Imperial Throne

Chapter 175 : Angelina and Cindy

Chapter 175: Angelina and Cindy

Cindy wandered idly around the Lord’s Manor.

Although it was a bit of a pity that she couldn’t bring the Demonic Sword, it was just a slight disappointment and didn’t stir up any particularly strong emotions.

Compared to Liam, Cindy’s quiet and undemanding attitude—no fuss, no tears, no pleading—really made one feel that this child was unusually mature. It was just that when she didn’t smile, that delicate little face of hers exuded a chilling sense of hostility.

Cindy patted her own cheeks, then tugged at the corners of her lips and revealed a sweet smile.

She didn’t have a chubby, round face. Her cheeks were rather slim, and while this face shape did give her a certain sculptural beauty, it also made her facial features seem somewhat aloof. Because of this, Cindy always had to maintain a smile—only then could she tone down the obvious hostility between her brows and not frighten people as much.

...

“Miss Cindy.”

“Hello there, Aji.”

...

“Miss Cindy.”

“Hello, Uncle Yagu.”

...

“Miss Cindy, I have a piece of candy here. Would you like one?”

“Do you have two?”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Please give me two, Aunt Lorina.”

...

Cindy strolled through the Lord’s Manor, warmly greeting everyone along the way. From time to time, she even managed to get a few snacks from the kitchen maids—snacks she normally had little chance to eat because Lily had always been strict and restrictive about Cindy’s diet.

Nibbling and strolling, Cindy soon arrived at the western residential wing of the Lord’s Manor.

This area used to serve as a resting place for important guests of White Mountain Territory, but two months ago, Lily had begun renovating and refurbishing this area, which was no longer open to outsiders.

At that time, Cindy knew it had to be because Aches’s future wife was arriving.

So after leaving the third floor, she had headed straight this way. Sure enough, she now saw several maids busily moving various items.

A baronial family like the Bole Family was indeed a territorial lord, but because White Mountain Territory had once been terribly poor, the Bole Family’s servant hierarchy had never been particularly elaborate. Even after the Soderbell Family rose to prominence and White Mountain Territory gradually became wealthier, Lily had only assigned Cindy two third-class maids, and that was all the service staff she had.

It was nothing like the staff Angelina had brought, which had a clear and rigid class distinction.

Thirty relatively robust women were currently carrying various items into the rooms.

They were clearly third-class maids.

This class of maid had the lowest status and performed the heaviest labor: including, but not limited to, moving goods, cleaning, running errands, and other strenuous tasks. As such, physical fitness was the top priority when hiring them—appearance was never a consideration.

Nearby were ten slimmer, more attractive maids. Some of them were directing others, while some were decorating and arranging the rooms, making the furnishings noticeably more elegant.

These were second-class maids, a rank above the third-class maids. These maids were expected to meet certain appearance standards and possess basic aesthetic and spatial decoration skills. In the case of older and more prestigious noble families, they might also be required to have talents in cooking, painting, singing, or other “special skills.”

Above second-class maids were the first-class maids.

Some nobles would treat first-class maids as personal maids, while others would use personal maids as first-class maids.

But in reality, these were two distinct classes.

First-class maids represented the pinnacle of regular maids. They had to meet requirements in looks, physique, and various talents—they were essentially an upgraded version of second-class maids. Many first-class maids were daughters of wealthy merchants, fallen knights, or declining nobles—for example, daughters of Bloodline User families who had failed in Bloodline Awakening or couldn’t afford the process.

Personal maids, on the other hand, were the most trusted maids of noblewomen.

Although they also had appearance and figure requirements, most noblewomen preferred personal maids to look average and not be too attractive. As for other so-called talents, they were often less important, because nobles capable of hiring personal maids were usually well-off enough to afford their education.

Above them all was the housekeeper.

This position was typically promoted from either a first-class maid or a personal maid. They were often responsible for overseeing affairs related to all female members of a noble family and served as the lady of the house’s right-hand aide. In noble families with sufficient background and power, there could even be more than one housekeeper, as they preferred to subdivide the family’s operations in detail.

