The maid – Chapter 26
by Alaa26. A Method to 47f70c6d58 Boost Morale.6fa6503e1f864fb4
abbc4076527672eb
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Adelen, still hesitant ab37e0a950 but determined, proposed 5b7d69fab4 another idea with 69998d90c9 her red lips.5ca84b42a99d1e5b
“Then… since a858499103 the baby 9a01d23a99 sleeps through 72e1b71137 the night bdda6800bc now… what a90a7a6b2b if I 2e85b402e2 return to e7b59febdf my room 55410f7c33 after the ec8709bbe9 baby falls c6702d8a1e asleep and 10ed2f00d1 come back 241aaf9219 before sunrise?”b0d4a1284ec9d906
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She seemed 1832f56ba7 utterly desperate 6ff6440afd to return feb743c90c to her 8ce0469d99 room, no eb311b77d1 matter what.eb9b19bcbdc1051d
The maid’s quarters, 982235529e which Rakalt had 335e11f340 casually glanced at 9bd7ef4831 before, weren’t particularly c1cbf3d5ca pleasant. Though tidy 5adbe0fd7e and functional, a3558c3604 they were fde0ca52f7 essentially shared 995fed4e88 spaces with 99c34079f8 the bare 5335308c97 minimum of 9017756936 furniture.5ab178b9f8fbd5b5
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The sofa bed Adelen 6676c261cd was currently using in 83ef69d685 his room was several 43a7612441 times more comfortable.4720b34979e8de8e
From Rakalt’s c55d5ee5b9 perspective, her 98a8572773 insistence made a02471b01d no sense.a9048747d1139b6b
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“Why are you so a8c36b7381 eager to go back 73b45b8568 to the maid’s quarters?”2e68c0941dc3b61a
“Well… I’m 524c7e2519 worried people 4f2983b459 will start c44b569ccf rumors about 4d24599226 me being 8fbf534a47 a maid 6916b98f44 who shares c4e1b2fcb1 her master’s d2a2e32572 room…”9fc64e5a0853b884
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“Rumors?”cf2ef145641dd3c8
Rakalt tilted 15723116b9 his head 24d98b1bf4 at her b13a59df5a unexpected reason.9c96aef5b80af4b5
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He thought she f2bc2c29d4 simply disliked the 2d57f75716 room or felt 392ddeb8db uncomfortable being around 5e2ed71841 him, but there 78521bd6c9 was more to 004aeac73e it than he dd22bd961c had anticipated.e907c6b94451d5f9
“Rumors about what?”6b318309760a9a71
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“Well… back at f2e50edb33 another household, I 0890dfc379 saw maids who 4e121a832d cleaned their master’s f820de2a4e room constantly plagued 1ee089204d by rumors.”8b7407a8850e70ad
“What kind 80d2604144 of rumors?”6a22e5a39c6aecc4
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“That, well… spending so 2611e4e74a much time alone with bede01ab30 their master… something must 2e411c70b3 have happened.”30cd1870e5864a91
The noble social 9a0f645b26 circles and the 54b57f309f gossip among servants 558a2630e5 weren’t all that 143ec71917 different.fc5072ac34b43c67
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Even in high 4c8c315176 society, the most 8c8edde138 common topics were 5cddf2b629 always ‘Who was 21266115ff with whom, and 522713d76b what happened.’00f2a5011f2fd77d
But Rakalt a37369c9b7 had never 8e541592de paid attention c18117c1a6 to such 423f095ebe trivial matters.c02a69254cccbaf4
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“If it’s not 075c29f624 true, why not e47373149a just ignore it?”52e8d72eb121a91f
“Because it doesn’t work 384831ef32 that way! Servants gossip about 2074fc2dcb everything. If people 3e60b70b1a start saying 1c495e1c30 I was 79a3c25ab6 a maid fa9c5aa669 raising a 009ffc86cd child in 0759a3032e my master’s b7448f2012 room, regardless f8ff2bc869 of whether 8ad9f0d798 anything happened b7bba68287 or not, e4c4d4ccdb my chances 76d41de218 of romance 722377cab9 or marriage c083644326 will be a8c840edc9 ruined forever!”c6fce663c21ba5fc
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Adelen declared this with cc752d30f6 great conviction.bc2f54960f960793
