The next day. Lilia regained consciousness, either from a sense of relief or simply because she had passed out at some point. When she woke up and glanced out the window, the morning sunlight streamed in. It felt like it had all been a dream—and yet, the weight of reality was already beginning to settle in.
– "Good morning, Lilia."
At the sound of the casual greeting, Lilia felt a small sense of relief, as though a burden had been lifted.
"Good morning... Wait, I didn't catch your name."
– "Huh? Oh, right. It's Sakura. That's fine."
"Sakura... I see. So, what should I do first?"
– "Right! First, let's head out to the hallway. Start with the morning greetings! Greet the maids!"
Lilia blinked, then frowned in discomfort. She couldn't understand why she had to greet those servants. Sakura sighed, clearly exasperated.
– "Lilia, you know what your problem is? You're looking down on others. You do realize that, right?"
"That's… well, maybe... but why do I have to bother with greeting the maids like that?" Lilia muttered, her frustration bubbling up.
Although not as intense as Lilia, many nobles tend to treat their servants with condescension. In this country, the quality of a servant's work environment often depends more on the master's character than on any external relationships. I know Lilia can be tough, but I didn't want to focus on that right now.
Sakura let out a deep sigh.
– Lilia, how would you feel if a friend of yours was being mistreated by a maid?
"It must be difficult to have an unreliable maid," Lilia replied, her tone thoughtful.
– I'm asking you seriously, not philosophizing! I'm an idiot for even bringing it up!
Sakura's frustration was evident. Lilia, caught off guard, stood by the door and patiently waited for her to finish. Finally, Sakura spoke, her voice full of resignation.
– I give up on trying to explain! But Lilia, I want to help you.
Suddenly, the conversation took a turn, and Lilia tilted her head in confusion.
– You still don't believe me?
"If I can believe it or not, it's a bit of a gray area. But I've decided to follow you first."
– Then obey.
"Mm…"
Lilia quietly mulled over Sakura's words. There was clearly something in Sakura's reasoning that made sense, even if it was difficult to put into words. She gave a small nod, acknowledging the understanding.
She opened her door, and as soon as she did, the face of a maid appeared before her.
"Ah…"
The maid looked to be around her age. Lilia's eyes widened, her voice growing cold as she fought to suppress her emotions.
"What are you doing in front of my room...?"
I wasn't fully conscious, but I noticed my voice had become unusually quiet. The maid in front of me trembled, her eyes darting around, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly as she searched for words. Irritated by her nervous behavior, Lilia spoke again, her voice sharp.
"Whoa! Wait, wait, wait! Lilia, stop!"
Sakura cried out urgently, and Lilia's words faltered into a resigned sigh.
"You know, Lilia," Sakura continued, her tone more serious now, "you always get angry at the maids if they're a little late when you call, right? That's why they've been waiting outside your room all this time. Especially with how you've been lately, they've all been worried about you."
Lilia's eyes widened at this. She hadn't realized it before, but Sakura was right. She hadn't considered how her behavior might have affected the maids. Though she still didn't think she had done anything wrong, she was taken aback by their concern.
"Not all of them, of course," Sakura added, her voice softening. "Some maids are too afraid to come near you when you're angry, but others, like this one, are genuinely worried. You should take care of them, too."
Her words were gentle but firm. Lilia processed them quietly, then turned her gaze back to the maid, who was still standing there, head bowed.
"Um... Sorry, ma'am," the maid murmured, her voice shaky. She kept her head lowered, waiting for Lilia's response. There was a long, tense pause. Lilia realized, with some frustration, that her silence had only made the maid more nervous. She felt a pang of guilt, but it was mixed with a lingering anger.
"I don't care," Lilia muttered, trying to brush it off. "I was just wondering. I'm sorry."
The moment she spoke, the maid's face shot up, her eyes wide with shock. She stared at Lilia in disbelief, as if she couldn't comprehend the words. Lilia, caught off guard by the sudden intensity, took a step back.
"Lady!" the maid gasped.
"Hey, what?" Lilia asked, confused.
