Chapter 93
*I Quit Being a Maid*
As if being rewarded for all the sleepless nights, I felt drowsy, a sensation I hadn’t experienced in a long time. Whenever I drifted in and out of consciousness, I saw the young master.
He seemed to be saying something, or maybe not. I had to work, but I was so sleepy. He would understand, since it was my first time being lazy in a while.
Whenever our eyes met, he would look at me with a sad, blue gaze, then smile reluctantly. Sometimes it was in the workshop, sometimes in the garden, and a few times, in his bedroom.
I blinked.
How long had I been asleep? I suddenly came to my senses. I wanted to bury myself in the soft sheets and sleep some more, but I couldn’t forget my duties as a maid!
I sat up abruptly.
“I have to work!”
I stood up, but my legs wobbled, and I almost fell.
“Squeak! Chirp!”
“Guys!”
Sparrow and Zomrat jumped into my arms.
“Are you happy to see me awake?”
“Squeak, squeak!”
“Chirp, chirp!”
Their reaction seemed a bit strange. They were searching for snacks in my pockets. Zomrat sniffed around, and Sparrow pecked at my pockets.
“Ouch, that hurts! You ungrateful creatures. Is this how you treat your leader?”
Faint red marks from Zomrat’s paws and Sparrow’s claws were on my arms. I stared at them, feeling a strange sense of unfamiliarity, then realized.
I had awakened as Anna!
Thinking back, I had always woken up in different places. I must have been switching between Anna’s and Estella’s bodies.
If I could do that, it would be a huge help for my maid work!
I could clean the mansion as Anna and then poof! Return to the workshop as Estella. I could teleport at will!
“I’ll have to use this strategically…”
Since I was awake, I should go find the young master. I looked down at myself. I was wearing pajamas, not suitable for going outside. And I wasn’t wearing shoes either.
He wouldn’t scold me for going out like this, but I couldn’t show myself looking so unkempt as a maid.
“I should find my uniform!”
I left the room barefoot. This room, so luxuriously decorated, was the former Countess’s bedroom.
I remembered playing here with the young master when we were children. The mistress had always been kind to me, a mere maid.
But we couldn’t see her anymore. The young master and I had to fill the void left by the adults.
Putting aside my longing, I headed for the maids’ quarters. The maids I passed by either gasped in shock or fainted.
“I wasn’t expecting such an enthusiastic reaction…”
I entered my room, Anna the maid’s room. It was covered in dust, clearly unused. But the drawers were clean.
I took out a clean maid uniform and put it on. It felt a bit loose. Had I lost weight?
Oh! I could finally wear that day dress I couldn’t fit into before!
Waking up after so long was wonderful!
After putting on my headband, I left the room. I had a feeling I knew where he was. I checked the back of my hand, but there was no arrow. It couldn’t be helped, since I wasn’t in Estella’s body.
But my instincts told me he was in the workshop.
My pace quickened, and I ended up running. I was slightly out of breath, but I wanted to see him.
I wanted to clean the workshop, change his clothes, and eat with him!
Seeing the blooming flowers in the garden made my heart swell. He had remembered my favorite flowers and filled the garden with them.
I saw the familiar wooden door and practically threw myself against it.
The door burst open with a bang.
“Young Master!”
The workbench was empty.
Wasn’t he here?
I walked deeper into the workshop. Water was boiling in a small cauldron, and the scent of fresh paint was strong.
He had been here recently.
And then I saw Estella. She was sitting quietly on the sofa in the corner.
Judging by the brushes, paints, and vials nearby, he had been repairing her.
He hadn’t gone far. He must be nearby.
“Hee hee, I won’t let you escape.”
There were no signs of him leaving the workshop. He wasn’t foolish enough to leave a lit cauldron unattended.
Then there was only one other place he could be.
The secret garden inside the workshop.
I retraced the path I had taken with Zomrat and found the door to the garden. It was wide open, as if welcoming me.
