My Maid is Cute Chapter 103 : Hope (Patreon)

Hope

It’s been a while.

I’ve written a side story with a slightly different atmosphere.

This is the story of Rebecca when she was a maid.

“Rebecca.”

Called by name, Rebecca, who was wiping the windows in the corridor, looked up. Before she knew it, the head maid was standing in front of her. The head maid had her arms crossed with a visibly displeased expression.

“…Is something wrong?”

When Rebecca asked, the head maid put a hand to her cheek and replied.

“Have you seen that girl?”

“That girl…?”

Not understanding who she was referring to, Rebecca tilted her head.

“The new girl. Break time is almost over. I want to assign her some work, but she’s nowhere to be found.”

At those words from the head maid, it finally clicked, and she raised her voice.

“Do you mean Hope?”

The head maid nodded with a fed-up expression. Rebecca continued with a wry smile.

“I’ll go look for her.”

“Really? Sorry about that. I’m counting on you. Honestly, young people these days slack off so easily…”

As if escaping from the head maid muttering complaints, Rebecca stepped away from the spot. Returning the cleaning tools to their place, she headed straight for the back garden.

The rookie maid should be there.

When Rebecca headed to the back garden, just as she thought, she saw the figure of a single maid. She was sitting on the stairs in front of the mansion’s back door.

“Hope.”

When she called her name, the rookie maid turned her gaze this way.

“Ah… hellooo, Miss Rebecca.”

Hope smiled limply without even trying to hide the cigarette she was holding.

“What are you doing, honestly… the head maid was looking for you. Besides, smoking is prohibited here.”

When Rebecca said that, Hope tilted her head lightly, saying “Ah.”

“I wanted to distract myself a little… Smoking is prohibited inside the mansion, right? This is outside. Besides, break time isn’t over yet.”

Saying so, she put the cigarette to her lips without appearing apologetic. Rebecca desperately suppressed the urge to let out a huge sigh.

This maid named Hope is a newcomer who started working at this mansion a little while ago.

‘I’m Hope Wilmer. Nice to meet yooou.’

When she first introduced herself in front of the servants, most of the men working at the mansion got excited. And no wonder, this maid is quite a beauty.

With abundant wavy hair the color of milk tea, her large eyes droop slightly, giving her a lovely look. Overall, she has sweet features, and most men were captivated by her adorable appearance. She is petite and slender, yet possesses a voluptuous chest.

Due to her beauty, she is highly popular among the men working at the mansion, and they frequently fight over her. This seems to have bought her animosity from the other female servants, and she doesn’t appear to have any close friends.

However, she herself doesn’t seem particularly concerned about it, nor does she date any specific man. She is always alone, laughing frivolously. Laid-back, or perhaps free and elusive, she is a mysterious woman whose thoughts are hard to grasp. She does perform the assigned work properly, but in between tasks, she comes to the back garden like this to enjoy a cigarette.

“…Smoking is bad for your body, you know.”

When Rebecca said that, Hope answered while tilting her head.

“I can’t quit, you see… I tried my best, but I just couldn’t resist.”

She exhaled smoke with a smile. Small white smoke rose toward the sky. Watching it, Hope’s eyes looked somewhat lonely.

“Have you been smoking here all this time? What about lunch?”

“Ah…”

Hope looked away with a wry smile.

“Somehoow, it seems there isn’t any food for me…”

Rebecca involuntarily held her head.

Hope, being the center of attention from men, seems to be receiving petty harassment from the female servants. Most likely, Rebecca is the only servant in this mansion who converses normally with Hope like this. The lack of lunch must be one of the harassments from the other maids or servants.

“It can’t be helped…”

Grimacing, Rebecca searched her pocket and took out a small packet.

“Here, this.”

When she held it out to Hope, she accepted it with a tilted head.

“It’s not much, but better than eating nothing, right?”

When Hope opened the wrapping paper, there were a few small cookies inside.

“Is this your snack, Miss Rebecca?”

“A cook I know asked me to taste test a new creation.”

When Rebecca shrugged, Hope giggled.

“You like sweet things, don’t you, Miss Rebecca?”

Hope popped one cookie into her mouth. Chewing on it, she bowed deeply.

“Thank you very much. I can work hard with this.”

“…Working hard is fine, but really, quit smoking.”

At those words, Hope left quickly with a smile without answering.

