51. It's frustrating
Amanda frowned. She didn't like the woman in front of her. The blonde was wearing a muted shade of scarlet.
Still, the bright colors made her blonde hair and bright red blush stand out even more. It suited her face amazingly, unlike her previous plain, even shabby, outfit.
“What’s going on here?”
Amanda snapped. Behind her, the new maids covered their mouths and widened their eyes at Daphne. It must have been because of Daphne that the maid was executed.
The woman, Daphne, looked at Amanda. She was still grumbling. What a shame. Why did that girl show up? How much trouble is she going to have later? And how can that girl just wander around like that?
Even though she was so attached to the Emperor, it wasn't enough...
As she was lost in thought, a distraught sound suddenly came out of Daphne's mouth.
“Be my maid.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
That's right. Amanda and Daphne didn't get along. She knew that she had bullied Daphne. They were close enough to even slap her in the face.
“I do it because I need to.”
“Look somewhere else.”
She kicked out the maids, but there was no one else who came to mind. So the only person that came to mind was Amanda. Amanda was close to Sarah, and most of all...
“You know Sarah is here?”
“What? Her?”
A look of surprise crossed Amanda's face. Sarah and Amanda were definitely best friends.
“What? She was alive? She wasn’t executed?! No, tell me more!”
Amanda's face lit up with excitement. She jumped up and down in an instant. To her, who was simple and loved her friends, the calm Sarah was a precious friend.
"Yes."
“Then why didn’t she contact me? Oh, my goodness. Thank you, God.”
Daphne said as she watched Amanda offering a prayer of thanks to God.
“Will you come as a maid?”
“Me, you want me to serve you? Are you crazy?”
Amanda glared at her. Sarah and her job were different.
Daphne sighed at the hostile look on her face.
“Even if you hate me.”
“...”
“I know you don’t hate me enough to kill me.”
As she lay in bed, depressed, a thought suddenly occurred to her. Perhaps some of the maids were helping Daphne...
Especially in the case of Amanda, she would swear at her and tell her to get out quickly. When she disappeared, the Emperor would appear like a ghost.
There was never a single lie in the messages she conveyed to Daphne, even while grumbling.
Amanda's harsh words hurt her feelings, but strangely enough, she felt at ease around her, perhaps because she unconsciously knew that.
Anyway, this girl was honest about her feelings. Daphne was sure that she wasn't the type of person to wallow in inferiority and do dirty work.
“Hey, I hate you so much I could kill you! What if I die next to you again?”
“I’ll make sure that it never happens again. And...”
Daphne took off the large pumpkin brooch she was wearing and held it out.
“Please.”
Amanda looked at the brooch Daphne held out. Her eyes were filled with an unmistakable greed as she gazed upon this large brooch.
Daphne already knew from her grumbling that her family had moved to the capital by force and that Amanda was the head of the household. And that she wanted to send her younger sister to the Academy. Even she wouldn't be able to refuse this brooch.
“This is an advance payment. Gather the maids among those who took pity on me. Of course, there won’t be many.”
It was Daphne's little struggle. She didn't have the virtue to bring people. So she had no choice but to do this.
First, she will bring in the maids who are relatively mild towards her. In a place where those who are not her 'enemies' are gathered, among the experienced maids, she will try to win them over to her side as much as possible.
She'll accumulate as much money as she can, and when she can run away, she'll run away as far as she can. Daphne fiddled with the part of her brooch where the empty one had been.
Sarah ran up to Daphne as she returned to her room after getting her promise from Amanda. Her face was filled with excitement and joy.
“Daphne, we’re in trouble!”
"Why?"
“There’s a hunting competition!”
“Why is that?”
Although it had not been held for several years, hunting competitions were held frequently during the time when the Emperor was able to move around.
An event to raise the status of the royal family and their family by opening the closed northwest Arlon Forest, which was owned by the royal family, and using it as hunting grounds. Naturally, this event had nothing to do with Daphne.
“Why, are you being mobilized?”
The hunting competition was a busy but popular event for the maids. It was an event where handsome and popular noble men and knights showed off their dancing skills. And the servants who served these noble men were the number one grooms that the maids were looking for!
Seeing romances between nobles, finding your own romance, getting out of the stuffy palace, and getting some fresh air. It was an event that was absolutely not bad.
“No, you!”
“Me? Do I have to work there?”
