The Maid With a Child - Chapter 53

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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53. The Countess had given birth to a child.
It wasn’t an unexpected thing to hear.
The moment Racalte and she and The Baby all dressed in clothes made from the same fabric, she’d thought to herself, ‘We look like a family….’
But like how the maids also wore the same fabric, it made sense to her that dressing in matching cloth was a way to signal that they were bound together as one unit.
Among the murmuring people, several were also wearing clothes unified in the same fabric.
“She gave birth to a child too?”
“When on earth did that happen?”
“If the baby’s that big, wouldn’t that be right in the middle of the War? Are you saying she conceived during the war itself?”
But looking at it from another angle, binding The Baby and Racalte as father and child when they shared not a single resemblance seemed like quite a stretch.
Adlen, wanting people to look properly, pulled The Baby up high and cradled her in her arms.
“But wait. How can the Countess just leave the child entirely with such a frail woman and walk around empty-handed?”
Oh no.
Adlen let out a silent scream inside her head.
It was an observation she’d never once considered until now, simply because she’d assumed The Baby was naturally her responsibility.
And even now that she understood it, there was nothing she could do to change the situation.
No matter how much she dressed up like a noble lady, she was still a maid meant to care for The Baby.
“Racalte, I think people are making a terrible misunderstanding.”
Adlen, growing anxious, finally whispered to him.
Racalte glanced at her sideways, and that was all.
If it was loud enough for her to hear, it surely must have reached his ears as well.
“Not ‘master.'”
“…Racalte.”
He only corrected the “master” that had slipped out habitually, and nothing more.
While she was a maid with no reputation to speak of, he had a different position. Wasn’t he concerned about it?
Adlen ended up carrying all the worry on his behalf alone.
“It’ll come out soon enough anyway.”
“That’s true, but….”
“Why bother stepping forward to trade words with them now?”
“No, you’re right….”
So that’s what he meant—rather than engage in conversation with these people, he was willing to bear a moment of false accusation.
“I’m a man. It’s not as though I’m the one who gave birth.”
……
Do nobles receive education in imagination from childhood?
Maeltina had that quality too, but it was an imagination Adlen simply couldn’t follow.
Adlen fell silent and let herself be guided by Racalte’s escort.
This was not a place where she needed to use her head. There was no way she could keep up even if she tried.
But soon, the sight unfolding before her eyes stopped Adlen’s mind in its tracks.
The party venue lay at the end of a long corridor that stretched from the Garden entrance where they’d descended from the carriage.
At the Royal Palace entrance, they’d undergone identity verification while still in the carriage, and at the Corridor entrance, they’d gone through individual name confirmation. As a result, the Garden at the Corridor entrance was crowded with quite a number of people.
The bustling crowd was stirring, looking up at the entrance of the Banquet Hall.
“Wow…. It looks like they really went all out for this party.”
“It’s record-breaking.”
“They must be announcing grandly that the War is coming to an end, right?”
Adlen also opened her mouth and looked up at the Banquet Hall entrance.
She thought she’d seen enough of the Royal Palace’s splendor last time.
It was a grave mistake. That had been like seeing only a single pillar in one corner of the Living Room compared to Racalte’s chambers.
It was magnificent.
“Wow…. So this is a royal party….”
How many more times would she step foot in a place like this in the future?
The weight of having to enter a world she’d never seen before pressed against her chest even more tightly than the dress itself.
“Oh my, it’s Adlen!”
Just then, a clear, tinkling voice swept away the heavy feeling settling over her.
From the voice alone, she could tell immediately who it was.
“Maeltina!”
Adlen turned toward the voice with a delighted expression.
And she nearly went blind.
This was what it meant to prepare with intent.
She’d seen Maeltina twice before, but the two previous times and this person standing before her now seemed like entirely different people.
She glowed from head to toe.
Literally, her eyes sparkled and blinked from all the jewels adorning her entire body.
And there was yet another reason.
The presence of the man standing beside Maeltina.
“Mudot. It’s been a while.”
