Chapter 10 - An Offer You Can't Refuse

Have you ever eaten alone at a crowded restaurant? It's always a bit of an awkward feeling. A place packed with couples, families, friends having fun… you inevitably stick out like a sore thumb. Even if no one actually pays attention to you, there's that self-conscious feeling at the back of your head that you're being judged. Oh, look at that loner, how sad. How dare he take up an entire table by himself when so many people want to eat here. What an inconsiderate guy.

Now if there's anything worse than that, it's eating by yourself in a massive dining hall that can fit literally hundreds of people.

For several minutes I half-heartedly picked away at the loaded plates in front of me. The food was delicious but I could hardly enjoy it, since I felt like the countless empty chairs in the room were mocking me. My overactive imagination even gave birth to specters who hurled insults at me from the sidelines.

Look, everyone, at this awe inspiring sight!

The duke's heir is such a lofty and esteemed personage that nobody is worthy of dining with him!

What a display of power, monopolizing this grand place just to stuff his maw!

...

Eventually it became too much for me to bear, so I did the obvious thing to fix this problem.

"Young master, I'm really not sure about this."

Emma was fidgeting nervously. Her eyes darted around, and it seemed like she would immediately move if the doors to the dining hall opened.

"Relax, I already told you that it's fine. I'll take responsibility if anyone gives you grief over this. Just say that I forced you."

Needless to say, she was now sitting across me and sharing my meal. There was too much food for one person to finish, and Emma hadn't eaten yet either, so this was the perfect solution to my issue. I felt much more at ease now that I wasn't dining alone.

Poor Emma was really on edge though. Was it really such a big deal for a maid to eat at the same table as the noble she served? Yeah, don't answer that question.

"Go ahead and eat. Or would you like me to spoon feed you instead?" I teased her.

Not a second later, the girl picked up her knife and fork and began to cut into the roast chicken. The look on her face basically said anything but that please.

...I wasn't being serious though.

When she had eaten a bit more and calmed down, I decided to move on to the main topic.

"Emma, I've been thinking a lot since yesterday. And I want to apologize."

She looked up at me, surprised. Her hand unconsciously went up to the thin gauze bandage on her cheek.

"Young master! You have already apologized for this wound, and it is-"

"Not just that," I interrupted her, shaking my head, "I want to apologize for everything I did."

Or to be more exact, the things Alexander did before I took over his body. He made life difficult for a lot of the staff and even caused a few girls to run away from the mansion in tears. To be honest, I hate cleaning up other people's messes. But if I'm going to fix my reputation (and regain everyone's loyalty), I need to make amends for the bastard's sins, so I've got no choice.

Emma stared blankly at me. Since it seemed like she didn't understand, I kept talking.

"That knock on the head seems to have woken me up to just how badly I treated you and the other staff before. The beatings, the insults, and the… well, harassment… I'm horrified now whenever I think about what I did. To clear my conscience, I want to apologize to those I hurt, and make things better for them in any way I can."

The girl's face changed from disbelief into wonder, and then turned into a conflicted expression.

"Young master…" She said quietly, as if hesitating. "I'm glad that you're thinking about our wellbeing, but that might not be appropriate. Your intentions are more than enough, especially if you truly mean to treat us kindly in the future. It is far more than we deserve."

Is she worried about my dignity as a noble or something? I shook my head.

"This is something I must do and I need your help, Emma."

"M-me?"

"Yes. I want to make amends, but as much as it shames me to admit, I don't even know where to start. Hell, I only know a handful of your names. There is no one else I can ask either, since everyone is too scared of me."

"But…" Her voice was quiet, as if she was unsure how to respond.

"You know the other maids better than anyone and they trust you. More importantly, I trust you. Will you help me?"

I stretched my hand out across the table. A few seconds passed as I gave her the warmest smile I could muster. God I hope it didn't look creepy.

"...If that is what you wish, young master. I'll do my best."

With a determined expression, she took my hand and we shook. It was the start of a wonderful partnership.

"Excellent!" I said with a deeply satisfied laugh. "Since that's the case, it's also best if you became my personal attendant from now on. It'll give you a good excuse for spending so much time with me."

"Ha?"

"I know that Alex- *cough*, I used to insist on not having one, but you're perfect for the job. Your help earlier this morning was greatly appreciated."

"...Wait, no, I didn't, that wasn't part of-!"

