Life as a Tower Maid: Locked up with the Prince

Now back in my room, I lay down flat on the bed.
I’m so tired.
I can’t wait to go to sleep.

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With the help of a lady-in-waiting, I changed into a thin nightgown and once again thought about how Albert looked a while ago.

…Had he seriously been carved by God himself?

Regardless of Albert, for a moment, questions upon questions came to mind about the original owner of this body, Rosé.

It’s no use trying to recall the original novel now, since she didn’t have much of a presence as a character there.
In the first place, she was just a side character who was killed by Albert.

I now know how she got into the tower… But there were still many questions that were yet to be answered.

How in the world did Rosé become a dark mage? Dark mages were condemned with the death sentence the moment they were spotted, that’s why they’d all gone extinct.
How was she able to hide her identity?

For someone like her, who was just a maid, how did she come to know about black magic?

Did someone teach her? If so, then when and how did she meet that person?

Not much was known about Rosé.
Come to think of it, I couldn’t even remember much of her memories.
It was all just a blur, as if I’m looking through a thick fog.

I tried my best to think it over, but I couldn’t come to any conclusions.
In the end, I had to give up.
My eyelids were just getting heavier and heavier.

Let’s sleep first.
Sleep tight and put it off until tomorrow.

It would be best to wake up at around seven in the morning, right? I have to make some porridge for Albert, who will be bedridden from tomorrow onwards.
After checking the time, I lay back down.
Strangely, even if I didn’t look at a clock, I consistently woke up at around the same time.

Could there be abalone in the pantry? If they have it here, then I’ll be able to make some abalone porridge… was what I thought, but ah.
I realized that they might not even have any rice here.

I’ve been in the tower for so long that I was taking things for granted.

Besides that, this was a duke’s residence.
There must be a chef around here who could easily match Albert’s taste better than I could.
I tended to trust the experts rather than trusting myself.

It’d be better to leave the food prep to them and go to Albert early tomorrow morning so that I could nurse him properly.
After covering Blanc with a blanket, I closed my eyes.

This cozy bed was much better than what I had in the tower, but I wonder why.
I couldn’t fall asleep easily.
This soft texture, which was different from my futon on the attic floor, felt much too unfamiliar to me.

I did come out of the tower before this, but I’ve never stayed out like this.

All this time, I’ve been wanting to get out of the tower, but I might just come to miss it later.

I would always carry with me the memories of those ordinary days when we thought about only food, talked to each other, and then fell back asleep.

I just might miss it because I know I won’t be able to go back to that time before we’ve left it forever.

Gradually, my eyes closed.
I thought about it for a while, but as though my body couldn’t bear the exhaustion anymore, I quickly fell into slumber.

 

* * *

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“Mmm…”

Without having to be woken up by someone else, I opened my eyes on my own.
I glanced at the clock now, already expecting the time.

Just as I thought, it’s seven in the morning, the time I always wake up at.

As I went down the bed, I approached the window and looked outside.
The moisture over the window’s surface told me what kind of weather we’re having outside.

Perhaps because it’s winter, but it’s not bright out just yet.
Though it was dim, I could see snow falling all over the world.
This place was truly like a castle in a fairy tale.

Can we have a snowball fight before we go back? As I changed my clothes, I had this silly thought.
The lady-in-waiting helped me again, and she let me know that I could have breakfast whenever I wanted.

But rather than breakfast, I had a more important agenda.
I told the lady-in-waiting that I’ll be back later.

“Blanc, let’s go!”

The ever-so-sleepy Blanc also formed a habit of waking up at around this time.

“Okaaaaay…”

Blanc jumped into my embrace right then, and so I walked down the hall with him in my arms.

There were fewer people around the corridors than I thought.
Liam seemed to have rearranged his staff just in time for Albert’s arrival.
So that his presence wouldn’t be revealed.

Along the hall where my room was, at the end of it was Albert’s room.
It was the biggest room there.

It’s lucky that it’s an easy enough route for me that I didn’t need someone else to guide me.
The castle’s hallways were like a maze, so I’d still probably get lost around most parts.

Um… Should I get him some food? And I think it’s better to prepare some wet towels.
As I recalled what I did while he was sick in the tower before, I quickened my pace.

Walking down the hall, I saw someone in front of Albert’s door.
Was he standing there to protect Albert? Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was Schubert.

It seemed like he just came out from his morning training, seeing as how he was wiping the sweat from his face with a handkerchief.
With his refreshing youthfulness on display, he really seemed like the main character of a high school movie.

I’m kind of glad to have met him a day before.
Maybe he felt less skittish around me after eating sujebi together and playing with Blanc yesterday? I cheerfully called out to Schubert.

“Baron!”

“Ah, His Highness’ maid.”

Schubert turned to face me, and when our gazes met, he nodded seriously and muttered this.

“…I have a name, too, you know.”

“I don’t think I’ll need to call your name though.
Ah, but is this little one’s name Blanc? The cat.”

Schubert was practically recoiling from me, but the moment he saw Blanc in my arms, his eyes sparkled.
It’s amazing how transparent he was.

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With this robot called Schubert, the only keywords related to me that were entered into his system were ‘His Highness’ Maid’ and ‘Blanc’s Guardian’, and this fact was felt by not only me.
Still, I just answered yes, and then moved on.

“I’m here to see His Highness.”

“Go on in.
His Highness said that you can go in whenever you want.”

“Thank you!”

“…But will you take your cat inside, too?”

“Huh? Ah…”

Schubert’s question made me pause.
Now that he mentioned it, Blanc was afraid of Albert.
And he’d also be worried if he’d see a sick person.

