Chapter 7
However, Grace found speaking informally even more difficult. She stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
“It’s just that the Lady is such a kind-hearted person,” Baron Fabers said with a forced laugh.
“If you ever need anything, please feel free to call on us. We usually work from the east annex, but we do rounds during the day to check if everything in the manor is in order.”
“Okay…”
“And this girl will be serving you from now on. Her name is Annie.”
“H-Hello… I’ll do my best.”
Dorota introduced the brown-haired maid standing beside her to Grace.
The maid, Annie, blushed shyly as she bowed. With her big eyes and small nose, she gave off a cute and innocent impression.
“Annie, take the Lady to her room. She must be tired after such a long journey.”
“Yes! Please follow me.”
At Dorota’s instruction, Annie answered energetically and took a step forward.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave now. Please take good care of the Lady.”
“Yes, have a safe trip back.”
Baron Fabers, having fulfilled his duty of escorting the Lady to the duke’s residence, departed with Baron Maynard seeing him off.
Grace watched him leave for a moment, then followed Annie. She had been told her room was on the second floor.
“Lady Grace, it’s such an honor,” Annie said, turning to smile as they climbed the stairs.
“I was so excited to see who would be coming, especially since I’d be serving the future mistress.”
“Y-Yeah…”
Grace barely managed a short reply. She didn’t know how to respond to this bright, cheerful girl.
“This is your room, my Lady,” Annie said as she opened the door. Grace stepped inside slowly.
“Oh…”
A soft gasp escaped Grace’s lips.
Contrary to her earlier impression of the mansion’s monstrous exterior, the room she would be using was elegant and lavish. The marble floors and chandelier sparkled so brightly they almost hurt her eyes. The bed with a white canopy, the sofa, table, and chairs—all kinds of furniture filled the space.
“It’s… nice.”
Grace looked around the room slowly. It was hard to believe this was really her room. It felt surreal.
“Oh, no! We didn’t decorate it that well… But we did clean it thoroughly when we heard you were coming.”
Annie waved her hands modestly. Since she didn’t know how Grace had lived before, she probably assumed the Lady had always lived a life of luxury. It was likely she couldn’t even imagine Grace living in a servant’s quarters.
As they walked further in, Grace noticed a brown bookshelf filled with books. She approached it and pulled out a volume. The luxurious leather binding felt smooth under her fingertips. In the Reinheim estate, such things could only be seen from afar.
“B-Books…”
“The head maid ordered us to prepare them. She thought you might get lonely coming from far away. You can read them one by one.”
Perhaps because she was growing more comfortable during their conversation, Annie looked much more relaxed now. Grace quietly stroked the cover of the book.
“You must have read a lot where you lived, right?”
Grace had never even seen books where she used to live, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the truth. She just blinked.
“This is the window. If it gets too warm, you can pull the handle to open it slightly.”
‘A room… with a window…’
Annie demonstrated how to open it. Grace gazed out the window in a daze. Her old room had no windows. The only light came from tiny cracks in the wooden walls.
“If anything ever feels uncomfortable or if you need something, please let me know first. I’ll do my best to help quickly.”
“Okay…”
“My Lady, you don’t have to speak formally with me… You can talk casually.”
Annie suggested informality, noticing Grace’s hesitant tone.
“Um… well…”
But Grace hesitated. Even though Annie was a maid, she just couldn’t bring herself to speak down to her.
“Please, it doesn’t feel right to be addressed so politely by someone I serve.”
“I… I see…”
At Annie’s earnest gaze, Grace swallowed hard. Just the thought of speaking informally made her nervous and tense.
“Al… alright.”
“Thank you. I look forward to serving you, my Lady.”
Annie smiled brightly at Grace’s awkward response. Grace smiled back shyly. Something tickled at her heart, but strangely, it didn’t feel bad.
“My Lady, if it’s alright with you… would you like a little tour outside? There’s not much to see since it’s winter, but it might help you get used to the layout.”
“Sure…”
Grace gave a small nod.
“Let’s get you dressed warmly first. I’ll bring something for you to wear.”
Annie walked to the wardrobe and opened the double doors. Inside, there was only one fur coat hanging in the center of the mostly empty closet.
“We didn’t prepare many clothes since we weren’t sure about your preferences. But the head maid did instruct us to buy one coat, just in case it got cold.”
Annie took the coat off the hanger. Its black fur gleamed with a silky sheen.
“The clothes you’re wearing are quite thin. You must’ve been very cold when you arrived.”
“A l-little…”
Grace nodded. Just remembering the cold she felt upon arrival made her shiver again.
The Reinheim duchy was near the capital, where the climate was much warmer, so this was her first time experiencing such intense cold.
Although the duke’s family had given her fine dresses and coats to make her appear like a true Lady, they hadn’t considered the northern weather at all.
“Could you please raise your arms?”
Grace lifted her arms as instructed. Annie placed her free hand gently on Grace’s shoulder.
“N-No… don’t…”
But the moment someone else’s hand touched her, Grace flinched without meaning to. A quiet whimper escaped her trembling lips.
“What’s wrong, my Lady?”
Annie looked at her with wide, concerned eyes.
“N-No, I’m fine.”
A cold sweat trickled down Grace’s back. Her mind understood that Annie was just trying to help her out of her coat. But the instant she felt that touch, painful memories of her half-brothers resurfaced.
They used to strip her of her clothes and burn her skin, or leave her standing outside in the cold for hours. No matter how much she cried and begged, they wouldn’t stop until they were satisfied.
“It’s… nothing…”
“I’m sorry, did I startle you by moving too quickly?”
“Y-Yeah…”
Grace barely managed to push out a reply. She felt even worse for overreacting but had no way of explaining it to Annie. She did her best not to tremble any further.
“If you’re ever uncomfortable, please tell me.”
Annie gently took off Grace’s coat and helped her into the fur one. The soft texture of the fur wrapped around her body like a warm hug.
“Is it alright? Not too heavy?”
Grace gave a small nod. Annie carefully fastened the coat in front.
“Phew…”
“All done, my Lady. Let’s go.”
Only after Annie stepped away did Grace let out a small breath. She followed behind her maid as they stepped outside.
“Wow…”
“Isn’t it beautiful? This is the most stunning garden in the whole manor.”
At the entrance to the back garden, Grace’s eyes widened in awe. Annie smiled and spoke proudly beside her.
“I-It’s… yeah.”
Snow was piled high on the neatly aligned trees and bushes, forming a scene so magical it felt like another world.
…
Back at the Reinheim estate, Grace had rarely seen snow. Even when it did fall, it never stuck long enough to accumulate.
She approached the nearest tree and reached out her hand. The snow felt soft yet cold against her palm. When she pulled her hand away, a clump of fluffy white snow sat neatly on her palm.
“No, don’t touch it! You might get frostbite.”
Annie rushed over and brushed the snow from Grace’s hand, clearly alarmed.
“It gets really windy around here… You have to be careful.”
The snowflakes drifted down to the ground.