A few days later, when Rebecca went to the back garden to take out the trash,

“…Hope, what are you doing?”

She found Hope sitting on the stairs again. She was spacing out with a cigarette in her hand.

“Ah, hello~. We meet again.”

When her eyes met Rebecca’s, Hope raised her hand lightly.

“If I recall, you were asked by the head maid to clean the corridor, right? Why are you here—”

Rebecca’s words stopped. Her gaze stopped on a white piece of cloth right next to Hope.

“Ahaha. I took it off during the afternoon break… and when I took my eyes off it, it ended up like this before I knew it.”

The identity of the white cloth was an apron, torn and tattered.

“Who—”

She started to say, then closed her mouth. It was likely the work of a maid who disliked Hope. It seemed the harassment was continuing as usual. When she sighed unintentionally, Hope silently put the cigarette in her mouth with a vague smile.

“Hope, don’t be smoking in a place like this; go to the head maid or the butler immediately. If it’s just an apron, they surely have spares and can prepare one right away.”

When Rebecca said that, Hope took the cigarette from her mouth and tilted her head.

“Well… actually, a little while ago my uniform dress got ruined too. I got a new uniform, but… Honestly, it’s hard to tell the head maid again…”

It was easy to imagine that the ruined dress was also the work of other maids.

“…If you explain the situation to the head maid…”

When Rebecca said that, Hope shrugged.

“Even if I tell her, I’ll probably just get scolded. Or maybe my pay will get cut again this time.”

“…”

Rebecca grimaced but couldn’t retort. The head maid is a peace-at-any-price type. She isn’t a bad person, but she hates trouble and conflict, so she won’t intervene in interpersonal discord.

Paying no mind to Rebecca’s demeanor, Hope spilled words like a murmur.

“What should I do about the apron…”

Even while saying that, Hope didn’t look very troubled. She gently put the cigarette to her lips and exhaled smoke.

Dropping another heavy sigh, Rebecca opened her mouth.

“Come with me.”

“Huh?”

Hope looked puzzled for a moment, but when Rebecca beckoned while indicating the corridor, she obediently followed after quickly disposing of the cigarette, though looking blank.

Rebecca took Hope to her own room. Opening the small closet in the room, she searched inside. Eventually, discovering the object she was looking for in the corner of the closet, she took it out.

“Use this.”

It was an old apron. Being quite old and having slept in the closet for a long time, it smelled a bit strange, but it would be usable enough.

“Sorry it’s my hand-me-down…”

Saying that, she held it out to Hope. Since it was such an old apron, she thought it might be disliked, but Hope smiled happily.

“Eh, is it okay?”

Hope accepted it and put it on immediately. The size seemed a little larger than expected. However, Hope didn’t seem to mind particularly and bowed while laughing innocently.

“Miss Rebecca, thank you very much! You really saved me.”

Relieved, Rebecca nodded.

“You’re welcome. But be careful from now on. Not just clothes, try to manage your personal belongings properly.”

Hope nodded repeatedly at Rebecca’s words. Watching Hope, Rebecca thought for a moment and then added words as if admonishing her.

“Others… the maids are doing terrible things to you, aren’t they? Let’s consult with a superior. If it’s hard for you to say, I will—”

As if interrupting Rebecca’s words, Hope waved her hand flutteringly.

“No, it’s no big deal… I’m fine. I don’t really mind it.”

“No, but…”

“Really, I’m fine.”

Hope bowed deeply, and then,

“I’ll return to work now. Thank you very much again.”

Saying that, she left quickly.

Watching her retreating figure, Rebecca dropped her third sigh of the day.

About a week passed since she gave Hope the old apron.

Work was busy that day, and her dinner got late.

When she went to the servants’ dining hall, as expected, there were hardly any people. Rebecca sat in a lone chair and placed the dinner she received from the cook on the table. Just as she was about to dip bread into the soup and eat it.

“Is this seat taken?”

Called out, she raised her face to see Hope standing there holding a meal tray. Without waiting for Rebecca’s reply, she sat in the chair opposite.

“You’re eating now too?”

“Yes. It’s rare for me to be at the same time as you, Miss Rebecca.”

Saying that, Hope picked up a spoon and tasted the soup.

While eating bread, Rebecca looked at Hope from the front.

—She really is a beautiful girl.

