“Heidi!”

Yurian’s calm eyebrows lifted upwards.

Seeing the brightly smiling child, a smile naturally appeared on my lips as well.

‘He’s really cute.’

How should I put it? Yurian was like a baby angel.

Yes, if I were to find the closest description externally, baby angel would be appropriate.

His curly golden hair that sparkled every time it caught the sunlight through the window and his large turquoise eyes were nothing short of angelic.

“What brings you here?”

The child who put down the book he was reading and ran towards me was barely shoulder-height to me.

Yurian, meeting my gaze, let out a joyful laugh.

Seeing this, the original’s static and quiet image didn’t come to mind.

I gently raised the peach pie I was holding and said kindly.

“I heard you asked for peach pie to be prepared?”

“I did?”

“Yes.”

However, Yurian tilted his head slightly as if hearing this for the first time.

“That’s strange. I didn’t make such a request. Though I do like peach pie.”

At that moment, a sharp voice cut into the conversation between Yurian and me.

“It’s not a request, it’s an order. How many times do I have to tell you that saying ‘request’ to mere maids doesn’t befit your status as young master?”

The woman wearing triangular glasses perched on her nose pushed them up with a sigh.

“Every time you speak like that, it brings shame to the Delgado ducal family.”

What nonsense.

My brow furrowed involuntarily at the absurd logic.

Of course, most nobles were like that.

The noble aristocrats were accustomed to ordering others around without lifting a finger.

It was natural for the servants they employed to obey their words submissively.

So ‘request’ wasn’t a word commonly used by nobles.

‘Order’ would be more familiar than ‘request’.

So Yurian using the kind and friendly word ‘request’ must be special.

Yurian, who had been reprimanded for using careless words that lowered the status of the Delgado family, drooped his shoulders with a gloomy face.

He looked so pitiful that I found myself patting the child’s shoulder without realizing it.

The one most surprised by this action was the tutor.

“Y-You crazy maid, what are you doing? How dare you put your hand on his shoulder?”

The woman roughly took off her glasses and strode towards me, slapping me across the face.

The impact was strong enough to turn my face sideways, and my thoughts stopped right there.

They say your mind goes blank when you’re too shocked. That expression fit perfectly.

In the meantime, I struggled not to drop the peach pie I was holding in one hand.

I touched my stinging cheek and turned my head towards the tutor.

The tutor glared at me fiercely and crossed her arms.

Her attitude seemed to say, “What can someone like you do?”

“Forget about the peach pie and get out of this room.”

She ordered arrogantly, lifting her chin slightly.

In an instant, I felt like I had fallen to become a person who shouldn’t exist here.

My head was spinning more from the anger slowly rising than from the pain in my slapped cheek.

Putting my hand on the young master’s shoulder carelessly might not have been the right thing to do, but did I deserve to be hit like this?

What did I do so wrong?

My hands trembled with indignation, causing the tray to shake precariously.

However, seeing Yurian frozen in place before me, I quickly came to my senses as if doused with cold water.

The child couldn’t take his eyes off my reddening cheek.

I hurriedly turned my head. I hadn’t come here to show such a sight.

At that time, I had only wanted to apologize for not keeping my promise.

‘This doesn’t seem to be the appropriate time.’

As frustrating as it was, arguing with the tutor would only be disadvantageous for me.

Yurian’s tutor was likely a noble of a different status from me from the start.

A noble punishing a maid wasn’t particularly wrong here.

I smiled gently at Yurian, who was still frozen in surprise.

I stopped quickly though, as my cheek, which was starting to swell, didn’t move well and probably made for a strange expression.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

Only after leaving the room did I slump down against the corridor wall.

I could feel the occasional strange glances from maids passing through the corridor, but I couldn’t help it.

I wanted to rush back in, grab the tutor by the collar, and shout why she was hitting people, but it was impossible.

That’s what angered me the most.

Damn this class-based society.

At times like this, I feel an unbearable sense of futility.

‘Why couldn’t I say anything?’

Because I couldn’t be kicked out of the Delgado mansion.

If that happened, I wouldn’t be able to keep the contract with Dietrich.

I took a deep breath and sprang to my feet.

Sitting here longer wouldn’t heal my aching cheek, nor could I confront the tutor.

