༺ Maid ༻
Crash!
The reason drowsy driving results in a higher fatality rate than drunk driving in highway accidents is due to the complete lack of preparedness for danger.
That was the case now.
The collision between those who did not anticipate a person jumping out from around the corner had a strong aftermath.
Just as a compact car gets smashed upon colliding with a dump truck, a frail-bodied maid was flung away, crashing onto her buttocks.
“Uh, ah, it hurts…”
The corridors of the Grand Duke’s castle were made of solid marble.
A considerable shock must have been transmitted to her coccyx.
Moreover, since she was thrown into the air before crashing down, it was extremely fortunate if she did not fracture any bones, and it was natural to feel compassion for the party who suffered more in an accident caused by mutual fault.
That would be the case for a normal human being.
“My Lord! Are you all right?!”
Rendler hurriedly approached and examined my whole body.
At that sound, the maid looked up at me with eyes slightly teary at the edges.
Strangely, the maid’s face seemed familiar.
It felt like I was seeing her for the first time, yet why she seemed familiar was beyond me.
After a moment, the maid’s face, which had been frozen in cognitive dissonance, was filled with horror.
“Elden, Lord Elden…!?”
I have never seen a human face turn so pale before.
Her face, which had been flushed with pain, turned ghostly white as if by magic, and her pupils, which had been moist, dried up as if scorched by the blazing sun.
It seemed the maid of the Grand Duke’s family was also well aware of Elden Rapellion’s notorious reputation.
“Oh, why can’t you apologize already.”
Rendler barked at the maid, who quickly got up and knelt down.
And then, she began to offer a profuse apology.
“My Lord…! I’m so sorry! It was my fault for hurrying and not being careful! I have committed a sin worthy of death…!”
Both parties caused the collision due to their negligence, yet the one who suffered is apologizing instead. It’s nothing more than a minor collision caused by mutual carelessness, but one side becomes the unilateral aggressor.
A trivial mistake that could happen hundreds or thousands of times in a lifetime becomes a death-worthy offense for someone.
Just because they are deemed less significant.
And from that fragile figure, the irony of seeing my own childhood was truly bitter.
The image of myself having to apologize on my knees even though it was a mutual fight, simply because the other party was the son of the chairman.
Neither did I wish to be born with nothing nor live with nothing, yet because I had nothing, I had to plead against the injustice I faced that day.
“Where are you looking when you walk! What if something happened to his precious body…!”
As Rendler scolded the maid again, I lightly raised my left hand to stop him.
“I’m fine, so stand up.”
I said, looking down at the maid with a troubled gaze.
There wasn’t even a sliver of intention to blame the girl who seemed at least ten years younger than me.
Merely surviving in this cruel society where a mistake could lead to death was commendable enough.
However, the maid couldn’t even lift her head, trembling like a leaf.
“I’m really sorry…! I’ll be more careful not to let this happen again! Please forgive me just this once…!”
…What exactly did this maid think of Elden Rapellion?
She seemed more terrified than if she had bumped into the devil himself.
“I said I’m fine, so stand up.”
With my past self overlapping in my mind, I ordered a bit more sternly.
Facing a weak version of oneself is never a pleasant experience.
Only then did the maid look up at me with tearful eyes.
“Are you, really…?”
Back when I had to kneel before the chairman’s son, there was something I desperately wished for.
A hand telling me to stand tall on the knees I had been forced to kneel on.
A hand saying that living without possessions was not a sin.
A hand to rescue me from injustice and unfairness.
Perhaps that’s why.
Extending a hand to a life forced to endure injustice simply because it had nothing, was like extending a hand to my past self with a warm smile.
Although I had to realize shortly after that things don’t always go as planned.
“Please, save meㅡ!!”
Hmm.
This isn’t easy.
**
It took a full 5 minutes to convey that this hand wasn’t meant for slapping, and this smile wasn’t one of violence’s thrill.
Fortunately, the corridor leading to my quarters was sparsely populated.
Had the Trio of Regret or their acquaintances seen this scene, they might have accused me of ‘feigning surrender to catch them off guard and score points later.’
While I can tolerate a bad reputation, I strictly refuse to accept a wrongful one.
“Thank you…”
“Now, you should go.”
After giving the command, I attempted to head back to my room.
“Squeak.”
As I took a step, the maid fell, preventing me from moving forward.
Turning my head, I saw the maid sitting on the ground, holding her right ankle and wincing in pain.
“Damn, are you hurt?”
“Ah… it seems I’ve sprained my ankle. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“…”
The unlucky one indeed seems to break their nose even if they fall backward; the maid, who only suffered a bruised buttocks, also appeared unlucky enough to have sprained her ankle.
“It’s quite swollen.”
Looking under the hem of her skirt, her ankle was significantly swollen.
Her delicate ankle appeared to have doubled in size, making even my own ankle throb just by looking at it.
I looked around.
Wondering if she might be an undercover examiner for candidate verification, but the swollen ankle was real, and moreover, verifying a candidate who had declared withdrawal would be a pointless task.
I asked Rendler.
“Where’s the infirmary?”
“At the end of the corridor, on the left side. It should be about 100 meters away.”