Seeing her up close, she felt it again. Unbelievably thin and small. With adorable, innocent features, Rebecca thought she was a woman like a little bird. What was especially beautiful were her drooping blue eyes. A color closer to the sky than the sea, shining sparklingly. If she took off the maid uniform she was wearing now and put on a beautiful dress, she would surely look like a noble lady. Her appearance was so lovely it was almost dazzling. She had never seen a woman as beautiful as her.

—I can understand well how the jealous maids feel.

Muttering that in her heart, Rebecca hesitated for a moment before speaking to Hope.

“Hope, lately… um, how are things?”

“How are things, meaning what?”

“Um… from the other servants…”

When Rebecca said that with difficulty, Hope smiled wryly.

“Hmm, same as usual.”

Because she replied so lightly, Rebecca’s face stiffened.

“I told you before, you should tell a superior.”

“Hmm, but even if I say it, I think I’ll just be scolded saying my attitude is bad or something, and nothing will change. Rather, there’s a possibility it might get worse.”

Rebecca involuntarily stopped eating and looked straight at Hope’s face. Tilting her head, Hope smiled limply again.

“It’s fine. Being patient is my only redeeming feature.”

While chomping on meat, Hope continued.

“Since I was a child, I’ve been good at enduring, and I’m strong against pain.”

Rebecca watched Hope speaking like that silently for a while. She couldn’t imagine the childhood of this woman in front of her at all.

“Come to think of it, where are you from? Not the royal capital, right? Also, where did you work before coming here?”

When Rebecca asked directly,

“Um, a small town a little far from here… well, various things happened and I left the town though.”

Hope shared her background while eating.

Hope was apparently born in a place a little far from the town center and lived in a small house with her parents, just the three of them. When Hope was born, it was an ordinary, average family found anywhere. However—

“When I was little, my father contracted a serious illness. So, a lot of money was needed for treatment and medicine… and life became quite difficult.”

Hope spoke indifferently, hardly changing her expression.

Her mother worked alone to support the three of them, desperately making ends meet. Even without being told, she could immediately guess that the household Hope was born and raised in had a life that was quite difficult both economically and mentally.

“That must have been hard…”

When Rebecca said that, Hope’s eyes wavered slightly.

“Hmm, not really. Isn’t it a common story? There are people in the world who have it harder than me.”

Then she smiled sadly.

“Both my father and mother were always kind and worked hard… they were good parents. Just… because of the illness, my father became bedridden, and inside the house, my father’s condition was always the top priority. My mother was always busy working and rarely home… so I couldn’t talk leisurely or play with my parents, which was a little regrettable. But my father’s condition was the most important thing, so it couldn’t be helped…”

Hearing that, she felt she somehow understood why Hope was exceptionally patient. Because her living environment was like that since childhood, enduring became natural, and she probably developed a habit of putting herself last.

“So, my father fought hard, but he passed away when I was 15… and following him, my mother complicated a cold into pneumonia and passed away too.”

Hope, who lost both parents, ended up staying at her aunt’s house for a while. However, her aunt and Hope’s parents apparently didn’t get along well, so it couldn’t be called a comfortable place. Therefore, Hope decided to find a job and work as soon as possible.

“So, at first, I worked as a servant in a large merchant house. Cleaning, doing chores…”

Hope, who worked diligently there, became romantically involved with one of the craftsmen.

“Oh my…”

Rebecca involuntarily let out a voice. Since her impression was that Hope dodged the advances of various men noncommittally, she was purely surprised by the fact that she chose one man.

“What kind of person was he?”

When Rebecca, interested, leaned forward a little and asked, Hope answered with a wry smile.

“Generous, kind… and he was much older than me. It’s always like that for me… I feel attracted to and fall for older men.”

They continued dating smoothly, but suddenly one day, the man asked Hope if she could lend him money. When surprised Hope asked why, the man explained the situation with a pained expression. Apparently, the man’s mother had fallen ill and needed a huge sum of money.

Hearing that, Rebecca had a very bad feeling.

“So, I thought that must be really tough, and I gave him the money I had saved up until then. Then, from the next day, I couldn’t contact him anymore…”

She almost held her head at the predictable story.

“He had quit his job before I knew it, and when I visited his house, no one was there… and when I told my aunt about it, I got scolded terribly…”

Hope had a distant look in her eyes as she spoke, but strangely, she didn’t look very sad.

