Diana, who is always busy, asked Trisha not to come back today. For Trisha, the moment she left Diana was like waking up from a dream. A step back from a good reality.
Duke Carl and his family, a notably wealthy one, was highly respected. They are far different from Baron Blanc, who hails from a stricken noble family. From generation to generation, the Carls possessed duchy and high-flown status.
On top of that, Diana had an incomparable beauty. Trisha still remembered her first time meeting Diana when she was seven years old. At that time, Trisha thought of her as a fairy and looked at her back as if she had a wing. Now that Diana is seventeen, her beauty blooms like a flower and it was difficult to express in words.
Diana had everything Trisha ever dreamed of. A fancy mansion, maids, a craftsmanship doll , and beautiful dresses when young. It was literally every little girl's dream.
Due to Diana's poor health, Trisha thought that she couldn't go this far. However, she became the royal family's choice for Empress, the esteemed mother of the empire. It's a different dimension for Trisha.
Ah? Recruiting people for the imperial court? Trisha, who was walking in a daze, saw a piece of paper on the road. Women under 18 years old. If so, I am qualified. Her eyes widened. But the next line lifted Trisha.
Recommendation letter from a noble is necessary.
Trisha stretched her shoulders and walked back on her way. Her immediate father, Baron Blanc, was also a nobleman, but her mother was a commoner and originally had no family name. Even so, Baron Blanc is not infamous unlike the other families.
No, there must be another way…
Trisha suddenly stopped walking. She remembered Duchess Carl, aunt of Diana, the person who paid her. She can ask the Duchess to give her recommendation.
But the duchess seems petrifying. Sylvia's mood shifts with or without Diana, and everytime she called Trisha, she was indifferent to her. It didn't help that she barely talked to Sylvia about other matters.
Trisha's eyes glimmered with hope as an idea came to mind. She walked back to the wall with the papers. With a smirk on her face, she took one before leaving.
There is a way. There's a way out of this gutter-like reality.
***
The next day, Trisha got up from dawn then washed herself in cold water. Her hair greased with cheap oil, the only clean clothes were washed by hand last night.
"Where are you going today, sister?" The seven-year-old Nicolo was vexed at what she was up to.
"Nicolo, it's important, so go play by yourself."
"Why, if you're going to a good place, take me with you."
Trisha turned her head and stared at Nicolo. The pesky younger brother has been Trisha's problem since birth. Their mother, who became ill after Nicolo was born, was put to rest and lay down, and the child was left to Trisha's care.
"Nicolo, if you don't listen, I will get angry."
"Ch, you're mean."
Unlike Trisha, who resembles her mother's red hair, Nicolo's hair was somewhere between yellow and brown. It was similar to Baron Blanc but a little shade darker.
"Ugh… that's enough." After Trisha tied her hair neatly, she looked at herself in the mirror. She had made herself quite presentable.
At least until I got to the mansion to see the duchess.
Diana's uncle and his wife were staying in a workplace inside the imperial palace. The grand opening from the gate was more extravagant than she expected. And the maid's clothes looked cleaner than Trisha's.
As she entered the fabric room after waiting for some time, Sylvia, who was in
the middle of selecting the fabric asked, "Oh, Diana's…?"
"Yes, it's Trisha Blanc." Trisha reminded.
The Duchess who seemed to be always forgetting Trisha's name remarked, "You got paid."
"I'm here for something else today, Madame." Trisha quickly uttered.
"Don't keep me waiting and tell me. Don't you see I am busy?"
"Please write a letter of recommendation to the imperial family. As a maid, I want to join. "
"What?" Sylvia, who took her eyes off the pile of fabric, frowned at Trisha.
"Diana said she doesn't need my care anymore. But I want to repay her somehow for her kindness. I was thinking about it when I heard the news that the royal family was looking for a maid."
"So?" Sylvia won't spare much time.
Trisha hurriedly expressed herself. "If I become part of the palace first and adapt myself to the imperial family, I thought it would be a little help after Diana's wedding. Diana is a sober lady, so wouldn't it be too lonely to be with strangers? But I thought if I tell Diana this, she would tell me not to suffer because of her."
Trisha took a short breath. Sylvia stared at her for a while. Once married, it was customary for her maid since birth to accompany Diana into her married life. However, since Charlotte, Diana's caretaker since her parents died, was a commoner, it was difficult for her to become her personal maid inside the palace.
First of all, if Trisha becomes a maid, she could make herself an aide to the prince for being a friend of Diana.