Chapter 34: A New Maid, Old Scars, and Unfinished Business
by AfuhfuihgsThe day after the exchange meeting.
Rustle, rustle.
From early in the morning, Elin’s cowlick swayed cheerfully.
While it had been delightful that Luke read her a fairy tale last night after such a long time,
“…It’s so quiet.”
Now that Dien had also been dragged off by Ranian,
It was just Luke and Elin left behind.
Finally, they could return to the everyday life where it was just the two of them!
Elin was waiting excitedly for Luke to arrive.
– I have a promise with the Duchess, so I’ll be away for a bit. It’s good news for you too, so look forward to it.
Luke had left early in the morning, heading to Natia’s office.
‘What kind of good news could it be?’
Elin swung her legs back and forth, sitting on the edge of the bed.
But her joy didn’t last long.
Step, step.
Twitch.
Her enhanced hearing, unintentionally sharpened, caught the sound of footsteps outside the door.
It was unmistakably Luke’s shoes.
But something was odd.
He could have just used teleportation—why was he walking?
Her question was soon answered.
Clomp, clomp.
“1.”
Alongside Luke’s familiar steps, came an unfamiliar sound.
It wasn’t her father or mother.
So, who could it be?
“May I come in, Lady Elin?”
Instead of knocking, Luke called out from outside the door.
“Mm, come in.”
Creak.
The door opened.
Sure enough, Luke wasn’t alone.
“Oh? She’s absolutely adorable.”
Standing next to him was a woman with pale skin marred by scattered scars, sharp shark-like teeth, and a carelessly buttoned uniform exposing an intimidatingly large chest.
Although she wore a maid uniform, her impression was far closer to that of a ruffian.
“Allow me to introduce her.”
Luke gestured toward the tough-looking woman.
“This is Anne, who will be serving as your exclusive maid starting today.”
“Pleased to meet you!”
Even the way she bowed gave off a distinctly back-alley vibe.
Eek.
Elin instinctively shivered.
“S-Sir.”
She quickly darted behind Luke, clinging to his back.
She had just gotten used to it being the two of them, and now, this intimidating-looking person had appeared.
“What? I haven’t even done anything yet.”
Anne scratched her ear as she glanced around the room.
“Wow, I never imagined I’d work in a place like this. Guess having friends really pays off.”
“…Ugh.”
Elin pinched her nose.
As Anne walked by, the smell of cigarettes filled the air.
With a slightly guilty expression, Luke snapped his fingers.
“You’ll need to quit smoking if you’re going to work here.”
Snap.
The air around Anne shifted.
While the smell diminished, it didn’t vanish completely.
“Of course! I’m already quitting.”
“How long has it been since you stopped?”
“An hour, maybe?”
“…”
“Oh, come on, don’t give me that look. I’ll quit for real this time, okay?”
Anne grinned, flashing her sharp teeth. Squatting down, she bowed her head toward Elin.
“Sorry, Lady Elin. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately, so maybe just a bit of the smell is still lingering…”
“…It’s more than a bit.”
“Well, I’ll quit right away, so please trust me and let me take care of you.”
Instead of replying, Elin clung tighter to Luke’s back, shooting him a glare.
It was a silent protest: Why did you bring someone like her?
“Don’t judge her too harshly. She may look like a delinquent, but she’s the most family-oriented person I know. That’s why I brought her here.”
“Family-oriented…?”
Elin cautiously peeked out from behind Luke’s back.
The moment their eyes met, she quickly averted her gaze.
It was instinct—an innate fear response when prey encountered a predator.
No matter how you looked at her, Anne seemed less like someone “family-oriented” and more like someone straight out of “The Family.”
“Well, I guess my first impression wasn’t great.”
“That’s why I told you to tidy yourself up,” Luke chided.
“I can’t help it. Even the largest size barely fits over my chest.”
Anne shrugged and gave her chest a couple of pats, which were surprisingly soft due to their cushioning effect.
“I’m not losing such a cushy job. I’ll just have to prove myself! Lady Elin, you haven’t bathed yet, right?”
Elin slowly nodded.
“Perfect. I’ll help you bathe.”
“…Huh?”
“Relax, I’m not going to eat you. Come on over.”
Elin looked up at Luke as if asking for help.
