Just as I somehow managed to drag Linna up the stairs and onto the First Class deck—
A red-haired maid with a face full of freckles came running toward us.
“Oh my, what were you thinking falling like that! That could’ve been a real disaster!”
It was late at night, so there weren’t many people on the deck.
I glanced around subtly, but Zahid and Ray were nowhere to be seen.
However, a group of noble young ladies in the distance were murmuring curiously, as if they’d found some good entertainment.
Judging by how each of them held a wine glass, it seemed they were the ones drinking with Linna earlier.
“Lady Linna, please hurry and come rest! Yes? I’ve prepared a sleeping potion in your cabin.”
She was wearing a maid uniform with the crest of the Idra Duchy embroidered on it. Far more luxurious and beautiful than the Entoho’s maid uniform I was wearing.
In other words, she wasn’t a maid of the Entoho but one from the Idra Duchy estate.
The maid gestured at me.
“I’ll guide you to the lady’s room.”
Huh, wasn’t she just going to hand her off to me?
The maid scurried ahead, and I had no choice but to follow her while supporting the staggering Linna.
Thankfully, Linna wasn’t completely unable to walk. If she’d been fully unconscious, I never would’ve managed to carry her.
She was much taller than me, and her excessive accessories jingled endlessly.
Supporting a drunk person was hard work regardless, and before I knew it, sweat had soaked my back.
‘Is this... for real? Seriously, is this really necessary?’
I felt an intense wave of doubt about my current situation.
‘Did I really need to go this far just to reach the First Class cabin? Wasn’t there another way?’
Honestly, this was unexpectedly heavy labor.
Eventually, we arrived at Linna’s luxurious room, following the maid.
‘Wow... this really is impressive.’
Barely managing to lay Linna down on the bed, I glanced around the room.
The bed was large enough for five people, and the room itself was easily the size of ten Third Class cabins combined.
Aside from the sea visible through the window, it felt less like being on a ship and more like someone had transported the grandest chamber from a duke’s estate.
“There, well done. You can go now.”
The maid waved her hand as if doing me a favor.
It was then that Linna, who had collapsed on the bed, opened her hazy eyes.
Before I knew it, she had Cassie, the black cat, in her arms and was clutching the hem of my skirt tightly.
“Yooou... just stay a bit.”
Her grip was so strong that I couldn’t shake her off.
While I was just rolling my eyes helplessly, Linna frowned and pointed at the maid.
The maid from the Idra Duchy, who had proudly led the way, jumped back in shock.
...Ugh, this is way too messy of a scene for me to witness.
As Linna’s attention momentarily wandered, I just barely managed to tug my skirt free, but then she mumbled, still slurring:
“I fell down the stairs, so why didn’t you come down after me right away? You were just standing up there waiting?”
“It’s obvious. You didn’t want to come down to the Second Class deck, huh? Right?”
Judging by how the maid flinched, it seemed Linna was dead-on.
I mean... she’s not even a noble, just a noble’s maid—and she refused to go down to Second Class? What kind of absurdity is this?
At the same time, I finally succeeded in freeing my skirt.
Linna’s golden eyes narrowed ominously as she asked coldly:
“What, did you think just because I was drunk... I wouldn’t remember how you acted? Like always?”
“L-Lady Linna... that’s not it.”
The maid’s face grew tense as her eyes darted about, then she quickly said:
“B-But Lady Linna, there are no other maids left from the duchy besides me! You fired them all, remember?”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“Until we reach Bellot Port, I’m the only one who can attend to you, Lady Linna.”
The maid forced a bright smile and added sweetly,
“I’ll go prepare a lovely drink right away, my lady. Please have some and cheer up.”
Seriously, she was going to feed her more alcohol in this state?
‘Well... it’s none of my business anyway...’
Now that I was free again, I stood quietly between the two and slowly began to step away. After all, there was no reason for me to stay here.
I planned to slip out quickly once I reached the door, call out a quick “I’ll be going now,” and be done with it.
But just as I was cautiously edging toward the exit—
“Hmph, so you were acting so high and mighty because you were the last one left? Seriously, I’ll just hire a new one!”
Linna sat up and shoved her tangled hair back. Then she raised her fierce golden eyes and shouted:
“You! The one who brought me all the way here, looking like soft milk pudding with two mint leaves stuck on top!”
“You’re my maid now!”
Her bizarre metaphor made my chest ache, but I forced a smile and shook my head slowly.
“I, uh, I’m just a maid of the Entoho... so I’ll be going now.”
I bowed deeply and tried to make a quick escape, but then Linna staggered toward me.
She was already tall to begin with, and now, with her smeared makeup and long strides, I couldn’t help but take a step back.
Eventually, I found myself backed up against the wall.
Linna slapped her palm against the wall beside me and muttered in a raspy voice:
...What even is this?
“How much do I have to pay? How much will it take for me to have you?”
Her golden eyes were already clouded with madness.
The black cat on the bed stared at us as if watching a hilarious play.
I looked up at her and answered slowly:
“...Um, one should never put a monetary price on a person’s value, Lady Linna. That kind of materialistic mindset isn’t right.”
“Um, from now on, in situations , you should say, ‘I like your work ethic—how much should I offer as an hourly wage to hire you?’ Something like that would be better.”
Just as I finished my cool and rational explanation—
The maid who had just been fired clenched her fists and shouted.
“Not her! Absolutely not her!”
Yeah, of course not. Definitely not.
I gave a cheerful smile to my sudden ally, but then—
“How could you hire such a classless thing as your maid, Lady Linna? Huh?”
She stormed over and yanked my wrist. Then she shoved me to the floor without hesitation.
‘What the hell! I thought we had a shared enemy! You can’t just turn violent !’
The alliance I had foolishly imagined collapsed instantly.
I was about to protest in disbelief when—
Suddenly, the maid began rifling through my clothes as if searching for something, then pulled out an item triumphantly.
It was a very luxurious silk handkerchief.
“This is the handkerchief I tucked inside Lady Linna’s dress this morning! Made of the finest silk from the Volrat Principality, embroidered by the renowned Madame Rotka herself!”
The maid shouted with a vicious look on her face.
“And this girl stole it while pretending to help Lady Linna!”
Linna’s eyes wavered in shock.
The maid clenched the handkerchief tightly and continued.
“This girl must be handed over to the ship’s security immediately. She dared steal from a noble lady!”
Oh no, that won’t do.
I had no intention of becoming Linna’s maid. But showing up in front of my friends after nine years with a thief’s label was even worse.
That said, I couldn’t reveal my identity here.
‘At least not in front of Linna Idra. The Idra Duchy already sided with the Temple long ago.’
It was now past midnight—the fourth day since we boarded.
Until the “Entoho Operation” concluded, it was best that my identity remained officially hidden.
I slowly got up off the floor and stood upright.
‘Just for today... I’ll pretend to be an ordinary maid and stick close to Linna.’
And then I looked Linna straight in the eye and said,
“I didn’t steal it, Lady Linna.”