Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Servant Cedric (7) - Image Improvement: Mansion Edition
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To Neria, one of the maids in the mansion, the scariest person in the world was none other than the "young lady," her mistress.
"Ow! ...Hey, are you messing with me right now!?"
It all started with something trivial.
While helping the young lady with her morning preparations and brushing her hair, a few strands got caught in the comb by mistake.
The kind of minor mishap that could happen to anyone while brushing hair.
But as punishment for that small mistake, Neria ended up with a bruised face from the beating and spent the whole day groaning in pain.
After that, it was an endless vicious cycle.
Just seeing the young lady's face or sensing her presence made her body shrink back involuntarily, and trying to do housework in that state naturally led to more mistakes.
That would earn her another harsh scolding from the lady, making her even more tense next time.
Some of her fellow maids pitied the newbie and tried to swap shifts with her, but even that had its limits.
With servants quitting left and right because they couldn't stand the young lady's antics, the mansion was always short-staffed.
Neria herself had considered quitting several times but could never bring herself to submit a resignation.
Having lost her parents early and being solely responsible for her young siblings, she simply couldn't turn down the mansion's exceptionally generous pay.
For Neria, the recent changes in the mansion were more than welcome.
With the young lady's attention fully fixed on the new male servant, Neria finally had a bit of breathing room, both mentally and physically.
She cautiously savored that relief, but at the same time, she felt uneasy.
Knowing the young lady's terrifying nature all too well, Neria couldn't believe this peace would last forever.
"I'm sorry. I was too harsh on you last time."
So when the young lady suddenly bowed her head and apologized, Neria could only freeze in stunned silence.
She wasn't the only one shocked; she could hear the others around her swallowing hard.
Sensing the silence, the lady glanced at Neria nervously.
Only then did Neria realize she hadn't responded, and she hurriedly spoke up.
"N-No, it's fine! Really, it's fine! It was all my fault, so there's no need for you to apologize, my lady!"
Neria bowed even deeper than the lady had, in a frantic motion.
The gesture carried regret, but it was overshadowed by fear.
She saw the apology not as genuine remorse, but as some kind of test.
If she stiffened up and said something like, "Yes, you really were too much," only for the lady to flip like a switch, how could she handle the fallout?
"No, I..."
Seeing Neria so cowed, the lady trailed off, then let out a sigh.
"...It won't happen again. And as a token of my apology, I've added extra to this month's pay. Please accept it."
And that was it.
The lady didn't press further or nitpick; she simply moved on, bowing and apologizing to the other maids one by one.
Neria, who had been rigid with tension, only relaxed after the lady had completely left the area.
A senior maid who often helped Neria out approached her.
"Neria, you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, somehow..."
"Man, you see all kinds of things in life."
The senior maid, who had experience serving not just Redbell but other noble houses as well, looked utterly astonished by Claudia's behavior.
Generally speaking, nobles were stingy with apologies to their inferiors.
Admitting fault to someone below them and begging forgiveness was seen as a blow to their dignity as nobles.
The most common response was no apology at all, followed by things like "making amends with material compensation without saying sorry," "having someone else relay the message," or "beating around the bush with excuses like 'there was a misunderstanding last time.'"
In that light, what Claudia had just done was practically revolutionary.
Right in front of everyone, she had bowed her own head and offered a direct apology without any evasions.
"The lady really seems to have changed."
At the senior maid's words, Neria stared at the spot where Claudia had been moments ago.
Honestly, the apology hadn't touched her heart that deeply.
It couldn't be helped.
Wounds to the heart don't heal so easily.
Still, just one thing.
Very faintly.
Really just a little bit.
She did feel a glimmer of hope that something might change.
Thud.
Claudia collapsed face-first onto the bed without even changing out of her clothes.
It had taken about two hours to track down each servant in the mansion and apologize for her past behavior.
It wasn't physically taxing, but the mental exhaustion she felt was beyond imagination.
The humiliation of apologizing to the servants she had always looked down on.
The shame of bowing her head in front of others.
But above all, what had drained her the most was—
"—One apology doesn't make it all go away. You seem to have felt that keenly."
"Ugh."
Claudia's body jolted at the servant's remark from beside her.