“I understand why you might feel uneasy, but please trust me just this once. She’s a highly skilled acquaintance from my academy days.”
“…Fine.”
Hearing that she was an academy classmate brought some reassurance.
After all, Ranian and Dien had proven to be trustworthy despite initial appearances.
Surely Luke wouldn’t have brought in an actual ruffian.
Gulp.
Steeling her resolve, Elin hesitantly approached Anne.
“Ah, at this rate, it’ll take forever.”
Impatient, Anne strode over, scooped Elin up, and tucked her under her arm like a sack of potatoes.
“S-Sir…!”
Deprived of her freedom, Elin flailed her legs in the air.
“Take your time and bathe thoroughly.”
Luke waved with a gentle smile.
Thirty minutes later in the bathroom…
“Lady Elin, anyone would think I’m doing something terrible to you.”
It had been thirty minutes since Elin had told Anne, Just give me a moment.
“I mean, seriously, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just trying to help you get clean. Do you not trust me?”
Sigh.
Having observed Anne for the past thirty minutes, Elin finally came to a conclusion.
Despite her rough appearance, Anne had been surprisingly patient and obedient, even though she grumbled occasionally.
If it had been one of the maids assigned by her mother, they would have doused her in cold water and scrubbed her harshly by now.
“Your previous maid must’ve been awful, huh?”
Boing.
Elin’s cowlick shot up.
“How did you know?”
“That’s why I’m here through connections. After all, no ordinary commoner could get into a place like the Bertane estate.”
Anne sighed, looking as if she was craving a cigarette.
“Oh, and I’ve already been cursed with a confidentiality spell or whatever. If I lose this job, I’m done for. I’ve got a lot of mouths to feed, so I won’t take this lightly.”
Her expression turned surprisingly serious.
Elin uncurled herself and, as if hypnotized, waddled over to Anne.
Anne’s brow furrowed as she inspected Elin.
“Wow, that must’ve hurt. No wonder they cursed you.”
Elin’s body was covered in scars—on her back, waist, arms, and legs.
Although the Duke’s absence in the north meant she hadn’t been recently injured, old scars still remained.
“I’ll be gentle, so let me know if anything hurts, okay?”
“…Okay.”
Swoosh.
Warm water poured from the magic-engineered showerhead.
“How’s the temperature?”
“…It’s good.”
“Got it. I’ll remember this level of warmth.”
Anne carefully wet Elin’s hair with the pleasantly warm water.
“Does this hurt?”
Not only did it not hurt—it felt comforting.
The light pressure of Anne’s hands eased tension from Elin’s body, leaving her feeling relaxed and languid.
“Mm…”
“Hehe, I knew you’d like this,” Anne chuckled with a playful grin as she continued to gently yet skillfully wash every part of Elin.
“Are you okay? Should I be even gentler?” Despite her casual tone, Anne’s touch was incredibly tender.
“Ah, sorry, sorry! I swear it won’t happen again. Please forgive me just this once!” Anne profusely apologized whenever she accidentally brushed against a scar.
As Elin slowly let her guard down, she began to share bits of what the previous maid had done to her.
“What? That awful woman did what? She dared touch the lady’s belongings without permission? Should I go and break her in half? I may look soft, but I’ve got some strength, you know.”
Anne’s indignant reaction was so intense that Elin hurried to stop her, worried she might actually do it.
“There’s no need to go that far…” Elin said, watching the veins bulging in Anne’s clenched fists.
“If I ever see her again, I’ll…” Anne muttered, but quickly shifted gears. “Anyway, how’s the water temperature?”
“It’s fine.”
Anne finally calmed down once Elin sank into the bathtub.
“Oh my, the lady’s eyelids are starting to close,” Anne teased.
Completely relaxed, Elin found it difficult to keep her eyes open.
Anne gently stroked her back and murmured, “It’s okay, it’s okay. You can fall asleep if you want. I’ll take care of everything. Just get some rest.”
“Mm…”
Elin couldn’t resist the soothing words and soon drifted off to sleep.
“Koo… Koo…”
For the first time in her life, she fell asleep while taking a bath.
Tap. Tap-tap.
A light touch on her body brought her back from the depths of sleep.
“Mm…”
Elin squirmed, reluctant to wake up.
“…My lady.”
Shake-shake.
“…Please wake up.”
