The Villainess's Exclusive Maid Is Too Good at Her Job - Chapter 9

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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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Chapter 9

To call it malicious would be an overstatement—the methods of harassment were rather childish. Repeatedly finding fault with how I served tea was hardly a serious offense.
There were those who adopted orphans solely to use them as servants. There were those who sold people to the elderly for coin. And there were those who did both.
If I were to measure true villainy, those people were a hundred times worse.
Besides, when I adjusted my tea-serving technique according to the young lady’s criticisms, my skills improved rapidly.
In other words, Julieta’s complaints weren’t entirely baseless.
Had she truly intended only to torment me, she could have seized upon absurd pretexts instead.
‘Because of her, I’ve actually benefited.’
I was someone who felt no shame in being told of my shortcomings.
When flaws were pointed out, one simply learned and corrected them.
In that sense, Julieta’s criticisms had become valuable instruction for me.
The more I reflected on it, the less the young lady seemed to match her notorious reputation for cruelty.
A faint smile played across my lips as a sudden thought surfaced—the commission I had entrusted to Theo.
‘By now, the advance payment should have arrived at the Earldom.’
The task I had given Theo concerned Simon.
I had asked him to recover money from that gambling addict through a ‘perfectly legitimate’ method.
My eyes sparkled like stars as I gazed up at the pitch-black night sky.
Janet’s eyes sparkled like stars as she looked up at the pitch-black night sky.

***

Earl Graham’s Residence fell into absolute chaos.
“Where on earth has that girl disappeared to?!”
“How dare she run away after all we’ve done for her!”
There were still six months until my coming of age. They had already promised me to Count Berdin the moment I reached adulthood!
“We must send people to search for her. She couldn’t have gotten far by now.”
“Yes, we must. Blast it all. And just when we’re short on funds too…!”
Everyone was ready to dispatch trackers immediately, but Simon alone fidgeted anxiously.
‘This won’t do…!’
The employment contract payment hadn’t arrived yet. And that wasn’t even the worst of it.
If his parents learned that I had become Ludwig’s attendant, they would immediately demand the contract payment.
He needed to keep the payment’s existence hidden for at least a month. For the sake of his precious money!
As Simon shifted his weight anxiously, he recalled the advice I had given him.
Simon recalled Janet’s advice as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“What? The Convent?”
“Yes. If you say I tried to run away and you sent me to a convent, they’ll be reassured. There’s no place harder to escape from than a convent.”
“Yes. Since he was trying to escape, you’ll be relieved to hear that I caught him and sent him to a monastery. There’s no place harder to escape from than a monastery.”

Back then, I hadn’t thought it necessary to go to such lengths, but now it seemed like a brilliant solution.
Simon held his bouncing parents in place and recited the script Janet had written for him word for word.
His parents, who had been indignant at the part about her attempting to flee, heaved a sigh of relief when Simon mentioned that he had placed Janet in the Convent.
“Yes. You did very well.”
“So which Convent is it?”
“Ah, well….”
Simon, who had been rolling only his eyes, snapped them wide open at the sound of the doorbell ringing from outside.
“I’ll! I’ll go check!”
For the past few days, the moment he heard the doorbell, he would dash out like Pavlov’s dog.
If his parents happened to meet the person coming to deliver the down payment, it would be catastrophic.
And finally.
“Are you the guardian of Janet Graham?”
“…Yes! Yes! I am! It’s me! I am Janet’s guardian!”
His wait had borne fruit.
Simon’s eyes gleamed with avarice.