“Even at work, for some reason, various bad rumors about me started circulating… well, mostly nonsense though. So, somehow, I got sick of everything… and quit my job. Since then, smoking became a habit, and I couldn’t let it go.”

Most likely, she was exhausted both physically and mentally, Rebecca thought.

“My parents, the money, …and him, I wanted to forget everything. So, I decided to go far away. My aunt agreed too… and introduced this place to me. Something like, my aunt’s friend’s acquaintance? is the head maid here. It’s my first time working as a maid, but I thought I’d manage somehow~”

“You are, how should I put it, carefree, or really easygoing.”

At Rebecca’s words, Hope looked blank for a moment, then smiled limply.

“You see, thinking about various things is tiresome. Since I have this personality originally… no one talks to me anyway, and I get hated. Even if I wanted to change, I don’t have the energy to change.”

After muttering that, Hope suddenly looked straight at Rebecca.

“Only you, Miss Rebecca… talk to me directly like this. Why do you bother with me?”

“That is…”

“Also, you help me when I’m in trouble, right? Why?”

“Why, you ask…”

Asked that, Rebecca didn’t know how to answer and was at a loss for words.

She herself didn’t know why she got involved with this woman. She just felt she couldn’t leave this troublesome colleague with a difficult personality alone. She didn’t really understand why she treated her this way.

“…Not really. There’s no particular meaning.”

In the end, Rebecca could only answer hesitgatingly.

“You looked very troubled, so I called out. That’s all…”

“Is that so.”

Hope murmured while tilting her head. She didn’t say anything more in particular.

Both fell silent. The atmosphere became a little strange. Just as Rebecca was about to look away awkwardly,

“Ah, come to think of it…”

Hope raised her voice as if remembering something.

“I heard a rumor, there’s going to be something like a festival? soon.”

Addressed by Hope like that, Rebecca started and hurriedly nodded.

“Ah, yes… in the nearby town.”

“Have you ever been, Miss Rebecca?”

Rebecca tilted her head blankly and shook it.

“No… I’m not good with noisy places… And I don’t have anyone to go with.”

When she said that, Hope continued with a smile.

“I was thinking of going. Since I have work off too.”

“Eh? With whom?”

When Rebecca asked involuntarily, Hope smiled mischievously.

“It’s a seeecret.”

Isolated Hope has no close friends in this mansion. Would she go with a friend made outside, or perhaps a lover?

While Rebecca was thinking that, Hope continued talking happily.

“According to what I heard, there will be lots of stalls and fireworks. Can’t wait.”

To the cheerful-looking Hope, Rebecca returned a silent, vague smile.

A few weeks after exchanging that conversation.

Late at night, after finishing work, Rebecca returned to her room and was getting ready for bed when there was a knock on the door.

“Hellooo.”

Standing outside the door was Hope. To the bewildered Rebecca at the sudden visit, Hope bowed lightly in greeting. Immediately, she held out a large package to Rebecca.

“Here, please take this.”

“What is this?”

When Rebecca replied in confusion, Hope answered laughing.

“There was a town festival today, and I went for a bit.”

“Ah… come to think of it, you did mention that.”

“Yes. So, a souvenir? Or rather, a present for you, Miss Rebecca.”

“Eeeh?”

Rebecca looked at the package in Hope’s hand in confusion.

“For me? Why?”

“Well, you know, you always help me… and also in return for the apron…”

“Ah.”

Rebecca laughed involuntarily.

“You didn’t have to worry about it… that was old clothing, you know?”

“But it really helped me.”

Since Hope pushed the package forward, Rebecca accepted it.

“Um, if you’d like, please use it!”

Hope bowed lightly, then left quickly, pattering away.

Seeing her off and closing the door, Rebecca opened the package.

“Oh my…”

Inside was a lap blanket with bright colors and a nice texture. Perfect for the current season.

Staring at it intently, Rebecca chuckled lightly.

“She’s unexpectedly dutiful, that girl.”

Sitting on a chair, she slowly unfolded it and placed it on her lap. Enjoying the feel of the blanket, she pondered Hope’s demeanor earlier. The usual smile that seemed to hide something was gone, replaced by a smile filled with heartfelt happiness. Surely, the festival was very fun.

“Hope can smile like that, huh…”

She muttered softly. Only the moon in the night sky watched such a figure of Rebecca.

A few months later.

Lately, she felt the atmosphere inside the mansion had changed. It was vague, but a tense air was drifting.