Daphne blinked. Those who go to hunting competitions are experienced servants. Would she do well if she were mobilized there?
“No, who would order you around! His Majesty said he would take you with him!”
“...”
“He's saying in front of people that you’re his lover!”
Daphne didn't know whether to be happy or sad at Sarah's words.
“Sarah, I think you like it better.”
Sarah's eyes widened at Daphne's smiling words. She seemed surprised at herself as well. Daphne chuckled when she saw that.
By the way, why did Asherad take her?
Asherad glanced at Daphne's clothes. They weren't anything special. They weren't evening clothes, just dresses suitable for going out. In fact, there was nothing strange about the clothes. The problem was that he was examining Daphne's clothes.
The wide dress was comfortable to breathe in and easy to move around in. He lifted the hem of the skirt himself and felt the clothes to see if there was anything unusual. The problem was that all of this was something that maids usually did. The Emperor of a country would check the clothes of a lover. And a lover he didn't even love.
"it's okay."
Daphne nodded at Asherad's words. Looking at him gesturing to Leon with his hand, Daphne asked.
“Why are you going all the way here?”
Why would he bring her along to the hunting competition? Daphne kept thinking about it, but she couldn't come up with an answer.
As Sarah said, is it really necessary to tell everyone that she is his lover?
“Why do you think so?”
“That... Are you really going to order me to hunt prey...?”
It was exactly what a hunting dog would do. This time, Asherad looked at Daphne's face as if he were at a loss for words.
“Are you kidding?”
She lowered her head, feeling embarrassed by the slightly irritated tone. At that moment, Asherad stroked Daphne’s head.
“Aren’t you feeling stuffy?”
“...”
“It’s so frustrating.”
“...”
“Let’s go for some fresh air.”
Asherad smiled faintly. The man with his back to the sunlight smiled gently as before. It resembled the heart-fluttering look she had loved in the past.
“I wanted to do that for you before, but I couldn’t.”
"What..."
"Let's go."
Asherad grabbed Daphne's hand and pulled her. Daphne looked at his back and thought it was lonely. He had clearly spent time and effort teasing her. Why, why did he show himself like that?
Daphne couldn't understand.
The closed Arlon Forest was opened. The Arlon Forest, which was surrounded by a small mountain, was a place that was just a little outside the capital. Daphne, riding in the carriage, saw the capital's scenery. It was a place she had never seen before, except when she went out with her mother as a child, and when she first escaped from here.
Daphne stared for a long time. There was all the life she had never had.
People were watching the carriages of the royal family and nobles. Those who were not interested were walking around busily.
A woman was walking with a happy expression, holding a bouquet of flowers. What kind of flowers could they be? Who was she going to give them to?
Daphne followed the woman's path with her eyes. She must be so important that she wouldn't even look at the royal carriage. Daphne envied the woman whose name she didn't even know.
“Is it that amazing?”
"Yes."
“Are you looking to run away again?”
Daphne turned her head at the cold voice. Asherad, who was sitting, was looking at Daphne, not outside the window.
"No..."
As Asherad said, it was because it was new. It wasn't like she was trying to run away; she was just curious.
Asherad grabbed Daphne's arm and pulled her along.
Daphne, whose center of gravity was focused forward, looked at Asherad's thigh while holding onto him. His eyes were dark and sunken. Soon, they kissed again.
At that moment, the carriage jerked, and Daphne lost her balance and fell into his arms.
Asherad grabbed Daphne by the waist. Asherad turned Daphne forward and held her in his arms. Daphne had to be held in Asherad's arms as if he were a chair.
Again, he felt a tight, suffocating pressure.
“Just run away.”
“...”
“I’ll show you what hell is in your life.”
It was a slow, savage threat. Daphne swallowed at that. There was clearly a fearful side to his expressionless face as he spoke. Daphne nodded at that. Daphne felt something behind her back.
No way.
Daphne looked back and heard laughter. A hand was secretly stroking her waist. Amid the crowd...?
Daphne instinctively got up from her seat, but then sank back down. Asherad looked at Daphne's astonished eyes as she sat on his lap and spoke in a hoarse voice.
“My fairy. My love.”
The rattling sound of the carriage, people in the gaps of the glass. Outside the procession, there was a carriage of nobles. But she couldn't concentrate on the sound because of his hand stroking her thigh.
