Chapter 08
“Once again, I look forward to working with you.”
At the greeting that seemed almost cheerful, Julieta’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Fine, do your best. I’m curious to see how long that flimsy resolve of yours will last.”
Even at the sarcastic remark, Janette’s smile did not waver.
—
After the first meeting, which was like a quiet storm.
“Again.”
*Tap.* Julieta pushed the teacup in front of her away with the back of her hand.
“The temperature is off. It’s too hot to drink.”
“I apologize. I’ll prepare a fresh one right away.”
At the reproach delivered with narrowed eyes, Janette bowed her head.
Julieta’s eyes grew sharply pointed.
*’She’s not ordinary, is she?’*
She had found fault after fault, sending back over ten cups of tea.
Yet, that faint smile, as if she had a sugar cube in her mouth, refused to disappear.
“I’m terribly sorry, but it seems we’ve run out of boiled water. I’ll just run to the kitchen.”
“Fine.”
“Yes. I’ll be back, my Lady.”
After Janette left the room.
A maid who had been lingering nearby quickly approached Julieta.
“Are you alright, my Lady? Your expression doesn’t look good.”
“Shien.”
Shien was the maid who had worked under Julieta the longest.
Due to Julieta’s sensitive temperament and her dislike of having anyone near her, the staff in her annex were frequently replaced.
Among them, the one who had lasted relatively long was Shien.
Thanks to her comparatively long tenure, Shien had been put in charge of Julieta’s personal care.
Compared to the maids who did hard labor in the kitchen, laundry, garden, or housekeeping, it was practically a cushy job.
“It’s because of the new maid, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Some strange creature has rolled in and is grating on my nerves.”
“Oh dear, our Lady. You must be so stressed. It breaks my heart just watching you.”
Julieta glanced at Shien, who had drooped the corners of her eyes, and waved her hand dismissively.
“Hmph. Never mind. Just you wait. I’ll make sure that one crawls out on her own two feet.”
*My person?*
*My hands and feet?*
*How laughable.*
*How could I ever trust such a thing?*
She might be acting obedient with a smile now, but who knows when she might turn and mock her.
*’Besides, Janette is a noble lady.’*
Even if she was from the Graham family, a lowly and unheard-of house.
*’Still, she must have heard the rumors about me in high society.’*
She could easily picture young ladies in fine dresses gathered in groups, gossiping about her behind her back.
*Grr.*
Just thinking about it made her blood boil and her stomach churn.
*’I can’t stand being looked down on.’*
Julieta hated being ridiculed by anyone more than death itself.
The laughter echoing behind her back, the malicious glances cast her way.
The clear mockery contained within them.
Just thinking about them made her nauseous.
In any case, one thing was clear: keeping that maid around was not good for her mental health.
“If that’s the case, my Lady. How about I help you?”
“……Shien, you?”
“Yes, my Lady!”
Shien answered enthusiastically, nodding her head vigorously.
Julieta tilted her head at her seemingly confident attitude.
“And how exactly do you plan to help?”
“Well, you see-.”
*Whisper, whisper.*
Lowering her voice, Shien whispered her plan into Julieta’s ear.
“Do you really think such a plan would work?”
“Of course. Just trust me, my Lady. All you have to do is take my side.”
*Take her side?*
It seemed presumptuous, but on the other hand, she also thought, *why not?*
As long as Shien actually got rid of that irritating girl.
“Fine. Do as you please.”
“Yes, my Lady. Leave it to me!”
—
***
The next day, and the day after that, the situation was similar.
“Again.”
“Yes, my Lady.”
Having been rejected for the third time, Janette began steeping the fourth cup.
*Phew.*
Letting out a deep breath, Janette wiped the sweat from her brow.
Julieta, squinting her eyes, stole a glance at Janette.
*How about it? Getting tired of it yet?*
But a smile formed again at the corners of Janette’s mouth.
*Let’s try again.*
Her eyes seemed to say just that.
Irritated, Julieta spoke with a hint of mockery.
“Do try to get it right this time. It’s absurd that drinking a single cup of tea has to be this difficult.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
Janette answered briskly and pulled a small notebook from her bosom.