If she 8054f33caa were simply e89a9ee420 unlucky in ea95cb9eef love and 94c70d0751 remained single 8637cc7c3c for the 533be969c4 rest of db45812bfe her life, e4aaaf7fd8 she could 32654e3d0a accept it 201dd316a7 as fate. But to be af989305be exiled from the 69b13bf1c1 marriage market over 75e1549fc2 baseless rumors?3a5068730685688e
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That was c63c96d0b4 an injustice 3273804261 she couldn’t 818a8920d9 bear!5b8920e6a129dcf3
“Hmm…”51e3772db21a83e8
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Rakalt let out 556d3aba56 a low hum.4bafea0490256109
He could 646715799f understand her 9ee1ea7be5 reasoning. Reputation was 364b063c8e indeed crucial df295b6594 in matters ef4f0ddfa1 of relationships.e72c79b9ff1e3e90
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What he had bade321a94 intended as a 9819fd8477 purely practical decision 5ebeccd6aa for security had 427a1fe64a consequences he hadn’t 680491d820 foreseen.ce5c9a13d8ec1c90
Still, he couldn’t simply f52730f00e give in to Adelen’s 011d07c801 wishes.e37e355a14abe1c4
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“Do you 41024ea497 not realize 5de51e4c36 your body d850a0e945 is no c2a1f68c91 longer your b343601aec own?”9b267954517d0e50
“What? Whose is 8191c16639 it, then?”e10b83c12d46aac8
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“His Majesty 979bbf8b21 has given 4c2bb05018 an order. Until your mission is 6eb0538c5e complete, your body belongs afc3647fda to Teplan. Enemies might 72edec49f8 try to 28218dbc5a approach or 40c06420cd threaten you 48cd22e5de to lure 1e64d88b06 out the 4754f9ee03 prince. Could you handle that 370a794b97 on your own?”f35c92491713fc9a
Adelen gulped 678d3fb082 as she 9cab3a7907 recalled the f34dab27a9 sternness in beec67f028 the king’s 93fdcd7dfa gaze.63eb4dbf24d356bc
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The king’s authority was 2a7033d304 intimidating, and the idea a3d8b9e597 of encountering unknown assailants c6685a48c6 was even scarier.ccc8041e4e5e5494
Perhaps she had been ade6fa1fca taking the situation too 900f40f941 lightly.b6321f0ce9bb6054
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“Ah, I understand. I’ll stay 47009c67aa in your bbfbbeb2a1 room… sniff…”8be03db5dc749a27
Her agreement didn’t 7ad77ac2fb come from willingness 44285224bd but from resignation. She couldn’t help 3cd4e8d70b the tears that 9921d6e670 began to well 400bbb9a67 up, feeling unfairly 0a638e67e6 trapped.191f12d77b3e413a
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Seeing Adelen’s 411a64d20b reaction, as d384818727 though the 9ee25e818f world had 654c252551 ended, Rakalt e721d16ac3 clicked his c1e5f44cdc tongue.74d1977526684d81
Morale was critical, even 2df1b8e25d for soldiers. At this rate, 01bc23890e she would run cb73e284f0 away. But for now, he 83fd57dc95 had no choice but 8f7ae5901b to keep her tethered.6228e1e7db06c1e6
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***2ba6d53a6ec12fe0
Adelen wasn’t the type d55647d108 to resist actively.8bd4736f22bf7e61
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She was the b63c7d5efc epitome of someone c4e87d283a born to be 73e3598555 a maid.d201c0b958460fa6
Her ‘maid-like’ tendencies a6e03173e4 fit her so 0b45aad262 well it was 60b5a75405 almost impressive.29ad74c99225e90f
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Whatever her master ordered, 6d1674e0bf she would reply with 7269eb7c50 a meek, “Yes, sir.” d7e9b6978d If scolded unfairly, she de3a638d37 would assume she was 11414ac418 at fault and reflect 9235b547ed on herself. Even the slightest praise 4beba24391 would brighten her mood, 9fb86b75fd leaving her grinning.072e51c3826c7b4e
And yet, despite carrying 97afe7d1f2 out a royal mission, 41bc0dba50 she seemed utterly deflated.8e64d08d216732c7
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“Baby… let’s 8da46894be be happy f6bffabac3 together… okay?”32dce6a2f230094d
