Chapter 15 15. Bertino Mansion on Harrods Street, Part VI
Editor: Aelryinth
Julietta finally arrived at the mansion on foot for a long time and tried to enter the back door and climb the stairs leading to her quarters.
The lobby on the first floor was noisy, then Nicole cried out and ran upstairs past her. After that, as the servants and maids followed whispering, Julietta asked the familiar kitchen maid, "What’s going on?"
"Nicole must be crazy. She suddenly took off her clothes in front of His Highness."
’What nonsense is this? No, it may not be absurd. Considering the Prince tried to seduce me with his colorful eyes, he might have sent a signal to Nicole as well.’
Julietta nodded, thinking he was a man who would do something like that, and asked, "But why is she running away crying?"
"Hey, do you think the Prince would have let her go? She needs to know who she is. How dare she take off her clothes in front of a nobleman and run at him."
’What on earth did he think he was doing?’
In the eye of Julietta, wondering about Nicole’s mysterious misbehavior, a smiling Anna came in from the corner.
Anna was barely holding back her laughter while watching Nicole jump up crying.
’You’re stupid.’
Three months after being demoted to a maid, the butler had a scowl on his face and still disapproved of her whenever he met her, unlike her expectation that she would be promoted to a maid of the Prince again after a month or two.
Since the Prince visited the residence once or twice a week, Bertino mansion did not have many users. There were few of them except for Sir Albert, the butler and the grand chamberlain, and his servant Jeff, who followed the Prince.
There were ten maids, including Johanna, the head maid, who managed Bertino mansion; Rowena the head cleaning maid, Nicole, the maid of the Prince; Anna, who had been demoted to a cleaning maid; Julietta, and the other maids in charge of cleaning, kitchen, and laundry. There were five manservants, including a horseman, a gatekeeper, and a gardener.
That’s why it was Nicole who was able to serve the Prince after Anna had been demoted to a cleaning maid.
Sir Albert, made suspicious by Anna’s folly, warned Nicole again and again to be careful on that day. "Do not take your eyes off to the Prince or have another motive. Otherwise, like Anna, you will be demoted to a cleaning maid or kicked out of the mansion right away."
Anna thought she could not go back to the Prince’s side because of Nicole’s good work for three months.
-Oh, Anna. He’s so cool today, too. Whenever I see him, my heart flutters and my whole body shakes.-
It was the daily routine of the servants and maids to pay tribute to the Prince, whenever they gathered. Nicole was equally ecstatic as soon as she met Anna, flirting with her words about what a hot night the Prince had.
Even that simple story of the Prince was so proud that Anna, who was so jealous, thought that if Nicole was kicked out she could come back and had decided to go ahead with what she had planned.
- Nicole, what I’ve felt for a long time, don’t you think the Prince’s eyes look a little different at you? I thought I was mistaken, but I think I’m right.-
Nicole’s eyes bulged with Anna’s insinuating remark.
- Do you think he has feelings for me?-
- He looked at you once in a while when he was passing by.-
Of course, it had not happened, but Anna encouraged Nicole by creating something out of nothing.
- Re-really? Is that what you think?-
Anna almost snorted at Nicole’s simple thought.
- Nicole, you also felt that. Yeah, I think so. I envy you so much, Nicole.-
After being completely taken in by Anna’s words, Nicole asked in excitement what she could do.
- But why doesn’t the Prince tell me for sure? I’m ready to be held in those broad arms at any time.-
- Nicole, you heard it from Jeff that he never chooses a woman. He’s always given the most active woman a chance. It’s ridiculous for the noble to say such things to a woman first, especially if the woman is a maid.-
Nicole nodded hard when she remembered what Jeff had told her.
- Yes, that’s right. It must have been hard for him to show his thoughts to her.-
Nicole, who misunderstood as she pleased, went back and forth frantically, asking Anna for her opinion on what to do.
- What you should do is to show your mind first. It’s a good chance. It’s been more than three months since then.-
"Lady Moira has served His Highness for three months. It’s time for him to kick her out before she starts forming another motive, considering that the length of time women have been allowed to enter and leave the mansion is usually two to four months. So it’s the right time to show your heart."
- What should I say? I love you? Or just give me a hug?
- Whew, you idiot! You should also consider His Highness’s honor. It would be so funny if he just accepted a maid for making such a confession. You’re better to take off your clothes and run at him. It would be even more strange if he refuses a woman naked, he’ll accept it as it is unavoidable.
Moved by the plausible remarks, Nicole embraced Anna and thanked her.
- Anna, thank you very much. I will never forget this kindness. The moment I become the lover of His Highness, I’ll ask him to raise you as his maid again.
Anna made up her voice as if she were a bit friendly, laughing at Nicole, who hugged her neck and was delighted.
- Don’t forget to do that. You promised, right?
Recalling the conversation that took place a few days ago, Anna once again smiled. She must have been so foolish that she had taken off her clothes in front of the Prince without any hesitation. This made her feel better and she thought it would be herself doing the duty in the Prince’s bedroom tonight, but she could see an ugly face staring at her.
’Ow, I’ve got to kick that bitch out of here.’
The day after that fat girl had come into the mansion, the silent war between the two had begun when she had refused to do what Anna had ordered her to. As Julietta had begun to wait on for Moira, the head maid’s treatment had changed.
Anna had begun to be mean in every case, unable to contain her anger: dismissing the filthy foul water from upstairs when she had passed downstairs; hiding dinner; spilling water on the bed; putting her shoes on the new sheets she had changed; and so on. She had not revealed herself, but done enough small harassing and bullying that she had stirred up the head of cleaning maids. However, Julietta hadn’t always responded, but just shrugged her shoulders.
As she had changed her wet clothes, ordered her meal from the kitchen again, and slept on the floor after the bed was wet, Anna had hated Julietta more day by day. After becoming the maid of the Prince again today, Anna was determined to kick her out at all costs, and waited for the butler to find her.
"Johanna, how the hell do you manage a maid? The Prince’s anger is not just to this extent or that. He won’t let it go. What are you going to do if you don’t have a maid to serve him today? Why haven’t you hired a maid so far, though I told you to hurry up and recruit one more?"
Albert was about to get out of his mind without a maid who would take over the bedroom duty of the Prince tonight.
"If it’s urgent, I’ll take part as my duty. Just calm down."
She had tried to recruit more maids, but it had not been easy to hire a private maid for the Prince. She had to be a close-mouthed woman, because she would watch and listen to the nobleman’s nightlife. Furthermore, there was a possibility that a maid who was incited by a political enemy could come in by being hired. So, time had been passing by while she looked everywhere.