Chapter 6
“I’m, I’m sorry for leaving without permission. Then what work should I be doing? I don’t know if you’ve heard, but they say all my memories vanished after I fell down the stairs!”
She clasped both hands together and cried out pleadingly, parroting what Igor had told her earlier.
Even before the emperor who had the world at his feet, she showed no sign of being daunted. This wasn’t because her spirit remained, but because her discernment had vanished.
Still, not entirely without worry for what lay ahead, Lucy drooped her eyebrows.
‘I’m not about to be punished right off the bat, am I?’
Laegar, who had been calmly looking down at her as her eyes darted about nervously, released a subdued, weary chuckle.
It was the first time he had formed any expression since arriving at the Grand Duchy. Had anyone been there to witness it, they would have been astonished—but only the two of them were inside the bedchamber.
“Lucy.”
“…Yes.”
It still didn’t feel familiar, but since everyone kept calling her Lucy, she decided to accept it.
“What you will do here… no, what you have been doing…. The other maids will teach you.”
At those words, maids who had apparently been present all along emerged from behind the pillars and quietly lined up behind Lucy.
Without even shifting his gaze to them, Laegar looked only at Lucy and emphasized in a low tone.
“Leaving the castle with Igor must never happen again.”
With that, he withdrew into the inner chamber.
“……”
As Lucy gazed blankly around the vast, majestic bedchamber hall of marble and ivory, a few maids approached her timidly.
Thankfully, these strangers were kind to her. In fact, they even seemed glad she had come.
They must be happy to see me again since we were originally colleagues?
Choosing to interpret it favorably, Lucy offered them an explanation as well.
“S-Sorry. They say I used to work here, but I lost all my memories, so I don’t remember any of you!”
The maids exchanged glances and burst into giggles. They kindly guided the bewildered Lucy and reassured her.
“Don’t worry, Lucy! We’ll teach you everything from the start, nice and proper.”
“Of course, of course. You were always good at your work, so you’ll get it back in no time, Lucy!”
Lucy trusted these words with innocent faith and swelled with anticipation. She even clenched her fists tight.
I did find my place after all.
From that day on, she took on the role of personal maid within Laegar’s bedchamber.
But in less than a day, she realized the work was anything but easy.
Crash!
Lucy, who had tripped on her skirt while carrying a teacup, wore a miserable face.
‘Why am I…!’
Such a mess at everything!
She wasn’t as dexterous as the other maids, nor did she have any knack for the work.
It wasn’t just this one task. Dressing him, bathing him, cleaning—she couldn’t do a single thing properly.
This morning she had been forced to stand by and watch as Laegar placidly donned his tunic, doublet, and coat all by himself while she floundered, utterly clueless about how to dress him.
That scene, for some reason, had dealt her a sharp humiliation.
Then last night, while attending his bath, she had reached for the soap and plunged headfirst into the marble tub.
And the day before that—what had happened then?
She had insisted on ironing a silk shirt with gold embroidery and burned a giant hole straight through it.
The other maids had turned ghost-white trying to fix that mess.
As the past few days replayed in her mind, Lucy’s eyes grew gradually redder.
She bit her lower lip, held back the tears threatening to spill, and resented herself.
Even if she’d lost her memories, could skills ingrained in the body suddenly vanish like this? Was she going to become a worthless, useless human just like this?
But what surprised her a little was the fact that no one here ever scolded her.
‘Just what kind of person was I here?’
She was still sprawled on the floor, lost in such thoughts, when a large hand reached down before her and cleared away the fragments of the broken teacup.
She thought she heard a clicking of the tongue above her, then her body was lifted and set upright in an instant.
It was Laegar.
“Hic.”
It was her fault, so she shouldn’t cry. Yet seeing those indifferent gray eyes looking at her, she suddenly wanted to pour out all her grievances.
It must have been because no one ever scolded her, no matter what mistake she made, and she increasingly wanted to act spoiled.
Or had she always harbored such a childish heart?
She wanted to shout, ‘Did I really work here?’ but the maids who had appeared out of nowhere were quietly cleaning up the scene, so she clamped her mouth shut.
Lucy squeezed her tear-brimmed eyes shut, shook off the tears, and steeled herself.
‘Everyone’s so kind to me. I have to try harder. At this rate, I’ll get kicked out.’
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