novelraw Chapter 163 : The Three-Year Term Has Arrived
Chapter 163 : The Three-Year Term Has Arrived
Creeeeak—
The knight captain in charge of leading the group received the crystal key to open the main gate from the employer. After receiving the corresponding ripple of magical resonance, the magic patterns on the iron gate emitted a faint light, making a creaking sound.
This teeth-grinding sound... It seems the hinges of the gate need some oiling...
Adding "oiling" to the to-do list, Parcy and several other accompanying servants pushed open the iron gate with effort.
19-year-old Parcy is a professional cleaning maid who recently took on a new job—cleaning this vast ancient castle along with a dozen other servants.
Because the offered price was quite tempting, although she heard it would be quite tiring, she still gritted her teeth and came.
The row of iron men holding long spears and swords on both sides of the iron gate were not simple sculptures, but magical dolls used to guard the mansion's security.
If they had entered through irregular means, those weapons would have mercilessly pierced the intruders' bodies.
Due to the lack of maintenance of these iron implements, the dark rust on them easily made one think of blood.
Thinking of this, the young maid shuddered and dared not look anymore.
Whoa—
It's really such a grand mansion...
The scale of the residence was even larger than Parcy had imagined.
"This mansion must be quite old, right?"
Touching the lapis lazuli-built wall, Parcy couldn't help but exclaim.
Even after experiencing the changes of time, one could still feel the weight of history settled within.
The only place that could compare to this would probably be the Crystal Palace where the King of Oz lives, right?
"Of course, this is the residence of one of the four great families."
Other maids of similar age to her followed behind the leader, starting to chatter and discuss.
"I heard this place was built since the founding of the country."
"Wow... That must be nearly 200 years ago? That's really impressive."
After entering, Parcy was deeply attracted by the scenery inside.
Due to lack of maintenance, various ornamental plants in the garden grew lushly, restoring a natural growth posture. Maple leaves had fallen all over the courtyard, as if covered with a golden carpet.
Wuwuwu... If one day, I could live in such a grand house, how wonderful that would be~~~~
Even being a maid here would be great!
However, reality is often cruel.
Currently, land in the royal capital of Greenwoam is extremely expensive. Forget about buying a house, even living here for a long time is very difficult.
Because she knows some basic life magic, Parcy can provide cleaning work like this for some noble merchants. Doing this hard work, if the market is good, she can barely earn a few hundred silver coins a month.
Actually, compared to the average income in small rural towns, this can be said to be quite high already.
Due to universal education, people like Parcy with ordinary family conditions can use simple magic as long as they have the aptitude to use magic.
However, further study of more profound magic is exclusively for those rich people.
Those wealthy and powerful nobles are also very picky about hiring people. The level of someone like herself can be said to be completely inadequate.
Many people in her hometown are very envious of her ability to work in the big city, but only Parcy herself understands the hardships of working in the royal capital.
However, she didn't have time to sightsee in this grand ancient castle. Very quickly, she was handed a broom and dustpan, as well as a wooden bucket for water.
"Listen up! Newcomer—from here to the door of the second-floor hall is your responsible area! Before the Duke returns, you need to polish the floor tiles until they shine, understand?"
Looking at Mona, the female housekeeper in front of her who seemed to look down on her with her nostrils, Parcy felt somewhat annoyed.
Superiors like this who act arrogantly just because they are locals are everywhere, and one can't defy their words.
"...Yes."
Nearly half of her wages go to rent, and after sending some of the remaining money back home, Parcy herself lives very frugally.
If possible, Parcy would also like to change to an easier job that pays more.
But her mother at home has a chronic illness, and just the medicine costs quite a lot every month...
If she lost this job, her mother would be in danger.
So Parcy could only temporarily do this frustrating work, struggling at the bottom of this city, hoping for some change to happen tomorrow.
"Uwah... So much dust!!"
Even with a thick mask on, one could still feel that heavy dust smell, which was very choking.
Well... After all, no one has lived here for nearly three years... It's natural for it to be this dirty.
However, the rooms inside are quite clean.
It seems they used the highest-grade cleaning technique—I heard just one charm has an effective period of 10 years.
"Such a high-grade technique must cost a lot, right?"
Hearing her exclamation, an older maid nearby gave Parcy an understanding look and quietly reported a number to her:
Parcy drew in a sharp breath when she heard this price.
Heavens... She couldn't afford a single sticker in a noble's house even if she worked for years!
But this isn't surprising. After all, compared to cheap labor, the cost of magic is much higher than manual labor.
"But... senior, speaking of which, this mansion has been uninhabited for almost 3 years... Why do they suddenly want us to come and clean now?"
"Haven't you newcomers heard?"
Another plump maid with thick freckles on her face said mysteriously:
"The owner of this house committed the serious crime of treason... Almost got beheaded!"
Another tall, thin maid who heard this couldn't help but stop her mop:
"...How could it be that exaggerated, the version I heard was just that there were suspicions so they were exiled?"
"No, no, no, generally speaking, involvement in treason would definitely result in execution—"
Now that the truth has come to light, the charge of treason has been cleared, and the Smollett family has regained their original title.
Now, the Duke's daughter is about to return.
"I heard that Young Miss is not easy to deal with!"
A freckled plump maid was vividly describing the deeds of this 'villain':
"I heard that when the Young Miss was still engaged to the royal family, she made Lord Michel suffer terribly... Any female who approached the prince would be eliminated by her!"
"...How could there be such a venomous woman in this world?"
Just as the maids were chattering and discussing, a black furball rolled in, appearing before everyone.
...A beastfolk child?
The maids were all startled.
Why in such a place—
She seemed to have just learned to walk not long ago, her center of gravity not very stable.
Opening her curious eyes and looking around, this puppy wearing a beige wool sweater was stepping on her little paws, wobbling towards the dangerous area.
