Chapter 65

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 65

Chapter Title: Paula of the Strange Count's Family (3)

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She didn't seem like the tallest, but... I hadn't seen anyone shorter than me since coming here. Oh, so maybe I am the smallest. Even five years ago... The random thought crept in, and I shook my head to chase it away.

"Your hair has the same curls as mine."

"Yes. It's a bit like that."

"Your bangs are all uneven."

Joelle pointed at my short bangs and laughed. Embarrassed, I fiddled with them. Realizing my face was so exposed made me shrink back. As I ducked my head in sudden self-consciousness, she burst out laughing even louder.

"That's nice. Bring it here."

"Yes!"

The response I'd been waiting for bubbled up in delight. I answered too loudly without thinking and flustered myself, but Joelle just laughed in reply again. I grinned sheepishly, closed the wardrobe, and hurried over to her.

Joelle rose from the chair and slipped off her robe. Even as a fellow woman, glimpsing her sleek figure felt oddly embarrassing, so I averted my eyes a little while helping her into the dress. I fastened all the buttons lining the back and smoothed out the wrinkled fabric.

The form-fitting dress suited her perfectly.

"Fix my hair a bit too."

"Yes."

Joelle sat back down in the chair. I placed a mirror in front of her and moved behind. Her long locks were thick and glossy. I fetched a comb and brushed them carefully.

"Curls look so full and nice, but if you don't take care of them, they get all frizzy and messy."

"They're still pretty on you."

"Thanks. What about you, Anne? Not quite like mine?"

"Mine's even frizzier. The ends are sticking up right now."

Suddenly, Joelle spun around and grabbed my hair. The unexpected touch startled me rigid. Ignoring my reaction, she toyed with the ends, twirling them around her finger.

"They really are sticking up."

"...Yes."

"But it's cute. Once you touch it, you can't forget."

She kept fiddling with my hair for a good while after that. Whenever I shot her a flustered glance, she'd just laugh it off. I stood there awkwardly bent over, waiting for her to let go. When there was no sign of that, I finally couldn't take it and asked if I could get back to fixing her hair. Only then did Joelle laugh apologetically and release me.

Regaining my freedom, I went back to her hair. I gathered the thick tresses into an updo, securing it with a flower-shaped ornament. I pinned up the stray strands with small clips.

Once finished, Joelle inspected the style closely, tilting her head this way and that to check the mirror. Then she beamed.

"You're handy."

"Thank you."

Good, she liked it. A satisfied smile lingered on Joelle's lips. I gazed at her reflection. Adorned with flowers, she practically glowed. She really did seem more like a countess.

"That's it. You can go."

"Yes."

I bowed and turned to leave. Just as I reached for the doorknob—

"Anne."

She called me suddenly. I turned back, and Joelle was already standing, looking at me. Our eyes met, and she tilted her head slightly, her smile stretching long across her face.

"Welcome to this place."

Joelle had been smiling constantly from our shocking first meeting until now. She seemed like someone used to smiling. But oddly, this smile felt different. Her eyes curved deeply toward me, but I couldn't bring myself to smile back.

How to describe it? If I had to say, it leaned more toward the bad side than good—not a habitual smile, but one she consciously forced to hide her true feelings.

But it was probably just my imagination.

"It's an honor."

I clasped my hands and bowed deeply once more.

Joelle must have taken a liking to me, because from that day on, I attended her. In exchange, Alicia was assigned cleaning duties in other areas—dusty rooms and storage spaces that hadn't been used in ages. Dissatisfied, she complained to Audrey several times, only to get reassigned to even filthier spots no one wanted.

Either way, Alicia was just a maid. Like it or not, there was nothing she could do. It bruised her pride, though; every evening after work, she'd return to our room and pummel her pillow while screaming. I did tell her to watch her mouth.

'She thought she'd catch the noble master's eye and score big, but why'd it have to be a woman in charge? What rotten luck!'

In my view, Joelle seemed like the countess, but I didn't spell it out. Alicia even hinted at running away. I pretended not to hear.

Alicia had been booted, but Jonny was still around. Even after fleeing in embarrassment, he kept getting summoned back to Joelle. Unfortunately, he'd ended up under her care like me. But it felt less like service and more like keeping a decorative flower nearby for her amusement.

He'd help when I fetched clothes or items from the side, but whenever anything required touching Joelle, he'd stand far off. Forbidden from leaving the room without permission, he couldn't escape. So in awkward moments, Jonny just closed his eyes and endured.

'So cute.'

Joelle relished Jonny's shy reactions. Sometimes she'd touch him with strange caresses or give him lingering looks. Naturally, Jonny got flustered every time.

'Hey, hide me or something.'

'How am I supposed to hide you? Don't talk nonsense.'

'That woman keeps staring at me weirdly. Why's she looking like that?'

