Published: August 15, 2025
A small body buried its face in my chest, entrusting all its weight as it slept soundly. My daughter was fast asleep. I wondered if it was about time to put her down in the crib... but as soon as I moved her away from my body, she started fussing.
Her tiny hand reached out, trying to grasp something in midair. She was searching for my bangs.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“How long do you think you’ll keep this habit of pulling my hair to sleep?”
Reluctantly, I held her close again and gently rocked her back to sleep.
Pat, pat—lightly tapping her back.
Heave-ho, set sail, lads.
A perfectly synchronized rhythm of solidarity.
I see it now—a distant shore beyond the waves.
Move the ship forward, lads.
A star-colored wake, the horizon where dreams are drawn—
The lullaby, unlike any I’d sing, was suddenly interrupted by a soft knocking sound. I stopped singing and replied, “Come in.”
The one knocking gently opened the door.
“Excuse me…”
“Ah, sorry to bother you this late at night.”
When I said that, she trembled slightly. She seemed extremely shy. I decided not to think that she was personally afraid of me.
She was a young woman with ash-gray hair. Her hairstyle was best described as unkempt. Though she must have bathed properly, she gave off no sense of cleanliness. Peeking through the long bangs that reached the tip of her nose were faint, blue-purple eyes, trembling nervously like a cornered small animal.
Ella trembled lightly, placing her hand over her chest and took a deep breath. Though she inhaled a full breath, her voice was barely audible as she said,
“…Yes. Um… I’m inexperienced, but I will do my best to serve you…”
“Hm? — W-wait, wait, that’s not it!”
I saw her beginning to unbutton her clothes and immediately understood everything. I panicked and loudly denied it. Dangerous—I almost tossed Lisa aside to stop her. As my voice made the baby fuss again, I soothed her with a somewhat firmer pat on the back while saying,
“Don’t jump to wild conclusions. I called you here just to talk. Fix your clothes!”
Ella seemed to get my meaning and stopped unbuttoning her clothes.
…Good, she wasn’t unreasonable. But before I could relax, she suddenly started crying in tears.
“Th-thank you… thank you so much…”
…At social events and business dinners, some women suddenly undressed, but this was the first time someone cried while thanking me afterwards. What kind of psychology is this? I just can’t understand this kind of person.
I gave up trying to understand her and instead got to the main point.
“Um—if I said anything misleading, I apologize. Originally, I meant to call you out this evening before dinner.”
“Yes, the work piled up and I couldn’t have dinner. I’m sorry for being late.”
Ella bowed deeply.
…Work piled up so much she couldn’t eat dinner? In Granado Castle, housemaid jobs run on shifts, perfectly managed by Mio, the Chief Lady-in-Waiting’s schedule. Moreover, Ella is a trainee and a guest brought here by the marquis. The workload shouldn’t be unreasonable...
…Could it be that this is also connected to that...?
I encouraged Ella to sit in the chair by the tea table and sat down facing her. Looking at her, I spoke slowly, as if reasoning with her.
“Ella… I’ve heard about your work from the Head Maid and the butler, Wolfgang. I appreciate your hard work.”
“Oh no, not at all…”
“At the same time, I’ve also heard there have been some troubles. About interpersonal relations… Other attendants have been harassing you.”
Ella’s expression darkened rapidly. She opened her mouth as if to say something but quickly closed it, swallowing her words.
“…No… Everyone has been kind to me. The workload is to help me get used to the job, and the harsh words, I understand them as strict encouragement.”
“I see.”
“I’m sorry for disturbing the harmony of this castle.”
—Hm? Disturbing the harmony?
From the looks of it, yes, but it’s unlikely Ella herself disturbed anything. Saying it like that makes it sound like Ella did something wrong. She chose her words poorly.