The attempt to wake her persisted.
“My lady!”
“Ah!”
At the husky voice calling her, Elin’s eyes snapped open.
“Huh?”
She realized she was no longer in the bathroom but lying on her bed.
“You must have been so relaxed to fall asleep during your bath,” Luke’s voice came from nearby.
It dawned on her—she had nodded off while bathing.
“See? I told you you’d enjoy it,” Anne teased with a sly grin, ruffling Elin’s hair. Her hair felt softer than usual.
“At last, the bath products I bought are getting some use,” Luke remarked, clearly pleased.
“You didn’t use them until now? These are premium products!”
“Well, I couldn’t exactly jump in and help myself, could I?”
“True enough,” Anne agreed with a nod. She clapped her hands.
“Now, come here, my lady. It’s time for lotion!”
“What’s that?”
“Just trust me. It’s good stuff,” Anne reassured her.
Remembering Anne’s skill during the bath, Elin didn’t hesitate and shuffled over to let her apply the lotion.
Dab-dab.
Anne spread a cool liquid over Elin’s skin.
Squelch-squelch.
Then, she added a slightly sticky layer on top.
“It’s sticky,” Elin complained.
“Just bear with it. It’s for the sake of keeping your skin beautiful.”
“Beautiful?”
“Exactly. We’re preserving your soft, smooth skin. If you don’t take care of it now, you’ll regret it later.”
“How so?” Elin asked, tilting her head.
“Your skin will get dry and wrinkled.”
Elin didn’t seem particularly concerned until Anne added, “And Luke might not like it.”
“…!”
Her cowlick shot up like an exclamation mark.
Elin turned abruptly to Luke.
“Is that true, teacher?”
“Why is my opinion being brought up out of nowhere?” Luke, who had been watching with amusement, suddenly looked flustered.
“If my skin gets wrinkly, will you hate me?”
“W-what? Of course not…” Luke trailed off but hesitated when he met Anne’s eyes, which were practically daring him to answer wrong.
“Well… I do think your skin is quite lovely as it is now.”
Luke’s hurried response made it clear he had been coerced.
Though Elin didn’t notice, she nodded seriously, saying, “Fine, I’ll endure the stickiness.”
“That’s the spirit. We need to protect this treasure of a skin forever,” Anne said, grinning as she held up a mirror.
“What do you think? Shinier than usual, right?”
“It really is…”
Elin’s now radiant skin practically gleamed, reflecting light.
“See? Isn’t this better than being all dry and flaky?”
“Yeah, this is better,” Elin admitted.
“Then let’s make this a daily routine—bath and lotion every day, okay?”
“Alright.”
With that, Anne successfully coaxed Elin into regular skincare.
Anne subtly gave Luke a thumbs-up, earning his admiration.
“Impressive.”
Luke felt like giving her a standing ovation.
Not only had Anne finally gotten Elin to use the untouched bath products, but she’d also introduced proper skincare into her routine.
“You’re certainly a good judge of people,” Luke thought to himself.
“Now that we’ve bathed, let’s go enjoy a delicious breakfast!”
Anne lifted Elin under her arms and carried her toward the door.
Thud-thud-thud.
A strange knocking sound came from outside.
“Is someone here?” Anne gently set Elin down.
“There shouldn’t be,” Luke replied. The Duke wasn’t at the estate, and Natia didn’t knock like that.
“Well, let’s see who it is.”
Anne walked to the door and opened it. Standing there was a surprising figure.
A maid with brown hair and freckles—Lara Shanine, the former maid who had thrown away Elin’s rabbit doll and earned her ire.
“Who… are you?” Lara gasped, startled at the sight of Anne.
“And who might you be?” Anne shot back, equally caught off guard.
The encounter between the former and current maids had come out of nowhere.
“I’m the young lady’s personal maid. I don’t recall seeing you before. Where are you from?”
“Ah.”
Realization dawned on Anne as she smirked.
“You must be the former maid?”
“F-former maid? What do you mean by that?”
“What a coincidence. I’m the lady’s personal maid now,” Anne said with a sweet yet sharp smile.
“W-what?”
Anne, who had heard all about Lara’s misdeeds from Elin, didn’t bother explaining.
Instead, she narrowed her eyes and shot Lara a cold, piercing glare.
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