'Beats me.'

And soon enough, I figured out what that gaze meant.

Joelle brought men to her room every night. A different one each time. I didn't know their identities exactly, but some seemed to be male servants. One night, I was roused from sleep and arrived to find a naked man lying beside her—what an embarrassment that was.

'I like pretty things. But I hate forcing anyone. It's only fun if we both enjoy it. If only one side's happy, it just sours the mood, right?'

That was why she kept Jonny close. She didn't want to drag him by force if he said no, so she'd keep him nearby until he warmed up to the idea. It meant she really fancied him, too. The poor guy only felt threatened, oblivious to her hidden intentions.

But I sensed Joelle's gaze in a different way. It was kind when our eyes met, but otherwise, it prickled like a sting. As if she were watching me intently. Whenever I felt it, I tensed up without thinking.

The situation repeated for days. Joelle grew pickier, Jonny more flustered, and I just focused on my tasks between them. At first it was awkward, but it soon became routine.

Then, out of nowhere, my assignment changed. Suddenly, I was on cleaning duties for the second-floor rooms. No idea why. Had I unknowingly irked Joelle? Cleaning was familiar anyway, so it suited me fine. Plus, no more of those eerie stares from her—not bad at all.

And Alicia took my spot. How? I heard from another maid in the cleaning crew that Alicia had begged Audrey for another chance a few days earlier.

She'd glare daggers at me every time I returned from attending Joelle, and now this sneaky move. From proud Alicia, no less.

'What's her game?'

'What?'

'Since when does she swallow her pride to wait on someone?'

Alicia shot me a fierce glare.

'It's your fault!'

'Mine?'

'Yeah! You're trying to steal my spot again!'

What had I done? As I gaped in disbelief, Alicia yelled.

'I'd rather serve that woman than lose to you!'

Then it hit me—this was her old habit rearing up. Snatching anything I had, just to spite me. I'd learned plenty about Joelle's demanding nature in our short time. I could guess what might happen if she and Alicia were alone. But Alicia would endure even that, just to keep me from her place.

'And serving her might let me meet other nobles later. Annoying, but no choice for now.'

Irritated as she was, it wasn't pure impulse. Whatever, didn't matter to me.

'Good luck.'

'Just stay out of my way.'

I'd thought the same last time—no intention of interfering.

This wasn't where I'd chosen to be, but since I was here, I just wanted to focus on my duties. Whether attending Joelle or cleaning, it didn't matter. Jonny had come for the high pay, so compensation shouldn't be an issue. As temporary hires, we might leave eventually anyway. Better to earn as much as possible before then, so I wouldn't starve after.

And escaping Joelle's side let me learn more about this place.

While cleaning corridor windows, I peered intently through the glass at the dense thicket beyond. Parting the bushes, I glimpsed something white in the distance. I'd recently realized it was another mansion of the count's family. It was so far you wouldn't notice without staring hard.

This place, surrounded by forest on all sides, didn't feel like the main residence. So, an annex? Noble estates usually had gardens, but this lacked one—something felt off.

But I couldn't go check out the other mansion. Servants here needed Audrey's permission to go outside. No visitors came, either. You'd expect guests at a count's home, but I hadn't heard of any since arriving. Joelle rarely went out herself, which made our own outings strictly controlled too.

The only place we could go freely was right outside the mansion door. Step into the woods, and you'd face interrogation: where to, why, etc.

Maybe because we were temporaries, but we seemed under tight watch. Chatting with fellow maids revealed all the servants here were outsiders like Alicia and me.

Surrounded by woods, unable to visit the other mansion—or even see a proper garden. All staff from outside. Never seen the count himself, just the supposed countess Joelle living in this remote annex. Why?

After days of observing, my conclusion was simple.

This was one strange mansion.

You'd expect at least a longtime servant or two. The place I'd worked before... I shook my head sharply mid-thought. Maybe because of that past experience—lately, memories from five years ago kept surfacing unbidden.

I hadn't fully forgotten. Some memories wouldn't fade no matter how I tried. I sometimes recalled my days in that mansion. Sold there for gold, yet the good times outnumbered the bad. Even if it started and ended poorly, the beauty in those occasional reminiscences came from that.

Sometimes, that man came to mind.

Our brief time together—the memories, conversations, promises. And our end. Worry for him, left alone in that dark room, still shook me at times. That was five years ago now.

A maid who'd vanished like that? Long forgotten by now. Or assumed dead. Still, I'd wondered if he might be searching for me.

Impossible.

'No way.'

Even if he was, he couldn't find me. He never saw my face. How do you search for someone you've never laid eyes on?

And then another man surfaced in my thoughts.

I shook my head vigorously. The only cure for melancholy was to shake it off. He's doing fine. Everyone is. So I need to live well too. With that, I eased the gloom.