"Get up. How long are you going to keep sleeping? I cannot believe you turned out to be such a lazy girl. If you are already seven, you should get up alone."
Emily quickly pulled off the cover, covering her master. She was still annoyed that she had been made to serve such a young master, but that resentment had eased up.
Spending seven years looking after someone could make you truly warm up to the other. Emily had been the only one in this side-tower other than Rachael, so she had developed some attachment.
That was why, once it was time for her young charge to wake up, Emily came to ensure that the task was done.
But little did she know that the one she was looking for was not beneath the blanket or even in the room. She only knew that once she had pulled up the blanket, only to find no one there.
"Huh? Not again? How can a seven-year-old child wake up this early? Most children would be begging to be allowed to sleep in. Just where does that freak get all her morning energy from?"
Emily complained with a sigh. She could not believe how her master behaved. What kind of child goes to sleep before 9 PM and wakes up at 7 AM sharp? Even most of the working adults did not do such a thing.
Just as Emily contemplated what she should do next, the door to the room opened, and her charge walked out from the bathroom.
To say that Rachael was a beautiful kid would be a lie. Well, not truly, but the skinny nature of Rachael's body made her eyes look too wide for her head. And there was always an unhappy frown around her face that made Emily feel guilty.
'What do I have to be guilty about? I am stuck with a kid here, so I have all the right to feel salty. I did nothing wrong.'
Once Emily was done convincing herself, she snapped back into focus. A hand emerged into her vision, and Emily instantly stepped back.
Lady Rachael's hand was glowing green, just like it always did before it destroyed anything it touched. So far, a lot of furniture had been the casualty of her lady's powers, but she had never used it on a human before.
Emily had learned early on during her service here to leave her lady alone when she glowed green. It may take minutes, hours, or even days. But that was the only way for Emily to survive.
"You dodged my hand. Why did you dodge my hand? Is there something wrong with it?"
Emily's heart skipped a beat when she heard her lady's voice. Times like these made Emily glad that Rachael did not influence a Chlorance. It allowed Emily to get away with so much more than an ordinary maid could dare to get away with."
"How often have I told you not to make me an object of your experiments? You can break me if you are not careful with your powers, my lady."
Emily was sure she could have framed or worded this better. But her fear made Emily tense and blind to her tone.
In her mind, she was always in the right, and that held even now. She looked at Rachael, waiting for the kid to be hurt by her words. But Rachael showed no such signs.
She only blinked up at Emily and then turned to walk away.
"Alright, I will remember these words for the future. But right now, I only have a little time. I need to get ready for school."
Emily sighed as she watched her young charge head out into the garden. It had been one month since her lady began to go to school, but going out into her garden during the early hours was a routine.
One would think it was good for a child to be this independent, but Emily doubted that her miss was up to anything good today.
And especially not with the sinister grin she was sprouting on her face. In her hand was a tiny bug that glowed during the night. But this was not a typical species.
The one her lady held in her hands was a very poisonous variety of bugs that were difficult to pinpoint.
"Excellent! I have gotten my specialty for today. I am sure that my client will be happy with their purchase. Suzie gave me a toffee for this favor."
Emily sighed as soon as she heard her mistress's words. She could not believe her charge had been bribed with a toffee.
But the sad reality was that her charge could be bribed with such things, especially considering how starved her situation was.
Despite being part of one of the biggest and wealthiest families there, Rachael was only allocated enough of her budget to enroll in a local school and cover two meals daily.
Sometimes, an extra budget could be requested in case of emergencies. But that was never enough to save for the next day.
Despite these shortcomings, Emily somehow got her charge through her early life.
"Rachael, stop touching toxic bugs with your hand. And how many times do I have to tell you not to bring these harmful things to your school? Someone can get hurt because of this. And then you will be in trouble."
Emily warned Rachael, but the younger looked at her like she was joking.
But when Emily continued to look serious the whole time, Rachael finally sighed and decided not to think about it too much.
Children of Rachael's age were imaginative and liked to play around too much. Emily did not want to bother Rachael too much, so she allowed her to be in her innovative space.
They quickly reached Emily's school, which was a local one. The only problem the whole way had been when young master Adrian had caught sight of them and stirred young lady Rose away from their path.
Emily's charge noticed this, but she neither responded nor did she look angry or sorry about this. She continued to look impassive and cold.
Thankfully, there was no confrontation, and both parties went their separate ways.
"Miss Emily, you are here to drop off your daughter again? Then, can I tell you something? And maybe in a more…confidential…setting than this. You see, this is regarding your child and her relationships."
Most of the children had already arrived and were ignoring Rachael. It is more likely that the parents urged their children to ignore Rachael and not the children themselves.
Emily recognized Suzie's pigtails in the crown of people before her. And if Emily could see her, then Rachael saw her for sure.
It was a wonder how Rachael did not move toward Suzie's location and waited for Suzie to come to her.
"Miss Emily, I know it might be tough to hear this, but there is something weird with your daughter. She is a little…zoned out most of the time and doesn't talk to her classmates."
"I don't know how much I should talk to you about these things, but kids like to talk a lot. And they say…things about Rachael and her resourcefulness. If you ask her for help, you will get what you want."
The teacher looked a little nervous when she said that. Emily's face palmed once she heard the teacher's absurd remarks.
'Don't tell me that even she believes this nonsense about Rachael. Thankfully, these people are unaware enough to connect Rachael's green hair with her background.'
These average people were not smart enough or did not want trouble with the Chlorance family.
Whatever the reason, Emily was thankful for being spared the embarrassment of not tolerating these people and their questions.
"Miss! Rachael is seven years old. Children their age frequently mistake things as weird and exciting. I am sure that it is nothing."
Emily assured the teacher, but she noticed real fear in the teacher's eyes. The poor teacher looked uncomfortable to see Emily not understanding her.
"No, I don't think you understand what I mean. I know that we live in a world that sees miracles constantly. But that girl, she's 'different.' Not only does she feel like an adult when you talk to her, but the way she does anything…"
The teacher shuddered, and Emily felt a headache coming. She empathized with this teacher but could not show it openly.
"Once more, I am sure that you are mistaken about Rachael. She is just an ordinary seven-year-old and nothing more."
From the corner of her eyes, Rachael noticed how Suzie finally made it to Rachael and asked some questions. There was a disappointed look on Suzie's face for a single second before she looked cheered up once more.
It was clear that whatever Suzie had asked for was agreed upon by Rachael. And since Emily felt empathy for the teacher, she did think twice about warning her.
Then she thought of her safety and mental comfort and decided to keep out of whatever Rachael was planning.
"I-you might be right. Other than her hair color and unexpectedly high intelligence, Rachael has not shown any signs of being a bad or unordinary kid. Maybe I am too paranoid because no dungeon outbreaks have occurred near me in recent years."
Emily understood the feeling very well. After being in a world that was constantly in danger, being safe once more did not sit well with anyone. It caused their internal danger meters to ring out.
"I see. That may be the case if you are feeling paranoid. But remember, there is no reason for you to feel paranoid. Rachael is a normal human being."
Emily stressed, and the teacher nodded in relief.
At first, the teacher thought she was going mad, being the only one to notice Rachael's weirdness. But now she knew that it was because of her extreme mental stress. She was just overthinking things at this point.
"Yeah, she is a normal human being. There is no need for me to be so paranoid."
The teacher agreed with Emily. She did not even question Emily even once during the whole talk.