I left my lady in her terrace which functioned as her own office. A sigh slipped out of my mouth as my thoughts wandered.
My name is Sophella. I had grown up as the eldest daughter of an average commoner family. I had three younger siblings who I took care of with joy as my mother was frail and got sicker by the day.
My father had a job in the mines which was what provided food on our plate. When I was fourteen I thought of it as time for me to set out for work as bills piled up and my father's mining job could only bring in so much.
The house rent was due. Food was managed with his salary, but clean drinking water became scarce as the small town became polluted due to overpopulation and mostly to the disregard of environmental sanitation. But what would poor commoners who fought each day for a crumb of bread, care about cleanliness
Additionally, my mother needed medication. That was what determined me further to find a job.
I found a job as a cleaner of a guild in town. There I gathered knowledge and learnt of different personalities, how to read peoples expressions and think quickly on my feet. When I had been working there for two years which was when I became sixteen, I gently told my employer about my mother's health and they recommended a job for me.
It was a job to be a maid for a Count family. Specifically a maid serving the young lady of House Renowarin. A rich noble family who resided quietly in their territory, making their money from land investment.
I went for a two week interview and I was accepted much to my joy. I would start within a week
The guild were kind enough to give me information about the lady I would serve.
Erionella Josephine Renowarin. The counts eldest child. She had a temperament which was high strung and catastrophic. She usually took her parents love for granted by shouting in their faces. She would punish maids who made mistakes severely. But the thing about her is that she wasn't always brattish.
She was a 'cross me then I cross you twice' kind of person. As long as you didn't do anything to her she wouldn't say anything to you. Just like her parents, she didn't participate in noble society much. She spent her time ordering and trying out dresses and indulging herself in things she saw enjoyable.
I started her job with ease. I never spoke to the lady and never clashed with her. Each day serving her was the same, up until two months ago. It was three months after serving the lady.
I had noticed that week, that the lady had been quietly talking to herself mentioning things like a 'cellphone', 'mall', 'energy drink' and other things I've never heard of before. And when I did her hair she kept on repeating 'I'm actually in the novel'.
But I didn't want to ask and involve myself in anything. At the end of the week the lady called all the eighteen maids who served her directly.
"Which of you here are in need of money?" She asked all of us. Immediately a maid who I had noticed to always have been quiet raised up her hand.
She had black hair which was uncommon for commoners but seen in high society with rare red eyes. I had forgotten her name but from the murmurs from the maids I remembered her name was 'Irliona'.
All the maids who served the lady were prideful. Each always boasting what they had and with their head raised up high. None of these prideful maids would want to admit that they were in the need of money.
But I for one, had no such pride. I raised my hand while trying to figure out the ladies intentions. She just nodded and left all of us. The other maids snickered at Irliona and I who 'shamelessly' admitted we were in need of money.
"My lady did you hear that Marquis Michael is pursuing you as his bride~ Your parents feel sad to let you go, but hearing how much you've been in love with him they're considering you marry him" The maids all gushed thoughtlessly while I looked at the lady.
In the three months I served her she would regularly listen to news about Marquis Michael but she recently stopped. While she did so I shook my head in pity.
While working as a cleaner at the guild I heard one or two things about nobles. Marquis Michael was a Casanova who enjoyed 'collecting' women and adding women to his harem which he considered a collection.
From what I heard it's a psychological problem. If a woman who is part of his harem made him angry, he would gauge out their eyes as it was the very reason why he was attracted to them. According to what I heard he has a collection of eyeballs gotten from disobedient women.
Green eyes are uncommon in the empire so I'm guessing the lady's green eyes which have an allure to them draw him.
"I warn my lady to be careful about the Marquis. I heard the Marquis said he would even use force to get your parents' permission. I don't think they have a choice. I once worked at the Marquis' mansion and I know he has gotten married to at least ten wives already all with broken bones and bruised bodies"
My sensitive ears picked up Irliona's words to the lady. I applauded her courage for saying such a thing when I knew but just didn't want to get myself involved.
But something she said was weird. During the search the guild did on Lady Erionella, which included researching on all the maids, the maid 'Irliona' had never worked for any noble. Much less Marquis Michael.
Since the past two months my lady has come to make Irliona and me her cortege. I have come to admire Lady Erionella because of the way she works hard. Ah, I even forget to mention, she became the fiancée of the only Duke of the great Empire. Duke Crinoel Garcia.
Sometimes I think their relationship is strange then I come to see it as my imagination. But the time he pointed a sword to her neck and butterflies suddenly appeared out if nowhere, I thought he was actually going to kill her.
But in that moment, Irliona remained calm. Irliona. She is a very stra-, no, rather, a mysterious person. She knows things that go on the upper society as if she herself is a noble. Her facial expression is something I have never managed to read due to her omnipresent poker face. The things she knows are things only the peak of nobility could know about. Things even my lady didn't know about which was why she asked.
Sometimes I wondered who she was. The time she talked about working for Marquis Michael rung in the back of my mind but I waved it off.
Anyways, back to my lady. Today she gave me enough money for my mother's medications and care for my siblings. Plus the side money I've been earning alongside Irliona's scammi-, erm, deals with my lady will be enough to get proper clothes for my siblings.
I was done reminiscing as I had finished packing my things as I would leave tomorrow, as it was currently raining. I left my room which I shared with Irliona as the ladies cortege in the maids annex.
The maids annex was filled with all the maids as they did all their duties inside due to the rain outside. It was currently lunch time so everyone was in the kitchen.
I approached the head maid who stood near the oven and spoke to her "The lady has given me a month off"
The head maid seemed surprised for a second but continued managing her expression. "I see"
"Head maid. The countess would like to speak to you" A maid said. The head maid left the kitchen and all the maids turned to me. There glares similar to newly sharpened knives.
