Abandoned Maid of the Grand Duke - Chapter 34
The pettiness of a man’s jealousy. Ernst couldn’t help but wonder if his father’s influence had a hand in the gardener’s conscription to the war. Just as he was speculating, the girl stood up and turned her head.
“Time sure flies. She’s grown a lot, hasn’t she?”
Indeed, he vaguely remembered the girl’s face from his memories. She used to help her father by bringing roses to his mother, but she hadn’t been particularly pretty. If she had been strikingly beautiful, she wouldn’t still be working as a maid. Instead, she might have caught the eye of some noble and secured a modest position somewhere.
Julie didn’t seem to be aware of being watched. Ernst was staring at her from beyond the colonnade, but she didn’t notice at all. Instead, she was carefully handling the broken roses, picking off each petal and collecting them.
“What is she doing?”
“Perhaps she’s planning to use them as bookmarks?”
“Petals?”
“If they’re dried well, they can be quite valuable.”
Drying the petals to preserve their fragrance, especially from the rare and expensive roses favored by Johanna. Ernst, who had only ever seen finished products, found the idea intriguing. The thought that someone would dry the petals of a rose he had stepped on to make a bit of money piqued his interest.
It was a curious sight, so he asked further.
“Are the servants’ wages insufficient? Or is it something about the manor’s finances?”
The butler seemed taken aback, waving his hands frantically.
“What are you saying? The wages have never been late, not even once. Please, even as a joke, don’t mention such things about our finances.”
The manor boasted extensive mines, vast lands, the mansion, and countless jewels handed down through generations.
Of course. That’s why, especially in times like these, the servants are so desperate to cling to their positions here.
If it wasn’t a matter of financial difficulty or the manor’s finances faltering, why was she out there doing that? Perhaps she simply wanted the dried petals for herself, but her meticulous handling suggested otherwise.
As he watched more closely, the butler, unable to hide the truth any longer, confessed.
“With the current unrest, everyone is feeling anxious. Julie is a particularly diligent girl, so we turn a blind eye to things like this.”
Otherwise, the petals would end up rotting in the trash. But if someone collected them, they could become a valuable resource.
However, strictly speaking, even those petals that would turn into trash are part of the ducal estate’s property. The butler, seemingly concerned about this, cautiously asked Ernst for his intention.
“Shall I warn her if it bothers you, my lord?”
“No, let her be.”
He gestured for the butler to leave. The butler hesitated for a moment before bowing his head and leaving the scene.
Even after sending the butler away, Ernst stayed and watched her for a while. One petal after another, she carefully pressed them between thick books as if making bookmarks, ensuring the petals did not get damaged. She seemed so focused that she didn’t notice anyone watching her.
Watching her, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘Interesting.’
Since entering the academy and understanding the current state of affairs, one thing that forward-thinking individuals commonly perceived was this: money. Neither honor, power, nor force mattered as much as money. For a powerless maid, the first three were unattainable, leaving her with money. Unless, of course, she was simply gathering discarded petals without much thought.
‘Well, I’ll know if I keep watching.’
There are exceptional individuals even among commoners. Most of them just lack educational opportunities and end up living and dying without much notice. But if someone showed potential, there was no reason not to use them.
That was what initially drew him to Julie. She was unique. She had an aura unlike any other servant in the manor. It was a scent reminiscent of the roses she handled, or perhaps the sap that would flow when squeezed from the petals.
The one thing he was sure of was that the Julie he met now was not the same little girl who used to help her father and present roses to his mother.
***
“Hello, Julie. It’s been a very long while.”
After observing the maid closely several times, Ernst reached one conclusion.
‘A missy.’
Not an insult, but a compliment. Surely, she didn’t expect to be called a lady or something, did she?
From that day, he also watched the behavior of other servants, but Julie was the only one who acted swiftly despite the looming sense of crisis. She seemed prepared for any eventuality.
And that was interesting. What if the “eventuality” she was preparing for was the downfall of the ducal estate?
