Chapter 4: A Maid in Progress

“Lady Evy?”

“Yes”

“Why are you here so early?”

“I heard you were hiring a maid”

Evy was standing outside of their gates waiting for the time when they would be letting people inside for the interview. The guards were worried about her and asked her if she could return till noon.

When she told them that she could wait, the guards appeared troubled.

Somehow, Lady Francine heard about her and asked her to come in.

“Yes, I am. I’m actually hiring three maids but weren’t you told that we would be meeting this noon?”

“Not really. I didn’t hear that bit. Should I return and wait?”

“No. It would actually bother my conscience if you had to go anywhere else to wait.”

Which was true.

She took a carriage because she still wasn’t used to the outside and if she had to wait for another hour, she wouldn’t have known where to wait and how to get back.

A map wasn’t on sale, as she found out.

“So, I’ll just interview you first.”

“Okay”

They were now in Lady Francine's chamber.

She was wearing a nightgown and nothing else, her body a bit see-through that Evy had to double-check if she wasn’t bothered by the morning cold at all.

Even she had to wear a double-upper shirt and blouse and another robe just to get some warmth in her body.

“Any experience as a maid?”

“No. But I do have all the qualifications needed for a maid.”

“So you know how to clean, dress, brew tea, wash laundry, bath someone, and arrange a room as per instruction.” Francine gave her side-way glance as she read the papers of her forged background.

“Yes. Even if there’s more I need to do that I haven’t known before, I can easily learn it.”

“It also says here you can read and write.”

“Yes. I learned how a bit later but now I’m fully efficient.”

 What she said was the truth, both present and in the past.

When Evy arrived in Polvaros, she discovered that she has been speaking another language without knowing it. How she didn’t spot it, was beyond her.

After finding the library inside the Devine mansion, out of curiosity, she took a book and tried to read it. Stunned that the characters were in another writing that wasn’t in Kanji, hiragana, and katakana.

Evy had to learn Oratumul, the language in this country. Naturally, she still has to understand all the basics before she can further learn the complicated ones.

What aided her the most was the same innate ability of how she managed to speak a language she has never heard about. Couple with Owen's help she got the basics in less than three days and was able to fully read a book with less difficulty than before although it’s not perfect.

“Then let us see if you're really on par with your words. Oma!”

A gigantic woman burst inside, taking Evy by surprise as the furniture shook with every single step. She was two times Evy’s height and thrice her size. The maid had orange hair concealed by a mobcap with eyes all black and hands already clenched on her side, positioned in a way that was ready to pummel anyone if ordered.

“Oma, stop scaring Evy. I need you to evaluate her skills. Show her to the kitchen and the rooms”

“Yes, my lady.  You… come with me.”

Oma the maid, slowly filed out leaving the door open for Evy. Quickly going over her shock she followed Oma to the kitchen where she brought out a few ingredients and grab a knife to which she proceeded to hold in front of Evy’s face, menacingly.

“Brew me a cup of tea.”

I think she wants me dead instead.

Nodding her head, she walked past Oma, careful not to accidentally kill herself with her knife, and started making tea from scratch.

It was hard. By that, she means...

...it was hard when someone who’s 7 foot tall was watching her every move with a knife on her hands and hasn’t blinked for more than a minute.

Was Oma even human?

When she was finished, she gave it to her for a taste test.

Oma takes the small cup with her giant hands and drank it.

*crack*

Evy steps back as the cup was destroyed after being crushed under Oma’s hand.

“It’s good. Next, make me soup.”

Evy did a lot to show Oma that she was average in the kitchen.

When they did the cleaning, Evy almost died after Oma threw multiple pieces of furniture to clean what was underneath, and didn’t take in mind that she was there with her.

After an hour of that. They now went back to Lady Francine’s room to try and see how acceptable she dresses the young mistress.

“Did she do good?” Lady Francine had her back to them.

