"Karen, please wash the blanket. It feels sticky because I sweated."
I handed the blanket I had folded in advance to Karen, who had brought up breakfast. Of course, that wasn't the end of it.
"It looks like dust is coming off the curtains. Please wash them again."
"Oh no, I spilled tea on the tablecloth."
"I didn't realize it just now, but tea splashed on my clothes too."
Even after that, I continued to create all sorts of laundry under various pretexts. Of course, I never forgot to calculate the cost so that a different maid would come each time.
Fabric items disappeared from my room one by one. Not only pillows and canopies, but even the carpet—I wasn't sure if it was washable—was sent to the laundry room. Now, all that remained were cushions and handkerchiefs.
'If Tara still doesn't come even after this...'
There was no other choice. Even if it looked like I was mistreating my subordinates, I had no choice but to do this again. With these thoughts, I soaked my handkerchief in the onion stew served for lunch.
"Miss, did you enjoy the meal?"
"Yeah. Did you say the chef's name was Ena? She's really skilled. But you know, my handkerchief got dirty."
I spread out the red-stained handkerchief as if to show it off.
"It's a handkerchief I cherish, so I'd appreciate it if you could wash it and bring it back to me soon."
“Yes, I understand."
Finally, a small sigh escaped Karen's lips. Having already taken out the laundry six times this morning alone, anyone would have been annoyed. I even felt a touch of warmth at her human side.
"I'll send the laundry person up soon."
In the magic tower, which operated like a factory, the maids did only the work assigned to them. It seemed to be their rule not to encroach on another's territory, no matter how simple the task. It was when I was sitting there thinking these thoughts.
"Miss, may I come in?"
I recognized Tara's voice the moment I heard it. My heart fluttered as if I had won a lottery. The girl entered the room hesitantly.
"I heard there is something you need me to do."
"Right, would you like to sit here for a bit?"
"Shouldn't I sit down? Me?"
I pointed to the chair at the table as if I were speaking to you, of course. Tara hesitated, but when I gestured to her again, she finally sat across from me.
"We greeted each other at dinner last time, do you remember?"
"Yes, you are Miss Selinia, aren't you?"
"I see. Then do you know my last name too?"
“Hyrn... Hyrn.”
It was a clearly intentional question. I hoped that Tara would associate the surname Hyrn with the Count’s household in the western district of Baynan, or the city near the Count.
I turned my head this way and that so she could see my face clearly. But this time too, Tara didn't react at all.
'Since I haven't been to the herbalist in person very often.'
Suppressing the urge to get straight to the point, I asked a routine question first.
"How is life here? Is the maid job bearable?"
"Yes."
"Are you getting paid properly?"
"Yes."
Tara's answer was brief. Unlike me, she did not seem pleased with this conversation. It appeared she was answering simply because she could not ignore the young lady's question. However, I could not give up on the conversation over something like this.
“Do you have any vacation?”
"No."
"Still, it looked like you could get out of the magic tower."
"Th-that is only possible for senior maids."
The mention of senior maids reminded me of Karen and Marilyn. I found it fascinating that they could go out as they pleased, but I suppose that only applied to some of the maids.
"Then has Tara never gone outside since coming to the Magic Tower?"
"Yes."
It was a voice that sounded a little listless.
“As expected, it was like that.”
If she could go outside, there was no way Tara had never stopped by the herbalist by now. Nor was there any way that so many people had gone missing.
'There is no way the senior maids would cooperate with Tara.'
At that moment, Tara looked noticeably anxious. Her eyes, which had been scanning here and there in my room, soon stopped at the grandfather clock.
“Why? Are you busy?”
"Uh, it's just bringing the laundry, but I was worried people might say it took a long time..."
It seemed that the only ones in the magic tower who looked bright and confident were the senior maids.
'The maids Karen introduced must have all been senior maids.'
After all, it must have all been Eon's doing. Suppressing my misplaced anger, I handed the dirty handkerchief to Tara. At the same time, I heard a knock on the door.
"Lady Selinia. This is Marilyn."
Tara's face turned pale in an instant.