“What happened?”

She asked the head maid and butler who had grim faces, but no one told her anything. Although bewildered, Rebecca performed her work as usual.

“Rebecca, do you know where Hope is?”

One evening, Rebecca, asked by the head maid who was irritable for some reason, tilted her head.

“Wasn’t that girl supposed to be off today?”

Hope had been in poor health continuously lately, often looking pale. For some reason, she seemed to have stopped smoking too. She managed to work while unsteady, but finally, she took a day off today.

The head maid clicked her tongue and replied.

“I thought she was sleeping in her room, but she’s not there. Sorry, but could you go find her?”

“If there’s work left, I’ll do it. Please let that girl rest.”

Rebecca said, but the head maid with a difficult face stated flatly.

“Find that girl and bring her here.”

“But, Head Maid…”

“Just bring her!”

At the sharp voice, giving up on retorting further, Rebecca moved her feet to search for Hope.

Probably, she would be in the usual place.

Heading to the back garden, as expected, Hope was sitting on the stairs. Without smoking, she was gazing blankly at the sky.

“Hope.”

Rebecca called her name, but Hope didn’t seem to notice and didn’t move from the spot.

“Hope, what are you doing?”

When she said it in a slightly louder voice, Hope finally seemed to notice and slowly turned her face toward Rebecca.

Seeing that face from the front, Rebecca was startled. Both of Hope’s cheeks were swollen red.

“What happened, Hope!?”

Hurriedly rushing to Hope, grasping her shoulders, she checked her face again. Clearly marks of being beaten by someone. Was it the work of someone who disliked Hope? This wasn’t just light harassment. She couldn’t believe direct violence was used.

“Ah, this is… just a little…”

Hope made a very complicated face and choked on her words. Rebecca pulled her hand.

“Anyway, let’s cool your face. Go to the kitchen and get some ice…”

Rebecca said, but Hope shook her head loosely.

“It’s fine. Please leave it alone. It will heal eventually.”

“But it’s quite swollen.”

“I’m telling you it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt as much as it looks… I’m used to this much.”

Hope smiled limply. For some reason feeling anger at Hope’s demeanor, Rebecca…

“Hope, cut it out!”

She shouted. Hope widened her eyes and froze. Rebecca was surprised at herself for shouting, but continued.

“Cut out neglecting yourself. You are hurt. Not just your body, but your heart too. Actually, it’s painful and agonizing, but you’re just pretending not to notice, aren’t you? Don’t take your wounds lightly. Don’t slight yourself.”

Rebecca reached out while continuing her words.

“Please, don’t ignore the pain. …Don’t abandon yourself. If this continues, your heart will break.”

She gently grasped that hand.

“You don’t have to endure until your limit, Hope.”

“…What is that. Like an idiot.”

Hope looked down as if averting her eyes from Rebecca. Then, she muttered softly.

“I only know this way of living, so I can’t do that. I can’t change. Don’t say things like you understand everything about me, like you see through me…”

“Then, tell me.”

When Rebecca said that, Hope looked up in surprise.

“Tell me about you. I want you to talk about what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling.”

Rebecca looked straight into Hope’s blue eyes.

“I want to know about you.”

Looking back at Rebecca, Hope gasped. After that, she smiled limply as usual.

“…I’ve never been told such a thing before.”

Hope held her head while her eyes became moist. Then she muttered.

“It’s frustrating…”

“Eh?”

Not understanding the meaning of Hope’s words, Rebecca tilted her head.

“Really, frustrating… I should have talked to you sooner, Miss Rebecca… You might have stopped me.”

At that moment, the sound of someone walking towards them was heard. Before Rebecca and Hope could turn their faces there, the head maid’s sharp voice flew over.

“Hope!! Finally found you!”

Giving no glance to Rebecca, the head maid approached stomping, took Hope’s hand, and forcefully made her stand.

“Come here!!”

Surprised by her menacing attitude, Rebecca involuntarily interjected.

“Head Maid, wait—”

Just as Rebecca was about to continue her words to the head maid, Hope opened her mouth.

“It’s okay. I’ll go right away. Before that… just a little.”

Held by the head maid, Hope bowed quickly to Rebecca.

“Miss Rebecca, thank you for everything. I… am glad I came here. Because… I was able to meet you.”

“Eh?”