Then, while the boiled water cooled, she stared intently at it.
Julieta, pretending to look elsewhere with disinterest, found her attention constantly drawn to it.
*’What is she looking at so diligently?’*
Meanwhile, as if the water in the kettle had cooled, Janette began steeping the tea.
She put the prepared rose hips into the kettle and checked the temperature by touching the teapot with her hand.
Just as a fragrant aroma filled the room, she emptied the teacup that had been warming with water, placed a tea strainer on top, and carefully poured the tea.
*’Her technique is much better than before, isn’t it?’*
Julieta’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she glanced at Janette, feigning indifference.
“The tea is ready, my Lady.”
“……Fine. Bring it here.”
The prepared tea was placed before Julieta.
The aroma was pleasant. There were no settled tea leaves, and the color of the tea also seemed perfect at a glance.
*’What is this?’*
Why did she improve so suddenly?
But the important thing was the taste, wasn’t it? It might look fine, but the taste could be-
“……What? This is decent.”
“Oh, does it suit your taste?”
*Oops.*
At the inadvertent exclamation of admiration, Julieta clamped her mouth shut.
“Ahem. It’s not that it’s excellent. It just means it’s passable. Don’t go getting conceited.”
“Yes. I will continue to strive harder. If you find any shortcomings, please feel free to tell me. I will correct them.”
Having said that, Janette took out the notebook again, scribbled something down, and quickly tucked it back into her pocket.
*’That again?’*
She couldn’t stand it any longer.
Julieta found that mysterious notebook incredibly irritating.
“Give that to me.”
“Pardon?”
“That notebook, I mean. Bring it here!”
Though looking flustered, Janette obediently handed it over.
*Gulp.* Julieta swallowed dryly.
*What if there’s something written about me in there?*
The thought that it couldn’t be and the thought that it could be jumbled together chaotically.
She felt the chronic anxiety that always festered in her life rising again from her toes.
Just as Julieta, biting her lip, flipped through the notebook with somewhat urgent hands to check…
“This is……”
Her long eyelashes fluttered, and the unease in her eyes disappeared.
Unable to find words, Julieta was at a loss, and Janette opened her mouth sheepishly instead.
“I was just jotting down the points you pointed out, my Lady.”
“You mean you wrote down everything I complained about—no, everything I said?”
“Yes.”
The notebook proved her answer was true. All the faults she had found to torment Janette today were written there.
The temperature of the tea water, the timing of adding the tea leaves, the steeping time, and so on.
“Thanks to your careful guidance, my Lady, I was able to learn quickly. I’m grateful.”
“Thanks to…… me?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, my Lady.”
Julieta’s lips moved, but no words came out.
*’I’ve heard plenty of flattery in my life, but…’*
Looking at the notebook filled with dense notes, Julieta was seized by a strange feeling.
—
***
After work.
The first thing Janette did upon returning to her room was to let down her hair, which had been tied up high.
“Phew. That’s a relief.”
Her scalp, which had been tightly bound, finally regained its freedom.
After lightly shaking her hair with her hands, Janette changed her clothes, finished washing her face, and sat down at her desk.
On the desk was the notebook she had taken out while changing.
The notebook in which she had noted down her shortcomings while attending to Julieta.
In her past life, she had been the secretary to a parachute executive at a small-to-medium-sized company. Despite being in his late thirties, he was full of a boomer mindset.
—
*”Honestly, you young people these days. Tch, it’s so unsightly seeing you tap-tap-tapping away on your phones all the time.”*
—
Thanks to him, in her past life, she had the habit of taking work notes in a notebook during working hours.
*’I brought it just in case, recalling those memories back then.’*
Since the work of a secretary and a maid were somewhat similar, she thought it might come in handy.
As Janette had anticipated, the notebook proved quite useful. Though the manner of help was a little different from what she expected.
Janette smiled, recalling how Julieta’s expression had softened, if only for an instant, when she checked the notebook.
*’She has a surprisingly cute side to her, doesn’t she?’*