Amanda frowned. She didn't like the woman in front of her. The blonde was wearing a muted shade of scarlet.
Still, the bright colors made her blonde hair and bright red blush stand out even more. It suited her face amazingly, unlike her previous plain, even shabby, outfit.
“What’s going on here?”
Amanda snapped. Behind her, the new maids covered their mouths and widened their eyes at Daphne. It must have been because of Daphne that the maid was executed.
The woman, Daphne, looked at Amanda. She was still grumbling. What a shame. Why did that girl show up? How much trouble is she going to have later? And how can that girl just wander around like that?
Even though she was so attached to the Emperor, it wasn't enough...
As she was lost in thought, a distraught sound suddenly came out of Daphne's mouth.
“Be my maid.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
That's right. Amanda and Daphne didn't get along. She knew that she had bullied Daphne. They were close enough to even slap her in the face.
“I do it because I need to.”
“Look somewhere else.”
She kicked out the maids, but there was no one else who came to mind. So the only person that came to mind was Amanda. Amanda was close to Sarah, and most of all...
“You know Sarah is here?”
“What? Her?”
A look of surprise crossed Amanda's face. Sarah and Amanda were definitely best friends.
“What? She was alive? She wasn’t executed?! No, tell me more!”
Amanda's face lit up with excitement. She jumped up and down in an instant. To her, who was simple and loved her friends, the calm Sarah was a precious friend.
"Yes."
“Then why didn’t she contact me? Oh, my goodness. Thank you, God.”
Daphne said as she watched Amanda offering a prayer of thanks to God.
“Will you come as a maid?”
“Me, you want me to serve you? Are you crazy?”
Amanda glared at her. Sarah and her job were different.
Daphne sighed at the hostile look on her face.
“Even if you hate me.”
“...”
“I know you don’t hate me enough to kill me.”
As she lay in bed, depressed, a thought suddenly occurred to her. Perhaps some of the maids were helping Daphne...
Especially in the case of Amanda, she would swear at her and tell her to get out quickly. When she disappeared, the Emperor would appear like a ghost.
There was never a single lie in the messages she conveyed to Daphne, even while grumbling.
Amanda's harsh words hurt her feelings, but strangely enough, she felt at ease around her, perhaps because she unconsciously knew that.
Anyway, this girl was honest about her feelings. Daphne was sure that she wasn't the type of person to wallow in inferiority and do dirty work.
“Hey, I hate you so much I could kill you! What if I die next to you again?”
“I’ll make sure that it never happens again. And...”
Daphne took off the large pumpkin brooch she was wearing and held it out.
“Please.”
Amanda looked at the brooch Daphne held out. Her eyes were filled with an unmistakable greed as she gazed upon this large brooch.
Daphne already knew from her grumbling that her family had moved to the capital by force and that Amanda was the head of the household. And that she wanted to send her younger sister to the Academy. Even she wouldn't be able to refuse this brooch.
“This is an advance payment. Gather the maids among those who took pity on me. Of course, there won’t be many.”
It was Daphne's little struggle. She didn't have the virtue to bring people. So she had no choice but to do this.
First, she will bring in the maids who are relatively mild towards her. In a place where those who are not her 'enemies' are gathered, among the experienced maids, she will try to win them over to her side as much as possible.
She'll accumulate as much money as she can, and when she can run away, she'll run away as far as she can. Daphne fiddled with the part of her brooch where the empty one had been.
***
Sarah ran up to Daphne as she returned to her room after getting her promise from Amanda. Her face was filled with excitement and joy.
“Daphne, we’re in trouble!”
"Why?"
“There’s a hunting competition!”
“Why is that?”
Although it had not been held for several years, hunting competitions were held frequently during the time when the Emperor was able to move around.
An event to raise the status of the royal family and their family by opening the closed northwest Arlon Forest, which was owned by the royal family, and using it as hunting grounds. Naturally, this event had nothing to do with Daphne.
“Why, are you being mobilized?”
The hunting competition was a busy but popular event for the maids. It was an event where handsome and popular noble men and knights showed off their dancing skills. And the servants who served these noble men were the number one grooms that the maids were looking for!
Seeing romances between nobles, finding your own romance, getting out of the stuffy palace, and getting some fresh air. It was an event that was absolutely not bad.
“No, you!”
“Me? Do I have to work there?”