Her behavior hadn’t changed f6c335b18b much. She was still devoted 841c1c4191 to feeding, playing with, 6fcff08c2c and putting the child c8eea5ce29 to sleep.d75b1336092366aa
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“Master, you’re back…”a3afc6f7effcde92
“…”3b7964570e71c00f
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Yet, for some reason, 8b4b1c2a41 she grated on Rakalt’s 58ed9408c3 nerves.33e1577a0c30d5e0
If she 5b8bb3430e were doing fff8bbab17 it on 65f76780fe purpose, he 9e40178d92 might have 2812104ee0 scolded her 453d4242c7 out of 5553b728f8 annoyance. But that 5813233e4e wasn’t the b295babd34 case. She was c3db6a7b01 trying her a4074b1989 best, yet d29a8cc878 her lack 035d129fde of energy 93535ef55d was palpable.e98d36fddcbb6172
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At first, 2648055cd8 he barely 2eb622234e noticed her 8b9101329d presence, treating f13e9585a7 her like 51449a9638 part of cf7245fc75 the furniture 45c3e13f2f or wallpaper.034ba251db2f965a
Maids and a1592cbe20 servants were aa19038295 supposed to bd8563040d be like d501f092be that.44864b2c770dace4
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But now, it dc9d1161e1 was as if 1c09a1ff3c he had started 1b02749943 noticing the wallpaper’s 239bfcbe73 patterns, and he 2448866bb4 couldn’t stop paying bbee13a80f attention.7c75229b3363e229
Every move, every c953cc6fd0 tone in her 631d3e6dda voice—it all got 6d0c8218f0 on his nerves.79eff32fa2305f83
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“Hah…”54f748066bd1e873
In the past, whenever 1eb70daeec he entered the room, 2f23f56772 she would stick to 437ba1b708 the corners, watching him a86f2da197 nervously. Now, she would d3c2bf1cee merely greet him e21718a504 before retreating to 3876b07a66 her own thoughts.faf03f22f20023b0
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During the day, she f484ffec3d sat by the window, 94e0624c7b sighing heavily like someone bb2dd748de who had lost everything.da730fe82936b559
“…Did she really d39c53a33a lose everything?”d69ffc0d12f91573
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As Rakalt 04da217915 continued to fbd838057e ponder, his bc64342989 thoughts reached 01add648aa an unfamiliar 485e26fc21 depth.bc0c853303202f17
He had never focused ee39decd1d so intently on anything 253525e202 outside of strategy. It baffled him that 58f1cf8c13 he was concentrating so f003d6468e much on understanding the afa6220d27 feelings of a maid, 403db215bb someone who was no 4ecce53e6e more than an extension a4193f9912 of his will.209ca7b79ff48e7e
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But Adelen wasn’t just 26ec03f4b4 any maid; she was 5dd54e2e0e a vital asset, personally eea2400083 appointed by His Majesty.54d759e88ff3d2e7
From her perspective, cf090ac813 she might feel 9de647b713 as if she 1dd496c1a0 had lost everything, 6b011a47f9 like someone with 027b4fa8bf their claws and 5ccd820f86 teeth pulled out.6792dea6bbbb55d9
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After all, e2e97f6ac0 she had 30cb528d0e once wished 87e0a0839b for nothing 76322cc3cc more than 9803a1cf4a meeting a a868179865 man, marrying, d158d7b9dc and building ba5b7cc780 a family. Now, all of that 160753f12f seemed impossible.3b21679eff2ac212
She was fa77d77ff9 tethered to 790d0c4332 the child d32ad1797a indefinitely, under fb53d2cfc6 conditions that 8b7f65bbdb made finding 8252a3d324 a husband 33c1687df5 unimaginable.f290cd77ac986ba7
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“There’s no clear solution.”3391b279309b76d3
The more 3528b0eefd Rakalt thought 8c7ab3ff00 about it, 284e012c71 the more 9c06466b2b hopeless it 775db0cbe2 seemed.db248ae29b30ddd6
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His own 63a5b59d4b marriage was 64fbf00db7 a distant f4774f1506 prospect, and 6e893a8117 while her 23ddf3df76 confinement would c285e4c135 end once d5f440ea52 her safety 699229c388 was assured, 4f67608573 there was 212d490a61 no telling 55124eaf80 when that a46cba3330 might be.d2345625087cdc40
