Chapter 4: 3

Sister Rose and I usually met every twice a week.

Tuesday and Saturday, these two days were the time we had set for our weekly meeting. Due to the busy training schedule, my sister had no choice but to compromise with my schedule.

‘… sister, I couldn’t see you last Tuesday. I think I won’t be able to meet you today either…’

My expression was sullen. This happened once in a while. There would be days where we couldn’t meet. Of course, Rose never got angry even if I broke our promise, but I didn’t want her to wait pointlessly for me.

I had wanted to ask for her workplace in our previous meeting. I was planning to contact her in advance in case a situation like this arose.

However, Sister Rose refused to tell me.

“It’s all right, Lize. I enjoy waiting for you,” she said, her smile bloomed like a young rose.

‘If you keep laughing, it will wash my guilt away…’

My mind dazed at her brilliant smile.

“But… Sister Rose, do you always wait even if I didn’t come?”

“Yes, but it’s okay. I can think of Lize while I am waiting.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“What I mean is, I’m okay waiting for Lize, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

Rose closed her eyes as she leaned back. Seeing her contented smile, I nodded, forgetting my original purpose.

However, I regretted my action. I should have insisted, because it couldn’t go on like this. Leaning onto the big broom towering over my head, I agonized over my negligence.

‘What should I do? My sister will be waiting for me in the garden today… but I can’t come, again.’

‘She shouldn’t waste her time on me. I’m just a maid in training who hasn’t even got an official job title yet. The other maids also dislike me.’

‘But, why won’t she tell me your position?’ I mused.

It’d be nice if she had told me in advance. So when a situation like this happened, she wouldn’t have to wait for me in vain.

While I was fretting over the problem, a disturbing thought crossed my mind.

‘Come to think of it, high-ranking maids get a lot of favors.’

‘Is Rose worried that I may want to go to the same palace as her? Maybe she’s afraid she may lose the head maid’s goodwill? Is that why she’s hiding her identity from me?!’

Thousands of disheartening speculation buzzed through my mind. I felt nauseated, my whole body huddled at the thought of Sister Rose shuning me.

‘I’m confident I’ll never get you in trouble!’ I tried to think positively as I pouted my lips with indignation.

“Hey, Lize!” without a warning, a dirty mop was thrown in front of me.

‘That scared me! Why would someone throw a dirty mop on the floor?!

I looked up past the big broom, Becky was standing over me in her maid attire. I glanced at her face, seeing her displeased look, I became disheartened.

The problem was, every time Becky’s in that state, she would vent her anger on me.

“Why are you still standing there? What’s the use of keeping you, if you can’t even clean this place properly!”

Just as I had predicted, her temper sparked and she started hurling criticisms at me.

My grip on the broom tightened in vexation.

‘She kept picking on me and bad-mouthing me! Can’t she see that I’m sweeping the floor right now?!’

Still I bit back my anger. I tried my best to tune out her furious voice. I didn’t want to create any conflict hence I dropped my gaze, trying to avoid contact with her eyes.1

“You’re so slow! At this rate, you won’t ever be a full-fledged maid!” Becky said to me as she kicked away the piles of dust I had cleaned up, scattering them everywhere.

‘What are you doing?!’ but before I could voice my complaint, she cut in.

“Anyway, I’m looking for you.”

Becky’s voice turned menacing and an ominous feeling engulfed me.

Whenever Becky came to see me, she would always leave her work to me.

Alas, my hunch was correct.

“The head maid told me to wipe off all the stains in the main hall,” she said, a threatening smile was visible on her face.

“…?”

‘What does that have to do with me? The main hall’s her area, isn’t it?’ I thought to myself. I glanced at Becky. Her smile widened, then she said shamelessly, “I’m busy so I can’t care about trivial things such as cleaning the hallway. That’s why you’re going to take care of it.”

“What?! That’s-“

“What? Are you trying to tell me you can’t do it?” her voice raised at my ‘disobedience’.

Her eyes fixed at me, watching my reaction, ready to lashed out if I objected to her.

‘I’m scared.’

I bit my lips in an attempt to hide my fears.

I wanted to argue, ‘Isn’t this your job?’

‘I’m only five and she’s already eighteen years old, that’s a big age gap! Even though my mind is older, my physic is that of a child. Isn’t it too much to give a child her chores?!’

But to be honest, deep down, I was just glad Becky didn’t hurt me when I tried to reject her.