Her nightgown was half taken off and was swaying by her waits. Evy could see unblemished skin that seem soft to the touch.

“Average in cooking yet her tea was good. Cleaning-wise she’s quick on her feet.”

Only because she would have died if she wasn’t.

“Let's move on to how competent you are in assisting me to get dressed.”

Lady Francine fully dropped the nightwear, exposing not just her back but her whole body and Evy had to look above Lady Francine’s neck to keep her mind from flying.

Oma tried to direct Evy on what to do, how not to clip her mistress, how to dress her comfortably, how not to linger, how not to take too long, and how not to wrinkle the clothes.

Oma was watching her like a  hawk while Lady Francine had a small playful smile on her lips as if she enjoyed the harassment of Oma’s intimidating nature on her.

She noticed that Lady Francine’s skin was as soft as she first assumed, and her hair a lot more aromatic. The smell of a certain flower, if she has to guess. Evy had to step back when she meet eyes with the young mistress so as not to distract herself.

Noticing her hesitation. Oma got angry.

“What kind of maid are you if you can’t even dress your mistress properly? Again”

Before Oma’s gorilla foot kicked her behind, pushing her close to Lady Francine.  The smile on the noble woman’s still embedded as Evy kept glancing on the mirror and trying to swallow her embarrassment.

“For someone who always keeps her cool, you’re quite shy.”

Evy tightens the bow finally finishing the task of dressing the young mistress.

“I never had the chance to see someone naked other than myself so I apologize for being inept with this kind of thing. I’ll get used to it eventually.”

Her voice betrayed her dry throat and flush cheeks.

“Well, you did finer than most.”

Oma delicately handed Lady Francine another cup of tea, as the mistress sits on her couch before reading books that were prepared for her tutor.

“I like you, Evy. Oma hasn’t complained about you as much as she usually does and you’re easy enough to tease. You can stay and train to be my personal maid.”

After learning that she was finally hired, she curtsied and gave her appreciation.

“Thank you, Lady Francine”

“Now that you work for me. You may address me as my lady or Lady Rose”

“Of course, my lady.”

She spent the whole day still being trained by Oma in where she still lacked while Evy adapted to whatever the giant maid was throwing at her. Literally.

When the day ended, she was directed to her new quarter.

It was smaller than her room in the Devine mansion but it had the same feeling as her apartment back home and that made her feel the familiarity of home.

*pink* *pink* *pink*

Evy heard her windowpane banging.

Outside was a small black crow that keeps pecking its beck at the glass.

Checking it out, she quickly found her house crest painted on its leg and found a roll of paper on the other.

Messenger birds were something she’s read back when she admired the pigeons being raised in the parks. This crow must be trained as well by a servant and is delivering a message. What got her curiosity was how it was able to know her location. It shouldn’t be able to see from inside the house unless it could sense where she was.

After deciding it would be useless to ponder something that no one could answer her, she took the paper roll and read it.

This letter is written in an event that you have actually found yourself a job as you wanted. I will hold up my side of the promise and will not try to bother you until the foreseeable future that you are needed back home or is in danger. This little beast will be your card calling for help. Please take care of yourself and do not do anything that will push me to retrieve you.

And signed by the duke.

The crow coos at her, and flew on the bed to sit. Evy tried petting it and found the little bird very tame. Returning to the letter, it was written before today so that must mean, the duke had at least a tiny belief that she would succeed in getting hired. Although recounting the many times he had appeared overjoyed whenever she came home with nothing, still kind of fresh in her mind.

 “Do you have a name?”

 She was surprised when the crow raised its left foot to see an engraving. Strix.

 Cute. She thought to herself as she petted it some more.

…

“Evy?”

“Yes, my lady?”

“Why did you go to the party?

It's been five days since she was hired. She was getting used to being a maid under Lady Francine. She was rather nice with her subjects. Of course, she likes to tease people as she finds out later while Evy observes her lady. 