Although the Soderbell Family had no first- or second-class maids, they still had one housekeeper.

Cindy stood in the corridor observing for a while and noticed that there were a total of thirty third-class maids, ten second-class maids, and four first-class maids going in and out of the area. There was also one person who was likely a personal maid, but she did not see the housekeeper.

At that moment, probably because someone had gone to report to Angelina, Cindy saw a very plain-looking personal maid walking toward her.

“Little girl, what are you doing here?”

The woman looked at Cindy with a kindly smile, but not with a condescending gaze. Instead, she crouched down to meet Cindy’s eyes: “Are you lost?”

“I came to see Sister Angelina,” Cindy said with a sweet smile. “I brought a gift!”

She took out the various small snacks she had collected along the way.

There were gummies, maple syrup candies, and honey cakes. Though all of them were just simple little sweets in small portions, the variety was surprisingly abundant.

The maid glanced over them—there were at least eight kinds.

“Little girl, what’s your name?”

“Cindy.” Cindy smiled brightly. “Cindy Yam Soderbell.”

The maid’s pupils shrank sharply.

Though she didn’t know who Cindy was, anyone who bore the name “Yam Soderbell” was clearly blood-related to the Red Eagle Knight. Judging by Cindy’s age, she immediately realized Cindy’s identity.

Daughter of Yam Soderbell!

Her face lit up with a more genuine and amicable smile. She quickly stood up and bowed, then said, “So you are Miss Cindy! Please come with me.”

She no longer dared to use any address like “little girl.” That might be acceptable for commoners, but with Cindy’s identity, it would be an insult.

Being the one Monica appointed as Angelina’s personal maid, she was not someone foolish. After all, if Angelina married Aches in the future, then she would become the chief housekeeper of the Aches Soderbell household. Without competence and insight, Monica would never have sent her.

Soon, Cindy saw Angelina, who was dazed inside the largest room.

“Sister Angelina.”

Angelina, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped back to reality and turned toward the door with a blank stare.

The personal maid who brought Cindy in looked at Angelina and sighed quietly in her heart, though her smile remained unchanged. “Miss Angelina, Miss Cindy Yam Soderbell has come to see you.”

“Cindy Yam Soderbell.” Angelina murmured the name twice, then suddenly stood up in belated realization. “Ah... ah! H-hello.”

“Hello there.” Cindy blinked. She reacted much faster than Angelina and quickly ran forward, shoving the pile of snacks into Angelina’s hands. “Mother said that when visiting a friend, one must bring a gift. ...This is the gift.”

“Gift...” Angelina looked down at the small snacks that had been stuffed into her hands, her expression slightly dazed.

“Don’t like them?” Cindy tilted her head, looking at Angelina curiously. “They’re very tasty.”

“No, I like them very much.”

“Not very much?” Cindy blinked. “So that means you don’t like them?”

“No, not not—ow.” In her panic, Angelina bit her tongue, the pain making her purse her lips and tear up. Still, she forced herself to speak quickly, “I really like them! I really do!”

Angelina clutched the sweets tightly to her chest. It was unclear whether she feared Cindy would take them back or simply wanted to show how much she liked them.

Cindy looked at Angelina, then unwrapped the small wax seal on a honey cake and immediately stuffed it into Angelina’s mouth.

Startled by Cindy’s sudden action, Angelina reflexively held the honey cake in her mouth, her expression clearly confused. She had obviously not expected Cindy to be so swift and direct, and now could only stare blankly at her.

Tears still welled in Angelina’s eyes, making her delicate and tender face appear even more pitiful. Combined with her inherently gentle and solitary aura, the charm she exuded at this moment was strikingly disarming.

So much so that Cindy, who had initially wanted to ask “Is it sweet?”, blurted out without thinking, “Sister, you’re so beautiful.”

In the next moment, Angelina’s fair and delicate face, ears, and even neck turned an extraordinary shade of red.