“Blanc, do you want to wait here or go in with me?”

I left the choice to Blanc.
Without even any hesitation, Blanc answered.

“Stay heeeere…”

“……”

It seemed like he’s still scared of Albert.
I decided to leave Blanc here and go in by myself.
I handed over Blanc to Schubert, who naturally cradled him.

“Then, I’ll rely on you!”

“Of course—no, wait.
Are you passing off work to me now?”

“No, I’m asking for a favor.
I really, truly cherish Blanc, but it seemed like Your Lordship took good care of Blanc yesterday…”

“…I see.”

Schubert looked irritated for only a moment because he soon accepted the reasoning that followed, then he hugged Blanc.
As he looked down, he looked so happy.
Blanc also nuzzled into the baron’s arms as if to express how he also liked the man.

Ack, I almost got jealous just now.
I thought I’m the one who’s closest to you, Blanc!

“Ah, inside… His Highness’ nanny is inside.”

“Oh, then will we take care of him together?”

“Um… You can go ahead and try.”

Schubert blurted out these words instead of answering with a straight ‘yes’.
At this, I suddenly felt uneasy.

What’s this hunch? I shook my head and opened the door.

“Who’s there?”

And inside, I raised my head as I heard an unfamiliar voice.
A strict-looking old lady, who looked to be at least in her sixties, was sitting by Albert’s bedside.

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“Good morning.
I’m here for the Prince… to look after him.”

“I am Greten, His Highness’ nanny.
Though His Highness told me that I will take care of him.”

“Yesterday, I was told to do this task.”

Greten raised her eyebrows as if she wouldn’t agree with me at all.
She looked as stubborn as the deep wrinkles on her face.
You know how they say about people’s personalities—they just get more evident as one grew older.

“Even so, His Highness must not have meant to say that at all even if it sounded like he did.”

“But I did hear him say it sincerely.”

I smiled back at her with a huge grin on my face despite her words.
When one’s life was mentioned, how many people would think that those were just empty words?

Greten snorted as she changed the wet towel on Albert’s forehead.
Even while she was arguing with me, it’s clear that her entire focus was on nursing Albert.
This nanny was obviously something else.

“Between someone who has known and has taken care of His Highness since he was a child, and someone who has spent only a few months together with him in a tower, who do you think knows him better?”

Ah, so Greten already knew who I really was.
With her expression full of contempt, even those dismissive words made my head hurt already.
This kind of emotional upheaval was something I didn’t really enjoy.

With a soft voice and a gentle smile on my lips, I answered.

“I don’t believe that a measure of time can explain everything.
A brief encounter can perfectly capture someone and become everything to them.”

I walked closer towards Albert.
I could see that his condition wasn’t so good.

He was soaking in cold sweat, and he couldn’t even open his eyes.
Guilt weighed heavier down on me as I saw how much worse he was compared to before.

“For… For you to say that you can understand His Highness when I’m here, you have no right!”

Flustered by my words, Greten went on a sermon.

“Do you think there’s only one or two people like you who have tried to approach His Highness while blinded by his beauty? If all you plan to do here is spout lies, then just leave!”

“I know that the Prince is handsome, but I’m still not lying.”

“Even right now you’re just seeing His Highness for his outward appearance!”

…This was just the usual kind of look in my eyes that I had on everyday though, but her words were kind of stabbing at me.
Albert was really so handsome though, so it’s not my fault that I’m prone to his allure.

Clearly, Greten’s stubbornness seemed unyielding.

This argument definitely wasn’t going to end unless the person concerned was going to step in.
It’s been a while since I felt this way, but I did encounter this kind of situation a lot while I was still an office worker.

In the end, I acknowledged that needlessly being noisy like this would only disturb Albert, and it’s not like Greten would be lax with taking care of him.
So, I decided to leave.

It’s not because I’m afraid of her that I’m choosing to retreat—it’s because I don’t want that negativity rubbing off on me.
There’s no reason to continue a useless argument like this.
And for Albert’s sake, this was the best option to take.

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Later once Albert wakes up, he’ll definitely tell her.
But right now, she still didn’t know.

But before I went out, there’s something I had to set straight.

“Just clarifying, but I came here, yet you made me leave, Miss Greten.”

Albert might get angry at me later when I’m not there after he wakes up, so I had to clearly state this here.
Greten was puzzled by my words.

“Why did you…?”

“If His Highness asks later, I’ll explain it like this.”

“He’s not the kind of person who cares about such insignificant things.”

“The Prince is the kind of man who cares about everything like this.”

“He may seem outwardly interested even if it’s none of his business, but he’s indifferent on the inside.”

The Albert Greten knew and the Albert I knew seemed to be on the polar ends of a spectrum.

“Please remember the conversation we had just now.
And the last thing I’d like to say… Don’t regret making me leave, okay? I believe that the Prince I know will want me to stay by his side.”

Wow.
I really said such a cringe-worthy line, huh! You will regret forcing me to leave! —but the milder version of that line!

But really, this was for Greten.
Because I’m just here to follow Albert’s orders.

“Ha, His Highness? He’ll feel the most comfortable without you by his side.
That’s why I’m here.”

Um, don’t say I didn’t try.

“Then, I’ll be on my way.”

“Go ahead.
Don’t make any noise.”

And so, that’s how I got kicked out.

Schubert was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, the attendant from yesterday greeted first and then asked.

“Is something the matter?”

“No.
It’s just…”

As I scratched my head, I was lost in thought for a moment.

I think Schubert went out to play with Blanc.
It feels kind of wrong that I’m not by Albert’s side.

“Can you take me to the library?”

It’s been a long time, but I think it’s a good day to read a book.