Chapter 66
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
It’s best not to get involved, and the second best option would have been to keep Brigitta unaware that I was cleaning the Major’s bedroom.
But it was already too late. The moment our eyes met, I was entangled, and I had already stepped into the bedroom.
‘What now?’
I wanted to leave, but doing so might provoke the Major to chase after me. Naked. In full view of everyone. It would look like the Major was dragging me off to assault me. Certainly, no one would come to my help.
My mind went blank. Brigitta, unable to decide what to do, looked at me with disdain and sneered about Johann.
“What power would a teacher have compared to a soldier?”
She then crawled across the bed and rested her head on the Major’s chest as if she was his wife. For a moment, my concerns were overshadowed.
‘…Could they actually be serious about each other?’
Surprised, I blinked rapidly as the Major, removing his cigarette, chuckled. It seemed they were indeed serious.
‘Good. Maybe the women harassed by the Major will have some relief now. Maybe I will too. But why did he call me today?’
The Major, who had been watching me intently, suddenly frowned. He abruptly pushed Brigitta aside and put on a bathrobe. As he left the bedroom, he threw a command over his shoulder.
“Don’t even think about running off like a rat while I’m gone.”
He didn’t specify whether the command was directed at Brigitta or me.
Thinking she was the ‘rat,’ Brigitta took the Major’s seat and pulled a cigarette from the pack, then gestured at the mess she had created overnight.
“Why have you stopped? Clean it up.”
…Is she treating me like a servant now?
Brigitta, entrenched in her sense of class, was treating me as if I was a mere servant. I saw herself as a woman selling herself to a soldier, and I was just a cleaner there to erase the traces.
Originally, we had no class differences between us, but in Brigitta’s mind, as a city woman, I might have seemed of a higher status. Yet, in her fantasy, it now seems our statuses have reversed.
‘Unbelievable.’
Why should I obey her commands? I was so stunned by the absurdity that I just stood there…
“Refusing to clean? Defying the mobilization order? Are you not afraid of the punishment?”
She now acted as if she was some kind of military officer.
‘Is she really something to the Major?’
Given that she wore no ring, Brigitta wasn’t the Major’s wife or fiance, but she could still be more than a casual fling. If she was indeed his official partner, antagonizing her could make my life even more difficult.
Reluctantly, I concluded that I had to follow Brigitta’s orders and started cleaning while trying to contain my anger.
‘After all, this is my job.’
I tried to convince myself that I wasn’t really following her orders but just doing my job, though it did little to bolster my bruised pride…
“Pick that up.”
Brigitta continued to treat me like a servant, ordering me to pick up her scattered clothes, shake them out, fold them neatly, and place them on the table. Now she had another demand.
“I’m thirsty. Go make some tea. I want black tea with three spoons of sugar.”
I followed her orders without showing any reluctance. It was the opportunity to escape briefly from the dog’s den.
As I stepped into the corridor, my initially quick pace slowed down. I took my time walking to the kitchen.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, someone grabbed my forearm and swiftly turned me around.
“Ah…”
I was startled again, coming face-to-face with the Major, who had just come out of the shower.
He was gripping my arm. Up until now, he had harassed me with his words countless times but had never physically touched me.
“Major, please let go.”
“Rat, you’re not supposed to run, aren’t you?”
His analogy confirmed that I was indeed the ‘rat’ he’d warned against running away.
“I was just going to the kitchen because Miss Ratz asked me to make some tea.”
The Major’s brows furrowed deeper as he squinted at me for a long moment before finally releasing my arm.
“Three minutes. If you’re not back by then, know that wherever you are, you’ll end up being dragged around by a naked man.”
How did I end up entangled with such a mad dog?
Regretting ever having helped at the vineyard last autumn, I made a pot of tea and returned to the Major’s bedroom. Brigitta was still naked, wrapped only in a sheet, sitting on the bed, while the Major was by the wardrobe, fastening his trousers—getting ready for work.
‘Why…’
I wondered. The Major usually insists that any woman he’s spent the night with leaves before he goes to work. Yet, he hadn’t asked Brigitta to leave.
‘That must mean they really are lovers.’
Resigned to this conclusion, I handed Brigitta the tea. She took a sip, then hastily placed the cup back on the saucer I was holding.
“It’s hot!”
As she roughly put it down, it caused the tea to spill, almost scalding my hand.
“Ouch…”
“Were you trying to scald my tongue?”
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