Chapter 10: Tell Them Who I Am
That, too, was a pastime.
A day had passed.
As soon as morning came, Adeline smiled slightly when she saw the Head Lady’s Maid arrive with a bowl of soup. It smelled of potatoes and sheep’s milk. Upon looking into the bowl, she saw a lump of roughly mashed potatoes. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“It’s breakfast.”
The Head Lady’s Maid, her neck stiff with pride, looked down at Adeline, who remained in bed.
Adeline, leaning against two stacked pillows, calmly accepted the bowl of soup. A sneer flashed in the Head Lady’s Maid’s eyes.
If Adeline ate the soup with pleasure, she would be branded “a princess who enjoys eating cheap porridge because she used to be a slave.” But if she threw it away like she had the day before, she would be labeled “a vulgar princess with slave-like manners.”
However, Adeline wasn’t inclined to follow their script.
“Are you getting back at me for making you read the newspaper?”
“No, I’m not.”
“This is my breakfast?”
“That’s right. It’s soup made by the chef from the finest potatoes and fresh sheep’s milk.”
There was no way the chef, having endured yesterday’s chaos, would repeat the same mistake. It was clear that the Head Lady’s Maid had influenced this.
Adeline pushed the bowl closer to the Head Lady’s Maid’s face. “Does this look delicious to you?”
“Yes, Your Highness Vita. It looks delicious.”
“I see.”
‘That settles it, then.’
Adeline smiled and grasped the Lady’s Maid’s hand. The triumphant expression on the maid’s face froze in place.
“Your Highness, what are you doing now?”
“Eat it all. In front of me. Eat every single drop of it.”
The Head Lady’s Maid stiffened while holding the spoon.
That was an unexpected blow.
Adeline lay back on her bed and crossed her arms. “It’s an order.”
An uncomfortable silence filled the bedroom. The Head Lady’s Maid couldn’t ignore Adeline, nor could she rebel. Whatever Adeline did with the soup would only be a source of amusement for them. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Eat it. Eat it all. You told me it was very delicious, and it was made by the chef himself.”
“Your Highness Vita…”
“Do not leave this room until you empty the bowl.”
Adeline turned her head and shouted out the door, claiming she had lost her appetite. She was calling for Collin.
The door opened, and one of the Lady’s Maids outside stuck her head in.
“Get Collin.”
The Lady’s Maid’s face quickly hardened upon seeing her companion’s demeanor.
‘This is surprisingly fun’. Adeline didn’t bother to hide her laughter. She had endured so much for so long that she found comfort in these little moments.
Collin came into the room after a while. Her clothes were neat, but her complexion didn’t look good. Collin, young and not adept at managing her expressions, wore a sullen face as she felt the territorial pressure from the Lady’s Maids assigned by the Empress’s palace. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
‘What on earth did Cesare see in this child that made him think she was suitable to be my watchdog?’
Adeline was curious about that.
“Princess, this maid was late because she was bringing the physicians. This maid apologizes. She will quickly go to the kitchen and ask for a new meal.”
Adeline smiled and nodded her head.
Collin dashed into the kitchen, and a physician entered the room. She examined Adeline’s wound with the same indifferent attitude as yesterday. It seemed she hadn’t forgotten her duties, as she disinfected the affected area and rewrapped the bandage.
“It’s done.” The physician gathered her bag and stood up.
Adeline noticed that while the physician tended to her wound, the Head Lady’s Maid—who should have been there clearing up the soup—had left the room without saying anything. She could have called the Head Lady’s Maid back and harassed her, but she didn’t.
This was just the beginning. Adeline had plenty of time ahead.
“Princess.” A moment later, Collin, who had gone down to the kitchen, returned. She pushed a small portable tray that held some rather fancy-looking food. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Adeline imagined how the chef must have felt when preparing these dishes.
“There are two weekly magazines today.”
“Did you bring them from your dorm?”
“Yes. I have a few more, but they won’t let me take them.”
Marma had many types of newspapers. Most were third-rate weekly magazines that delved into the private lives of nobles and presented them like novels, but still, quite a few people read them.
She scooped up the soup, took a spoonful, and opened the weekly magazine that Collin had brought.
“Collin.”
“Yes, Princess!” Collin replied in a high tone every time Adeline called her name.
If Adeline were an ordinary princess and Collin a maid who genuinely liked her, this scene could resemble a fairytale—like the ideal princess and maid who cared for and respected each other. But in reality, they were, at best, a crooked princess and a snitching maid.
“Bring this back.”
“Yes?” Collin looked taken aback.
Adeline smiled softly, setting down the bowl she was holding, almost throwing it away. “Tell him I can’t eat it because it tastes like crap.”
The food looked fancy, but the taste was terrible. The chef would have to prepare new food again this time.
Collin went back and forth between Adeline’s room and the kitchen two more times. Her face, which was already dark, changed to an earthy hue. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
As Adeline lay down, she wondered which would be faster: the Lady’s Maids running to the Lady-in-Waiting in the empress’s palace to report this matter, or Collin running to Cesare to tell him about her? Whose patience would prove stronger?
Well, the winner would be decided eventually.
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