Even the people who worked here, like Senior Maid Wember, were very beautiful.
When she heard me, Senior Maid Wember couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Oh, thank you for saying that.”
She patted my head.
“But, if you think about it that way, then I must say that Charlize really fits this palace.”
“Pardon?”
“Because Charlize is the prettiest kid I’ve ever seen.”
I let out an awkward laugh at her praise.
Because her words had reminded me that I was going to be one of the most beautiful women in the future.
Although in the end, my life was ruined because of that beauty.
‘How ironic.’ I brooded in resentment.
However, Senior Maid Wember’s words cut through my chain of thought.
“You know, Charlize.”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember what I said earlier?”
I tilted my head and looked up towards the senior maid.
Wember’s smile grew while she spoke, “I said that you’re the only one who can please Her Majesty.”
‘Ah.’
I stiffened up at her reminder.
As if to cheer me up, the senior maid patted my shoulders lightly.
“So, from now on, you’ve got to take care of the Empress, okay?”
‘…I don’t think that’s possible.’
It seemed that the people of the Empress’ Palace hadn’t found out about the truth of our relationship yet.
‘Well, I don’t even know why the Empress called me after our last meeting.’
Feeling uneasy, as if thorns was pricking my skin, I quickly turned around.
“Well, by the way, are we going to work with other maids?”
“Yes, that’s right. Originally, the official maids were only me and the head maid.”
“Oh, really?”
“Now that Charlize is here, there are three of us,” Wember shrugged lightly.
She continued explaining the inner working of the palace.
There were only three official maids, including me. The other maids only came to help with chores.
“The head maid usually calls around five people to help with the chores, but they only come in the morning and go back in the evening.”
“There are fewer people than I expected.”
“Yes, it’s because Her Majesty doesn’t want to waste labor cost.”
Come to think of it. The novel did describe a reason for the Empress’ behavior.
‘The Empress didn’t trust anyone. Thus, she didn’t have many people by her side.’
Didn’t the novel describe her as such?
But to say that…
‘The atmosphere at this palace is more welcoming than in my previous workplace.
Usually, the ambience of the palace follows the personality of the owner.
That means the warm atmosphere of the empress’ palace was due to the Empress’ own gentle nature.
If the Empress had a dreadful personality, as the novel had described, everyone would feel uncomfortable.
‘But no one is like that. Everyone looks so comfortable working here.’
I’d never felt this relaxed before.
The Empress’ routine, which the senior maid explained, was roughly like this:
The Empress is a very earnest person, so she opens her eyes no later than seven in the morning.
It was remarkably early, given that ordinary aristocrats would only wake up around lunchtime.
After having a light meal, she would start her work.
If she didn’t have any special event at lunch, she would sit in front of her desk until evening. She wouldn’t let go of the documents until right before she went to bed.
‘This… Doesn’t she seem like a workaholic?’
I was scared out of my wits.
Remembering the time when the Empress was hiding her identity as “Sister Rose,” it made me wonder; how did she even have the spare time to meet me?
“So when does the Empress rest?” I questioned unknowingly.
What if she got sick when she was so wrapped up in her work?
Wember shook her head.
“It’s…she hardly rests, that’s why we’re very worried.”
“…she works that much?”
“Yes, although on Tuesdays and Saturdays, she’d take some time off work, and go out for a while, but…” the senior maid trailed off, having a concerned look on her face.
‘Tuesday and Saturday.’
I held my breath.
Those were the days we promised to meet each other.
The senior maid smiled as if to assure me.
“But don’t worry, Her Majesty is quite the generous master.”
So it won’t be too hard to work as her maid.
That’s what the senior maid implied as if to comfort me.
But my heart still felt heavy.
‘She works so hard, yet she still spared her precious time to see me.’