4. Lady's Maid
Living as a lady's maid was far more grueling than she'd imagined. Ten days had passed since Miss Olivier's grand birthday party, but Emily still struggled to adjust.
A lady's maid's primary duties revolved around her mistress's appearance. Makeup, hairstyling, clothing, jewelry, and shoes were all essential. Beyond that, she had to remove stains from expensive silk garments, mend them when necessary, handle minor repairs, and manage various accessories. Secondary tasks included carrying tea, meals, and snacks from the first-floor dining room to Miss Olivier's chambers, as well as assisting with her baths.
With no prior experience as a maid, Emily was clumsy at all of it. Every morning, she had to rise before her mistress, wake the still-sleepy girl, and prepare her. A noble lady's morning routine was no simple matter.
She would comb through the young miss's long honey-blonde locks with a bronze brush, gather them neatly, then use heated iron rods from a small brazier to curl sections into perfect, glossy ringlets. The slightest lapse in attention could scorch the hair, and in the early days, she'd earned stern scoldings from Lotte.
Once the hair was set, she'd apply light makeup to the face, rouge to the lips, and finally help her into layer upon layer of undergarments, petticoats, and outer dresses—not to mention matching shoes and accessories for the day's outfit. For someone as clueless as Emily, every day was a parade of mistakes and exhaustion.
On top of that, the unfamiliar bed left her tossing and turning, leaving her mind foggy all day long, barely aware of time passing.
Sarah, unable to watch any longer, slipped her a small pouch of candies during breakfast one morning as Emily stared blankly at her untouched plate. She whispered, “It'll be tough at first. Have one whenever you're feeling drained. Sweet things help a little, at least.”
Grateful for the kindness, Emily accepted it politely with both hands cupped together. Sure enough, sucking on a candy during hectic moments melted away some fatigue, sharpening her movements.
Barring any special occasions, Miss Olivier would rise in the morning, get dressed, share breakfast with the family, then retreat to her room for rest. After lunch, she'd join the baroness for tea time, followed by a stroll in the garden. In the afternoons, she'd read novels in bed or by the window, or play the piano in the corner of her room. Evenings brought dinner, then hours at her desk with thick books, scribbling notes with a fountain pen as if studying.
The routine repeated daily, and after several days, Emily began to adapt. She finally understood why a noble lady needed a maid. Unlike a commoner's simple attire, the elegant, voluminous dresses hindered movement. The rigid frames of the petticoats made it impossible to step into shoes unaided, and bending to pick up a dropped item was an adventure in itself. Meals, tea, and walks all required assistance.
Despite having almost nothing to do alone, from an observer's view, the young miss's days were quite full. Fortunately, Emily had noticed that beneath her initial gloom, Miss Olivier's true nature was bright and cheerful.
Today was especially busy. With guests from the Loren count's family arriving tomorrow, Emily fretted over any potential flaws, spending the day bustling about, cleaning the young miss's room and organizing the dress room.
Midway through her chores, she felt curious eyes on her. Looking up, she met Olivier's gaze. The young miss had been lounging on the sofa, sipping tea and absorbed in a book moments ago. Now she lay propped on one elbow, book resting on her stomach, staring intently at Emily.
As their eyes met, Olivier set the book aside eagerly and spoke. “Emily, you're so skinny. And your chest is completely flat.”
Caught off guard by the blunt comment on her looks, Emily glanced down at the front of her maid's dress. It was perfectly flat, just as pointed out.
“You're right,” Emily agreed flatly.
Olivier lifted and released the underside of her own ample bosom demonstratively. It jiggled up and down.
“How old are you again? You're about my height...”
“One year younger than you, miss.”
Emily's indifferent reply drew a loud yelp from Olivier. “Eek? No way! You're thirteen? Mine started developing when I was twelve!”
Emily responded dully. “I've always been like this.”
Olivier shook her head in disbelief. She picked up her book and pointed to the cover like a show-and-tell. The pink cover featured a maid in uniform locked in a passionate gaze with a nobleman.
