“If, if it’s unlikely, but if he speaks to me first, what should I do?”

“If he speaks to you, you must greet him politely. And if he asks you something, you should answer with an elegant demeanor.”

The etiquette learned from reading “Conversation Methods for Ladies” was useless in front of Duke Buin. That book only explained the manners that would be applicable among ordinary nobles.

“You must not bring up any words, including questions or compliments about the family. This applies not only to Duke Buin, but also to elderly nobles or somewhat conservative nobles.”

Dia’s face turned pale as she faced this difficult problem.

“It’s really hard.”

“Yes. It’s not easy. But don’t worry too much because Madam Brown and I will help you diligently.”

Deborah’s kind voice eased Dia’s anxiety a little. Feeling more at ease, Dia fidgeted with her fingers and asked.

“How do you know so much about nobles, Deborah?”

Dia’s eyes were filled with admiration for Deborah. Deborah smiled bashfully.

“I served some very excellent madams.”

It was thanks to the ladies she had served that Deborah, a mere maid, was so familiar with the noble register.

“No matter how much I memorize, there’s no end to it!”

Madam Heather, who was a foreigner, often had headaches like Dia, grappling with the noble register.

“Just because they’re nobles, they don’t need to know about me, but I have to know everything about them! Isn’t that really discriminatory?”

To Madam Heather’s complaints, Deborah blinked her eyes and asked.

“Is there no class system in Geman?”

“There is. But the situation is different from Gracian, you could say?”

Due to industrial development, the boundaries of the ruling class became ambiguous, and the working classes came to hate the ruling class who filled their own bellies with taxes based on bloodline alone.

The bourgeoisie and workers of Geman joined hands to start a revolution, and as a result, many nobles were purged. It was the same for Astrian.

“There are still nobles, but they’re not as strong. There are far more commoners in the parliament.”

Geman and Astrian were rapidly changing from a class society to a capitalist society.

Gracian, observing the situation in these foreign countries, quickly established laws beneficial to the bourgeoisie, looking after their interests.

The nobles worried that the bourgeoisie might take their place, but it was an unavoidable choice to avoid ending up like the Geman nobles.

To ensure their choice wasn’t wrong, the bourgeoisie chose to curry favor with the nobles, and the nobles banded together tightly to feed the bourgeoisie but not lose their own bowl.

It wasn’t illegal for the bourgeoisie to attend the nobles’ social gatherings, but no noble ever invited them. It was all a childish ploy to protect their own interests.

“I don’t like the nobles’ seemingly natural discrimination, and I don’t like the bourgeoisie who are satisfied with their full bellies and don’t fight in such a situation.”

“…”

“Really, all Gracians are just awful.”

Madam Heather, who had been speaking with disgust, quickly covered her mouth with both hands and apologized urgently.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I misspoke. I mean I don’t like Gracian nobles and bourgeoisie, not that I dislike Gracians themselves.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m fine.”

Deborah replied with an awkward smile as if to say, why are you making excuses?

Madam Heather, who had been blushing with apology until just now, hardened her expression and spoke with feigned sternness.

“Deborah. Even if I’m your employer, I shouldn’t speak carelessly to you.”

Madam Heather grasped Deborah’s hand tightly and continued.

“There’s no such thing as justified unfairness in this world. Remember this fact anytime, anywhere.”

Madam Heather gave an embarrassed smile to Deborah, who was staring at her, forgetting even to blink her large eyes.

“I made the mistake, but I’m the one raising my voice.”

Saying that, Madam Heather sat Deborah across from her.

“Deborah. Help me memorize this.”

“What? But I need to clean…”

“It’s fine. This is clean enough, isn’t it!”

So Deborah was caught by Madam Heather and, holding the noble register that smelled faintly of perfume, called out the names of numerous nobles she thought she’d never have a chance to address in her life.

“Next is Viscount Brit.”

“Viscount Brit? If it’s Viscount Brit, he recently bought a townhouse in District 2…”

“…”

“Ah! I don’t know!”

Madam Heather, who found it fun to memorize by answering the questions Deborah gave her, often asked for Deborah’s help, and in the end, Deborah ended up memorizing the entire noble register first.

“You’ve already memorized all this? You’re really smart.”

“No, I’m not that smart.”

“Hey! If you’re not smart, then I’m a fool!”

“I didn’t mean it that way…”

“Alright. So just be a smart person!”