This was the balcony on the second floor. Given this child's size, she could easily pass through the gaps between the stone pillars of the balcony.
In other words, the railing was basically useless for this child.
Not good—!!
Realizing this point, Parcy's heart suddenly leaped.
If she takes one more step forward... this child will fall!!
Parcy, who had reacted, dropped her cleaning tools and rushed over, grabbing and protecting the little dog who was about to step into empty air and fall.
"—Bebe!!"
Fortunately, she arrived in time. It was a close call. Just then, a plainly dressed brown-haired girl also ran up in panic, and seeing her holding the child, the panic on her face changed.
"Ah, it's mama—"
Seeing the girl, the little puppy in her arms also struggled free from her embrace, calling out in a milky voice and pouncing towards the other's arms.
"Thank you so much!! You saved Bebe—"
After picking up her child, she grasped Parcy's hand, excitedly thanking her repeatedly.
"You're... you're welcome..."
Parcy blinked in surprise.
Such a young girl...
But this child calls her mama... Could it be that she is this child's birth mother?
Although interracial marriages are no longer rare these days, it's indeed unusual for such a young and beautiful girl to be willing to marry a beastfolk.
Parcy wanted to ask more, but the female housekeeper behind her pushed her aside, stepping in front of her first.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass into a noble's private residence?!"
After this task is completed, she would have enough money to be promoted to an honorary noble—she absolutely couldn't let a suddenly appearing little wild dog ruin her good fortune!!
"...But I am the owner of this house?"
Holding the child, the girl blinked in confusion, frowning slightly in displeasure.
"Ha? What joke is this—The one about to move in here is the Smollett family, one of the four great families!! You should look in a mirror at your shabby appearance—"
The female housekeeper frowned, then showed a disgusted expression.
But indeed, judging from this girl's dress and manner of speaking, she's definitely not a noble.
Parcy had worked in many noble houses, so she could tell that those nobles all exuded a special elegant aura, and one could tell at a glance whether they were from a distinguished family. But the girl in front of her, whether in appearance or dress and speech, didn't look like someone from a noble background at all.
"Trespassing into a noble's mansion is a serious crime!! If you know what's good for you, take your bastard and get out quickly!!"
"...You dare call her a bastard??"
The girl didn't back down either, glaring back at this arrogant housekeeper, her eyes showing no sign of yielding.
"You look like a decent person, but your words are so low-class?"
"You... My elder brother is a chiliarch in the Knight Order!! If you don't leave, I'll call the knights to clear you out!!"
Hearing this,
Parcy suddenly realized why this person was so arrogant before. It turns out she has relatives in the Knight Order?
This well-paid task was probably obtained through her elder brother's connections...
"What if I say no?"
"—You!!"
The female housekeeper's face turned red like a tomato with anger. She wanted to throw that dirty puppy out of the other's hands.
"No, you can't do that!"
At this moment, Parcy pounced over to stop this female housekeeper.
"Hey, let go!! Parcy, do you not want to continue working here?!"
Go quickly, go quickly!!
Parcy signaled the girl to quickly leave this place of trouble with her child, but she showed no intention of leaving at all.
Just then, a thunderous announcement came from the hall downstairs.
Thump, thump, thump—
The sharp sound of high heels stepping on the stairs rang out.
Wearing a white woolen cape, a blonde noble girl in luxurious clothes stepped on the wind, striding quickly to the girl holding the child.
"Welcome back, Young Miss—Please resume management of the household affairs."
The aged knight captain knelt before Yvonne, speaking respectfully.
The knight captain's position in the palace is on par with the Grand Priest, which can be said to be above ten thousand people but under one... Yet he would pay such great respect to this girl, which is truly unimaginable.
"...Of course I will manage well."
The expression on the face of this legendary Young Miss was very displeased. She frowned, staring at the female housekeeper who had just spoken rudely, almost spitting out these words from between her teeth:
"You can't even handle a small task like cleaning properly... What kind of people have your subordinates found for me??"
The piercing and sharp gaze possessed by this legendary 'evil flower' Young Miss was just as rumored, very frightening, as if she wanted to skin alive all those who had offended her.
Oh my... Why did I encounter such a thing??
Parcy trembled as she prostrated on the ground, her heart uneasy.
I thought it was just an ordinary cleaning job... Why did things turn out like this~~~~
"It's my incompetence!!"
The chiliarch who looked very similar to the female housekeeper's legs went weak, and he immediately knelt down.
What he's facing now is one of the four great families of this country, also a cornerstone of this country.
To go against such a powerful force with such a huge background, there's only a dead end.
"I don't want to see such a rude and vulgar person who disrespected my child again... Starting from today, strip her of her noble status and make her disappear from my sight immediately!!"
"Yes, I was blind and didn't recognize you, I will never dare again—Please give me another chance~~~ I beg you, please~~~~"
The female housekeeper being dragged away by knights let out miserable screams and pleas for mercy, but this stone-hearted Young Miss turned a deaf ear.
She came to the girl from just now, taking the beastfolk cub from her arms.
Only then did Parcy notice that the woolen cape she was wearing and the knitted sweater the child was wearing were of the same style.
"Evie, you're too slow—"
Seeing her, the brown-haired girl showed a pouting expression, naturally hooking her arm.
"Sorry, I was delayed a bit because I had to deal with some documents about the ownership of the mansion..."
When facing this girl, this Young Miss who was full of sharp edges showed a warm smile like the autumn sun.
"Oh right, I almost forgot. Thank you for helping me just now—What's your name?"
The brown-haired girl bounced over in front of her, squatting down to ask.
"I... My name is Parcy!"
"Then Parcy... Are you interested in becoming a maid in our household?"
"It would be my utmost pleasure!!"