the cool air….

“How did you know that?”

“I heard from a maid from the laundry room in the hallway.”

“Am I a bad kid?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I know it was a mistake that they burnt the ribbon but…… I’m agitated.”

For a moment, I wasn’t able to hide my aggrieved heart. Even now, my heart was shocked.

What do they even want to say about my pajamas…

‘It was the first gift I received……!‘

‘No, the person who made a mistake must be upset, too. I have to control my heart.’

I heard the opinions of two different minds at the same time from two different people, which made it more difficult for me to resolve it.

I wondered why I was so childish, but I also felt that everything was unfair so I wanted to keep going.

“Oh my, a bad child? Of course you have the right to be upset, it’s your most cherished pajamas.”

I thought Nina would tell me to be nice, unexpectedly she said it was natural to be upset.

“So, is that maid gonna be alright? I’m worried she’ll be scolded if I happen to not take care and control my facial expression…”

I was bothered by that maid’s distorted expression after all this time.

Lucy is sweet and kind, but that maid damaged the Grand Princess’ property so she must be scolded.

Earlier, I didn’t have the energy to tell Lucy not to punish her.

“You don’t need to worry about that kid! Hab·······!” (sfx of taking a breath heavily)

As soon as I finished speaking, Nina shouted with a disgusted face, and then shut her mouth abruptly.

It’s like she said something she shouldn’t have said.

“What? What is it?”

“Oh, I’ll shut my mouth·······.”

Nina muttered with tears in the corners of her eyes. What? What are you hiding?

I jumped off the swing and looked up at Nina.

“That’s…… Oh, I didn’t want to tell the young lady……. In fact, a young lady in the mansion…”

“Do they hate me? I felt like it before.”

“Yes? Did you know?“

Nina asked me with a startled face.

“I grew up eating a lot of salt. I can see the distinction between people who like and dislike me.”

(T/N: Eat salt means that Shuelina had grew up in different orphanages that she can see the differences between people. Simply put, she had seen and met many types of people in her times in different orphanages, and now, the Grand Duke’s mansion.)

Earlier, I saw that Mai was annoyed so I couldn’t control my facial expression.

At that moment, I realized there might be people in this mansion who don’t like me.

“Miss·······.”

“It was before I came to this house. It’s fine.”

Nina was sorry, she looked at me with an expression of helplessness. I’m really okay.

Rather, I feel more relieved that not everybody likes me.

It feels like the situation in this mansion wasn’t a dream after all.

“Rather than worrying about that child…… there will be no other young lady as kind as you.”

“Uh·······.”

That’s not it. Why do I worry about people who hate me?

I knew there were probably people who hate me, so I don’t need them to hate me more!

Honestly, it’s my first set of pajamas, so I’m upset. But I do think burning the ribbon was a minor mistake.

How annoyed would you be if you made a small mistake and you’re scolded harshly at your job?

You don’t like me, and I don’t need you to hate me more. Not knowing my negative thoughts, Nina gently stroked my hand with a soft face that seemed to melt away my concerns.

“Then, my lady, speaking of this subject…… the professor was talking about it with the maid.”

“Teacher Rima?”

“Yes. I learned about the pajamas because that kid was complaining to your professor.“

Nina said with a resentful face.

“It’s the lady’s teacher! Of course I have to side with the lady!”

“That‘s the teacher‘s freedom to talk about me.”

“No way! You need to confront that kid who’s jealous of you young lady!”

“You agree with that?”

“Yes! Still, I saw her talking to several servants and maids. I wanted to make sure to know about the contents of their conversations so I can make a report. I just listened to them today!“

Nina jumped and shouted, ’She’s a very dark person!’

“Uhm… “

Unlike in the first class that I cried, the teacher was very quiet after meeting with the Grand Duke.

To be precise, she didn’t do anything that confused me.

The class also progressed quickly, and there was hardly any useless small talk.

Of course, she also didn’t bring up my past anymore, and even if her approach wasn’t friendly, our class went smoothly.

‘You mean, she got in touch with people who don’t like me in the shadows, right?’

It’s disgusting. Pretending to be nice in front of me and holding a knife behind my back.

“My lady, how about talking to the Master now? I will be a witness.”

Nina seemed to think that I was still too young to understand and that it would be difficult for me to cope with.

“It’s not that I didn’t fire her because I didn’t have any witnesses.”

The Grand Duke has already tried to fire the teacher — with or without witnesses.

I just wanted to know her intentions, so I left her here so I could dig up more about her.

‘If she only met up with people who don’t like me and became friends with them, won’t she do something to me sooner?’

If Teacher Rima, who emphasized the importance of ‘nobility’ so much, became friendly with people who were also commoners, wouldn’t that be an intentional act to assist her end goal?

Certainly, she isn’t here just to gossip about a six-year-old kid.

Maybe she was trying to befriend them so she can use them as a card against me.

If so….

‘It would be best to intercept the teacher’s secret cards to break the game.’

I assumed that each of the teacher’s actions contained intentions, and I knew what to do next.

“Nina, bring me that laundry maid.”

“Yes?”

“I have something to tell her.”

As an employee, is there anything more dangerous than swearing at the boss and his family?

Complaining casually like that means she has become close with Teacher Rima.

“Why do you want that kid…….”

“Nina, you’ll bring her, right?”

I urged Nina once again, who was puzzled because she didn’t know my intentions.

A little while later, Nina left and then returned after giving me another glance.

After that, I saw the maid who followed her with an awkward expression.

“Young lady.”

Nina standing in front called me and stepped aside slightly. Thanks to that, I could see the maid’s figure even better.

‘You look younger than I thought.’

I didn’t think she was that old, but I was embarrassed because of my assumptions of her appearance earlier.

At best, it seemed like she had just reached adulthood.

She wasn’t very shabby as she’s a Grand Duke’s maid, and she was wearing her designated maid uniform.

Still, her apron was dirty because she was working. I could see the splashes and water marks on it because she was doing the laundry.

The design of the maid’s clothes was the same as Nina’s, but it was obvious that she was a maid in the laundry room.

As I stared at her apron, the maid’s face turned as red as her hair color.

She hurriedly took off her apron and bowed her head, holding it in her hand.

‘Because you were gossiping about me earlier, you’d get stabbed in your conscience if you meet me.’

I hummed an answer, talking to the maid with my foot on the ground.

“What is your name?”

“It’s, it’s Franc young lady.”

Certainly, even if you swear at where I am, you can’t be where I am. I nod my head slightly.

“I see. Franc, um…….“

“Y-young lady! Sorry! I deserve to die!”

“Huh······?”

When I was about to talk to her, I was surprised when Franc fell flat on the ground.

Next to me, I heard Nina exclaim with a surprised ‘Oh my!’

No way, are you going to apologize for cursing at me? How did you know I knew?

I was a little surprised and had to get up from the swing.

“What?”

“I, I didn’t mean to do that… I didn’t mean to burn the ribbon. I’m so sorry!”

Franc apologized as she was repeatedly bowing her head to the ground.

It wasn’t good to be kicked out if a servant damaged the master’s favorite thing.

As the best job around is serving at the Grand Duke’s house, it was obviously quite difficult to be kicked out of here because people value their jobs.

‘You’ve got it all wrong. Well, you couldn’t have caught Nina listening in.’

I shook my head and grabbed Franc’s arm.

“Stand up. I didn’t call you to be angry.”