Chapter 2206 – 2206. Dark Moon
The people who came to greet Yuria and Lydia were a middle-aged maid and three young maids following her.
The middle-aged woman walking ahead was elegant and strong at the same time. Her unwavering gait gave the impression that steel itself was moving. The three maids following behind her also exuded an extraordinary dignity. Perhaps it was because the maid uniforms they were wearing were of the highest quality.
“……Ugh.”
Lydia shrank back, while Yuria quietly assessed them.
‘The one at the front reminds me of the headmistress. A Superior-class maid at the very least. The three behind her must be Flower-class.’
The gate opened automatically, and the middle-aged woman wearing glasses spoke.
“What brings you to the Bennevis Duchy?”
There was no way the Maid Academy wouldn’t have sought cooperation from the Bennevis Duchy. They knew everything but were still asking. In the first place, it was strange for a housekeeper-level maid to come out to greet guests.
Was it a form of hazing? No, it was more like a test.
Yuria slightly lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed.
“I am Yuria Grace from the Maid Academy. I have come to the Bennevis Duchy for on-site training as part of the academy’s curriculum. Here is a letter and recommendation from Maria Hilton, the headmistress of the Maid Academy.”
“I, I’m Lydia Metcalf. I’m also from the Maid Academy. I also have a letter and recommendation from Maria Hilton.”
“…Confirmed. I am Agnes Nebal, the head maid of the Bennevis Duchy. The two of you must pass an interview to work at the Bennevis Duchy. Please follow me.”
Yuria and Lydia followed Agnes. They paid attention to their steps as they had been taught at the Maid Academy. They walked perfectly, as if they could balance a cup of water on their heads without spilling a drop.
The interview took place in the reception room inside the mansion. Yuria and Lydia sat opposite Agnes and the three maids. In the tense atmosphere, Agnes spoke first.
“I will deliver the letters to Her Highness the Princess. First, please introduce yourselves.”
Questions poured out from Agnes.
“What values do you hold as a maid?”
“There are many tasks for a maid. Which task are you most confident in?”
“What can you do for Her Highness the Princess?”
The questions were not much different from those asked in a large corporation interview.
Yuria answered appropriately. The kind of answers that ordinary people would give. Lydia, true to her personality, answered with a confident tone.
“I have heard your answers well. I will be leaving now. The managers here will continue the interview.”
Agnes left. The silence continued. Soon, Agnes’s presence completely disappeared.
“Haa.”
One of the three, a maid with short red hair and scars all over her face and body, relaxed her posture. She loosened her stiff back and leaned back as if melting into the backrest.
“Head Maid Agnes is great, but she’s too stiff. Ah, newbies. I’m Rita, the head of the security team. Ah, you’re not officially hired, so you’re not newbies. Should I call you trainees?”
The black-haired woman with cold eyes clicked her tongue, as if she didn’t like Rita’s attitude.
“Ignore her. Her Highness Princess Elsa is generous, so she tolerates a certain degree of relaxation. I warn you, do not act arbitrarily relying on Her Highness’s generosity. Especially ignore the poor attitude of Security Chief Rita. I am Cynthia, the head of the secretarial office.”
“Hello. I’m Linda from the management office.”
The woman sitting on the far left greeted them. She had long, wavy light brown hair and squinted eyes. Usually, squinting eyes gave a suspicious impression, but she had a gentle atmosphere. Her figure was the best of the three. Especially her chest was full.
“Actually, this interview doesn’t mean much. Just being a student at the Maid Academy is enough to get a job at most noble families. Ah, in your case, it’s an internship, so the academy has already finished the discussion.”
“Linda. You’re talking too much to the trainees.”
“They already know, don’t they? What’s the big deal.”
“That’s right. You know it, don’t you? This formal interview wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the head maid.”
“…You two seem to be relaxed. I have a full schedule afterward. Let’s get to the point. The two trainees will work as maids at the Bennevis Duchy for the next week. You will work with us, rotating between the secretarial office, the management office, and the security office. We will check your work performance and submit a report and evaluation to the Maid Academy.”
The managers were also supervisors.
“Our secretarial office assists Her Highness the Princess and carries out her orders. Her Highness runs several companies, and we are in charge of their management. We also handle confidential documents. Well, that’s the same for other departments, but the secretarial office is particularly strict. So, you two will have to sign a contract.”
Cynthia handed over a non-disclosure agreement.
Yuria quickly read through the contract. There were no trap clauses. It was close to a standard contract.
“Wait a minute. This clause 7 is a bit strange?”
Lydia raised her eyes and protested. Yuria quickly scanned clause 7. It was about the confidentiality period. There was nothing strange about it.
“Ah, I see. Here is a revised contract. How about you, Yuria?”
“It’s fine.”
They had prepared a pre-revised contract? It meant they had deliberately tampered with the contract to see their reaction. Yuria and Lydia’s contracts were different from the start. Lydia’s eyes twitched as if she was dumbfounded, but Cynthia nonchalantly accepted the signed contract.
