Chapter 63
63
63. Paula of the Strange Baron family (1)
When I arrived at the Baron family's forest estate, my first thought was this:
'Thankfully, it's not a strange place.'
To be honest, I suspected for a brief moment that it might be a place that only looked normal on the outside. But the moment I stepped inside the mansion, my doubts vanished. The well-maintained interior showed that people actually lived here.
Since we arrived late at night, we were first assigned to our accommodations. The narrow room had two beds, so we would be staying in pairs.
'It's embarrassing, so let's stay separately.'
'I don't mind, but are you confident you can wake up alone? We'll have to wake up early from now on.'
'…….'
In the end, I ended up sharing a room with Alicia, who was clearly displeased.
'Don't even think about bothering me.'
I have no intention of doing that. Do as you please. You wouldn't listen even if I tried to stop you, and it wouldn't be bad for you to realize that nothing in this world is easy.
That was what happened last night.
I woke up early in the morning, washed up, changed into the clothes I had received in advance, and got ready. It was an outfit I hadn't worn in a long time. Although the design was a bit different, the black dress that reached my knees and the white apron were enough to evoke old memories.
I fiddled with the end of my apron for no reason, then turned around to see Alicia still fast asleep, as expected. She was being grumpy about wanting to stay separately, yet here she was.
"Wake up and get ready. We have to leave soon."
"Ugh. Just a little more―"
"Hurry."
When I shook her shoulder, the round shape buried in the sheets wriggled away from me. I shook her again, and a whine escaped before the sheet was thrown back. Soon, a sleepy-looking Alicia rubbed her eyes and sat up. Then, she saw me and her face twisted fiercely.
"You scared me! Your unlucky face startled me."
"That's fortunate, then. Get ready."
I replied nonchalantly and turned away. I told Alicia, who was grumbling about how I had cut my bangs and how she was annoyed to see my face from the morning, that I would leave first if she kept it up, and only then did she start to get ready, albeit reluctantly.
That preparation took so long that I ended up leaving first in the middle.
When I went down to the central hall, the servants were lined up. They were the people who had come here with us. In front of them were the old woman I had seen yesterday and five young male and female servants.
The old woman introduced herself as Audrey. As I had expected, she was the head of the female servants. She directed the surroundings with familiarity.
"Come forward one by one."
At those words, the person at the front stood opposite Audrey and the servants in turn. They exchanged light greetings, asked for identification, and seemed to be assigning areas to be in charge of.
I had heard that servants of the upper class usually came through employment agencies or introductions from other families. Therefore, when hiring a servant, they first checked the letter of introduction, as it was important to verify their identity. However, the people who had come by carriage had not come with letters of introduction. Through their conversation, I learned that we had been temporarily hired here. Of course, that was still a blessing.
After a while, it was Alicia's turn. Knowing that I was her companion, they told me to come along as well. Standing in front of them, I unknowingly straightened my back and became nervous.
"Are you two sisters?"
"Yes. Nice to meet you."
I gathered my hands neatly and bowed. Then, seeing Alicia standing there blankly, I quickly pushed her back. Alicia reluctantly bowed with an annoyed expression. Audrey looked back and forth between Alicia and me.
"What are your names?"
"My name is Ann, and this is my sister Alicia."
'Ann' is the alias I use. It was an alias I usually used without hesitation, but now, for some reason, my conscience pricked me and my lips went dry.
"I see. Ann. What's your surname?"
"I don't have a surname."
"Hmm, I see. Ann, Alicia. You're quite the dissimilar sisters."
Audrey, who had uttered a simple observation, scribbled something on the paper. After that, she asked me various things, such as what I had done so far and what I could do. I told her about the work I had done and that I could write and read, and Alicia, who lacked experience, listed the things she had done most recently. Audrey moved her pen throughout our answers.
"Please return to your places and wait."
I thought she would assign us areas, but an unexpected answer came back. I followed her orders and returned to my place. Only then did I relax and let out a sigh.
Alicia whispered quietly to me, seeing me like that.
"Why are you so nervous?"
"Just……."
After that, everyone else faced Audrey. The women who had been assigned areas earlier left with the young female servants, and the men left with the male servants. Then, a total of four people, including Alicia and me, remained in the hall. Audrey looked around at the remaining people and ordered them all to follow her.
We stood side by side and followed her. It was the opposite direction from where the other servants had gone. Then, one person was assigned to the kitchen in the middle, and the remaining people followed her up the stairs again.
Where are we going? As I wondered, I suddenly felt a sting on my cheek. When I turned my head, the man who had come with us was looking this way. More precisely, at Alicia. His gaze was very intense.