“Wipe the hall thoroughly with a wet mop. The head maid said she will come to inspect later. So you better do your job right.”

“Also, sweep the dust off the floor,” Becky, who added a teasing remark, passed by me. I stared at Becky’s distant back, with burning eyes.

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‘She’s so annoying!’

Nonetheless, despite the anger, I picked up the damp rag with a sigh.

I wanted to tell the head maid about this petty harassment, but…

‘What if I say something wrong and the head maid hates me for it?’

The head maid had the authority to appoint maids in training their new departments. It would be great for me to get in her good grace, since she might help me escape from the Emperor and the Empress barbaric clutches.

But if I accidentally bothered her by reporting Becky’s behaviours. No one would be able to help me in the future.

It’s better to take Becky’s harassment than ruining my future.

‘I’ve come all this way, haven’t I?’ I thought positively.

‘First, I need to sweep the scattered dust again, after that I will wipe the hallway.’

I swept the floor laboriously. Everytime, the broom swept, it swayed my body along with it.

My feet stumbled and the broom fell down on the floor as it brought me down along with its weight.

‘It’s hard to work with a small body.’

Somehow, my annoyance at this body’s height managed to push my distress away.

‘I can’t wait to grow up! I don’t want to put up with this anymore!’ I sulked.

I walked towards the hallway with a bucket full of water and mop beside me.

“… oh my goodness …” I exclaimed in shock. I was devastated at the view before me.

When I was told to clean the hallway, I thought it would be a puddle of muddy water or a few dirty stains. But it wasn’t something as simple as that. The hallway was all messed up with shoe marks.

‘What were people doing here? Were they dancing in the hallway?’ I thought. With this much stain, I’d need at least six hours to clean this hallway up.

‘Isn’t this is simply too taxing for a five years old?’

‘Hey, the people of this world. This is child labor exploitation!’1

“Hah… What am I doing?” I shook my head, pushing away the useless thoughts.

Complaining about things that have already happened would only prolong this. I kneeled on the floor as I began to focus on scrubbing the floor. Spread the water, scrape away the dry soils, drain the mop, rinse the water with a mop and rub the surface to make it smooth.

I repeated those steps on all the stains in the hallway.

“Ouch!” my face accidentally hit the mop’s handle. My nose tingled in pain.

Sighing in defeat, I looked down at my hands and scrutinized them.They were all red and puffy from the labours.

I cried, covering my swollen fingertips, “It hurts.”

‘I want to give up, but… No! I haven’t cleaned up the hallway yet,’ I immediately drove the idea away.

I stared at the partly cleaned hall. It was still full of dirt. Furthermore, my back, which had been bending all day, was aching. I wiped the dirty water off my hands with my apron and massaged my waist to ease the pain.

‘I don’t think I will be able to sleep tonight…’

“Lize?”

A sweet-toned voice traveled the hallway to my ears. I flicked my head at the direction the voice was coming from.

My eyes widened in realization, ‘…wait, isn’t that Rose’s voice? Why is she here at this hour?’

“Ro-Rose!” at the sight of Sister Rose, I quickly straightened up my hunching position.

Sister’s lovely look in the hall, covered with dirt, was contrasting. However, she didn’t seem to mind any of it. Her eyes looked around as her face darkened.

“How did this happen again?”

“Sister~”

I ran towards Rose, but my steps were halted.

‘Gasp!’ my eyes widened in shock, I had never seen my sister this angry.

“Lize, why are you here alone?” her voice was smooth despite the scary expression. It was just like calm before the storm.1

“Huh? That’s…”

“… are you cleaning this wide hallway by yourself?” she asked, her voice colder than the north wind on the new year. This must’ve been because of my fault.

“Um, you know. Um…”

I wanted to tell her the truth, but the words were stuck in my throat.

‘Of course I’ve complained to her alot before, but still…!’

As I hesitated, Rose stared at me with a stern gaze, demanding my explanation.

After a while, she spoke , “If you feel guilty about it, you don’t have to tell me.”

“Huh?”

‘Sister, do you have the superpower to read my mind?’ I was startled at her accurate guess.

“Even if you’re a maid in training. It’s ridiculous to have a young child clean the hallway.”

“Well, it’s my job…” I pouted my lips in defeat.

Although Rose had told me countlessly to not feel guilty if I didn’t want to do others’ chores.

‘…I’m more concerned about you rather than myself.’

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