She was playful most of the time and other times, she was mysterious too calm. Like hot and cold seasons. You can never know which it would be this time.

Right now, she was tending to her lady.

“I was intrigued what parties’ are normally like considering I haven’t gone to one. The party you conducted was my very first.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

Evy didn’t understand why Lady Francine was suddenly hurtling all this question unto her. She was bathing her at the small tub, rubbing some warm cotton cloth on her arms and shoulders while moisturizing her body with scented oils.

“I did. The Princess was rather very infectious with her smile.”  

“No. I meant. It wasn’t disappointing to you now, was it? The party in general..”

Evy paused in her ministration, observing how the creases in the young mistress’ face had turned depressed. Or more like insecure.

 She hasn’t been long in the Rose Household to know why Lady Francine was acting like this but occasionally, she would freeze up all of a sudden and then turn quiet. Her expression was a series of grief. Without explanation and without much of a fuss, she just quiets down.

“I can’t give you a definite answer since I have no other parties to compare it with…”

“Ohh...”

“... but if we’re talking about how I felt during the party then let me be a bit blunt. The party was cordial to each guest… even to a lowly noble like me. I was still able to enjoy myself even if I was out of my element. Of course mainly due to the princess, but half of it because Lady Francine did her best to make it. Most of the guests that day had time to relax.”

Her voice was monotone, yet careful.

Evy didn’t want to come across as someone sucking up to her.

Truly that was how she felt when she attended. As much as she was stressed attending the party it wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be.

Lady Francine happens to brighten up slightly. Evy patted her dry and moved on to changing her clothes and fixing her hair.

“I was actually apprehensive if that party would succeed.” Lady Francine said with an air of hesitancy.

 Evy made an effort not to do anything extra that might startle the young mistress. Carefully kneading the hair and drying it off.

“The sweets that were served weren’t even supposed to be served. There were actually sweets I ordered from Antory that would be the ones gifted to the royal princess and princes. But the delivery got derailed after they were ambushed by thieves. So we had to make a last-minute rush to make any sweets at a very small allotted time.”

“Even the venue had troubles when a maid attempted to put tacks on the chairs. Fortunately, Oma was able to spot it in the last second or there could have been a major backlash in our family. least I had let the issue run through.”

While she was drying her hair, Lady Francine closed her eyes and promptly leaned back on Evy as if she was relaxing. This made her stop in her ministration and wait for the right time to move.

 “Then the entertainment meant for the princes and princess’ enjoyment were canceled after one of the musicians got injured after getting run over by a horse. I had thought the party would end in a disaster since the three princes were looking bored talking with other nobles and doesn’t seem to even try tasting the confectionery”

Lady Francine vented out her frustration while Evy attempted to understand that she was under a lot of pressure.

“Then out of nowhere a noble easily made friends with a princess... as she becomes closer to her in less than a minute. Got the prince to relax with her oh so stoic eyes and stepped up to help me play a game no one has heard before”  She noticed the tips of the young mistress’ lips curved up in a smirk.

Lady Francine opened her eyes, the red in them like a jewel, before she bopped Evy’s nose with her ring finger. "It turned out okay in the end."

“Acquaintances.”

“hmm?”

“The princess and I are acquaintances” she couldn’t help but correct her.

Her lady giggles before letting Evy continue on with her hair.

“If the princess could hear you now, she’d be pouting.”

“Let the princess pout, she had no problem with dragging me along at all. So it wasn’t like I tried being her friend. It just… happened.” She sighed.

“…and I can’t really say no since she wasn’t a bad person. Maybe a little too hyper for me.”

After brushing her hair, she made rounds with the dress and was better at masking out her expressions when dressing up Lady Francine.

She has done it almost five times now so she got used to it.

The only time her mask would break was when Lady Francine would tease her by blowing a small puff of breath on her ear whenever she would get up close to close the hems of the dress.