That evening.
Simon immediately set out. In his hand, he clutched a purse containing thirty million ecus—a fortune.
‘How long has it been since I’ve had a game!’
Until now, he’d had no money to gamble. If only there were someone willing to lend him funds.
The rumor that “don’t lend money to Simon” had spread far and wide, making it nearly impossible to find anyone willing to extend credit.
Simon, brimming with excitement, headed to his usual Gambling Den.
“Oh, young master! What brings you here? You brought money, didn’t you?”
“Of course! I’ve brought plenty, so show me to a high-stakes table.”
At Simon’s boastful words, the clerk exclaimed with admiration.
“Then I have just the right opponent for you. A big spender has been appearing in this area recently—his pockets are deep. How about it?”
“Perfect. Take me there at once.”
The proprietor clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched Simon’s eyes gleam with madness.
He’ll be cleaned out again today.
Sure enough, a few hours later.
“Ugh, ahhhhh!”
Simon shrieked as he tumbled through the Alley.
A muscular man of considerable build looked down at him with a sneer.
“If you don’t have money, you shouldn’t show your face in a place like this.”
“Y-you scoundrel! You’re a cheat, aren’t you?! How could you take all that money…!”
“I’m not the cheat—you’re just an idiot.”
Crack.
As the burly man flexed his fist, a terrified Simon clamped his mouth shut.
The man, who found him utterly pathetic, let out a contemptuous laugh and snapped his fingers at the thugs behind him.
“Boys. Take care of him. He needs to learn what happens when you lose at cards and then have the audacity to claim you’re broke.”
“Yes, boss.”
Sien trembled violently as the men slowly approached.
“N-no, don’t! Please don’t! S-save me!”
Aaahhhhh!
A pitiful scream echoed through the dark alley with piercing clarity.

#Chapter. A Dependable New Friend

A week had passed since my first day of work.
My days unfolded in much the same pattern. I would wake refreshed from my comfortable bed, then arrive at work on time.
“You’re here again.”
My day would begin when Julieta greeted me with her characteristically sharp remark.
She showed no signs of abandoning her efforts to drive me away, and her constant nitpicking continued without fail.
It began with matters of appearance, for instance.

“Choose something to wear. A maidservant should pay attention to her mistress’s grooming, don’t you know?”
“Pick again. I don’t like the color.”
“The lace is so gauche! Don’t you know what designs are fashionable these days?”
“Who brushes hair so roughly? Are you even applying oil before brushing? Everything is a complete mess!”
“Find out which salon is most popular in the city right now!”

Or there were letters to write.

“I don’t like this envelope. It’s far too coarse.”
“Ugh, the scent is off. This won’t do. Spray it with perfume and dry them all out. Be careful not to wrinkle the paper.”
“What is this handwriting? Are you trying to ruin my reputation?”

Eventually, she seemed to tire of finding fault and began ordering me to copy books instead.
Even during work hours, no less.

“I have nothing for you to do, so go sit in that corner and copy books.”

Books on High Society etiquette, a registry of western nobles connected to Ludwig Grand Duke’s territory, the Empire’s lengthy historical records, and more.
Thus, my recent duties amounted to nothing more than greeting Julieta each morning, running the occasional errand, and copying books in a corner for the rest of the day.
It was harassment in its own way.
Rather than having a maidservant perform her actual duties, assigning her to transcribe books because she was so inadequate was decidedly humiliating.
What’s more, the Maidservant Sien clung to Julieta’s side as if glued there, attending to her every need.
‘You are inferior to this maidservant.’
The message was unmistakably deliberate.
Well, if I had been any other noble lady, such treatment would have reduced me to tears of despair.
Nobles rarely tolerate humiliation well.
But.
‘This is absolutely delightful!’
I was not like them.
I had become utterly absorbed in the joy of learning these days.
Thanks to Julieta’s constant criticism, I had developed the ability to quickly grasp the latest fashion trends in High Society, and I had learned how to perfume letter envelopes with fragrance.
The transcription work itself proved invaluable.
The etiquette of High Society, which had been incomplete in my hasty self-study, now settled clearly in my mind, and the noble registry seemed it would prove useful later when I assisted Julieta.
The Empire’s lengthy history was particularly fascinating.
Since I had no memories before the age of fifteen, my knowledge of the Empire was already lacking enough as it was.
‘I feel as though I’ve learned so much through this opportunity.’
I rose from my seat, satisfied as I reviewed my transcribed notes.

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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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