“It’s all right, it’s all right. She just fainted from the heat.”
That was quite a scare!
Su Mengdie’s sudden collapse made the Head Maid panic for a moment.
But after checking her condition, she breathed a long sigh of relief and opened the window to let in a cool breeze.
‘The Young Lady was fine, so why did she suddenly faint from the heat?’
Although the Head Maid didn’t understand, she didn’t dwell on it.
What mattered most now was finding a way to wake her up.
After her meticulous care, Su Mengdie’s complexion looked much better than before, and she slowly opened her eyes.
“Young Lady?! You’re awake!”
“Um… where am I?”
Su Mengdie had just woken up, and her head was still a bit foggy.
After sitting up from the Head Maid’s bed, she learned the sequence of events from her.
Suddenly, she remembered why she had fainted.
“Um, Head Maid, are you finished with the massage?”
Su Mengdie lifted the Duvet and looked down, discovering that the socks taken off earlier were now back on her legs.
“Not yet. Do you want me to continue, Young Lady?”
The Head Maid would continue immediately as long as Su Mengdie asked.
But this ordeal had already become a psychological trauma for Su Mengdie; how could she possibly allow it to continue!
“No, no, no, that’s not necessary. I forgive you! Just tell me what happened.”
“Haa~… Since it is the Young Lady’s command, then I understand.”
‘Why does she seem so disappointed?’
Before Su Mengdie could think further, the Head Maid began telling her about what happened that day.
After hearing the whole story, Su Mengdie immediately identified the issue —
It was the Scent again!
And it couldn’t even be washed off?!
How troublesome…
“Young Lady, did I say something wrong?”
Seeing Su Mengdie suddenly frown, the Head Maid’s heart tightened.
She wasn’t afraid of the Young Lady’s punishment; she was afraid the Young Lady would no longer trust her.
“No, it’s not your fault, and you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all because of the Scent…”
‘It’s all the Young Lady’s fault! If she hadn’t blindly left Marks on others, she and the Head Maid wouldn’t have suffered so much.’
Suddenly, Su Mengdie seemed to remember something else.
“By the way, where did you hang my Pajamas and sheets to dry?”
“They’re on the Second-floor Balcony, hanging with the other clothes. They should still be there.”
‘Oh no! If those things are hanging with other clothes, won’t the Scent drift onto them?!’
“Head Maid, come with me to the Second-floor Balcony, quickly!”
Su Mengdie jumped out of bed as she spoke, hurriedly putting on her slippers before bolting for the balcony.
As soon as the two arrived, they caught a whiff of a sweet, cloying fragrance.
Although the Scent was much fainter than before, there was no doubt that it was the very smell Su Mengdie was worried about!
She quickly covered her nose and mouth, shouting to the Head Maid.
“Quick, help me take these down, or something bad will happen!”
“Yes!”
“Young Lady, what exactly is that smell?”
After taking down the Pajamas and sheets, the two immediately stuffed them into an airtight bag.
Even so, they inevitably inhaled some of the sweet fragrance while gathering the laundry, causing their cheeks to flush a rosy red.
“I don’t know either, but it’s definitely nothing good.”
The Head Maid agreed.
She had only smelled a tiny bit, yet her legs involuntarily began to rub together.
“Let’s put this away for now. Disposing of it carelessly might cause the Scent to spread.”
Su Mengdie hadn’t expected the Scent to be so difficult to wash out.
‘At this rate, I have to find a way to cooperate with the Young Lady as soon as possible. Otherwise, who could possibly endure this!’
“I understand… By the way, Young Lady, when shall we begin the test for little Die tomorrow?”
“Hmm… How about the morning? We’ll test her using breakfast. What do you think?”
Ever since tasting the Young Lady’s cooking last time, Su Mengdie was now full of confidence.
The sooner the test was over, the sooner she could focus her energy on other matters…
“Of course, however…”
“However, what?”
Seeing the Head Maid hesitate, Su Mengdie suddenly had another bad feeling.
‘Is she up to something again?’
The Head Maid gradually stopped, glancing up and down the hallway.
After confirming no one was around, she covered her mouth and whispered.
“Could the Young Lady grant me a small request?”
“That depends on the request…”
Su Mengdie looked at the Head Maid warily.
She and Penelope were in the same boat now.
No matter how beneficial the Head Maid’s conditions were for her, she would decisively refuse anything that would harm Penelope.
However, it seemed she was overthinking again.
The Head Maid didn’t play by the rules at all —
“Could the Young Lady be a little kinder to little Die from now on? Please, don’t punish her so recklessly. After all, she is someone who grew up by your side~”
If she hadn’t seen the ‘Young Lady’ punish ‘Su Mengdie’ with her own eyes last time, she wouldn’t have brought this request to the Chief Steward.
‘But the problem is… who’s really punishing whom?! I haven’t punished Penelope even once, okay? On the contrary, I’m the one being bullied every single time!’
Su Mengdie’s heart was roaring, but she had no way to explain these things clearly to the Head Maid.
“Fine, I promise you.”
She simply had no choice in the matter.
Although she was agreeing to the Head Maid now, she would still have to follow Penelope’s whims later — unless she found a way to make Penelope behave.
But that was wishful thinking.
“Then, can the Young Lady make the Oath?”
Even though Su Mengdie had agreed, the Head Maid went a step further and made a new demand.
‘Give her an inch and she’ll take a mile?’
Su Mengdie carefully observed the Head Maid’s expression and suddenly felt like something fishy was going on.
“Sure. Do you want me to put it in writing?”
“No need. A verbal statement from the Young Lady is enough; it carries the same weight.”
“Alright…”
Though she didn’t know what kind of weight the other meant, Su Mengdie ultimately swore the Oath in her capacity as the heir of the Jinzhi Family.
‘Even if it really is binding, it should follow the Young Lady. So, once we swap back, it shouldn’t affect me.’
After hearing Su Mengdie finish the Oath, the Head Maid immediately took the Letter from her pocket and handed it to her.
“I’m sorry, Young Lady… What just happened was requested by the Chief Steward. She told me I must have you make the Oath before giving you the Letter.”
“You’ve read it?!”
After Su Mengdie took the envelope, she discovered that the Letter had already been opened.
“Yes. The Chief Steward asked me to read the contents as well, saying I should serve as a witness.”
“Can I take this letter with me?”
Since the Letter was for the Young Lady, Su Mengdie planned to bring it back to Penelope.
“No. The Chief Steward told me to watch you finish reading it, and then I must reclaim and destroy it.”
‘In that case, I’ll read it. Worse comes to worst, I’ll just repeat the contents to the Young Lady later.’
However, as soon as Su Mengdie opened the Letter and glanced at it, she immediately realized that the contents were actually meant for her!?