The only thing I was concerned about right now was that I had to take this peach pie back to the kitchen.

‘The Chief Chef will be disappointed.’

I had boasted that I would deliver it well, but I had failed miserably.

“You there.”

As I was trudging past Yurian’s room to go down the stairs, someone called out to stop me.

“Did you just call me?”

I turned to see an orange-haired maid in the same maid uniform as me, gesturing for me to come over.

“Yes, you. Come here.”

My already poor mood sank further. The way she flicked her finger imperiously was clearly looking down on me and ordering me around.

‘Today’s fortune is bad.’

Since there were many eyes watching in the corridor, I quietly approached her.

The maid pointed at the peach pie I was holding and asked brusquely.

“This peach pie, don’t tell me you brought it for young master Yurian?”

“Yes. Why?”

Apparently displeased by my immediate switch to informal speech, the maid roughly snatched the tray I was holding.

Then she exclaimed irritably.

“Why are you bringing this? Don’t you know I fetch everything myself? And why did you make peach pie without saying anything?”

I blinked blankly at the maid who was muttering loud enough for me to hear, ‘No matter how much you want to impress young master Yurian, this is annoying.’

As I listened, I found it ridiculous.

‘Why are the stories different?’

According to Robert and the Chief Chef, they said no one came no matter how long they waited.

Seeing her take out her frustration on me when she was the one who had been late, I didn’t want to stay quiet.

And why did I make the peach pie!

I had worked hard to make it because I wanted to, but her words were too harsh.

“Then why didn’t you come to get it? I brought it because no one came no matter how long we waited.”

“Ha! Don’t the kitchen people know how to wait? Do you know how much work there is serving young master Yurian? Well, what would you know, you who only do menial tasks!”

The maid seemed to feel superior about her assigned duties.

It was amusing to see her putting on airs while doing the same menial work, but on the other hand, it made my head spin.

It seemed to clearly show the hierarchy within this mansion.

The maid before me, who did what Yurian ordered, held her head high.

That probably meant Yurian’s position in the Delgado family was that strong.

To the extent that a hierarchy formed even among mere maids.

“I’ll take this to him, so get out of the way and don’t come near.”

The maid turned around haughtily, leaving me speechless.

I lost all desire to tell her that I had already taken the pie in and come back out.

My cheek just stung, and fatigue washed over me from the unexpected disrespect.

I didn’t want to stay here a moment longer.

I came down the stairs and left the main building.

Some maids recognized me and waved cheerfully, then their eyes widened in shock when they saw my cheek.

Too tired to explain what happened, I just smiled weakly.

I thought rumors would spread as I watched people whispering, but I didn’t have the energy to stop it.

When I arrived at the kitchen like that, Robert, seeing my red cheek, interrogated me about the situation.

After I spilled everything that happened in the main building, it took an hour just to calm down Robert, who was raging that he wouldn’t let this slide.

The Chief Chef silently handed me a bag full of ice and patted my shoulder.

Robert loudly declared he would take over even my duties for dinner preparation, and the Chief Chef didn’t give me any work, telling me to rest a bit.

Other kitchen maids who brought me delicious food and got angry on my behalf after hearing my situation.

Robert even gave me a thumbs up while getting smacked on the back by the Chief Chef.

I ended up letting out a weak laugh.

It was a misfortune that suddenly struck on what should have been an unremarkable day.

However, that misfortune didn’t last long.

Because other happiness covered up even the traces of that misfortune’s existence.

‘Let’s not get depressed over this!’

What the tutor who slapped my cheek and the arrogant maid overlooked was that I don’t easily get discouraged by things like this.

And they probably don’t know that we can be happy enough among ourselves, blinded by power.

As I returned to the dormitory after finishing work, I steeled my resolve once again.

No matter what anyone says, I’ll just do my assigned tasks diligently.

It would have been nice if I hadn’t been possessed, but since I don’t know how to go back, I have to live here.

That was one of my goals.

The only thing that bothered me was Yurian’s gaze as he looked at me after I was slapped.

The child was so shocked that he remained frozen like a stone even as I left.

‘I’d like to tell him I’m okay later if I get the chance.’

I’m not sure if it’s possible with that witch-like tutor standing guard.

But I didn’t know.

That I would never see that tutor in this world again.