I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 66

She would read a book, take a walk, bask in the sun, or drink tea, and seem to be at peace with herself.

If there was one thing that set her apart from other young ladies, it was that there was no “line” she drew when dealing with her subordinates.

All servants who deal with nobles feel it; they don’t think of commoners as “people” in the same way they do themselves.

No matter how generous and compassionate they are, they always draw the line.

But not Edith.

“Let’s eat together.”

The first time she and Anna had been out on Darsus Street, Edith had casually shared her food with Anna at a restaurant for lunch.

Eating from the same plate as a maid would have been an embarrassment to a noblewoman.

“Why aren’t you eating, Anna? Don’t you like this?”

“Oh, no, it’s not that…… how could I eat a lady’s food.”

“Huh? Then how am I supposed to eat all of this by myself? I want to try this, and I want to try that, and I can’t eat it all by myself, so it’s nice to eat with you……”

“Aren’t you offended?”

“Huh? Why would I?”

Looking at Edith’s furrowed brow and wide-eyed stare, Anna realized that there was no such thing as “line” with this young lady.

“If it’s okay with you, young lady, then it’s okay with me.”

“I’m not sick…… and you won’t get sick if you eat with me.”

Anna, who had been a maid for ten years, had never seen a noble who was worried about his servant’s reluctance to eat with him.

She just thought it was unusual……

“Miss…… why didn’t you say anything until this happened?”

The shock of seeing Edith’s back covered in bruises was still fresh in her mind.

Her back, which should have been as smooth as milk, was a horrible mess.

Probably by a maid sent by her family.

“How could I tell you that?”

Edith replied with a wan smile, as if it were nothing.

‘It’s my fault…… Even though she’s been so quiet about it, how could I not know until this happened to my lady!’

Anna’s ten years of pride as a maid was shattered.

Barely able to contain the rising tide of emotion, she applied the medicine to Edith’s back, her shoulders shaking slightly.

‘Miss……’

Edith is not a wicked woman, but rather the most fragile, tolerant, quiet person Anna has ever known.

And unlike Lizé, she’s truly down on her luck……

Anna patted Edith’s hand for the first time. It was a sincere comfort, though she expected to be called a cheeky maid.

And Edith didn’t get angry, didn’t cry out loud, just let out a shaky breath.

After that, Anna erased the line she had drawn with Edith.

For her, Edith is a vulnerable person she needs to protect.

That’s why she was happy to see Edith and Killian’s relationship improve, and she hoped that Edith would have a happy married life.

But it was during this crucial time that Lizé began to come looking for Killian.

‘After all these years of pretending not to know Master Killian’s love, why now……!’

Despite the fact that she knew it was presumptuous, she told Edith about Lizé’s behavior, and Edith just smiled bitterly.

“As you know, I have no right to do so.”

The “as you know” part broke Anna’s heart.

“Anyway, thanks for telling me, Anna, I’m sure you were torn between telling me and not.”

Seeing Edith put her maid’s feelings before her own, Anna once again made a mental note to herself.

‘I’ll help her in any way I can!

Anna, who had never been impressed by anyone, accepted Edith as her master from that day forward.

***

When I returned from tea and dessert at the Peridot, a maid I hadn’t seen in a while sought me out.

“Master Cliff would like to see you for a moment.”

“Sir Cliff? Me?”

“Yes, miss.”

It was completely unexpected.

But with no reason or excuse to refuse, I followed the maid, without a change of clothes, to Cliff’s study.

“There you are.”

Cliff greeted me much more warmly than I expected.

‘What’s with this guy?’

I couldn’t figure out why he was doing this when he didn’t seem to have any good feelings for me.

“Don’t look so suspicious and nervous. Have a seat.”

Is it too obvious?

As Cliff looked at me, there was an odd, slightly mischievous smirk on his face.

“I’m sorry if I looked that way. Honestly, it’s just so unexpected.”

“We’re family, but I guess we’ve been a little too inward-looking.”

He was nonchalant, as if he understood my puzzlement. His easygoing demeanor had bothered me before, but he clearly is a capable man.

