“For today, all you need to do is wash this pillow case. Honestly, even I—the head laundry maid—am having a difficult time with this one! I couldn’t get rid of the smell even with soap. I scrubbed it and then soaked it in boiling water. So… any ideas?”

Avril crouched next to Jesenia and stared into the tub.

“What kind of smell is it?”

“It’s that geezer’s pillow case. It’s a struggle every time.

I see.

…No further explanation was necessary. Avril immediately came up with a solution.

“Have you tried baking soda?”

“Isn’t that a cooking ingredient? What are you talking about? We aren’t baking sweets, are we?”

“I know. However, baking soda can also be used to deodorize. I often borrow it from the kitchen when I do laundry.”

“Hee… The fallen noble lady sure had it rough. You’ve gained a lot of strange knowledge that is absolutely unnecessary in society. Somehow, I feel sorry for you.”

“…”

She kind of agreed.

A few minutes later, Jesenia returned from the kitchen with some baking soda. Despite making fun of Avril, she seemed willing to give it a try.

After dissolving the baking soda in hot water, she soaked the pillow case in it and somehow it came out clean.

Afterwards, they hung it up to dry on a rope in the back. It felt very nostalgic as Avril often did laundry in Count of Allingham’s household.

As the pillow case fluttered in the wind, Jesenia smiled in satisfaction.

“It’s amazing. The yellow cloth is now pristine white…”

“We won’t know about the smell until it dries, but I think we are on the right track!”

It was an unexpected invitation, but I’m glad I was able to help her.

Her role was finished.

…Now, if you’ll excuse me—

—Avril bowed politely and turned on her heels, only to be grabbed once again.

“Where are you going? Let’s have some tea now that our work is done. Just because you’re new, it doesn’t mean I’ll leave you out?”

“No, actually, my name is Avril Allingham and I—”

“—Anyway, Clarissa seems to be quite an expert! So far, all the aristocratic newcomers have only been thinking of currying favor with the lord, so I didn’t expect you to take your job so seriously.”

“No, like I said—”

“Let’s go! Otherwise, the boiling water will run out!”

…Jesenia was truly a presumptuous person. She completely glossed over Avril’s explanation and led her to the breakroom.

This is a problem. Still, I can see that Jesenia is going out of her way to make sure that the new hire can accustom herself with everyone else. The people who work for the duke’s family sure are amazing…

What Avril didn’t realize was that her presumptuousness rivaled that of Jesenia’s.

The breakroom for the maids was located at the back of the first floor, next to the kitchen. When she saw that the servants working in the main building and the separate building were different, she concluded that there were probably a lot of breakrooms as well.

“Hey, are you the newcomer? I heard that you’re a fallen noble.”

“I see. You don’t look that bad.”

“Nice to meet you. Thank you for having me here.”

The maids who were already having tea in the break room called out to Avril. She couldn’t help but greet them. When the tea was served in front of her, they began to mingle.

“…So, did you find her!? Lord Dylan’s—the new lord’s fiancée!?”

“I didn’t. There seems to be a fuss in the main house, though. Apparently, she disappeared or something…”

“!?”

She almost spurted out the tea.

They are definitely talking about me.

However, the conversation went on without any of the maids noticing Avril’s odd behavior. In panic, she wondered what to do.

“…I heard that she’s a wicked villainess.”

“Where could she have gone, I wonder? Unlike in the royal capital, a rural place like this won’t have any entertainment available.”

“Even if we find her, I think we should just leave her alone. If we get involved with someone like that, our positions might be jeopardized.”

“That’s a great idea.”

What should I do? Just when I thought that I should re-introduce myself once again…

As things stood, that was probably the last thing she should do. Avril kept calm and drank her tea.

“But… Isn’t she kind of amazing? If she’s that infamous, maybe she can repel the former master with just a single glance?”

“The maid at the main house also said that she wanted to learn how to be a bad girl.”

“Everyone is getting desperate. The working conditions are good, but once the old master sets his eyes on you, it becomes a hassle.”

“Still, that’s unexpected of Lord Dylan… At first, I thought he was just this dandy-looking man, but it seems that his preference is the complete opposite of the former master. Isn’t it kind of appealing that he likes the racy types rather than the innocent ones?”

 “““Right—!?!?”””

The gossip in the breakroom was getting more and more heated. Meanwhile, Avril was analyzing the role expected of her.

In other words, they want me to act like the rumored villainess!? I guess I’ll have to—for the sake of upholding Lord Dylan’s reputation, and also to be disliked by the former master…!?

Of course, there were definitely many other alternatives, but that was all Avril could think of at the moment.

I can’t believe it, but I just can’t dismiss it, either. After all, the information maids have is often true.

While thinking about it, Avril clutched her maid cap tightly.

---

***T/N: Avril, since when are you wearing the maid uniform!?

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