Chapter 34: A New Maid, Old Scars, and Unfinished Business

The day after the exchange meeting.

Rustle, rustle.

From early in the morning, Elin’s cowlick swayed cheerfully.

While it had been delightful that Luke read her a fairy tale last night after such a long time,

“…It’s so quiet.”

Now that Dien had also been dragged off by Ranian,

It was just Luke and Elin left behind.

Finally, they could return to the everyday life where it was just the two of them!

Elin was waiting excitedly for Luke to arrive.

– I have a promise with the Duchess, so I’ll be away for a bit. It’s good news for you too, so look forward to it.

Luke had left early in the morning, heading to Natia’s office.

‘What kind of good news could it be?’

Elin swung her legs back and forth, sitting on the edge of the bed.

But her joy didn’t last long.

Step, step.

Twitch.

Her enhanced hearing, unintentionally sharpened, caught the sound of footsteps outside the door.

It was unmistakably Luke’s shoes.

But something was odd.

He could have just used teleportation—why was he walking?

Her question was soon answered.

Clomp, clomp.

“1.”

Alongside Luke’s familiar steps, came an unfamiliar sound.

It wasn’t her father or mother.

So, who could it be?

“May I come in, Lady Elin?”

Instead of knocking, Luke called out from outside the door.

“Mm, come in.”

Creak.

The door opened.

Sure enough, Luke wasn’t alone.

“Oh? She’s absolutely adorable.”

Standing next to him was a woman with pale skin marred by scattered scars, sharp shark-like teeth, and a carelessly buttoned uniform exposing an intimidatingly large chest.

Although she wore a maid uniform, her impression was far closer to that of a ruffian.

“Allow me to introduce her.”

Luke gestured toward the tough-looking woman.

“This is Anne, who will be serving as your exclusive maid starting today.”

“Pleased to meet you!”

Even the way she bowed gave off a distinctly back-alley vibe.

Eek.

Elin instinctively shivered.

“S-Sir.”

She quickly darted behind Luke, clinging to his back.

She had just gotten used to it being the two of them, and now, this intimidating-looking person had appeared.

“What? I haven’t even done anything yet.”

Anne scratched her ear as she glanced around the room.

“Wow, I never imagined I’d work in a place like this. Guess having friends really pays off.”

“…Ugh.”

Elin pinched her nose.

As Anne walked by, the smell of cigarettes filled the air.

With a slightly guilty expression, Luke snapped his fingers.

“You’ll need to quit smoking if you’re going to work here.”

Snap.

The air around Anne shifted.

While the smell diminished, it didn’t vanish completely.

“Of course! I’m already quitting.”

“How long has it been since you stopped?”

“An hour, maybe?”

“…”

“Oh, come on, don’t give me that look. I’ll quit for real this time, okay?”

Anne grinned, flashing her sharp teeth. Squatting down, she bowed her head toward Elin.

“Sorry, Lady Elin. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately, so maybe just a bit of the smell is still lingering…”

“…It’s more than a bit.”

“Well, I’ll quit right away, so please trust me and let me take care of you.”

Instead of replying, Elin clung tighter to Luke’s back, shooting him a glare.

It was a silent protest: Why did you bring someone like her?

“Don’t judge her too harshly. She may look like a delinquent, but she’s the most family-oriented person I know. That’s why I brought her here.”

“Family-oriented…?”

Elin cautiously peeked out from behind Luke’s back.

The moment their eyes met, she quickly averted her gaze.

It was instinct—an innate fear response when prey encountered a predator.

No matter how you looked at her, Anne seemed less like someone “family-oriented” and more like someone straight out of “The Family.”

“Well, I guess my first impression wasn’t great.”

“That’s why I told you to tidy yourself up,” Luke chided.

“I can’t help it. Even the largest size barely fits over my chest.”

Anne shrugged and gave her chest a couple of pats, which were surprisingly soft due to their cushioning effect.

“I’m not losing such a cushy job. I’ll just have to prove myself! Lady Elin, you haven’t bathed yet, right?”

Elin slowly nodded.

“Perfect. I’ll help you bathe.”

“…Huh?”

“Relax, I’m not going to eat you. Come on over.”

Elin looked up at Luke as if asking for help.

“I understand why you might feel uneasy, but please trust me just this once. She’s a highly skilled acquaintance from my academy days.”

“…Fine.”

Hearing that she was an academy classmate brought some reassurance.

After all, Ranian and Dien had proven to be trustworthy despite initial appearances.

Surely Luke wouldn’t have brought in an actual ruffian.

Gulp.

Steeling her resolve, Elin hesitantly approached Anne.

“Ah, at this rate, it’ll take forever.”

Impatient, Anne strode over, scooped Elin up, and tucked her under her arm like a sack of potatoes.

“S-Sir…!”

Deprived of her freedom, Elin flailed her legs in the air.

“Take your time and bathe thoroughly.”

Luke waved with a gentle smile.

Thirty minutes later in the bathroom…

“Lady Elin, anyone would think I’m doing something terrible to you.”

It had been thirty minutes since Elin had told Anne, Just give me a moment.

“I mean, seriously, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just trying to help you get clean. Do you not trust me?”

Sigh.

Having observed Anne for the past thirty minutes, Elin finally came to a conclusion.

Despite her rough appearance, Anne had been surprisingly patient and obedient, even though she grumbled occasionally.

If it had been one of the maids assigned by her mother, they would have doused her in cold water and scrubbed her harshly by now.

“Your previous maid must’ve been awful, huh?”

Boing.

Elin’s cowlick shot up.

“How did you know?”

“That’s why I’m here through connections. After all, no ordinary commoner could get into a place like the Bertane estate.”

Anne sighed, looking as if she was craving a cigarette.

“Oh, and I’ve already been cursed with a confidentiality spell or whatever. If I lose this job, I’m done for. I’ve got a lot of mouths to feed, so I won’t take this lightly.”

Her expression turned surprisingly serious.

Elin uncurled herself and, as if hypnotized, waddled over to Anne.

Anne’s brow furrowed as she inspected Elin.

“Wow, that must’ve hurt. No wonder they cursed you.”

Elin’s body was covered in scars—on her back, waist, arms, and legs.

Although the Duke’s absence in the north meant she hadn’t been recently injured, old scars still remained.

“I’ll be gentle, so let me know if anything hurts, okay?”

“…Okay.”

Swoosh.

Warm water poured from the magic-engineered showerhead.

“How’s the temperature?”

“…It’s good.”

“Got it. I’ll remember this level of warmth.”

Anne carefully wet Elin’s hair with the pleasantly warm water.

“Does this hurt?”

Not only did it not hurt—it felt comforting.