Rebecca voiced her confusion. Watching such a Rebecca, Hope smiled. It wasn’t the usual smile to gloss things over, but looked somewhat radiant.

“Even at my previous workplace, I was hated immediately and couldn’t make any close friends at all… only men approached me. I was a little lonely. Even here, I thought I’d be alone anyway. But, because you talked to me often, Miss Rebecca… it was a little fun.”

Not knowing how to respond, she looked back at Hope silently.

“I was happy you faced me directly and talked to me. Thank you for seeing me… and not abandoning me.”

Hope bowed slightly again, then was led away by the head maid.

That became the last figure of Hope that Rebecca saw.

The next day, she was told by the head maid that Hope had resigned.

Why did she quit suddenly, where did she go? It became a topic among the servants, but no lower maids knew anything, and Rebecca had no way of knowing the circumstances. The head maid and butler seemed to know, but when asked about Hope, they all shut their mouths. Did Hope make some big mistake where Rebecca didn’t know?

—But, in the end, it’s unrelated to Rebecca, and there’s nothing she can do.

Even if Hope is gone from the mansion, almost nothing changes around Rebecca. She performs the assigned tasks. It’s hard, but she doesn’t dislike such days. She has lived like this all along. But—

“Somehow…”

Thinking it’s lonely must surely be her imagination.

Persuading herself in her heart, Rebecca concentrated on the work in front of her.

Those days ended a few months after Hope disappeared.

Suddenly, Rebecca was summoned by the head maid. Wondering if she had made some blunder, she headed to the head maid’s room while recalling her recent actions. Without finding any clue, she knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Hearing the voice, she opened the door immediately.

“Excuse me…”

She stepped into the head maid’s room. And she immediately noticed a certain presence. Unable to process what jumped into her eyes for a moment, she was speechless and froze.

The head maid was holding a baby.

“…Whose child is that?”

Rebecca voiced out while standing still in front of the door. The child in the head maid’s arms was clearly an infant, sleeping soundly.

The head maid, with a pale face, sighed heavily.

“Anyway, sit down. Rebecca.”

Told so, she sat down on the sofa in confusion. All the while, her gaze was glued to the baby. The head maid sat facing Rebecca with a dark face and continued.

“Sorry for the suddenness, but I want to ask you for a new job, Rebecca—I’m truly sorry to ask you, an old woman.”

Told that, Rebecca involuntarily glanced at her own hands.

—Ah, these hands have become quite wrinkled too.

With age, wrinkles increased. Her hair turned white, her back bent, and her eyesight and hearing were declining. What was this person thinking, entrusting a new job to such a self?

“Head Maid, what is the new job…”

The head maid glanced at the baby with a frown.

“I want you to take care of this child…”

“Haa? Why me…? In the first place, whose child is that—”

At that moment, as if reacting to Rebecca’s voice, the baby woke up. Without crying, looking blank, it turned its face toward Rebecca. Seeing those eyes, Rebecca gasped.

—They were blue eyes. Just like the sky.

“H-Head Maid… this child…”

When Rebecca asked fearfully, the head maid sighed heavily again and answered.

“It’s Hope and the Master’s… Viscount Lionfall’s child.”

At those words, Rebecca was speechless.

“That can’t be… why…”

When Rebecca voiced out trembling, the head maid revealed the circumstances bit by bit with knitted brows.

Viscount Lionfall, the master of this mansion, and Hope were in a secret romantic relationship. Viscount Lionfall is, of course, married and has children. Seven of them. It seems the two were secretly meeting in the mansion so that not only his wife and children but also the servants wouldn’t know.

She didn’t know why the two became deeply involved. She could guess that Viscount Lionfall was probably attracted by Hope’s beauty and seduced her.

“It seems the Master took Hope out to the town festival in secret.”

Explained so, she remembered Hope talking happily about the festival before.

The Viscount and Hope seemed to have met very carefully so as not to be found out by other servants, but such a relationship couldn’t last long. First, the butler and head maid, who often work close to the Viscount, noticed their relationship. The butler and head maid were shocked and tried to persuade Hope to break up with the Viscount in a hurry. However, before they could persuade her, the Viscountess apparently found out too. Hearing that, Rebecca involuntarily interjected.

“…Um, the last time I met Hope, her cheeks were bright red… could that be…”

“The Mistress hit her… naturally, she was very angry…”

At the head maid’s words, Rebecca held her head.

