maid chapter 5

She wasn’t afraid of her. She’s beautiful, and tall too… I’m so jealous. Such frivolous thoughts flitted through her mind. Diana spoke sarcastically.

“Do you always talk like that?”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“You talk… strangely.”

Diana mimicked Ellie’s speech, shrugging. Ellie finally understood. The kitchen maids earlier hadn’t been teasing her; they’d been genuinely kind. Diana, on the other hand, was definitely making fun of her now.

“I… I’ve never made a friend outside my village before.”

“We’re not friends.”

Diana smirked, a cruel twist to her lips. Ellie bit her lip in frustration. Pretty face, nasty personality. What a witch.

Diana had already decided to get rid of Ellie, by any means necessary. She scoffed.

“You saw earlier. None of the housemaids welcomed you.”

Ellie’s already large, doe-like eyes widened further. Diana anticipated an easy victory. A few more jabs and she’ll be packing her bags in tears.

But that was the kind of thought someone who didn’t understand the weight of responsibility would have. For her family, this petty torment was nothing. Ellie raised her hand and jabbed a finger accusingly at Diana.

“You!”

Diana tilted her head, as if inviting her to continue. Ellie huffed, her breath coming in short bursts. Now that I’ve started, I have to finish. She pointed out the window.

“You leave!”

“What?”

“If you don’t want to share a room with me, then you quit. I’m not going anywhere!”

A chilling silence fell. Diana said nothing, but she didn’t seem intimidated. Her bright blue eyes blazed like a cerulean fire.

Maybe I shouldn’t have done that. Ellie cautiously gauged Diana’s reaction. Standing up for herself had felt good, but realistic worries immediately followed. She was the newcomer, Diana was established. If Diana started spreading rumors, life would become very difficult.

Regret washed over her. I should have just begged her to let me stay. She was about to try a different approach when Diana abruptly turned.

Is she giving up? Maybe I handled that well after all. Or is she going to run to the head maid? Uncertain, Ellie hesitantly followed.

As they entered the main house, a maid coming down the stairs stopped Diana.

“Diana, are you busy?”

“No.”

“Then can you help? There’s a huge stain on the drawing-room carpet, and it needs to be cleaned right away.”

The maid pointedly jiggled the bucket in her hand, then glanced over Diana’s shoulder.

Diana, as if wondering what she was looking at, followed her gaze and met Ellie’s eyes before quickly turning away. She took the bucket from the maid.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Thank you! You’re a lifesaver.”

The maid led the way, and Diana quickly followed. She hadn’t said a word to Ellie about following or waiting.

Confused, Ellie hurried after them. She hadn’t been given any other instructions besides following Diana, so she had no choice.

The three of them crossed into the servants’ quarters and entered the drawing-room. Several housemaids were already gathered there. Diana, taking in the large, dark stain on the carpet, asked,

“What was spilled?”

“I don’t know. A guest was here earlier… and I tried to clean it with vinegar, but…”

The maid who had caused the mishap trailed off, her face crumpled with worry. Another guest might arrive tomorrow, and the stain couldn’t be left as it was. A recently hired maid spoke up cheerfully.

“It’s okay. At least we know vinegar doesn’t work. Let’s try something else.”

The maids took turns trying every cleaning method they knew. Diana joined them.

Ellie stood back against the wall. She didn’t know anyone yet, so she couldn’t just jump in. Besides, she didn’t have any brilliant cleaning tips to offer.

“Ah, I think it’s fading a little.”

“Here, let me try.”

“It’s working! It’s working!”