Chapter 3 - Spring blooms in winter's pavilion (2)

"Don't be so disappointed. My lady."

I was fooled. I was really fooled.

I don't trust others easily but I didn't expect to get hit in the back of my head like this.

"Lady, now the clothes are ······."

"I, I don't like it…..!"

"It's okay. I'm not scary. Ta-da, there's a toy here who can be your friend."

Peina spoke with a smile on her face, sticking out a small yellow rubber mass with black eyeballs and a pouty mouth in front of me.

As Peina held it in her hand and pressed it, a sound resembling a scream came out. Pretty cute!

Behind her back was a bathtub full of hot water spewing steam.

I thought I was going to the dining room but the maids immediately brought me here.

I felt like crying a little bit.

"Come on, miss. Now you have to take off your clothes."

"That's enough········!"

But let's make a last resistance.

Honestly, it was so unfair. How can you fool a child like this?

"I, I thought we were going to the dining hall first.…!"

You're not feeding me first, you're bringing me to the bathroom to wash up!

A small rubber duck doll in Peina's hand made a strange noise again. I smiled embarrassingly.

In the meantime, another exclusive maid Mary, quickly peeled off the dress I was wearing.

"The closet you were in has been left unattended for more than two years. You have to wash up because you're covered in dust. Otherwise, you'll get sick!"

"That's right. Pretty clothes are also prepared! Then, would you like to say hello to your duck friend again? Hello, Miss! Quack Quack!"

Quack quack. The duck doll says hello.

I was so offended that I couldn't answer, but I decided to accept the situation itself for now.

I feel lightened after taking off the cheap dresses that slave traders forced me to wear.

I didn't wash up for a week, so I don't want to wash up because I got used to it again, but I changed my mind a little after I was transferred to the hands of the maids and entered the bathtub.

Warm water, set to the right temperature for my body, eased the muscles of my entire body, which had been tense.

The soap bubble flopped into the bathtub, and the scent of flowers spread naturally in the bathroom.

I was looking at the foam that was floating round and rising in front of my eyes, and several female maids rolled up their sleeves.

Peina, who tied her skirt together, reached out to me.

"Then, miss, we'll wash you up now."

I remember hearing that aristocrats usually wait in the bath from a very young age.

Shady Semond, a year younger than me, was also served in a bath by three maids.

I only experienced it when I was treated as a guest, but I mostly grew up being treated as maid or toy by the Count, so this bathing service felt burdensome.

In addition, it is uncomfortable to put your body in the hands of people you saw for the first time today.

"I, I'll do it."

"What?"

"Well, I can wash myself. It's true."

Above all, you should show that you know how to wash yourself, so you can tell them that I won't bother them in the future.

Taking care of a child is annoying.

It was a saying that Count Semond's maids will always tell until it I marked it on my brain.

I shouldn't annoy or bother people who seem to be nice to me after a long time.

The maids seemed embarrassed, but when I continued to appeal that I could wash well on my own, they stepped aside slightly.

It was not until the door was closed that I began to wipe myself with bubbles.

After washing up, I started cleaning the bathroom after removing the floating duck doll from the bathtub.

The Duchy of Wensgray's bathroom was very spacious compared to Count Semond's, but I'm already used to cleaning.

The spacious bathroom looked shiny when I wiped everything clean and even the water on the floor so that there was no foam left.

I'm a little proud. The steam escaped when the window was opened.

"Lady, are you finished washing up?"

Just in time, the maids were entering the bathroom again.

They're carrying a towel that was prepared to cover my body, and another one that will be used for drying my hair that was still wet.

And they stood frozen, I could see them looking around the bathroom with shocked faces.

I looked at them nervously, hoping for a nice compliment.

I washed myself clean and cleaned up. It's not that much trouble to take care of, is it?

So don't hit me from now on. I'll eat a little bit, and I'll know everything about organizing and cleaning.

"Oh, lady,"

But why are they shocked?

I looked around the bathroom to see if I had cleaned up or made a mistake, but even if I looked again, the bathroom was only shiny and clean.

As I looked back at the maids with an anxious face, Peina hurriedly leaned down to meet my eye level and asked.

"Oh, did you clean the bathroom all the way?"

"Woong, yes·······."

"Lady."

Peina suddenly clasped my hands.

I thought she was scary, but now she looked worried.

"Who taught you to do that before you came here?"

Now I see other maids eyes' looking at me worriedly.

Suddenly, scars were seen all over the body through the towels.

Oops, I didn't want to show this to others.

As she quickly bowed, nodded, and looked up, Peina was unexpectedly smiling softly.

She spoke in a calm voice.

"Lady, you don't have to do this from now on. It's our job."

When I opened my eyes wide, Peina loosened the towel that was wrapped around my head gently and began to wipe my hair with a soft touch.

The wet, light pink hair curled and stretched under the shoulders.