It seems Hope was confronted quite fiercely by the Viscountess. Hope was fired by the enraged Mistress.

Viscount Lionfall did not protect Hope. Desperate to please his wife and calm her anger, he completely ignored Hope and apparently said nothing even when she was kicked out of the mansion.

—However, the Viscount and his wife didn’t realize Hope was pregnant.

Hope, kicked out of the mansion, took refuge at her aunt’s house, where she gave birth to the baby.

“Is that… this child…?”

Holding her head, Rebecca turned her gaze to the baby. The baby looked back at Rebecca with a somewhat blank expression without crying.

“Did Hope bring the child here…?”

“No.”

The head maid clearly denied Rebecca’s words.

“Hope… passed away. During childbirth.”

“Eh…”

Rebecca widened her eyes in a daze.

“They say the bleeding was severe and she couldn’t be saved. Before she died, she apparently left word that the father of this child was Viscount Lionfall. So, that girl’s aunt brought this child to the mansion and left it here. Saying since he’s the parent, he should take responsibility.”

The head maid re-adjusted her hold on the baby and continued.

“The eyes are the same as Hope’s, but the face seems to resemble the Viscount. The Master disliked it at first and refused, but in the end, he decided to take the child in, worrying about appearances. It seems he feared various rumors spreading. The Mistress is furious. Naturally. The children too… especially Lady Juliet is yelling along with the Mistress.”

That would be so, Rebecca muttered in her heart. She thought in a corner of her mind that she was truly glad she wasn’t the one dealing with the selfish and temperamental Juliet.

“I was ordered by the Master to raise this child. But he doesn’t seem to intend to do anything more for this child. He doesn’t seem to intend to hire a wet nurse either. …Rebecca, I think you can imagine, but this child will be treated terribly in this mansion from now on. Most likely, she will grow up neglected by the Master and hated by the Mistress and other children.”

The head maid stared at the baby with serious eyes and continued.

“I want you to take care of this child, Rebecca.”

“Why me…”

“Because I thought you would surely treat this child kindly and warmly… You, who were kind to Hope too. …Even so, I regret it. If only I had noticed sooner… if only I had spoken more to Hope, then the result might have been different.”

The head maid held out the baby to Rebecca. Rebecca accepted it fearfully with her own hands. Feeling the existence of a small, warm little life, her chest became hot before she knew it.

“It’s Hope’s child. But I think the Master will order never to mention this child’s mother again. To family, to servants… he will impose a gag order. This child will grow up without knowing her mother.”

For some reason, Hope’s figure floated in her mind at that moment. Remembering the last limp smile, she endured tears about to come out. Rebecca replied softly.

“But, she can know love.”

The head maid turned her gaze to Rebecca’s face. Rebecca smiled and bowed lightly.

“Understood. I will take on this child. I will raise her with care and protect her. I don’t know how long my body will last… but I will try my best until the limit.”

Surely, this will be the last job of my life.

She had such a premonition.

As if reacting to Rebecca’s voice, the baby reached out a small hand. The baby’s hand touched Rebecca’s face. Rebecca gently held those small fingers. Seeing the two of them, the head maid showed a relieved expression.

“What is this child’s name?”

The head maid answered with a smile.

“She was named Carol.”

“Lady Carol Lionfall.”

Thinking it was a beautiful name, Rebecca stared into those blue eyes. Truly sky-like eyes just like her mother. But, as the head maid said, the features didn’t seem to resemble her much.

“My Lady… Lady Carol.”

When she called the name, the baby laughed slightly.

It was a limp smile. Rebecca started and blinked. In that expression, she felt she found traces of the woman who was no longer here.

Rebecca slowly floated a smile.

“My Lady…”

She called out softly once more. As the baby raised its voice and laughed, tears quietly spilled from Rebecca’s eyes.

Background Settings

• Hope Wilmer

A maid who once served the Lionfall family. She was neither clever nor diligent, but was a very pure woman. She died during childbirth while wishing for her daughter’s happiness.

• Rebecca Menzel

The oldest maid of the Lionfall family. She seems to have had various hardships in her youth and is somewhat cynical, but she is a deeply affectionate woman. For six years after this, she raised Carol as her exclusive maid and surrogate parent. She retired from being a maid due to back pain, but worried about Carol until the end. Afterward, she complicated a cold into pneumonia and died in her hometown.