Why The Maid Inherited The Duke's Legacy- Chapter 4
Scarlett Letters
The first time Yvnia entered into Gelendzhik was because she needed money.
She was a poor woman. She lost her father early and when she was 14, she became the head of the family and had to make a living on behalf of her ill mother.
She said her hometown, a small rural town, was a peaceful place, but she didn't need a little girl's money. She needed a lot of money to get medicine for her mother's illness.
When she was 17 years old, she went to a big city to raise her money, and she could easily become the maid of the Duke of Gelendzhik.
The Duchy of Gelendzhik was said to be a great family that became a major pillar of the country. She was quite lucky that she was able to become a maid in such a mansion from the start, even without a letter of recommendation. In addition, the duke's treatment of his employees was not bad.
However, no matter how good the treatment was, the maid's salary was not as generous as anywhere else. No matter how much she saved her salary, it was not enough to cover the cost of medicine and living expenses of her mother in her hometown.
[That child, her mother seems very sick.]
[I'm so sorry for her. Such a pretty and kind girl.]
The misfortune of the girl, who had a good reputation among employers, brought regret to many. She had no one who knew her misfortune, known for her good character and good work in the mansion of the Gelendzhik family.
So, one day, people began to question whether she would spend her pocket money on a pretty teacup, beautiful but simple lace, and a lovely floral pillowcase.
[These days, Yvnia pays a lot of attention to her makeup.]
[That's the age. She is a young lady, isn't she?]
[By the way, she spends quite a bit these days….]
She was Yvnia, who always returned her holidays and hung up on extra pay. However, she gradually rested one day a week, and even went out to the city with the pocket money she had saved up to watch the third-class theater performances.
[Did Yvenia go out today?]
[I heard she's going to see a play with the other kids.]
[Isn't she spending all her money in her hometown? Her mother was sick.]
[It seems that she paid for her medicine well.]
[Even so, I have money left so I have time to play! She knows her salary well. Isn't she weird?]
Then, terrible rumors began to circulate about her among a group of young servants.
[Where would she get the extra money unless she did something infidel?]
[There must be an easy way for women to make money.]
Her maid's salary was usually significantly less than the male servant's. However, the men of her age felt jealous that Yvnia, the head of a poor family, didn't look any worse than us.
Men knew well about the meanest and easiest way to get a woman down.
At first, people sneered as it was a bad rumor. However, if three or more people uttered nonsense with one voice, there was bound to be a lack of credibility.
[She seems to be sneaking out of the master's bedroom at dawn.]
[I saw her holding hands with the master.]
[You mean that naughty girl takes turns going into the rich man's bedroom to make money?]
Since the source of her funds, which she uses so well as anyone can see, was dubious, those rumors soon swelled up as if they were true.
Nasty and provocative rumors were, as always, swift. People enjoyed her secret gossip more than Yvnia's innocence. Among them, only the naive Yvnia knew nothing, and she was as calm as the eye of a hurricane.
Of course, her precarious stillness did not last long. The gazes conscious of and monitoring her began to increase one by one, and without her noticing, she became a loner.
The doubts soon turned into silliness, which became harassing. By then, even as she was, she could no longer be ignorant of rumors about her. Yvnia's complexion grew darker as the days went by.
She couldn't stand it, so one day, she went to the Duke of Gelendzhik and pleaded with tears to solve the snowballing rumor.
[I beg you to reveal the truth of this unsatisfying rumor that I could not solve by myself due to my lack of it.]
[......…]
[That's not true! Please just say it's not true..! master…!]
But who knew? That the old duke would choose public silence on a matter that was directly related to her honor. It was a tacit acknowledgment of her relationship with him.
As the Duke admitted, others could no longer dismiss it as an inappropriate relationship. People assumed that Yvnia's half-faced and her youth had raised her status.
They weren't very kind to her, but they didn't know how her game would change in the future, so they began to mutter and savor her.
[I should have run to the owner hoping for this.]
[How did that meek act deceive someone like our master?]
Everyone expected that Yvnia would pretend to be the Duchy's hostess. But she exceeds all expectations, and Yvnia chooses her night escape without anyone knowing it one night.
She disappeared like that.
However, rumors of her returning last night have spread throughout the Gelendzhik mansion. There were still many people who knew Yvnia in Gelendzhik.
***
The next morning, a bell rang in the employee's quarters, breaking the calm morning air.
Yvnia, awakened by the frantic sound of iron from afar, ran to the well first. She came to get wash water, and she didn't want to run into other people.
She had a cooking hob in her house, but she couldn't heat the water because she didn't have anything to make a fire with. It was fortunate that the morning was still pleasantly cool in early autumn.
She woke up less sleepy and washed and dressed the drooling Ranelli's face.
"Mom… In Ranelli's pocket... Butterflies fly..”
Ranellie, who had been struggling in her dream from which she had not yet woken up, suddenly embraced her belly.
"I'm hungry… … .”
“Mom will bring breakfast, so wait a little bit.”
Yvnia adjusted her dress. She would go to the employees' restaurant and bring food.