“Look here!” Olivier jabbed at the maid on the cover. “I'm reading this steamy romance, but you keep flitting around, ruining my immersion.”
“...Why?” Emily asked blankly.
Olivier blinked in exasperation. “Because the heroine has big breasts and a tiny waist—every man who sees her falls instantly in love. See? The maid outfit looks so sexy on her.”
“So?” Emily said flatly.
Olivier shook her head vigorously in frustration. “But you look like a boy dressed in girl's clothes. And your hair's so short! I was shocked when I first saw you.”
She clamped her mouth shut, as if recalling the unpleasant memory from the guest room.
Emily gazed at her impassively and replied, “Short hair's easier to manage. Long hair gets in the way during work and is a hassle to care for, so I keep it short on purpose. Anyway, with this on, no one sees if it's long or short.” She pointed to the brown band-like maid's bonnet encircling her head.
Olivier nodded in agreement. “True. But longer hair would at least make you look more like a girl. Not like the heroine here, but still decent. Your face is pretty up close, and that rare hair color...”
Her ruby eyes sparkled, as if spotting something intriguing.
Emily felt awkward with the focus on her appearance and shifted the topic, pointing at the book. “But miss, what's the book about...?”
Olivier waved the pink cover. “Nothing special—just your typical romance. A maid and noble transcending class differences, that sort of thing. It's all right here. A masked ball where they meet by chance... See, here.”
She emphasized the bold text on the cover, but Emily just stared puzzled.
Sensing something off, Olivier tilted her head. “You can't read, can you?”
Emily nodded quickly.
“For real?”
She nodded again at the follow-up.
“Yes. I can't.” Emily confirmed firmly.
Olivier looked troubled. Lotte, her mother's maid, could read— she'd read letters aloud on weary evenings. But a lady's maid in a noble house who was illiterate? It was a fresh shock, though not surprising given Emily's background. Still, it was Olivier's oversight not to have checked beforehand.
If it got out among other noble maids...
“What about numbers? Can you read those?”
“Yes, numbers I can. Mother taught me from childhood that money is very important.”
“Good. That's a relief.”
Silence fell briefly. Olivier pondered, then spoke. “Emily, from now on, learn letters beside me during my evening studies.”
“Pardon?” Emily blinked in confusion.
“I'll write and memorize letters each night—you do the same. I'll teach you.”
“You're learning letters too, miss?” Her gray eyes widened.
Olivier smiled. “No, my nightly studies are ancient tongue. You need to learn Coertish.”
Emily stood frozen, uncomprehending. Olivier furrowed her brow slightly and explained. “The language we speak now is Coertish—used in Ashton and the Templton Empire. It's from the old Koerton Empire. And what I study nights is ancient tongue, from long ago. Hmm... I'm not great at it myself.”
She gazed into space, rolling her eyes as if testing the words.
Olivier beamed proudly, but Emily's eyes widened, her face stiffening. Olivier blinked, puzzled. Emily looked shocked, rigid.
“...What did you just say?”
“I said in ancient tongue, 'Getting used to you feels good.' Not sure if the grammar's right—it's so complicated.”
Emily recalled the white-haired man, old man, and boy at the mine entrance—they'd spoken that way. So it was ancient tongue... and Olivier might know about that white man.
“Miss.” Emily called urgently.
Olivier replied with a curious “Hm?”
Just as she opened her mouth, there was a knock. The door flew open, and the baroness entered.
“Olivier, there's a dinner with the Loren count's family tomorrow evening. We need to check your outfit. Let's look at the dresses first, and I'll pick matching jewels from my collection.”
“Yay! Really?” Olivier jumped up, thrilled at the promise of jewels.
As Emily moved to follow the baroness, Lotte spoke. “Emily, go help Sarah downstairs. The lower floors are swamped preparing for tomorrow's guests. Leave the miss to me.”
“Yes, Lotte.” Emily bowed politely.