“Count Sigeliion. Welcome home safe. My apologies for the late greeting.”
Racalte bowed lightly first, offering his salutation.
In Adlen’s mind, the man’s identity clicked into place piece by piece. In truth, there was little to deduce.
The same striking features as Maeltina—luminous gold hair, amber eyes.
The difference lay only in his gender and the commanding physique he carried, no less formidable than Racalte’s own.
‘Family, then.’
By his age, he appeared to be her older brother.
Which meant he was the firstborn of House Norwan. In other words, the rival against whom Maeltina competed for the dukedom.
“You’re looking quite splendid. Our Adlen is lovely too, wouldn’t you say?”
Next, Maeltina stepped forward to greet him.
In how she paid attention to the one her brother addressed, there shone the resolve not to be outdone.
“Only by your gracious doing, Maeltina.”
“Indeed, it is my doing. Don’t forget this kindness.”
Maeltina emphasized it as though delivering a campaign speech.
Racalte made no reply, offering only a light bow.
Watching from the side, Mudot let out a soft snort. They moved together, yet their rivalry was far from mere play.
“And this young lady—is she the maid we’ve heard so much about?”
Mudot suddenly turned to Adlen and addressed her.
“Ah, I’m Adlen. You’re… Mudot… sir?”
“That’s right. Even more beautiful than the rumors suggested, Miss Adlen.”
Mudot smiled warmly and extended his hand.
“?”
Bewildered, Adlen hesitated before awkwardly placing her hand in his. Then Mudot drew it gently toward him, bowed low, and pressed his lips to the back of her hand.
“!”
Adlen’s body jerked upright.
Unable to hide her surprise, she watched as mischief glinted in Mudot’s eyes. Yet his movements remained courteous and proper as he released her hand.
“I simply wished to pay my respects to someone so beautiful.”
“Oh, yes, um, I… yes.”
Her mind was spinning.
As Adlen fumbled for words, Mudot smiled broadly once more, offered a light salute to Racalte, and turned to leave.
“Then, I shall see you inside.”
Long after Mudot vanished into the party hall, Adlen heard nothing but the thundering of her own heart.
“…Adlen.”
“Oh, yes?! Yes!”
Even Racalte’s call took a moment to reach her ears.
At the delayed response, Racalte’s expression darkened with displeasure.
“I’m… I’m sorry. I was just so startled…”
“If any more men like him appear, simply excuse yourself and leave.”
“What? Why?”
“That scoundrel dared place his lips upon your hand. Mudot, Prince of Norwan. Evidently a less refined individual than I’d thought.”
Adlen’s shock stemmed not from offense, but from the sheer brilliance of the man—and that such a beautiful stranger had shown her courtesy from some ancient tale.
There was also something unsettling about the unfamiliar touch of another man’s lips upon her skin.
Yet Racalte was growling about Mudot as though he were some common offender.
…It didn’t seem wise to argue otherwise.
Still, there surely were men who weren’t quite so handsome or proper. If someone truly repugnant approached, was it all right to flee? Adlen sought clarification once more.
“If someone I genuinely dislike approaches, it’s all right to run away?”
“You may.”
The answer came so sharp she half-expected to bleed.
My master was skilled not only at wielding his blade, but at sharpening his words as well…
“…Yes, sir.”
Thanks to that, her racing heart quickly settled.
Yet as they entered the party hall, a faint warmth lingered in her chest throughout.
‘Is High Society always like this?’
From what she’d heard of the master’s descriptions, it sounded like some fierce Undercurrent Conflict playing out in a cordial battlefield.
Yet there were also beautiful faces, refined manners, gentleness and warmth.
‘I must keep my wits about me.’
Adlen shook her head, scattering her wandering thoughts.
She wasn’t here to scout for men in High Society. She’d come to give The Baby a magnificent debut.
“Adieu?”
“Yes, The Baby. We need to do well in just a moment, all right?”
“Song!”
The Baby belted out the tune she’d heard and sung a thousand times without being asked, as if on cue.
Splendid.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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