-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: A Calculated Fall
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Back then, the madame ordered us never to show her wound to the physician.”
“…”
“It wasn’t the young lady’s fault, it was entirely yours. If you had any decency, you could have at least secretly given her some ointment, but you kept your mouth shut, didn’t you?”
“B-But…! How could I, with the madame watching like a hawk?”
“I happened to see the young lady back then, and it looked like some girl had given her ointment. I guess it wasn’t you?”
“What about you! Do you think you treated the young lady so well?”
Samantha, who had been mocked, raised her voice in agitation. A new revelation immediately followed.
“When the young lady first moved into that tiny room, we cleaned it for her. But what did you do then?”
“What did I do!”
“Wow, look at this. It must have been a daily thing for you, huh? You don’t even remember.”
The maid, now on the offensive, spoke triumphantly.
“Don’t you remember pretending to clean, only to spill dirty water and run away? You laughed your head off for ages, saying the young lady would have to clean it all up.”
“…”
“How awkward do you think the young lady would feel if you acted all friendly now?”
“You think the young lady is clueless? She’s keeping me by her side because she’s forgiven everything!”
The misdeeds that had been covered up with the second wife’s silent approval came pouring out like water from a broken dam.
“No! I never did that!”
The atmosphere grew more heated, and the maids began to grab each other by the hair and fight.
Since they had all done something wrong, no one tried to stop them. If anything, they joined in on the hair-pulling.
“Back then, the young lady was too soft-hearted to do anything about it…!”
“And you? Are you so innocent?!”
It was then.
The door burst open, and a maid stumbled in, her face pale as a sheet.
She was so flustered that she didn’t even seem surprised by the chaos.
“H-Hey, everyone! This is no time for this!”
Hearing their colleague’s sudden shout, the maids turned their heads, still clutching handfuls of hair.
“What is it?”
“What’s wrong? This had better be important!”
“I-It’s the young lady…!”
Fierce glares shot toward her.
Momentarily intimidated, the maid who had come to deliver the news fell silent.
The short-tempered maids pressed her.
“What about the young lady?”
“Spit it out! Can’t you see we’re busy? Aack! Stop pulling so hard!”
It was an absolute madhouse.
One of the maids shrieked as the person holding her hair gave a sharp tug.
She looked ready to punch her opponent in the face at any moment.
The messenger maid, now pale for a different reason, stammered.
“The young lady…”
As soon as they heard the rest of her sentence, the maids hastily let go of each other’s hair.
Their anger-filled faces were now etched with bewilderment and fear.
It was an emergency.
***
When I entered Lumina’s room, Joseph, Teresa, the head maid, and the butler were standing there stiffly.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, the maids rushed to Lumina’s side, one after another.
“Young lady, are you all right?”
“Young lady!”
Lumina, who was sitting in a chair, looked at them with wide, surprised eyes.
Beside her stood a doctor in a white coat.
He was a stranger, likely a guest from outside.
“…In any case, running is out of the question for a while. You should be careful even with light walking. There are other issues as well, so be sure to eat your meals on time.”
“Yes, I understand, Doctor!”
Lumina replied cheerfully, a bright smile on her face.
Her expression showed no trace of pain. But her leg was heavily wrapped in bandages.
And it wasn’t just her leg. Her face was also dotted with small cuts, treated with ointment and bandages.
She was a mess from head to toe.
“Well then, I shall be on my way.”
“Yes. I’m afraid I’m in no state to see you out. Ah, Mia. You see the doctor out.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
One of the maids who hadn’t been able to join the conversation answered, looking dazed.
“That won’t be necessary. I can see myself out. I will accept only the young lady’s kindness.”
But he curtly refused the offer.
The doctor, who had glanced coldly at the maids, packed his bag and strode away.
The maids, realizing this was not the time to rush to Lumina with empty words of concern, stood quietly.
The doctor was passing the line of maids pressed against the wall.
“I can’t imagine how they manage the maids in this place.”
Tsk.
The doctor muttered in a voice only they could hear, clicked his tongue, and left the room.
Only then were the maids able to see themselves.
Their hair was a mess from pulling at it. Their clothes were disheveled.
Some of their clothes were even torn from the ferocity of their fight.
They had been told that the railing had collapsed and Lumina had tumbled down, suffering serious injuries.
