I remembered all the servants’ faces here without missing a single one.

Among them, there was no maid as young as her.

‘Isn’t she our kid?’

However, the clothes she wore were those of the Duchy.

‘But why does she seem familiar?’

Even if I didn’t know her, it was strange that she looked familiar.

The unidentified maid opened the back door and went inside.

The kitchen was empty now.

“Emma, wait a moment. I think I need to check on that kid.”

Emma nodded as she sensed the atmosphere when I lowered my voice.

We followed the maid inside, and her back appeared.

‘What is she doing?’

Emma and I asked with our eyes.

The young maid took out a jug and started pouring its contents onto the wooden table or dishes.

‘That’s… oil, right?’

The unpleasant smell of heavy, flowing liquid indicated it was oil.

Now I could understand what the kid was trying to do.

Surprised, Emma moved to stop the child.

‘Wait.’

I held Emma’s wrist. I wanted to watch the kid a bit longer.

The young maid hesitated for a while and eventually stopped in her tracks.

It seemed like the timing to leave had come.

“Hello?”

“…!”

The maid who had been standing there jumped like a cat.

The child, with eyes bulging, alternated between looking at me and Emma, then started trembling.

Feeling sorry for her pitiful state, I tried to comfort her with a gentle voice, but suddenly, I heard an apologetic voice.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry!”

The maid’s voice, apologizing and confessing her mistake, got quieter as it went on.

“Hey.”

“Sorry. Really sorry.”

Either she was too scared or she didn’t hear my words at all.

‘First, I need to take her out.’

The smell of oil permeating the air made my head ache.

A spark here could lead to a disaster.

“Hey, since there are dangerous things here, should we go out together?”

“I’m sorry…!”

“I’m not scolding you.”

I crouched in front of the kid to meet her gaze.

She was too thin. Tears gathered in her eyes, reddened by the chilly wind.

‘What to scold and blame her for can come later.’

For now, I needed to calm her down a bit.

“Emma, sorry, but can you take care of the aftermath?”

“Leave it to me.”

Emma must have checked on the maid’s condition too as she didn’t say more.

I reached out to the maid.

“Come on, let’s go.”

The hesitating maid closed her eyes.

Her tiny hand was as cold as ice.

I led the maid into the reception room.

Since I occasionally used it, the fireplace here was always keeping the room warm.

“Sit here.”

The maid sat quietly on the sofa.

Even though I added more firewood and increased the flames, the child’s body showed no sign of warming up.

‘A summer maid’s uniform in the dead of winter.’
The duke’s estate provided seasonal clothing for the servants. The maid was wearing something meant for summer, and the wind was even penetrating through, as it didn’t fit her properly. I extended a cup of tea to the trembling maid. “Have some of this.” “…What’s this?” On top of the steaming cocoa was a layer of soft marshmallows. “Drinking this might calm you down. Be careful; it’s hot.” I’ve never seen anyone who dislikes cocoa. The sweet scent, even without tasting it, aroused the maid’s curiosity. After much hesitation, the child finally took a sip, and stars seemed to burst from her eyes. “It’s delicious…” Her voice was as soft as an ant crawling. The maid slowly sipped the cocoa.
After emptying about half, her pale face regained a bit of color. “There are cookies and chocolate, so have some.” The reception room always had sweet and delicious treats. The maid transferred them to a pretty plate and offered it to the child. Although her face showed hesitation, her hand was already on the cookies. As she continued to glance at me, pretending not to see, only then did the sound of eating become audible. ‘Seems like she hasn’t eaten anything.’ The hand and wrist, busy carrying cookies to the mouth, were delicate. “Eat slowly. You might choke. Here, have some milk.” The child engrossed in eating took the cup without looking up. The child drank it all without taking a breath. “Ah…!” After eating some, it seemed like her senses returned.
The child, who had been looking at the table she cleared, immediately seemed embarrassed and lowered her eyes.

“……I, I can’t believe I did something so valuable…….”

“There’s still a lot left. You can eat more if you want.”

The child nodded hesitantly.

However, even if left alone, it didn’t seem like she would eat more. Now it was time for conversation.

“What’s your name?”

As if she was expecting something, the maid’s body stiffened. But resignation came even faster.

The child opened her mouth without further hesitation.

“My name is Daisy… but everyone calls me a pig.”

“What?”

Did I mishear something now?

Surprised, I asked again, and Daisy hesitated in her words.

“Just because I store food uselessly…”

The maid’s body was extremely thin. Not to mention a pig, she was as dry as a winter twig.

‘And a bruise there.’

Between the maid’s clothes, a bruise of vivid blue was visible.

Definitely a trace of being hit.