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Ophelia about it tomorrow and make sure that she reduces your workload accordingly. In fact, it would be best if you had nothing to do except follow me around."

"Listen to meee!"

Sorry Emma, but this fake noble needs you. Obediently accept your fate.

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Several hours later...

Within the servants' quarters, a few maids were huddled in a circle around one of their own. The girl in the center had a bandage plastered on her right cheek, and she smiled contentedly while eating sweet bread her friends had smuggled from the kitchens.

"Emma, how are you feeling?" A maid with caramel colored pigtails asked with a worried voice.

"Mm! I'm okay now," Emma replied happily, "There are bruises where Lady Francesca kicked me, but they don't hurt that much."

A chorus of sighs came from the surrounding girls, both pitying and relieved.

One of them couldn't help it and hugged Emma tightly. "Oh you poor girl! Not only did you get beaten by that bitch, the beast even-"

"Shhh! Don't bring it up!" Another one snapped, seemingly panicked.

"Ah! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of it. But we're all here for you, okay?"

Emma's cheeks flushed as she realized why everyone was being so nice to her. "Umm, I think you're all misunderstanding something? Young master Alexander didn't do anything to me yesterday."

"Ehhh?"

The group of maids all exclaimed in surprise.

"What a relief!" The pigtailed maid sighed. "We feared the worst when you didn't return for so long… and he even called for you multiple times after that, so we thought… we're really sorry we couldn't help."

Emma shook her head strongly. "It's fine Loraine, spilling tea on the lady was my mistake to begin with. And the young master was exceptionally kind to me."

"That vicious brat being kind? No way! I really can't imagine that."

"It's true! He only wanted me to answer a few questions."

Their interest was instantly piqued. "Oh? What kind of questions?"

Realizing that she slipped up, Emma covered her mouth. "I'm not allowed to talk about it. He said that if I did..." She shuddered in fear.

Everyone's gazes became more understanding. "Now that sounds more like the young master we know," one of the girls said with a laugh.

Since the misunderstanding had been cleared up, everyone's mood became noticeably lighter and they stopped fussing over Emma. Soon the maids were gossiping about normal topics again, like handsome knights and budding love rivalries among noble youths. Emma listened to all of this with interest, but her eyes kept glancing towards one particular maid in their circle. She was a gentle looking woman in her mid thirties with brown hair and a calm, soothing smile.

It didn't take long before this woman stood up.

"Everyone, I'm sorry but I have to leave now if I want to make it home before dark."

"You're going back to the village today too, Ruth?"

"Yes. My son still isn't feeling too well. His fever has gone down but the doctor says he needs to stay in bed."

"Oh, that's terrible. I hope he gets better soon. Let us know if you need anything, okay?"

A few other maids expressed words of sympathy. Ruth thanked them, and soon left the servant's quarters, carrying a small basket covered in a white cloth.

Emma didn't waste any time. She made up an excuse and left the room as well, chasing after the maid.

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Halesworth mansion paid its servants well, but few maids ever worked there for more than three or four years. The conditions were just that terrible. No matter how careful one was, there was always the risk of being punished on a whim by the head maid or one of the masters. And if someone messed up as badly as Emma did that time… the consequences were truly dire. Who would choose to work in a place like that for very long? They all left as soon as a better opportunity presented itself, or when the abuse became too much to bear.

Ruth was one of the rare exceptions.

Having been a Halesworth maid for more than ten years now, she had seen countless girls come and go, but she remained steadfastly dedicated to her work. If it wasn't for her gentle and reserved personality, she could have become the head maid long ago. Most of the maids looked up to her as an older sister, and she took care of them without fail.

"Wait, Ruth!"

Emma called out as she caught up to her.

The senior maid turned around, and flashed her a warm smile.

"My, what is it, Emma?"

"There's, er, something important I have to tell you." Emma said, avoiding eye contact. She couldn't help but feel guilty even though she knew that she wasn't doing anything wrong. "But I can't say it here. Will you follow me?"

Ruth obviously hesitated. "Um, but…"

Her family was waiting, and she still had to prepare dinner. The basket she held contained leftover ingredients from the mansion's kitchen, which the chef had graciously allowed her to take home.

"I promise it won't take long." Emma insisted. Her voice was uncharacteristically serious.

Could Emma be in trouble? Ruth thought.

In the end the older maid couldn't resist her protective instincts. "Very well then. Lead the way."

Emma smiled, and led her in the direction of the tea room.