"Oh look who it is. The poor maid who thinks she's something big after being slightly favored by the lady. So you still eat in this kitchen. I thought you wanted to continue behaving high and mighty." The leader of a prideful clique of maids, Sasha stood in front of me with a scorn on her face.
Before Lady Erionella's change in character Sasha used to be the most favoured maid. Always looking down on everybody because of that and because her father was a baronet.
Though the lowest rank in nobility she was prideful at the fact that she had some noble blood. To top it of, the family had long before fallen.
"Sasha, right now I'm not the person who's behaving high and mighty. Go look in the mirror for that person" I turned around not wanting to waste my time with her.
But Sasha didn't seem to want to stop there as she felt insulted.
"I'm behaving high and mighty because I am actually high and mighty. You are a commoner and I a noble" Sasha said flicking her hair. "Now I with noble rank commands you to go wash my clothes for me. Its the law of the Empire."
What she said was correct. The law of the Empire stated that commoners had to obey the will of nobles.
I clenched my fist angrily at the injustice of commoners. All because we weren't born with a silver spoon they treated us like trash.
All the maids watched in anticipation, when suddenly a maid spoke up.
"That is the law of the Empire. But not the law of the Lady we serve" The maid with black hair and red eyes who never engaged in conversations was the one who spoke.
She was the 2nd maid favoured by the lady. She was Irliona.
"If you feel like Sophella should obey you why don't all of us go to our lady. All of us who serve Lady Erionella should know who our lady truly is" Irliona spoke up with her poker face.
"Hmph. Fine. Let all us 18 maids who serve the lady go. This way it will put you two wannabes in your place. After all my lady is my fellow noble" Sasha seemed convinced that the Lady would take her side.
So was I. Because no matter how kind my lady was. At the end of the day she is still a noble.
All the maids agreed to follow and we all waited at the ladies door as Irliona knocked and went in after permission was given.
She came back out and ushered all the maids into the room.
"Sasha and Sophella. Please state your problems " Lady Erionella said gently looking alternatively between the two of us.
"Well my lady. I commanded Sophella to wash my clothes as I am a noble and she a commoner. As the law of the Empire states commoners must obey nobles. But she hesitated and Irliona says that may be the law of the empire but not the law of our lady. But I know my lady who is my fellow noble wouldn't think otherwise from our noble law" Sasha answered confidently.
"Ah, I see how it is. What do you have to say to that Sophella? You have served me for two months so what do you think I would say to that." She looked at me, her eyes saying something. When others weren't looking she secretly winked at me.
'Ah, my lady. I really have thought of you wrongly for a second'
I smiled confidently then faced Sasha. "My lady if in my position would say something like 'you're a noble. I'm a commoner but at the end of the day we are still lowly maids"
Sasha's face turned red with anger. She turned to my lady to say something but Irliona beat her to it.
"You say our lady is your 'fellow' noble but you still serve her as 'your lady'. No matter who your parents are we are still in the same position " Irliona said as if bored.
"My lady please scold these lowly commoners who don't treat me as a noble that I am!" Sasha fumed stomping the ground as the other maids who watched seemed to ne quietly giggling.
The lady stood from her seat then walked up to Sasha with an unreadable expression.
She used her hand to raise Sasha's chin as her green eyes stared straight into Sasha's common black eyes.
A heavy silence befell on the room as everyone felt a danger from the ladies green eyes.
"You want to be treated like a noble lady right? Then quit"
"W, what?"
"You see me. I am what you call a noble lady. You are what is called a "maid" I'm not someone who cares about rank but if you want to be that way. Let me separate you from your delusional thoughts." She let go of Sasha's chin then sat back down on her chair with grace and elegance.
"A REAL noble is someone who HAS the luxury of buying pretty dresses and attending parties. A REAL noble does not do someone's hair. Does not prepare someone's bath.
A MAID is someone who DOES NOT have the luxury of buying pretty dresses. A MAID does someone's hair. Prepares someone's bath. Now my dearest Sasha which category do you fall under"
Sasha's prideful demeanour fell, replaced by a red faced angry stricken one.
She turned to all the other maids who stood silently in her room under her overbearing gaze.
"Just so you all know. I am not a noble idealist who believes nobles are superior to commoners. Its just the moment when someone stupidly says rubbish. I can't help not slapping them with the truth of the matter. Whether you are a commoner, noble, thief, killer, assasin, I don't care as long as you behave fair to everyone. I HOPE I will not hear about anymore bullying or anything similiar. You may leave after Sasha answers the question"
"Huh?" The angry Sasha asked back.
"You said you want to be treated like a noble lady. So why don't you quit huh? If you feel like working for someone with your same ideals I highly recommend the lady of House Julian. But since you're some noble lady you don't need to do a maids job. Right?"
As I watched my lady speak one word came into mind. Savage.
Sasha squirmed in anger at my ladies words. It seemed that she would be unable to answer due to her pride.
"Fine. I'll let my question go unanswered. You may all leave" The Lady permitted all of us to leave and Sasha was the first one to run out of the room.
The maids all snickered at the unexpected outcome.
A certain maid who had been working longer than me approached me.
She had ordinary brown hair and common black eyes. "You were great for not immediately obeying Sasha. Tch,the girl is always pretending as if she's the Countess"
"Thanks for your support Amanda" Amanda was the one I was going to recommend to replace me during my leave.
We exchanged a few words then I caught up with Irliona who was walking to our room to do her own 'thing'
"Hey. Irliona!" She turned around at my call. I caught up to her then spoke. "Thank you for standing up for me back there"
She was silent for a second then looked at me with her occasional sparkle in her eye. "If you're thankful. Express it in the right way"
"What's the right way to express my thanks?" I asked
"Money"