Again?
I looked at Alicia with a weary expression. Alicia was haughtily raising her chin. I wondered why she was doing that, but it seemed she was conscious of the man's gaze. Her behavior of swaying her body seductively even in this situation was absurd.
As I walked with a hollow laugh, the man poked my shoulder. When I looked at him, he smiled brightly.
"It's nice to see you like this."
"Who, do you know me?"
"What. Why are you pretending not to know me?"
No, who are you? I blinked. I couldn't forget such a handsome face with neat features and a good impression.
But there was no one I remembered. I scrutinized him thoroughly, but it was a face I had never seen before. The man made a disappointed expression when I didn't say anything. I remained silent because I really didn't know who he was.
It was the moment when the man, who had been silent for a while, took a step closer to me and opened his mouth.
Bang!
Suddenly, a loud noise came from afar. Our gazes immediately turned towards it. The door of a room located on one side of the hallway was wide open. Soon after, someone suddenly popped out of the room. When I got closer, I saw a young man lying face down on the floor. But his condition was strange.
So…….
"Oh my!"
Alicia covered her eyes with her hand. Then, she slightly spread her fingers. There was no point in covering them.
I didn't even think about covering my eyes and instead stared intently at the situation in front of me.
Why is he naked?
I was embarrassed, but I quickly scanned the man's naked body. It was really naked. His yellowish skin was exposed in front of my eyes.
The naked man who had suddenly appeared tried to get up quickly, but tripped over his clothes and fell. His flailing appearance was pitiful.
We stopped in front of him. Only then did the man realize our presence and become flustered. He hurriedly got up again and hastily put on the clothes he was holding. Judging from his attire, he seemed to be a footman. But why was the footman like that? I glanced at the back of Audrey's head. I couldn't see her face, so I couldn't tell what her condition was.
The man, who had put on his clothes over his important parts, bowed to Audrey. And then he turned around. His retreating figure looked like he was running away. Even as he went, his pants, which he hadn't managed to pull up properly, slipped down. The man grabbed his waistband and walked awkwardly.
While the three of us were looking at him, Audrey entered the room first. A beat later, I came to my senses and went inside as well. Alicia and the man followed behind me.
The room was a mess.
Naked people were entangled on the bed. Moreover, they were all men. Two men were on the bed, and one was lying languidly under the bed. A thin sheet barely covered their private parts.
One of the men lying on the bed turned to look at us, as if sensing a strange presence. However, he yawned nonchalantly without looking surprised. The other two didn't even look at us. They didn't even seem to want to move while in that state.
Unlike us, who were frozen in shock, Audrey spoke calmly.
"Joelly, it's morning."
A moment of silence passed.
Soon after, a round shape rose from between the two men on the bed. The sheet slipped down, and what came out from inside was a young woman with abundant blonde hair.
Pretty, beautiful, and naked as well.
"Ugh!"
This time, the reaction was a bit more intense. I looked at Alicia, wondering why again, but she had a normal expression. So I turned to the other side and saw the man covering his face with both hands. As if that wasn't enough, he even turned away. His unhidden earlobes were bright red.
"Oh my. How cute."
The blonde woman smiled mischievously.
"Who?"
"They are the new servants."
"They're really cute. What's your name?"
However, the cute servant didn't seem to have the energy to answer. He was at a loss, having seen her naked body.
When the woman moved her body, the sheet slipped further down. Even with her naked body completely exposed, the woman didn't even seem embarrassed.
When the woman sat on the edge of the bed, the man next to her got up and draped the sheet over her shoulders. The woman crossed her legs and smiled, thanking him.
"So, who are you?"
"From now on, these three will be serving Joelly."
Only then did I realize why Audrey had brought us here.
"Hmm. What about the last person?"
"We kicked them out."
"Oh my. What a shame."
A smooth hand swept her abundant blonde hair behind her ear. Unlike her words, there was no hint of regret on her indifferent face. Rather, her eyes, which had slightly lowered and then raised, sparkled. I was unknowingly looking at those eyes when her pretty eyes curved mischievously.
"Okay. I want to wash up, so everyone get out."
At those words, the men, who hadn't moved until now, got up all at once. They stood naked and picked up the clothes that had fallen on the floor and put them on. Their series of actions seemed familiar. They hastily covered only the important parts and left the room with confidence until the end.
My gaze reached them and then returned to the room again. Unlike us, who were shocked, Audrey didn't move a bit, as if she was used to this situation. Are people here all like that? Isabella was like that before, and it seems that female servants are all so mentally strong.
