I Won't Clear Up the Misunderstanding. I Don't Mind Being the Villainess. - Chapter 15

“Is causing a ruckus in the hallway now considered part of a maid’s duties here at the Ducal House of Avenius?”
“No, Madam. Disturbances are strictly forbidden in all areas.”
The maid, who had moved to the side of the corridor, spoke. She had stepped up to defend me when the two other maids were quarrelling.
(She didn’t seem to be explicitly taking my side. But, honestly, that makes her much more trustworthy—far better than someone who simply supports me because they like me.)
I quietly observed the maid with the broom. Her coal-black hair was neatly cut to shoulder length. She had attractive, though not flashy, features and deep brown eyes. She was probably in her late teens or early twenties. She was tall, composed, and her skin looked fresh.
No one resembling her was a main or supporting character in A Single Flower Melts the Ice. She was likely just one of the many staff in the story. Perhaps that’s why her neat appearance wasn’t particularly striking.
(This girl looks Japanese.)
It’s a trivial thing, but it immediately made me slightly fond of this maid.
“May I please have your name?”
“Aili Arton.”
“Thank you, Aili. So, what is the standard penalty for a maid causing a disturbance in the corridor?”
“Just Aili is fine, Madam. The punishment is three days without supper, beginning the day the penalty is given. However, if the Duke or you, Madam, issue the warning, the penalty is expected to be more severe.”
“Hold on! Why did you have to mention that extra bit?”
My personal maid interrupted. She had reddish-brown hair pulled into a ponytail and large green eyes. With her long lashes, she had a distinctly pretty, obvious kind of cuteness. But I don’t need a maid who is just cute.
“Aili, what is the penalty for interrupting the Duchess?”
“…I apologize, Madam. May I take a moment to look that up?”
I turned back to my own maid.
“Well, do you know?”
“I don’t, but I was just talking to her, and…”
“That’s enough.”
I wasn’t just looking for the correct answer to the rule; I wanted to see if they would handle the situation with better etiquette. In fact, that was the main objective.
“Aili, please explain the reason for the commotion.”
“I’m responsible for cleaning, and there was a continuous trail of biscuit crumbs on the corridor that I had only just finished cleaning…”
“Biscuit crumbs…”
A slow, unpleasant feeling started to settle in.
“As I cleaned and followed the trail, I found her right here, walking with her pockets stuffed with biscuits.”
I fought back a headache as she spoke, looking at the pocket of my personal maid. Her navy skirt was indeed stained with what looked like biscuit residue, just as Aili had said. This maid had always been obsessed with food. That’s why I’d felt a kinship with Erica, who ate so heartily, and why this maid became my ally so quickly, loving Erica’s biscuits. I’d thought she was like the loyal dog in the Momotaro fairy tale. But unlike that storybook dog, she wasn’t doing work commensurate with her reward.
“N-no, that’s wrong!”
She reached for her pocket as she denied it, and I heard something crunch. If an unsuspecting person were to wash the outfit she’s wearing now, it would be a disaster. Memories from my previous life as a mother made me wince.
“It’s because… you said I could eat just one of your favorite treats…”
“But that was conditional, wasn’t it? On you successfully preparing the treats for me first.”
“B-but that was because Young Master Leo… took the sweets away.”
“And after that, I ordered you to fetch a different food item, and you told me you couldn’t, remember? Yet here you are, clearly managing to get food.”
I noticed that not only her skirt pocket but also her apron pocket was strangely bulging. It must be more food. My astonishment was giving way to genuine worry about the extent of her obsession. On top of that, she was twisting my orders to suit herself and couldn’t even manage an apology.
“You, what’s your name?”
I asked the girl with reddish-brown hair. I realized this was the second time I’d asked. She hadn’t answered the first time, merely turning pale after being reprimanded.
“Your name?”
“…Cera.”
The name I finally heard was the same as the maid who becomes Erica’s best friend in A Single Flower Melts the Ice. I felt a brief pang of disappointment and sadness. The Cera in the comic was a bit of a chaotic character, but she also brought cheer to the room. The real one, however, was simply impossible to deal with.
“Cera. You are dismissed.”
“What…?”
Cera stared at me in disbelief. Why was she so surprised? First, she tried to undermine me at breakfast, then she lied, broke orders, and her minor faults were too many to count.
“I have already secured the Duke’s permission for your dismissal.”
“But, I… I was ordered by Young Master Leo…!”
“He was severely scolded and punished by the Duke.”
“Young Master Leo was punished?!”
Cera exclaimed, her face growing even whiter. She must have finally grasped that she had no escape. But then, Cera suddenly put on a smile and lunged toward me. Aili instantly stepped between us to stop her. Even blocked, Cera desperately pleaded her case.
“But, Madam, I’m just a maid! I can’t possibly disobey an order from the Duke’s son!”
“But you can disobey the Duchess?”
When I said that, all expression vanished from Cera’s face.
“Your greatest crime is that, even when the Duke’s son ordered you to act against me, you failed to report it to either the Duke or myself, his wife.”
“No…”
Cera crumpled onto the corridor floor. More biscuit crumbs scattered onto the tiles.
“The punishment for causing a commotion was three days without supper… Aili, please confiscate all the food from her. You may dispose of it as you see fit.”
“Certainly, Madam.”
“Take Cera to Holger, the Butler, and inform him of her dismissal. Make sure he knows the Duke has consented.”
“Yes.”
“And be sure to mention that Cera was causing a disturbance outside the Duchess’s quarters, and you were addressing the issue.”
When I gave Aili these instructions, Cera cried out that I was being unfair. Had she forgotten the meaning of remorse entirely?
She was certainly a memorable character. But, again, she was not one I wanted to associate with in reality.
(Goodbye, Cera, Erica’s friend.)
I said farewell to her in my heart.