"Madam, nice to meet you. I will serve you with all my heart from now on."
I glanced at the girl with a skeptical look. She was a maid who looked clumsy even at first glance.
Are you trying to put a rookie on the table to show off your talents? I snapped at her in a chilly tone.
"All my servants will be my nanny. So call her too."
"If she's a nanny, are you talking about that dwarven mixed-race woman?"
The woman who introduced herself as Aretta frowned.
"I beg you that Your Highness is the one who will be the hostess of this East from now on. You must have a courtesan who is suitable for your rank."
I, who read the contempt in her voice, raised the corners of my eyes.
"My nanny is a person who has served the Empress. You don't think that the Grand Duchess is higher than the Empress, do you?"
The woman's face stiffened.
I slammed fiercely.
"Can't you hear me call my nanny right away?"
The woman who had been holding on with her mouth tightly tightened her head.
"I understand. The grooming will be entrusted to the attendants brought by Your Highness, so please call us when you are ready. I will show you inside the castle."
"I don't need guidance."
The woman's face became visibly stiff at the reluctance.
I didn't care and continued coldly.
"Have you forgotten that I have traveled a long way? I'm going to rest in my room for a few days, so don't disturb me."
The head maid, whose lips were twitching as if she was about to say something, immediately took the young maid out with her.
Her cheeky attitude made me feel uncomfortable in my heart, but I didn't want to hear bad reviews for holding on to my servants from the first day.
I lay down on the bed.
After a while, a nanny with bushy hair and eyes yawned and entered the room.
I was annoyed by her indecent appearance.
Isn't it because you go around like that that you are openly ignored?
I shouted in a sharp voice.
"What is that face that looks so bad! Start by washing your face right away."
"Ahhhh, why are you so angry from early in the morning again?"
The nanny pouted her lips, poured water into the basin by the window, and washed her face.
Then she combed her hair with her plump hands and started lighting the fireplace
In the meantime, two well-built workers brought a large bathtub full of water. As they left the bathtub behind the screen, I locked the door tightly and stepped into the bathtub.
The nanny immediately took a soft towel and soap and washed every corner.
My skin was hot from the rough touch that seemed to be harming my troublesome work, but I held back and held on. It was a hundred times better to be treated a little harshly than to show scars to strangers.
I dried myself with a towel, trying not to attach much importance to the nanny's attitude, which had noticeably become chilly after my body was ruined.
"All the clothes don't fit. I think you've lost a lot of weight."
The nanny who was dressing me in a gorgeous silk dress let out a deep sigh.
I couldn't stand it and spat out a word.
"Don't take a breath. I don't want to hear it."
"Can't I breathe as much as I want?"
"Don't sigh while looking at me! You keep doing it because you don't want to look like me."
The nanny didn't say anything. I, who had been hoping for my Inner denial, glared at her with sad eyes.
The nanny was the one who acted as a mother on Senevere's behalf. Isn't she a person who has taken care of me since I was a newborn dwarf who couldn't speak? So, even when I hated her terribly, I couldn't let go of my nanny.
I swallowed the snow that had risen to my throat and pushed her towards the door.
"Now it's over, so let's get out."
"I understand. I'm going out, so don't push me."
The nanny shook off my hand somewhat roughly and went outside without hesitation.
When I was alone, the anger that had been boiling over immediately turned into anxiety.
In this foreign land, there was only one person I could trust and rely on, a nanny. If she turns her back, I will be completely isolated.
I regretted that I suddenly became nervous.
I should have put up with it a little longer.
"Your Highness, I have come under the command of the Lord of the Ox family. May I excuse you for a moment?"
I bit my lip nervously, but I heard an unfamiliar voice outside the door.
I hesitated for a moment and then spoke.
"Come in."
A young woman with dark wheat skin opened the door and entered.
"Nice to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Tiuran. I have been instructed by the owner of the small family to take a close look at Your Highness's health."
I glanced at her from head to toe with a wary look.
She was a beautiful woman with long, strong-looking limbs, tight skin that seemed to be thirty years old, and dark brown eyes that looked intelligent.
"Are you a healer from the Grand Duke's family?"
"Yes."
The woman calmly replied.
I looked suspicious. She was too young to be a healer for the most powerful family in the East.
The woman's smile faded slightly, as if she had read my disbelief.
The therapist asked cautiously.
"I heard that you suffer from chronic pain because you injured your leg badly. Can I take a look at your injured area for a moment?"
I instinctively took a step back.
I had no intention of showing my scars to someone I had never seen before.
"I already have an exclusive healer. So you go out and see something else."
"But the master said..."
"I'll tell Barkas, so just step back."
The woman, who was biting her lower lip as if thinking about something, carefully opened her mouth.
"If you don't feel comfortable showing me your legs, why don't you just hold your hand for a while?"
"What are you doing by holding my hand?"
"I'm going to send out magic to look inside your body. After checking Your Highness's physical condition, I will prescribe the medicine that suits your constitution."
I frowned. I had never heard of such a strange method of examination.
"Can you really do that?"
"I was trained to be a clan healer since I was 7 years old. If you give me just one chance, I will do my best to help Your Highness."
The woman looked sincere.
I, who was looking closely at her face, held out a hand as if I were being deceived.
The woman wrapped her calloused, hard hand around my palm.
I was startled by the rough feel of tree bark, but for a moment, I felt the warmth spreading through my palm like a stream. Trembling with a strange sensation, I felt a lukewarm heat spreading to my stomach and shook my hands.
The woman wrinkled her eyebrows as if she was thinking something, stared at my face, and let out a small sigh.
"Before you can rehabilitate your legs, you need to recover your energy. Your body is very weak."
"...What should I do?"
"First of all, you need to eat well and sleep well. I will make you medicine that will help you, so please take it every day."
I, who was hoping that there might be some kind of different treatment, looked disappointed.
"Didn't you give me time to listen to a single word like that?"
"..."
"It's okay, so just leave. As you said, I'm weakened and need to rest."
When I lay down on the bed, the woman left the room as if she couldn't help it.
I pulled the blanket over my shoulders and asked for a good night's sleep. However, after a while, the pain that had been quiet gradually rose to the bone.
I, who was tossing and turning, couldn't stand it and rang the bell.
Soon after, the young maid I had been introduced to a while ago jumped in. I couldn't remember the name well. I nodded arrogantly at her.
"Immediately, call the healer I brought from the palace."
***
A cold wind sweeps wildly across the vast plains.
Holding the reins of his horse, Barcas passed through the pastures, turned his head, and looked around his hometown.
The last time he set foot on this earth was 10 years ago, when he heard the obituary of Lucas and Laina's mother, Thessaline.
At that time, this land was all gray.
Since he had never visited Calmore, his hometown in his memory has always remained colorless.
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