They had rushed over as soon as they heard the news, without taking the time to tidy themselves.
As a result, they looked like they were screaming, ‘I’ve been in a fight.’
It was a state unbecoming of maids from a noble house.
They realized, far too late, that an outsider had seen them in such a disgraceful state.
The maids’ faces flushed with shame.
“Where was everyone? I called and called, but no one came. I thought it must be a special holiday or something.”
The maids, who were belatedly fixing their hair and adjusting their clothes, heard Lumina’s bright voice.
The injured girl looked at them with the same innocent eyes, as if she didn't mind at all.
But the underlying meaning of her words could not be ignored.
“Ah, well…”
“I called for you loudly, several times. Because I really needed you. But no one came to help me.”
They had been too busy fighting, pulling out clumps of each other’s hair, to have possibly heard Lumina’s calls.
They had enough sense to know they had been doing something they shouldn’t have during work hours, which was why they had scrambled over as soon as they heard the news.
“Ahem.”
Just then, Joseph, who had been standing guard near Lumina, cleared his throat.
“It’s a good thing it was only the second floor. If it had been the third, this could have been a disaster.”
“…”
“Moreover, if I hadn’t found Lumina, she would have been left lying there. How in the world do you attend to your master!”
Growing more emotional, Joseph’s voice began to rise.
“Butler, Head Maid! Speak up! Something has happened here that would be unimaginable in the Melkan family!”
“…I have no excuse.”
The head maid stepped forward and bowed her head to Joseph. Lumina, who had been watching silently, shook her head.
“Uncle, I’m fine. It was an accident. And the maids must have had things to do… Ugh.”
Lumina tried to stand, as if to prove she was all right.
But her injuries were not to be taken lightly. She stumbled and collapsed on the spot.
“Lumina!”
Joseph rushed over and helped Lumina up. Then he roared.
“Where was her personal maid? Why wasn’t she right by Lumina’s side, acting as her hands and feet!”
Lumina had more than one personal maid.
The maids, including Samantha, glanced at each other, as if trying to shift the blame.
“The head maid and the butler are also at fault. To think you’ve hired such incompetent people. It makes me question both of your qualifications.”
The arrow of blame was aimed not only at the maids but at all the household staff.
“And you didn’t even know the balcony railing was faulty. It’s absurd.”
“…”
“This incident cannot be overlooked. It would be better if everyone, including the head maid and the butler, left this house. You are completely unqualified to serve Lumina!”
At a glance, it sounded like something a doting guardian would say. But Joseph had a sinister motive.
His plan was to fire all the servants and replace them with his own people.
Teresa, who had been listening, decided this was going too far and stepped in.
“Count Melkan, firing everyone? Don’t you think that’s an excessive measure?”
“Madame Valles, may I ask what part of this you find excessive?”
Sparks seemed to fly.
The gazes of the two clashed fiercely.
They were the heads of two factions that were already on bad terms.
Neither backed down, as if believing this fight would determine who held the power.
And there was one person watching the chaotic situation with a calm gaze.
It was Lumina.
‘I knew Aunt would step in if there was talk of firings.’
The head maid of the Lanshuss family had connections to her aunt.
She also served as a spy, secretly reporting on the affairs of the Lanshuss household.
Of course her aunt would react sensitively to the prospect of her person being fired.
‘In my past life, my uncle replaced every single servant in the house.’
That was how Lumina had found out that the head maid had been her aunt’s person.
Remembering that conversation clearly, Lumina silently cheered on the two who were in the heat of their argument.
‘Fight. Fight more.’
She didn’t even need to think about which one was on her side.
Because the only winner here was Lumina, who was sitting idly by, watching the whole affair.
Everyone else was a loser.
Thanks to Joseph, who was eager to get on her good side, she had become the poor girl injured due to the staff’s negligence.
She had never been the one to order the dismissal of the butler, the head maid, or the servants.
‘I practically lived in that room in my past life. You think I didn’t know the railing was weak?’
And she could fully predict that Joseph would come find her as soon as possible to try and persuade her.
It was all part of the plan.
Was this what they call getting someone else to do your dirty work? Or perhaps, as easy as eating madeleines in bed?
“Count Melkan!”
“Madame Valles!”
Everyone was too busy fighting and blaming one another to notice the grin that spread across Lumina’s face.