Deborah still couldn’t forget Madam Heather’s refreshing smile at that time. That’s when she learned that a person’s smile could be brighter and more refreshing than the blue sky.

Since that day, Madam Heather often made Deborah play the role of a noble lady under the pretext of practicing for formal dinners or tea parties.

“Madam. I can’t. How can someone like me play such a role?”

“Oh my. Why can’t you?”

“I don’t even know how noble ladies behave.”

“That much you can learn from books! You memorize the noble register and comic scripts well, so you’ll surely memorize this easily.”

Madam Heather gave her an armful of must-read books for young ladies, including “Conversation Methods for Ladies” that Dia is reading now, and thanks to that, Deborah ended up reading whenever she had a chance.

‘To be honest, I wondered why I had to read such books back then.’

It was enjoyable to be the subject of the madam’s practice, but apart from that, she often thought about what use this knowledge of another world would be to her.

But thinking about it now, the knowledge and attitude that Madam Heather taught her made Deborah who she is today.

“Deborah. Now tell me honestly. You’re actually from a noble family, aren’t you?”

Once, Madam Saint said with sharp, glinting eyes.

“Hehe. Madam Saint. Why such a joke suddenly…”

“It’s not a joke. I’ve never seen a maid who can memorize the noble register like you. If young bourgeois ladies or newly married young noble ladies find out about you, they’ll all be desperate to take you away.”

When Madam Saint playfully said, “You can’t leave me even if other families try to lure you away, okay?” Deborah shook her head with a smiling face.

“It’s not like that. I’ve forgotten a lot of what I memorized a few years ago, and the noble register must have changed a lot by now.”

“There you go with that modesty again. Even if the register has changed, it’s not like it’s completely different. You could probably memorize it all in a week?”

“A week? That would be absolutely impossible.”

“Oh my, shall we make a bet then?”

Madam Saint said with a playful smile.

“I’ll get the latest noble register.”

“That? How?”

When Deborah asked in surprise, Madam Saint waved her hand and said.

“What I mean is, the most recent noble register I can get. The truly latest one would be difficult to obtain.”

“Ah. I see.”

When Deborah nodded in understanding, Madam Saint, relieved, continued.

“Ahem. Anyway, I bet you’ll memorize it all in a week.”

“Hehe. Madam. I absolutely can’t memorize it. I’m not as young as I used to be, so my memory isn’t what it used to be.”

“Oh my, look at you!”

“And even if I could memorize it, I don’t have to, right?”

When Deborah said with a grin, Madam Saint looked at her playfully and said.

“Alright. Then I’ll have to bet on something that will make you study hard. If you memorize it all within a week, I’ll give snacks and books as gifts to the children in the village.”

“Oh my, really?”

“Of course. Am I someone who speaks with two tongues?”

Madam Saint said proudly. Deborah was torn. Preparing snacks for all the children would cost a lot, not to mention the books.

‘Won’t it be a burden for the madam?’

Thinking about it now, it was really a ridiculous worry, but at that time, Deborah seriously pondered over it. Seeing this up close, Madam Saint chuckled and said.

“Dear, worry about what’s worth worrying about. Or what? Don’t you want to give gifts to the children?”

“No! Of course not.”

“Good. Then is it a bet?”

Madam Saint was a person with good drive. Just a few days later, Deborah was shocked to see the new noble register that arrived at the mansion.

‘It’s already here!’

Deborah skimmed through the register and slowly blinked her eyes as she checked the publication date on the last page.

‘It’s the very latest one.’

She didn’t dare ask Madam Saint, but inwardly she was very curious.

She knew it wasn’t easy to obtain the register. But thinking about it now, it was only natural. After all, she was Marchioness Forea, a great noble among great nobles.

Anyway, Deborah did her best to memorize the register for the children’s sake. And exactly a week later, she passed the strict test of Madam Saint perfectly.

“See? What did I tell you? I said you’d surely memorize it all and have some left over.”

How proud Madam Saint looked then. Deborah still vividly remembered that pleased smile.

“If I can be of any help to the young lady, it’s all thanks to the madams I served.”

Looking at Deborah smiling warmly, Dia thought. If she had been in Deborah’s situation, could she have become like Deborah?

Dia thought it would probably be difficult. She was neither smart nor strong.

Even the kind noble ladies would all be surprised at Deborah. They would say they’ve never seen someone as slow as Dia.

‘Surely that’s how it would be.’

Dia forced a smile to hide these embarrassing thoughts.