Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 26
She wanted to rest a bit more.
The gathered maids all sighed, unable to hide their disappointment. Mary felt the same.
But despite their feelings, they couldn’t defy the order relayed by the priest, so they donned their maid uniforms once again after a long break.
And early in the morning, they reluctantly got up and headed to the saint’s room.
“Why are they making us work again all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they’re sick of us lounging around?”
The maids laughed and chatted among themselves.
The once unremarkable lady had become a great being known as the saint, but this change hadn’t truly sunk in deep within their hearts.
Since there was no sign she was seeking revenge on them, it wasn’t surprising that their guard was down.
“Yeah, I want more time too.”
Lani chimed in with the others. Since everyone else was saying it, she figured it was okay to express the same sentiment. It was a thought expressed just to that extent.
Thus, the maids entered the saint’s room.
Located in the deepest part of the temple, a sacred place where saints had stayed for generations. Opening the door engraved with a pattern resembling blossoming flowers, they saw a vast space.
At the center of the beautifully decorated space, almost too beautiful to be indoors, was a large bed, and Irene was lying on it.
“We greet Lady Irene.”
Mary led with the greeting.
“Come in, everyone.”
She still smiled with a gentle expression. On the other hand, the King of the North, standing by her side, had a stiff expression that brought tension.
“Don’t make the maids nervous.”
Irene said to Burt, prompting him to relax his expression.
“Oh, my apologies.”
Having been too distracted last time to properly notice, seeing the two of them up close was quite astonishing.
The King of the North was treating Irene with respect and familiarity. Conversely, Irene was speaking comfortably to the King of the North. The dynamics of their relationship were apparent.
Truly, the person they served had become a saint.
Lani took a deep breath and carefully began to attend to Irene. Whether the wounds were deep or not, the bandages wrapped around her hands were still in place.
‘Rumors say she entered the Tower of Death.’
She had heard that the remnants of the terrible torture she endured there still remained.
‘Would jumping from the tower cause so many injuries? No, most of them must be from the torture.’
Her hand holding the bowl filled with water for washing trembled faintly. Just looking at it was enough to send shivers down her spine.
Why is she smiling despite such horrific injuries? Does becoming a saint make everyone like this?
She didn’t understand, but she didn’t intend to delve deeper. It would be troublesome if she accidentally angered her.
Not wanting to disturb the current peace, she decided to focus on the task at hand and ignore everything else.
Lani carefully attended to Irene, making sure not to splash any water.
The service ended peacefully. There were no difficulties since Irene did not act demanding or finicky in the slightest.
The tension turned out to be for naught as nothing happened.
“It was nothing.”
So, that evening, she did not argue with Mary’s words. Because it really was so.
“Right. I thought she might find some fault.”
“Would she have the courage to?”
Mary responded with a laugh.
“Well, yes. She was always so withdrawn, wasn’t she?”
Thinking back on Irene’s time at the mansion, it wasn’t unreasonable to think so.
Always a girl walking around intimidated. Although she improved a bit as she grew up, it was hardly enough. The maids always disregarded her, regardless of her actions.
Thus, the first day they resumed their service passed peacefully. The second and third days were no different.
Initially, there was a slight fear of retaliation, but serving the saint turned out to be easy, and they had their afternoons free after working in the morning.
It felt as if things had returned to how they were before. The slight tension in their bodies and minds gradually eased away.
The hands that initially trembled now remained steady. Even if water splashed by mistake while serving, they no longer panicked.
‘After all, she’s still that lady from before. What could she possibly do?’
Even the timid Lani came to think this way.
“Ah, I want to work here forever.”
“Some say, ‘I don’t want to go back to the dukedom!'”
Some expressed such sentiments. Lani agreed with them. Each day was that peaceful.
Until that day came.
Swoosh!
‘Huh?’
Lani, carrying a bowl of water for washing, accidentally spilled it. The spilled water soaked the bed, and some splashed onto Irene.
Yet, Lani was not particularly concerned.
‘How should I clean this up?’
That was her only thought. She saw Irene wiping the water off her cheek but didn’t think she would get angry.
Since she had always been that way, Lani assumed she would just laugh it off this time too.
