Chapter 51. Poor Little Lamb Falls Into The Hands Of A Wicked Woman, Part I
Translator: Khan
Editor: SootyOwl
After a while of hearing no sound, she glanced up to confirm that Jessie was there, while Jessie was just looking down at the beautiful, shiny brooch on her chest. As if she could not even think about touching it, her hands were hovering poorly above it.
Aria called out for Jessie to break her from that state.
"Jessie, please go to the jewelry store."
"The jewelry store?"
"Yes, I'm thinking of ordering a watch."
She was going to order the five-minute stopwatch that she had thought of earlier. It was a custom watch, so even though any engineer could make it, she decided to let them make it as a pretty watch so that she could carry it with her always and anywhere.
Jewelers sold all kinds of high-end items adorned in all kinds of jewels. They also dealt with designers and other types of engineers. So, the only place that could satisfy her wishes was the jewelry shop.
"Tell the owner that I want a watch that runs for five minutes when I press a button. And that I'll carry it on me at all times."
"Should I just say that?"
"Yes. Please ask him to bring the designs to the mansion later."
"Yes, miss."
Jessie, who had something to do, hurried out to the busy street. Sarah's class was scheduled for later, so she had to come back quickly.
Aria sat on the sofa again, holding a book and thinking while seeing the wagon her attendant was using getting smaller and smaller.
'It was my birthday a while ago, so I could say I bought it as a souvenir.'
She had spent quite a bit of money in the Roscent's name to produce Oscar's gift and the golden brooches. She didn't want to be seen as extravagant, so she decided to make an excuse for the stopwatch.
Well, she had made a big contribution to her father's business in fur, which hadn't existed in his previous life, so he would give her such a birthday present with a smile.
'Should I put the hourglass in a box and carry it around?'
It would be easier to put it in a box because it was a little too bulky to carry freely. In addition, there was the risk of breaking if she just carried it around and dropped it, so she needed a hard case.
Anyway, the box made by the owner of the general store was perfect. The shape was sufficient. There was no need to make a new case because it was clear that Jessie would carry it as she did now.
'I can get the hourglass from Jessie within five minutes to rewind time, which will erase her memory anyway, so I won't have to pay much attention to that.'
While she was lost in thought, time went by, and suddenly, she could hear the sound of a carriage outside the window. Because the carriage had stopped in front of the mansion, it seemed to be from a visitor.
When Aria opened the window and stuck her head out, she saw Sarah in all her benevolence. Aria waved her hand eagerly and welcomed her enthusiastically. Like always, Sarah also raised her head and turned to Aria's room, and the two shared the joy of their reunion with smiles.
"Sarah!"
"Lady Aria."
Today, again, Aria went down to the first floor in a hurry to greet her. While showing off her friendship in the hall for a moment, she recalled that Jessie was out because no maid had followed her as usual.
"Oh, what do I do? My only maid is out."
There was no one to serve tea for Sarah and herself. Because of this, she had to request another maid to take Jessie's place. Aria looked through all the maids around the hall. They were all bowing at her.
'Who's good?'
It didn't matter much who served the tea anyway, but she thought it would be better to take this opportunity to choose a maid who she could bring to her side. If she kept things like in the past, Mielle would send her maids to her.
'What about that freckled maid?'
She was Aria's first target. She was the maid who seemed to have a strong appetite for things. She was envious of even the gifts her master received, so she thought she would be able to enslave her easily.
But Aria looked around the hall again and again, and unfortunately, the maid was not there. It didn't seem like an opportunity. Aria pointed to a maid who appeared to be one of Mielle's after looking around for a bit.
"My only maid is out, so can you get me tea?"
"... Yes, miss."
As if unwilling, the maid replied with a very stiff expression. 'Even if you feel that way, what can you do?' No matter how much she hated it, the maid couldn't refuse her master's order. She just had to shut up and do as she was told.
While Sarah and Aria went upstairs to talk about their lives, the maid brought tea and snacks. She was impeccably well educated, and it was a perfect serving.
"The tea smells good. What kind of tea is it?"
"It's lavender tea."
"Really? It's a little different from the lavender tea Jessie made for me. If you're not busy, would you standby and serve me a little until my maid returns?"
It was a maid's job to change the tea when it went cold or if the refreshments ran out. Besides, Aria didn't know when and what kind of help she might need. Had she been alone, she might not have needed the help of a maid. However, it was a bit shameful to not call for a maid when she had a guest.
Mielle's maid spoke of her situation with a very sad face, "I'm actually in the middle of what Miss Mielle asked me to do, so may I send another maid for you?"
Aria shrugged. It didn't matter much. She couldn't stop the maid from doing her job like a witch or yell at the maid to serve her instead. So, as she was about to answer, the hourglass popped into her mind.
Originally, she had had no plans to use it that day, but she would use it now.
'What time is it now?'
Aria, who measured the time roughly, drank the tea silently until Sarah, who was on the other side of the table between them, expressed concern. Aria, after taking that little time, nodded.
"OK. Well, you have to do it. By the way, I have a few questions."
"Yes, miss."
"Do you know of a maid with a lot of freckles on her face among Mielle's maids?"
"Oh, yes."
"What's her name?"
"Her name is Annie."
"How old is she?"
"She's fifteen years old."
"When did she come to the mansion?"
"As far as I know it's been five years."
"That's more than I thought. She came in when she was pretty young."
"..."
The maid's face became more and more stiff as Aria continued with her useless questions.
"Then, she is the youngest among Mielle's maids?"
"Yes, Annie is the youngest of the maids in the mansion."
"Really? Is Annie free now?"
"... I don't know about that."
"Hmm. OK, thanks. Can you bring me the hourglass in the cabinet? You can go out after that."
"Yes, miss."
The maid wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, so she brought the hourglass over very quickly. Then, she immediately said goodbye to Aria and left her room.
Aria turned the hourglass over after she checked the clock and thought it was about time. Then, the maid, who had just gone out, appeared before the door of the room, standing politely with her hands together. Aria smiled softly.
"Are you busy?"
"... Yes."
"You go, then. I'm sorry, but could you send me a maid to replace you? There's not much to do, so I would gladly take the youngest maid in the mansion."
'Bring the overly-freckled Annie.'
———————–
"It's getting very cold, teacher."
"That's right. It looks like it's going to snow soon."
"If it snows, I'll go see the lake. The lakeside where snow piles up is quite the sight."
"Shall we go together?"
"It would be perfect."
Aria and Sarah grinned at each other as they talked about trivial things.