“Fortunately, it’s not far. We’ll be there in no time.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
Smiling, I patted Rendler’s shoulder.
The accident was mutual, but she was significantly injured because of me.
A maid who was supposed to roam the Grand Duke’s castle all day had a swollen ankle, which could be considered an industrial accident.
I couldn’t be free from that responsibility, and moreover, injuring a young girl in her mid-teens meant it was only natural to help her.
At least, the adults in the world I lived in were supposed to do so.
Helping someone who has injured themselves is the duty of being human and a sense of ethics.
So, I was just helping.
Not out of a desire to extend kindness or goodwill, nor even to impress the tearful old butler.
“If I had my way, I’d support you myself, but I can’t stand the thought of enduring unnecessary chatter until the declaration of withdrawal is approved, or rather, until the end of the fiancée competition.”
Even if he’s of advanced age, supporting that frail girl should be no trouble for him.
I remember him being quite active in his younger days.
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll leave it to you. I’d like to keep things quiet until my declaration of withdrawal is approved, or rather, until the fiancée competition is over.”
“Then, I’ll bring someone to help the maid…”
“Wouldn’t it be quicker to support her and go than to spend time asking for help? It’s just 100 meters, right?”
“But, but that maid nearly caused a serious injury to your precious self. As a person of the Rapellion family, helping that girl is…”
“Shush, you talk too much.”
I frowned and narrowed my eyes as the conversation dragged on.
Just like the original Elden Rapellion from the work.
Of course, I couldn’t replicate the vibe of the original character’s human trash, vile, beastly scumbag, but imitating it to some extent should be effective in cutting down unnecessary discussions.
As proof, Rendler’s excessive loyalty was somewhat subdued.
I’ll have to use it from time to time when necessary.
“Ah, alright. My Lord.”
“Good. Thank you.”
Pat pat.
After patting Rendler’s shoulder a couple of times, I approached the maid.
The maid looked up at me with a stunned face.
It was as if she couldn’t understand this natural situation of a person helping another, and that made me want to help her even more.
And that was, in a way, no different from helping my past self.
Approaching the maid, I knelt on one knee and whispered softly into her ear.
“………”
**
“It’s a minor fracture. We’ve secured it with an ankle brace and support for now, so it should be better after a few days of rest.”
Rendler, who had supported the maid to the infirmary, listened to the diagnosis next to the maid lying on the sickbed.
It was because the lord had asked for an additional favor.
To stay with her until the treatment was over.
Though he wasn’t pleased, Rendler, as the head butler with a duty to obey, had no choice.
The medical officer handed the maid a crutch.
“Take this crutch with you. You know you have to return it, right?”
“Yes.”
“It might throb a bit at night. If it’s unbearable, come back. I’ll give you some painkillers.”
“Yes… thank you.”
“Then.”
After the medical officer left, Rendler stood up from his seat.
“With the crutch, you won’t need any support.”
“Ah, I, really thank you. I’m so ashamed…….”
“No need to thank me. I was merely following Lord Elden’s orders.”
“Still…”
“If you feel sorry, just be more careful from now on. You might get seriously injured next time. Much worse than now.”
A nonchalant advice thrown out.
Of course, no one but the king could mistreat a servant of the Grand Duke’s family, but that was only on the surface.
Cruel nobles would find a way to take revenge, even if it meant fabricating reasons.
And when such revenge was carried out, there was no lord willing to become a shield for a wronged servant.
In the end, it was the lower classes of the social hierarchy and disposable assets of the household, the servants, who would get hurt.
The maid bowed her head and thanked Rendler for his genuine concern.
“Thank you for your concern… I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Then, take care on your way.”
“Yes.”
However, as Rendler was about to leave the infirmary, he stopped in his tracks and looked at the maid.
“Why, what is it?”
“Oh, there’s something I wanted to ask.”
“About what…?”
Before asking, Rendler checked the surroundings.
He was curious.
What exactly did the lord whisper to a mere maid, who was a stranger to him?
And somehow, he felt anticipation.
People’s nature doesn’t change easily.
Especially the young lords of noble families, to whom such changes don’t apply.
They lived lives of absolute power, seeing no need for change.
They took it for granted, and this belief was solidified by witnessing Elden Rapellion for a lifetime.
However, a sudden change occurred.
Rendler had watched Elden his whole life, served him his whole life, and it had always been the same.
Such a drastic change in Elden held significant meaning for Rendler.
Of course, a change that occurs in less than a day is likely to end as a whim or change of heart.
But what does it matter?
Simply curious about what his master had told her, Rendler asked softly.
“Earlier, Lord Elden whispered something to you, didn’t he? Could you tell me what it was? I’m very curious.”
“Ah…”
The maid looked around.
Then, hesitantly, she began to speak.
“That… if I reveal to anyone other than Head Butler Rendler that he helped me…”
She paused and looked around again.
Her cautious eyes appeared slightly frightened.
Rendler took a step closer and urged her.
“If you reveal it, then?”
After a moment, when the rest of her words were revealed, Rendler’s expression had to contain a complex hue.
“…then it’s really the end for me…,” she said.