“You and Killian seem to be getting along much better these days,” he said, pouring tea into my teacup.

The strong aroma of black tea wafted in.

“I feel like Killian is trying to do something for me, but it’s only been a few days, and we don’t know what the future holds.”

“That’s right. It’s an interest that may cool off quickly.”

Are you making fun of me now?

Slightly offended, I tried to think of something to say back, but Cliff leaned closer and lowered his voice.

“I hope Killian’s interest stays with you.”

“What? Why?”

“I think our wishes are aligned, don’t you?”

Cliff’s demeanor as he sipped his tea was graceful, but the curiosity and amusement in his eyes were hard to ignore.

“What do you want from me?”

“You don’t have to pretend you don’t know. You want Killian, and I want Lizé. Are you going to refute that?”

“I wouldn’t call it a refute, but I don’t think it’s something to get worked up about. I’m already Killian’s wife, and I don’t see any reason for Lizé to seduce him.”

“That’s true, but I don’t like the idea of Lizé having her eyes anywhere else now.”

Oh, I forgot.

This guy is just plain crazy.

When it comes to Lizé, Cliff Ludwig becomes a man without any common sense……

“So what do you want me to do?”

“I’m going to give you some tips on what Killian likes, and it’s up to you to you to decide what to do with them.”

“I don’t want to bother–”

“Do you want to make a bet with me, whether you take my advice or not……”

Asshole.

Cliff must have noticed that I’d fallen for Killian.

How the hell did he know that?

“Well, I’ll hear what you say and think about it.”

As I took a step back and put my pride aside, Cliff chuckled amusedly, then said in a serious voice, “Killian likes to go sailing on the lake. He couldn’t go this summer, though, because he used to go with Lizé every year, but this year Killian became a married man.”

“He could have just gone with Lizé.”

“I don’t think so, because there are other eyes watching. How would a newlywed man going boating alone with another woman look in other people’s eyes?”

“Ah, I see.”

It’s even funnier that someone who cares about such things is the one forced into this marriage.

It was no secret that Killian was in love with Lizé, though most believed it was more of a feeling of fascination than “love.”

“And he enjoys looking at art, which is why you should actively take advantage of Sistine Hall in the mansion, and maybe take a trip to see some of the other families’ art.”

I suddenly remembered Killian, who despised me in Sistine Hall.

“I’ve already ruined that one.”

“Oh, you already tried that?”

“Well, unintentionally.”

Cliff chuckled again, then continued, “When you’re with Killian, you better give him a lot of compliments, because he’s got a complex about always coming in second to me, so he likes to be praised.”

It’s not Cliff’s fault that he got first place, but it’s still condescending to say it that way.

It didn’t seem very considerate, even though he was aware of his brother’s relative deprivation.

‘Well, he doesn’t look like a good brother.’

The two would band together in a heartbeat if something happened to their family, but they weren’t exactly the kind of people you’d expect to get along with.

To this day, if it weren’t for Lizé, they wouldn’t even see each other that often.

“By the way, Sir Cliff.”

“Yes, Miss Edith.”

“Why are you doing this now all of a sudden? It’s not like it’s been a day or two since Lizé was kind to Killian.”

The amusement drained from Cliff’s smile.

“There are two reasons.”

“What’s the first?”

“The first is that Killian is now starting to open up to you. In the old days, even if I had given you these tips, it wouldn’t have done any good.”

I’d already seen that in the Sistine Hall, so I conceded.

“And the second one?”

“It’s because…… Lizé seems to be taking an interest in Killian all of a sudden.”

“What?”

“You don’t know? They went out together today, just the two of them.”

For some reason, I feel like I’ve been pointed out several times on that matter……

“I know, but is that something that hasn’t happened before?”

“It’s just that she made the first move, and she’s done that before.”

“……is that so?”

It’s definitely a subtle thing.

In retrospect, she didn’t need to go with him to pick up the finished shoes.

And Cliff realized it was strange too. He’s even convinced that Lizé is taking an interest in Killian.

When it comes to Lizé, Cliff’s word is worth believing.