“The security office is in charge of Her Highness’s security and the security of the Bennevis Duchy. Sometimes, we get special missions.”
“…Rita.”
Cynthia glared at Rita.
“What’s the big deal? You’ll find out soon enough anyway. You’ve signed the non-disclosure agreement. Anyway, security is usually pretty chill, so don’t worry. It’s super dangerous when it’s dangerous, but it’s a lot easier than other departments.”
Yuria and Lydia kept their mouths shut. They didn’t particularly want to join the security office.
Then, Linda spoke in a soft tone.
“Ah, the management office is less specialized than the other two departments. Our main tasks are managing the mansion and receiving guests. We do a lot of things, from the mansion’s chores to supplying the security office and supporting the secretarial office. Especially when Her Highness holds a banquet, we get very busy. Fortunately, Her Highness doesn’t like banquets… Oh dear. A banquet is being held tomorrow evening?”
Linda smiled brightly. In contrast, the other two’s faces turned pale. It was a banquet for the heir to the throne. Royalty, high-ranking nobles, and other powerful figures from Neo London would flock there. It was a given that the lower staff would suffer.
Lydia’s face turned pale, while Yuria remained the same as usual.
“Don’t be too anxious. The banquet preparations are already going smoothly.”
Of course, they wouldn’t prepare a banquet hosted by the princess in a rush.
Cynthia cleared her throat to draw attention.
“Ahem, let me tell you your schedule. Until noon today, you will organize your luggage in your lodgings. After lunch, Lydia will work with Security Chief Rita, and Yuria will work with Management Chief Linda. The work will not change until the banquet is over. Management Chief Linda will guide you to your lodgings.”
“Okay~ Follow me.”
The lodgings were clean and spacious like a hotel. The furniture was also luxurious.
“Please change into the maid uniforms on the table. Since you’ve come to the Bennevis Duchy, you must wear the Bennevis uniform. Ah, I’ll give you 10 minutes to organize your luggage. We don’t have much time because of the banquet.”
The dining hall for the staff was also excellent. It was a buffet style where they could take the food they wanted. Yuria nodded as she ate.
‘The quality of the food is high. You can tell they carefully select the ingredients.’
She felt a slight deficiency, but she ignored it. She wasn’t going to work at the duchy forever, and if a trainee suddenly pointed out the food, it would only hurt the chefs’ pride. She didn’t forget that she was an outsider.
‘Of course, it would be a different story if it was food for my master.’
She could never tolerate serving this level of food to her master. For her master, she could overturn the duchy as much as she wanted.
After the meal, Lydia headed to the security office, and Yuria followed Linda.
“First, I’ll show you around the mansion.”
“Are there any places I’m not allowed to enter?”
“Hmm. Don’t go above the third floor unless you have a special reason. Her Highness the Princess stays on the fourth floor. The security maids are guarding it, so you wouldn’t be able to go up even if you wanted to.”
Then, they moved to the annex where the banquet was scheduled. The annex was decorated for the banquet, and the maids were cleaning. Linda looked around the banquet hall, checking and rechecking.
“Yuria, you’ve been quiet since earlier. I heard you were the top student at the academy… You’re surprisingly passive.”
“All the preparations are already done. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything for me to interfere with.”
“The banquet hall is decorated with beige flowers as the theme… Is there anything lacking in your opinion, Yuria?”
“It feels both elegant and splendid. There’s nothing for me to point out. Nor do I have the right to point anything out.”
“Hmm. I can’t evaluate you like this… I was originally going to make a deliberate mistake. But I can’t deliberately ruin a banquet hosted by Her Highness. Even if it’s during the preparation period.”
“That’s a given.”
“But I have to evaluate you. I heard you’re also excellent at cooking. Can you prepare some food for the guests and Her Highness who will be attending the banquet? I have to attend to Her Highness during the banquet, so light food would be fine.”
“Can you tell me the list of dishes that will be served at the banquet?”
“Of course.”
Yuria checked the paper Linda handed her. Most of the dishes were European style. The main dishes were almost perfect, so it was ambiguous to touch them. Requesting a menu change now would only be a nuisance.
“I’ll add a dessert. Can I order additional fruit?”
“If it’s fruit, it can be delivered on the same day. Even if not, we have enough fruit prepared. Her Highness the Princess likes fruit.”
Yuria knew that, which was why she was planning to prepare a fruit dessert. It was easy to find out that Princess Elsa liked fruit with a little research.
“What kind of dessert are you planning to prepare?”
What Yuria had in mind was a dessert that had recently become popular among maids in the [Baekhwan] world.
“It’s Tanghulu from the ancient country of True China. Have you heard of it?”
“No. What is that?”
“It’s a dessert made by coating fruit with sugar. It’s really delicious.”
Sugar and fruit. It would be stranger if it wasn’t delicious.
“…It sounds like something that’s not good for your health.”
“It’s still delicious.”
Yuria didn’t care if the princess and nobles got diabetes from being addicted to Tanghulu.