She turned her head and glared at Cedric with resentful eyes.
With her disheveled clothes and a petulant glare, Claudia looked enchantingly alluring enough to stir any man's heart, but Cedric's face remained as impassive as ever—an iron wall.
"The servants didn't accept your apology because they truly forgave you. They had no choice, because you're a noble, the daughter of House Redbell, and their employer. You must have sensed that yourself."
Claudia couldn't respond.
Because he was right.
Even as she apologized, the servants still feared her and eyed her warily, wondering what scheme she was hiding.
That left her with no choice but to wonder.
"What's the point of this? They're all looking at me like they don't believe it, and they don't seem all that pleased either."
"My lady, forgiveness isn't a product sitting on a store shelf."
"What?"
"Expecting the other side to forgive you just because you apologized is a delusion born of arrogance."
Claudia's eyes darted around the floor as she processed his words.
She asked cautiously.
"So, what am I supposed to do then?"
"You've expressed your intent with words. Now, prove it with actions. And in this regard, you're in a favorable position. Your past behavior was so abysmal that even acting 'normally' or just 'slightly friendly' will have a dramatic effect."
When a renowned virtuous person commits a minor transgression, people heap massive criticism on them.
When a notorious villain performs a small act of kindness, people reevaluate them for showing an unexpected side.
Claudia's reputation was rock bottom, and expectations from those around her were abysmally low.
But precisely because of that, even minor changes could leave a powerful impression.
"Especially since you're beautiful and of noble blood. It might not sit well with you, but it will be a huge advantage in what you're trying to achieve."
When a common soldier is wounded and collapses, someone tends to his injury.
If a village woman patches it up with scraps of cloth, the soldier thinks, "That's kind."
If a beautiful princess does it with her own handkerchief, he thinks, "I'm honored."
It might seem silly at first glance, but the actual effect can't be ignored.
Especially in a society where class consciousness runs deep.
In the outskirts of Birka Kingdom, nobles had been incompetent for nearly a century, eroding such notions, but in the capital region where Redbell territory lay, many commoners still viewed nobles as inherently grand and noble just for being nobles.
Cedric said to exploit that thoroughly.
"Even occasionally is fine. When a servant performs their duties well, praise them. For those with standout achievements, give appropriate rewards and commend them publicly in front of the others."
"Show leniency for mistakes. But that doesn't mean forgiving every error unconditionally. It might boost support short-term, but long-term, it undermines your authority."
"Establish clear standards for rewards and punishments in your mind, and reveal them just enough for the servants to guess at them. But don't make them official rules. The moment you codify them, their focus shifts from you to the rules."
"Conversely, revealing part of the standards while keeping some vague turns that ambiguity into a weapon you can wield at will."
Honestly, Claudia didn't fully grasp everything Cedric was saying.
She vaguely knew her treatment of the servants had been "wrong," but she still couldn't fully appreciate how serious it was, and she struggled to maintain the "lordly demeanor" he described.
It was only natural, in a way.
Someone who had lived for years as a spoiled noble lady couldn't change overnight with a single resolution.
But it didn't matter.
Whenever Claudia slipped up, Cedric pointed it out and taught her how to improve.
When she had questions, he provided clear solutions.
Claudia wasn't a genius who grasped things on the first try, but she was talented enough to internalize them with repetition.
"Head Maid Paula worries that her experience doesn't match her position. With senior maids leaving one after another, she's only in her third year but now oversees all the maids. Acknowledging her authority would leave a deep impression on her."
"Gardener Rudolph is under huge stress because the garden he painstakingly tends gets trashed by bloodbeasts every time. If you subtly let slip, 'I haven't said it, but I know your hard work. Thanks for always putting up with it,' he'll be thrilled."
"Head Chef Cruallo is fretting because he thinks you don't like his cooking much. Instead of blindly praising, point out changes he's made to a dish and share your honest opinion—he'll burn with even greater passion."
And so, time passed.
To a maid who had assisted with her morning routine with utmost care, Claudia said,
"Hmm. Nice. I like it. Your skills have improved, Neria."
The maid's eyes widened, then she replied with a faint smile.
"Thank you, my lady!"