Chapter 67
The Count's Secret Maid - Chapter 67
Translation: godsn
I had become the maid serving that insufferable little Young Master. My fate now was to stick by the child's side from morning till night every single day.
The little Young Master named Robert was no ordinary child. True to his noble upbringing, he had an exact understanding that I was his subordinate.
"Bring it."
The child suddenly snatched the spoon from Nanny's hand, threw it on the floor, and issued his command while pointing directly at the fallen utensil—his eyes fixed on me.
"Young Master, you mustn't do that."
Nanny gently scolded as she tried to rise, but Robert grabbed her waist to prevent her from standing and repeated his command in a clear voice.
"Ugly maid, bring it."
"......"
"Young Master!"
Nanny glanced at me nervously for my reaction. I smiled to indicate it was fine and picked up the spoon. Just as I wiped it with my apron and was about to hand it back to Nanny, Robert snatched it from her grasp before she could take it and threw it to the floor again.
"Dirty!"
"......"
"Young Master, why are you acting this way!"
Ah, I've seen this somewhere before. It reminds me of someone.
A creeping sense of déjà vu slowly took over my mind.
"Mother said we can't use things that fell on the floor!"
"Then I'll bring you a new one."
"No! Don't go!"
Robert clung to Nanny's waist again while staring straight at me and shouted.
"You do it!"
I gritted my teeth, forced the corners of my mouth into a smile, and moved toward the door. I maintained that smile until the very moment I stepped out of the room. Of course, the instant I was outside, I silently screamed.
Even when I returned with a new spoon, the situation repeated.
"New one!"
Robert threw his spoon again after eating only a few spoonfuls of soup. The flustered Nanny checked my reaction. Once more, I pulled my lips into a smile and went down to the kitchen.
The moment I entered the kitchen, my expression hardened as I looked around. Soon, I grabbed some clean, dry cloths that were lying nearby, spread them out, and bundled all the spoons together in a tight wrap. Hiding it behind my back, I returned to the room holding just one spoon—only for the same scenario to play out again shortly after.
"Young Master!"
Nanny scolded him, but Robert pretended not to hear. I reassured her it was fine while restraining her, then produced the white cloth bundle from behind my back. Her eyes widened in surprise, but I grinned as I unfolded the cloth.
"I've prepared plenty."
I selected one from dozens of spoons and handed it to Nanny, adding that she should just ask if she needed more. Nanny accepted it with an admiring expression. Beside her, Robert looked dumbfounded.
Yet Robert's misbehavior continued.
"Bring that!"
"Don't touch it!"
"You're ugly!"
Wow, this really reminds me of someone. Like a certain man, or my temperamental former master, or that bastard.
But I had no intention of losing either. Don't let my appearance fool you—I've served a capricious master before. Let's just say perseverance and patience are my strong suits.
When he threw objects like spoons, I brought dozens in advance and kept them ready. For things that couldn't be prepared beforehand, I'd fetch them repeatedly until his demands became excessive—then I'd toss them far away and pretend not to hear his requests. When he said not to touch something, I'd wear gloves to handle it. When he called me ugly, I appeared wearing a paper bag over my head, startling Robert.
"I hate you!"
"Thank you for the compliment."
I'd even developed the skill of interpreting insults as praise.
But Robert's stubbornness was formidable too. The kid was... quite cunning.
Whenever I struggled to suppress my rising anger, he'd brilliantly notice and start crying about being scared—enough to make anyone think I'd committed some atrocity. His acting skills were downright astonishing.
The more I looked at Robert, the more he resembled someone. Someone bigger than Robert, with an equally stubborn, unyielding pigheadedness.
Good grief. To think there could be another person like that man. What a tragedy.
As I retrieved the twenty-third object Robert had thrown, I regretted coming to this mansion for the first time. With a weary expression, I blankly stared at the twenty-fourth object flying through the air. If I brought it back, he'd probably just throw it again—maybe I shouldn't bother picking it up? While I hesitated, Nanny patted my shoulder.
"Seems like he's taken a liking to you, Ann."
Where exactly? To anyone watching, it looked more like he was getting back at me for last time.
But now that I was officially the Young Master's maid, all I could do was serve him diligently. Besides, there were times when Nanny had to leave, leaving me to handle him alone. The reason Joelli had assigned me to Robert in the first place was because Nanny frequently had to return to the main house.
Lately, though, I'd started wondering—maybe she just wanted to make me suffer. Had I done something wrong? Couldn't she just tell me if I had...?
"Ugly, bring it!"
I had been strolling lightly down the hallway, thinking he was just cooped up and cranky from staying in his room, when Robert stopped walking and pointed at the wooden horse figurine he'd dropped. My eyes narrowed to slits. Even after I'd told him my name, Robert insisted on calling me that. It was absolutely deliberate.
"Ugly, ugly!"
Ugh, I want to smack him so bad.
But I was just a maid serving this insufferable little Young Master. Which meant I couldn't punch that tiny head of his. Forcing a smile, I picked up the fallen figurine and placed it back in Robert's hand.
"Is the Young Master four years old?"
"No! I'm almost five!"
"Ah, so you'll soon be a magnificent five-year-old. Then—"
"Yeah, ugly. I wanna climb up there."