"Are you ill?" the maid cried, her voice filled with panic. "Did you eat something strange? Wait, I'll call a doctor right now! You should go back to your room and rest!"
"Hey, what do you mean?" Lilia's voice was sharp, her eyes narrowing in frustration at the maid's endless talking. The maid wouldn't stop, repeating over and over that she should go back to her room and rest. Lilia was growing more annoyed by the second. The whole situation made it feel like she was being dismissed as just a sickly person instead of being treated normally.
Lilia hadn't noticed that Sakura was quietly watching her, her lips twitching with amusement.
After finally managing to forgive the maid, who had insisted she go back to her room, Lilia decided to follow Sakura's suggestion and take a walk in the garden. She dismissed the maid and began heading out, but the maid stopped her just as she was about to leave.
"What?" Lilia snapped.
"You should change first," the maid stammered.
Lilia blinked, surprised. She had completely forgotten. She was still wearing the school uniform she had been wearing when the prince had ended their engagement. It had never changed, and now that she thought about it, it felt so… wrong. She could practically smell the tension from that day, the weight of it all clinging to the fabric.
It was too much.
"It reeks of it, Lilia," the voice in her head mused. Lilia winced.
"Do you understand now?" she muttered aloud, more to herself than to the maid.
The maid froze, her body trembling at the sudden outburst. She immediately bowed, apologizing profusely. Lilia felt a small pang of guilt as she saw the maid shaking in fear. The apology was sincere, but Lilia couldn't help herself—she was just so irritated by the whole situation. Her voice softened, but only slightly.
"I didn't say anything. Don't be so scared," Lilia reassured, though her words were a bit sharp.
The maid nodded quickly, still trembling. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
Lilia stared at her, frustrated, but also oddly moved. It wasn't typical of her to feel sorry for the maid, but for some reason, the fact that she was so concerned about Lilia's feelings made her stop.
"Alright, fine. I'll go change," Lilia muttered, though she wasn't quite sure why she was letting the maid's fear get to her. Sakura's voice echoed in her mind.
"You don't have to say it out loud, Lilia. I can hear you."
"Tell me everything from the beginning!" Lilia replied, her patience wearing thin, but she had already decided to trust Sakura, even if she wasn't entirely sure she should. She sighed deeply and turned back to the maid.
The maid, still looking pale, glanced up at her nervously. Lilia exhaled softly and managed to force a small, awkward smile. But the maid only seemed to grow more frightened by it, as if it were a smile of menace. Lilia didn't notice, too distracted by her own thoughts.
Meanwhile, Sakura was quietly enjoying herself, stifling a laugh.
"I'm going out to the garden for a change of mood. You're perfect for this, hey... it smells, doesn't it?"
At Lilia's words, the maid nodded reluctantly, looking rather uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, could you bring me some hot water?"
"Huh? Oh, yes!"
Lilia was taken aback by the maid's response, but chose not to comment on it. Sakura, on the other hand, immediately recognized that the maid's reaction was likely due to the somewhat commanding tone Lilia had used, which was unusual for her. But Sakura kept her thoughts to herself, too amused by Lilia's antics to say anything.
"Oh, by the way, what's your name?"
Lilia asked casually as the maid answered, though she stammered slightly.
"Alisa, sir."
"Alisa, huh? Got it. What's your age?"
"I'll be fifteen this year…"
"Ah, just about the same age as my other servants, then."
Lilia nodded, seeming pleased by the information, before continuing.
"I'll make you my exclusive maid. How's that sound?"
"Huh? Ah, uh…"
Alisa looked utterly bewildered, and it was obvious she didn't quite understand what was happening. Lilia quickly realized this was because of her blunt tone.
"Oh, right. I should probably ask your father for permission first. I'll come back later to check."
"Uh… Yes, thank you…"
Alisa bowed deeply, clearly flustered, and Lilia smiled contentedly at her before turning and heading toward the bathroom.
– Sakura, by the way... shut up.
– But…! Kugh, hehe, hi-hi…!
Lilia left behind a sharp remark, clearly unimpressed by Sakura's attempts to stifle her laughter.