maid chapter 14

Ellie’s listless eyes sparkled. The warm, freshly cooked sausage was delicious, its rich juices bursting forth with every bite. Mesmerized, she chewed contentedly.

“Delicious…”

Daniel was speechless at her genuine delight. He looked at his own sliced sausage. It was an ordinary sausage, the kind found anywhere. She was impressed by this?

He wasn’t some newly rich upstart; he was a Count. A nobleman of his standing wouldn’t skimp on the servants’ meals. But even so, it was still the downstairs table. The food was merely adequate, edible but nothing special.

Daniel transferred the untouched portion of his sausage to Ellie’s plate.

“Huh?”

Ellie looked back and forth between Daniel’s face and her plate. Unfazed, Daniel continued eating his eggs.

Now Ellie was truly touched. She gladly revised her earlier hasty judgment. Whatever the other maids were like, her roommate was a genuinely good person. A kind person who would share his meat.

She cut a large piece of sausage and popped it in her mouth. Oh, bliss. As Ellie continued to express her delight, a group of men burst into the dining hall.

“So, who won the bet?”

“I did, of course.”

“Show off.”

The dining hall instantly became noisy. Ellie’s attention was naturally drawn to the commotion. Footmen in uniform jostled each other, chatting animatedly.

Young men and women in their prime. The maids stole glances at the footmen, pretending not to be interested. But Ellie quickly lost interest. Romance and marriage were not for her. Food and her siblings were far more important.

Her roommate, however, seemed to have other ideas. Daniel stared intently at a dark-haired man among the footmen. It was an intense gaze, almost fervent. Ellie tilted her head, surprised. Could that be his lover?

During her time at the Baron’s estate, Ellie had often witnessed clandestine meetings between the staff. Confined to the mansion all day, the only men the maids could meet were their fellow workers. And it was only natural for them to be drawn to the smartly dressed footmen who aped the manners of gentlemen, rather than the village boys they’d grown up with.

It was no use for the housekeeper to try and stop it. One maid, who had been sneaking out of the dormitory every night, suddenly found herself pregnant and had to leave her position.

Ellie had never had the time for such things, then or now. By the time her siblings were grown, she would be past marriageable age. She had already accepted that.

The footmen, chattering boisterously, passed behind them.

“Man, I’m starving.”

“Let’s have another round next time.”

“Oh, you think you can beat me?”

The dark-haired man boasted playfully.

Pretending to focus on his meal, Daniel discreetly extended his left hand behind him. The man dropped a small, rolled-up piece of paper into his palm. Daniel quickly snatched it and tucked it into his pocket.

As always, it was perfect. There were no witnesses. Or so he thought. As Daniel picked up his knife again, his eyes met Ellie’s.

She gave a knowing smile. Daniel’s heart skipped a beat. How much had she seen? Inwardly startled, he feigned indifference and asked curtly,

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Ellie feigned innocence. It was best to pretend not to notice such things. But a sly smile played on her lips. He acted so aloof, but he had a lover in the mansion.

Objectively, Daniel was the more desirable of the two. Compared to his striking features, the dark-haired footman seemed rather plain. But everyone had their own type.

Daniel easily guessed Ellie’s misconception. It was incredibly irritating, but he couldn’t risk her realizing the truth. He gritted his teeth and continued,

“Don’t say anything. Understand?”

“Yes, yes.”

Ellie nodded vigorously. Her misunderstanding had clearly solidified into certainty.

Daniel sighed deeply. His appetite gone, he transferred the rest of his meat to her plate. Ellie quickly stabbed a piece with her fork.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have…”

She mumbled insincerely, chewing the meat thoughtfully. A bribe to keep her quiet? She would have kept the secret anyway.

But it would be rude to leave the meat. Ellie happily cleaned her plate.