Daphne blinked. Those who go to hunting competitions are experienced servants. Would she do well if she were mobilized there?
“No, who would order you around! His Majesty said he would take you with him!”
“...”
“He's saying in front of people that you’re his lover!”
Daphne didn't know whether to be happy or sad at Sarah's words.
“Sarah, I think you like it better.”
Sarah's eyes widened at Daphne's smiling words. She seemed surprised at herself as well. Daphne chuckled when she saw that.
By the way, why did Asherad take her?
***
Asherad glanced at Daphne's clothes. They weren't anything special. They weren't evening clothes, just dresses suitable for going out. In fact, there was nothing strange about the clothes. The problem was that he was examining Daphne's clothes.
The wide dress was comfortable to breathe in and easy to move around in. He lifted the hem of the skirt himself and felt the clothes to see if there was anything unusual. The problem was that all of this was something that maids usually did. The Emperor of a country would check the clothes of a lover. And a lover he didn't even love.
"it's okay."
Daphne nodded at Asherad's words. Looking at him gesturing to Leon with his hand, Daphne asked.
“Why are you going all the way here?”
Why would he bring her along to the hunting competition? Daphne kept thinking about it, but she couldn't come up with an answer.
As Sarah said, is it really necessary to tell everyone that she is his lover?
“Why do you think so?”
“That... Are you really going to order me to hunt prey...?”
It was exactly what a hunting dog would do. This time, Asherad looked at Daphne's face as if he were at a loss for words.
“Are you kidding?”
She lowered her head, feeling embarrassed by the slightly irritated tone. At that moment, Asherad stroked Daphne’s head.
“Aren’t you feeling stuffy?”
“...”
“It’s so frustrating.”
“...”
“Let’s go for some fresh air.”
Asherad smiled faintly. The man with his back to the sunlight smiled gently as before. It resembled the heart-fluttering look she had loved in the past.
“I wanted to do that for you before, but I couldn’t.”
"What..."
"Let's go."
Asherad grabbed Daphne's hand and pulled her. Daphne looked at his back and thought it was lonely. He had clearly spent time and effort teasing her. Why, why did he show himself like that?
Daphne couldn't understand.
***
The closed Arlon Forest was opened. The Arlon Forest, which was surrounded by a small mountain, was a place that was just a little outside the capital. Daphne, riding in the carriage, saw the capital's scenery. It was a place she had never seen before, except when she went out with her mother as a child, and when she first escaped from here.
Daphne stared for a long time. There was all the life she had never had.
People were watching the carriages of the royal family and nobles. Those who were not interested were walking around busily.
A woman was walking with a happy expression, holding a bouquet of flowers. What kind of flowers could they be? Who was she going to give them to?
Daphne followed the woman's path with her eyes. She must be so important that she wouldn't even look at the royal carriage. Daphne envied the woman whose name she didn't even know.
“Is it that amazing?”
"Yes."
“Are you looking to run away again?”
Daphne turned her head at the cold voice. Asherad, who was sitting, was looking at Daphne, not outside the window.
"No..."
As Asherad said, it was because it was new. It wasn't like she was trying to run away; she was just curious.
Asherad grabbed Daphne's arm and pulled her along.
Daphne, whose center of gravity was focused forward, looked at Asherad's thigh while holding onto him. His eyes were dark and sunken. Soon, they kissed again.
At that moment, the carriage jerked, and Daphne lost her balance and fell into his arms.
Asherad grabbed Daphne by the waist. Asherad turned Daphne forward and held her in his arms. Daphne had to be held in Asherad's arms as if he were a chair.
Again, he felt a tight, suffocating pressure.
“Just run away.”
“...”
“I’ll show you what hell is in your life.”
It was a slow, savage threat. Daphne swallowed at that. There was clearly a fearful side to his expressionless face as he spoke. Daphne nodded at that. Daphne felt something behind her back.
No way.
Daphne looked back and heard laughter. A hand was secretly stroking her waist. Amid the crowd...?
Daphne instinctively got up from her seat, but then sank back down. Asherad looked at Daphne's astonished eyes as she sat on his lap and spoke in a hoarse voice.
“My fairy. My love.”
The rattling sound of the carriage, people in the gaps of the glass. Outside the procession, there was a carriage of nobles. But she couldn't concentrate on the sound because of his hand stroking her thigh.
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