"Is the maid from the laundry room still in the young lady's room?"
It was still a ridiculous tone, but to Tara, it seemed to sound more terrifying than any other sound in the world.
'If I let her go like this, I wonder if she’ll get a harsh scolding.'
She was likely reacting like a frightened kitten because she had experienced something bad. First, I called Marilyn inside.
“Yes, come in.”
Marilyn, who had greeted me politely, fixed her gaze immediately on Tara. Contrary to what I expected—that she would give her a venomous look—Marilyn's expression even looked quite benevolent.
“What’s going on?”
"I'm worried that Tara might have been rude to the young lady."
"I was just telling her to handle it carefully because it is a precious handkerchief."
"I see."
Contrary to her words of agreement, Marilyn was scanning the surroundings with her large eyes. It felt as if she could read the lingering sound of Tara and me in the air. Feeling uneasy for no reason, I urged Tara on.
"What are you doing here? Go on over. Oh, and don't dry the handkerchief separately; bring it right over, and I'll dry it by the window."
Of course, it was to call Tara back.
***
Not long after, Tara returned with a clean handkerchief. I had been worried that Marilyn might not send her, but fortunately, that didn't happen. Now, the remaining task was to let Tara know that I was on her side.
However, being alone together did not mean I could break the Magic Tower's rules. As long as Eon could read my thoughts, simply avoiding eye contact was not enough.
'A way to convey what I want to say to Tara while deceiving Eon.'
I had a plan laid out in advance, but I wasn't sure if it would work out properly. I took a deep breath and pulled out a book from the bookshelf.
“Do you like novels?”
At the sudden question, Tara couldn't even think of an answer and just nodded slightly.
"Then you must know Lord Rudis's novels, too?"
"The writing... the text was difficult, so I couldn't read it properly, but... I know the whole story."
"What about Baynan 43rd Street?"
It was the title of the novel I left for Rudis as a hint.
"I know."
"I see. It's a story that offers a lot of insights to people in our situation, isn't it?"
Tara blinked. It seemed as though she were recalling the contents of the novel.
"It's the story where the Night Fairy took all the boys of the heart through the Fairy Gate on 43rd Street to find the boy she had promised herself, right?"
"You know it well. Of course, we aren't boys, and there are no fairies in this magic tower, though."
It seemed that Tara had finally realized what I was trying to metaphorize. Tension filled her light green eyes.
"You don't know that the novel has a side story, do you? It's the story of a different boy, not the protagonist who was captured by the Night Fairy. Do you want to hear it?"
I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.
"There was a herbalist on 43rd Street. It was the largest and most successful shop in the city. And there was a youngest daughter there who was polite and worked hard to help with the business."
Tara's eyes widened at the word 'herbalist.' That was right. This was Tara's story. I recited Tara's past as if it were a story from a book.
It was a trick I came up with to comply with the rule prohibiting speaking about what happened before coming to the Magic Tower. No matter how much I thought about it, this was the only way to let people know that I knew her, and to make it obvious that I wanted to reveal that fact.
"The incident happened one summer night. A girl who had gone on an errand vanished without a trace. Naturally, her family searched everywhere for their daughter. They even handed money to peddlers and inquired in the neighboring villages."
I glanced at Tara. Her frozen face caught my eye.
"Unfortunately, there was no progress. A month passed, then two. People said the girl had been eaten by wolves, or that she had fallen into the river. In any case, everyone thought the boy was dead. Except for her family."
Her tightly clenched hand trembled on Tara's knee. She couldn't possibly be unaware of how anxiously her family was waiting for her. She must want to run home right away and let them know she was alive.
"Father quit his job and went outside the castle every day to look for his daughter, ignoring the warnings of those around him that it was dangerous because of the wild beasts like wolves..."
Just then, Tara suddenly stood up from her seat. She had remained still until now out of fear of the Magic Tower's rules, but it seemed she could no longer hold back her surging emotions.
'Right. You must be worried that something might have happened to your father.'
Tarya staggered, seemingly having been in great shock. Just as I was thinking I should support her, Tara suddenly picked up the vase on the table.
“Take it?”
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