"You are one of our precious masters from now on, so you don't have to do anything. Okay?"

Rather, I was a little embarrassed.

It was the first time I was told that I shouldn't have cleaned up.

The maids cleaned my body carefully and then took me to the dressing room.

The seamstress, who was waiting inside, began to measure my entire body in a loose gown.

Then, there was a sound of 'rumbling' in my stomach, she tried to stop her laughter and said that she would make a new dress.

Right now, I wore a pre-arranged dress that fits me perfectly.

The luxurious dress was not as heavy and frizzy as the slave traders made me wore, but light and soft.

It was a gold dress with jewelry decorations, and a red ribbon was attached to the waist to give the expression of cuteness.

When I stood in front of the mirror, a pretty noble lady I had never seen was seen. I was so surprised that I couldn't talk for a while.

"Then, my lady, enjoy your meal."

The meal that was finally served was also surprising.

As Peina said, it was a main diet of meat such as large chicken, which was baked crispy on the outside and sprinkled freely with savory sauce.

A line of sauces were served with fresh flavors so that they were not greasy, and a cup of all kinds of juice and clean water was served.

Everything seemed appetizing, but there was something else that led to my eyes.

"I,....What's that?"

I tried to speak informally even though it was still awkward, because the maids told me to stop talking formally.

It a large bread, filled with baked fruits, and they poured honey on top of it.

Peina saw the food pointed my fingertips pointed at and explained it right away.

"It's a food called 'The Holy Grail of Roasted Fruit' I don't know if you've seen it, but our estate is covered in snow, right?"

It was hectic, but I remembered it on the way.

The Duchy of Wensgray was covered with snow as a whole, and a huge mountain stream with snow surrounding it, so it didn't look like fruit would grow well if you look at it.

"So there used to be a bad harvest, and the Duke magically adjusted the climate so that fruits and grains could grow better than in other regions in the season. The Holy Grail of this baked fruit was made to honor the Duke's achievements at that time."

"Wouldn't it be possible to make the snow not fall at all?"

"The magic of climate manipulation is very difficult. That's why we can't keep it from snowing at all. The Duke is a great man, but if he does, the ecosystem could be disturbed."

Even though Henriette is a personally flawed child, I can see that he is a great wizard and cares about his own land.

Among the things in the Holy Grail of the baked fruit, she shared a piece of bread inside the baked peach and placed it on a plate in front of me.

I took a bite of it, and the combination of a surprisingly dense, deep sweet taste, rich nectar, and the crispy and soft texture of the bread made a fantastic harmony.

The bread was lavish with expensive butter, and it tasted too luxurious.

I've never tried this for the first time. The inside of my cheek was sore.

"Lady, enjoy your meal."

The maids began to serve my meal.

Then, whenever the cook cut the large chicken with a long knife to make it easy to eat, white smoke soared over the ripe meat.

The soft part was picked and put in front of me, and I ate it very slowly.

Originally, I was going to eat very little, but it was so delicious that I ate everything I put on a plate like a starved grown up.

Still, I was worried that eating too much would make the servants annoyed so I kept looking at the maids.

But whenever I ate enough food to make my cheeks bulge, they just wiped my mouth. They also brought me a new one whenever I dropped my fork.

I felt like crying for nothing. It's not because I'm sad or scared, it's my first time eating something delicious.

After eating enough to fill my stomach, I felt sleepy.

Peina took me somewhere.

"From now on, this is your room."

I felt a little sleepy after hearing that.

It was too wide a room for a little girl like me to use alone.

It was much bigger than the studio apartment I lived in in my previous life.

It was all luxurious, and the wallpaper was decorated with gold and apricot colors.

All the chandeliers on the ceiling are jewels.

"Uhm, is this really my room here?"

"Yes! Of course. The Duke told me to give it to you."

Is it because it's a room that wasn't used?

My head, which had been struggling with the hard life in the past, was simply unable to accept this situation.

The same was true even after Peina kissed me on the forehead, leaving me on the bed and saying good night.

The room was wide, and the bed I lay on was so wide that I felt like my body was floating in the dark.

I peeked out of the window and saw the night sky looked so blue over the curtain.

'Can I continue to be here like this in the future? Really?'

Maybe tomorrow, they will suddenly take everything away. I felt uneasy because of the sudden happiness.

Or maybe it's all a dream right now.

When I open my eyes, I might go back to being a maid who was doing chores at the Count.

The Count kicking me, saying that I had been abandoned, slapped by the Countess, pinched by Shady, and persecuted by the maids.

With the life of starving and being beaten to death.

'...I don't like such things.'

If the whole day was just a dream, I might die of injustice.

It was such a happy time even though it was confusing.

I don't want to be more greedy here.

I don't want to be loved by Henriette, so don't give me back to Count Semond.

I closed my eyes, surrounded by chaotic thoughts and a sense of happiness that made the inside of my heart ache.