She looked around the room once. She had cleaned it up yesterday, but the room was still cluttered. She urged Ranelli as she looked worriedly at the things that had piled up to the ceiling.
"It's dangerous, so when i'm gone, you got to stay and don't move anything." While you're playing with the scraps of cloth in the chest over there, I'll be right back. Understand?"
"Yes."
Ranelli answered confidently. Ranelli had a lot of experience staying home alone without Yvnia.
Yvnia was always looking for work day and night, hoping that she would be of some help to her, and her ill grandmother also took over the housework, so there was no one to look after Ranelli.
Seeing Ranelli, who was accustomed to being alone even though she was still young, Yvnia felt her heart breaking, but she couldn't help it. She would continue to work as a maid at the Gelendzhik mansion, and Ranelli would have to be alone for a long time to find her cure.
"I will be back."
Yvnia left Ranelli in the unfamiliar place and left her quarters.
She was in a hurry because of the hungry Ranelli. But she was also troubled on the way thinking of meeting the employees.
What will happen if she meets the old faces of who knows her? With what kind of eyes will they look at themselves? And with what facial expressions and tone of voice should I respond to those eyes? Such complicated thoughts weighed on Yvnia's heart.
'Let's persevere. For Ranelli.’
Yvnia's shadow trembled uneasy.
***
In the semi-basement of the Gelendzhik mansion, there was a huge pantry and kitchen occupying most of the area. Feeding countless employees, knights, guards, guests and traders, the kitchen of Gelendzhik was always full of culinary fervor.
The savory and pleasant smell of food was emanating from the vent of the kitchen, which was buried in the ground. A hunger that I didn't realize because I was constantly nervous came rushing in.
Yvnia entered the restaurant. It looked exactly as she had remembered. The dining room, which had four large, long tables that could seat 20 people at a time, was full of diners.
It was a large space, so she believed she wouldn't be noticed. She planned to return home with the food quietly served.
But the moment she entered the restaurant, people's eyes poured in.
“Are you really back?”
“So shameless.”
"Why? why? who?"
“Just like the previous owner….”
The gossip that started at the entrance gradually spread like waves. Yvnia swallowed her dry saliva. The tingling of the air around her made her shoulders shrug of their own accord. Her hand clenched into fist turned white.
‘For Ranelli.’
She struggled to control her stifling breathing. But her unstable mind, like a candle swaying in the wind, staggered her steps a little.
It seemed that the movement of each step is stiff and bizarre. I just wanted to turn around and run. But she pressed her hand against her trembling chest, as if she was going to vomit.
‘If you run away now, it will become unbearable in the future.’
Wasn't this the place I was expecting? The accusations and ridicule were nothing if she could save Ranelli, and she made up her mind.
This is nothing! The real fear is that she cannot find a way to save Ranelli, and the next fearful thing is that Arad finds out Ranelli's identity.
‘I thought it was going to happen anyway.’
Although she seemed dizzy, Ivnia struggled calmly to break through the crowd and stand at the end of the food line.
Then, suddenly, Yvnia jumped up and screamed. It was their fault for harassing her with hands protruding from among the hordes of servants eating meal near where she stood.
Their laughter erupted as she screamed. She opened her eyes to find out who had done it, but it was difficult to find the culprit among the narrowly seated servants.
“… … .”
In her anger and embarrassment, Yvnia, not knowing what to do, she stood at a distance and stared at them. Her hands were trembling and she felt like she was about to cry. But there was no one to help the poor woman.
The feeling of being alone in the midst of so many hostile people was terrifying. It felt like a weak rabbit jumping into a herd of hyenas.
Turning back countless times, she tried to pick up bread from a large basket on her plate. She wanted to go back to the house to Ranelli as soon as possible.
However, her arms were three times as thick as Yvnia's, and because she didn't have a good complexion, the kitchen assistant, like a red tomato, took the bread basket in a hurry and became angry.
“The rest is up to the kitchen folks!”
Yvnia looked up at her kitchen assistant with her bunny eyes wide open in surprise. He chuckled and covered the large dishes in front of him with lids.
“Oh, isn’t dinner time over yet?”
“I've never heard of one more eater! If you suddenly show up without a word and ask for food, you will run out of food later!”
"However… .”
There were many working people in the Gelendzhik mansion. There were also many customers who stopped by without an appointment or regular or irregular merchants.
From generation to generation, the Gelendzhik family was not stingy. Any hungry guest could fill their stomachs at the mansion, and the meals provided to the employees were generous.
In the large kitchen with four large furnaces and ten unquenchable braziers to provide abundant food to many, the mansion's largest number of employees worked tirelessly.
As Yvnia knew, there was leftover food, and it was rare for a shortage to occur. Unless, suddenly, the Duke of Gelendzhik's involvement intensified.
So the kitchen assistant was using some ridiculous excuse not to give Yvnia food.
"Ah… … .”
Yvnia groaned and grabbed the tray in her hand. She had everyone laughing at her.
“Why are you standing so far away from such a nonsensical sound!”
Then someone got mad. Astonished at that, she saw that it was a familiar person.
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