Robert cut me off, pointing upward. I barely suppressed the surge of anger and calmly looked up. What he was pointing at was the large iron horse statue—the same one he'd nearly gotten himself killed climbing last time.
"No."
"I wanna climb!"
"It's dangerous. Let's return to your room."
"No! I said I'm climbing!"
"Then how about a walk down the hallway?"
Trying to distract him, I took his hand and gently pulled him along. Robert shrieked in protest as he was dragged forward, thrashing the entire way. He smacked me repeatedly with the wooden horse figurine in his tiny hand before suddenly flinging it away.
The figurine hit the wall and clattered to the floor. I picked it up and handed it back—only for him to throw it again.
"I'm climbing!"
"Absolutely not."
Shaking my head, I tried to stop him, but Robert stubbornly wrenched his hand free and latched onto the statue's leg. No matter how hard I tried to pry him off, the little brat clung on with surprising strength, his lips pressed tight in defiance. He wasn't backing down.
"I wanna climb!"
"It's dangerous."
"No! I'm doing it!"
"Alright, then shall we go back to your room?"
I scooped Robert up in my arms. His eyes widened in shock, but soon his face twisted in displeasure and he began flailing. Before his tantrum could escalate, I sprinted back to his room.
By the time we arrived, I was drenched in sweat—Robert had thrown a fit the entire way. Suddenly, everything felt exhausting.
"I hate you!"
Leaning against the wall to catch my breath, I watched as Robert puffed up his cheeks and glared at me.
"Hate me all you like, it won't change anything."
His chubby cheeks puffed out even further. I kept my expression calm, as if to say, What are you gonna do about it? Then, abruptly, Robert's face crumpled.
"My toy..."
"Huh?"
"Toy! My to-ooy!"
His voice rang out, loud and threatening. Flustered, I asked what he was talking about, but Robert just kept screaming about his toy. Then it hit me—the wooden horse figurine he'd been clutching and throwing since the day we met.
"You were just throwing it around earlier."
"My toy!"
"Yes. Here it is."
I blocked Robert as he tried to dash out and quickly exited the room. From inside, Robert pounded on the door with loud thuds—he couldn't reach the doorknob to open it.
The echoing noise behind me made my steps quicken. I sprinted back down the hallway and reached the iron horse statue. After searching meticulously around, I finally found the wooden horse figurine Robert had been desperately looking for.
"If it's so precious, you shouldn't throw it around."
Turning the figurine over in my hands, I was relieved to find no cracks or breaks. Though Robert's room was filled with toys, he always clung tightly to this one piece. It must have been his favorite, yet he treated it so carelessly.
For a moment, the thought crossed my mind—What if I just pretended I couldn't find it? But I shook my head.
"Honestly, stooping to a child's level..."
I let out an involuntary laugh and turned around—only for my eyes to land on the second thing Robert loved most: the massive iron horse statue. Placed against one wall, the statue was made of smooth, sturdy iron. On a whim, I tapped its torso.
Why on earth does he keep trying to climb this thing?
I stared blankly up at the iron horse. Then, after glancing around, I braced my hands against its torso and swung a leg over. But it was much taller than I expected. How had Robert, with his tiny frame, even managed to climb this? Grunting, I hauled myself up until I finally straddled the statue's saddle.
Gasping for breath, I straightened up. The height was dizzying. Wrapping an arm around the horse's neck, I peered down—the long hallway stretched out below me in a single glance. Tilting my head just a bit higher, I could even see the scenery beyond the window. You'd have a clear view of anyone approaching.
"Must be nice for watching things."
Maybe the height fascinated him because he was still small. Or maybe he just liked looking down. My gut leaned toward the latter.
I'd always been one to look up at things, so this downward view felt oddly refreshing. Swinging my legs, I basked in the air of the high perch.
"What are you doing up there?"
Startled, I looked down to see Robert's nanny standing below. I'd been so absorbed that I hadn't noticed her approach. She stared up at me like I was some bizarre spectacle.
Wordlessly, I climbed down with as much dignity as I could muster.
"I heard you were out, but it seems you've returned."
"Yes. And the Young Master?"
"He's in his room. I was just on my way to return this after he dropped it."
I shook the wooden figurine in my hand. The nanny nodded.
"The Young Master treasures that one."
"I see."
"Her Ladyship gave it to him. He never lets it out of his hands."
So it was truly precious. I examined the figurine, its surface worn from handling. There had been times when I ignored his orders to fetch it after he deliberately threw it away—but now, the memory of Robert himself picking it up flashed in my mind. An odd feeling settled over me.
"But earlier, you...?"
"......"
I pressed my lips shut and turned away. Though I felt her puzzled gaze boring into my back, I pretended not to notice. The rest of the walk to Robert's room was uncomfortably silent.
No sound came from inside. Thinking he might have worn himself out, I opened the door—and froze.
Slumped on the floor right in front of the doorway, arms limp at his sides, was Robert's small figure—the same boy who had been pounding on the door moments ago.
"Young Master!"
The nanny rushed to the collapsed child. I quickly scanned the room—was there an intruder? Had he tripped over something? But there was no sign of anything amiss.