I opened the door, and an even more vibrant garden greeted me. The blooming flowers, their petals carried by the wind, were a riot of color.
And there, in the middle of the golden garden, stood a man with a cold, imposing aura. He looked handsome even in his stained, worn work clothes.
I deliberately stomped my feet as I approached.
“Young Master!”
He flinched but didn’t turn around. Didn’t he hear me? Did he think it was his imagination?
“Young Master! Young Master! Young Master!”
He finally turned around. His stern expression slowly softened.
As soon as our eyes met, I ran and jumped into his arms.
“You came. I’ve been waiting.”
He lifted me up and hugged me. I thought he would cry, since he was usually such a crybaby, but he didn’t. He looked like he had just finished crying.
“Have you been waiting long?”
I cupped his cheeks in my hands, kissed him deeply, and then smiled.
“It’s me, Estella!”
My maid uniform was confiscated.
After our beautiful reunion, I had planned to clean the workshop, do the dishes, and cook him a meal. And maybe have a nice, intimate conversation and nurture our love.
He dismissed my plans.
“Your body is weak. You need to rest.”
I didn’t know why my pajamas were in the workshop, but he changed me into them and sat me down on the sofa, covering me with a blanket and giving me a cup of warm tea.
“I’ll just walk around the garden…”
“No.”
“Give me back my uniform…”
“Don’t wear it anymore.”
“…”
I sipped my tea and took a deep breath.
“Are you… firing me?”
“What?”
“Are you firing me for being absent without leave…? Let’s not do this. We can talk about this…”
“Anna.”
He was kneeling in front of the sofa, fussing over Estella.
“Have you been taking care of her like this all this time?”
“Yes. While you were asleep.”
He picked up a different brush and smiled. He tickled my cheek with the clean brush, then applied some medicine to Estella’s body, saying it was to remove scratches, although I didn’t see any.
“I’m not firing you. But you’re not a maid anymore.”
“Then…”
I finished my tea and raised an eyebrow.
“A promotion?”
“Something like that.”
He extended his hand. I took it, and he kissed the back of my hand, putting down his brush.
“Thank you for staying by my side as my maid. And thank you for coming back. I want you to be even closer to me now.”
I interrupted him.
“Young Master, will you marry me?”
He smiled and replied,
“Okay.”
I took Estella’s hand and his and shook them vigorously.
“You’re so lucky! You’re marrying both Anna and Estella!”
“That won’t happen. After reviving your body, I disposed of everything related to the elixir.”
“My goodness.”
“Well, except for the formula in my head.”
He grinned mischievously.
“It’s a bit disappointing that I can’t return to Estella’s body as easily anymore, but I’m happy now. I’m Anna, and Estella, and both, and sometimes one. I’m still me, no matter what.”
I threw myself into his arms.
“I’ll always be by your side, no matter what form I take. Because I love you!”
“We should change how you address me. Instead of ‘Young Master’…”
He blushed slightly. I knew what he was thinking.
“Since we’re adults now, you want me to call you ‘Count’ or ‘Master,’ right? I understand.”
“…We can change that later.”
We kissed lightly and hugged. Sharing warmth like this was a human privilege.
“I should mark this day as an anniversary. The day my dream came true.”
He chuckled.
“Your dream of becoming the Countess?”
“No!”
My dream had always been the same. To be the person who always stayed by his side, the person who could share warmth with him.
My dream wasn’t fully realized yet. It was a dream I would continue to pursue.
I pulled him up.
“Let’s go home. I have so much to tell you. And so much to do!”
“I’d prefer it if you rested for a bit…”
“Hurry, hurry! We have to tell Head Butler Godora! That you’re not accepting any more proposals!”
“That’s true.”
We stood up, hand in hand. He shrugged, shaking his head.
“I have to do what my Countess says.”
I grinned at him.
“We’re going to be very busy from now on.”
***
<End>
Cute