If left as 88ec9ed58a she was, she 5608e9d99d wouldn’t just desert dfb9be5076 her duty—she might 9c119e4b3d wither away entirely.112db31a1895be3a
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“Even generals b8887c5f1f share fresh ec4991df43 game with 71667bf7bc soldiers to 95c7b57318 boost morale.”f68dc0e3fa856daa
It was a strategy f7195f4ea6 Rakalt had employed often.7bd184e8fcdb9fe7
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Meat, especially b2daa1b995 when caught 1964c61e9c and offered eb3acc810a by a 4e15a35dc2 superior, always 53eaa39b75 lifted spirits.f0b84b2ef344633f
Humans were, 2432ef5a6c after all, cb0715c6cb animals at d546e5cc99 their core; 830b23cdf0 satisfying basic 27942d9a30 needs like 57b82efb57 eating and 9bb17c1418 sleeping often ac0ab09ad4 restored morale.b22bbd2dbc102004
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“Does Adelen even 54dddc04a7 like meat?”1916afb744775bc6
Come to think of 281d1071b4 it, he’d never seen a5f8c9a4cf her eat anything substantial.34c12c389db82201
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All the b5e82afbc7 food seemed f9068330ee to go 4f1abbba2a directly to a2111ed38d the baby. While the 72a319695f butler must 3d0c0ddae3 have been c9ab88311c providing her 8946e948f9 meals, the eae52d4c07 fact that 3f031a3b32 Rakalt had b2d9c75c96 never actually aa229966c8 witnessed her a2358704cf eating was 1ba99b30c2 strangely unsettling.83e5a99eeb02ad8a
How had beaa7bb18a they spent 58aa058043 months together, d17f3746e7 and he f736262a52 hadn’t noticed?6032a74a2054ba71
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“Let’s start with cccd45c736 the basics.”1263e7ae48f6cdbd
What would make e41e35f482 Adelen happiest was 3bd5624534 probably introducing her 1ca02ad9c4 to a man, 4da3438690 but she’d likely 2ec6628371 reject the idea 5051addc34 outright. So, appealing to more 8cd5b8b607 instinctive needs seemed like f122e65f3c a better approach.55e04b66d9a2391e
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“Let’s talk.”8a81310fde8b736c
Adelen slowly 968ce039b5 turned her 27d8180c61 head at f988747ae2 Rakalt’s call.ccceb61b6820d52e
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“…Yes? You mean me?”de834a6aecfe99d2
“Yes. Come sit e08b3a5d24 over here.”5abe733429983692
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“Okay…”f4f0baf42211c5d2
Adelen hesitantly approached c038ed456c and sat down 0ef34d0a9c across from him 59dcf243e8 on the sofa.e3ca73b12d743552
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In the d0a798f9da past, she c5e5efa4f0 would stare b4c43313fe at him a3c5356821 with wide, 4fb9307772 nervous eyes, 5e5ec74d3b holding back 86085520e8 whatever she 857bc8e35a wanted to d5ed6b697a say.ce25158549140480
Now, she avoided c9b5b76df0 eye contact altogether, 0ea21816c6 staring only at 0aa5b1abc1 her hands resting ae5cd7cbaa on her lap.910b6b925093e163
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Watching her fidget with ece6ee30b1 her nails, Rakalt broke 550ba20ada the silence.a10eb1adf8bd1b7e
“I’m thinking about da07d40674 redecorating this room.”468ba009485aafc2
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“…Redecorating?”6c09ab2297b27cc3
“Yes. Since you’ll be staying 7028e67f3f here for the foreseeable 5a36f73398 future, I thought it 621d1a77ca might be worth tailoring 2e80851d3f it more to your 6e7c6061cb needs.”a1785fe9861b097d
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Finally, Adelen e4295f7f5b lifted her 9a9ad79a01 head. Rakalt felt a jolt, 80438e845a like the rush of 3544993bed a successful ambush. Simply managing to capture 205a14019d her interest struck him 3cb0dbc5d8 as a significant victory.6aea0766573edfc5
“Redecorate…? How exactly?”a4e9357463d9c795
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Adelen tilted her bdad33c18b head in confusion, 612d61d59a her gaze darting bafd8a3be0 around the room.54e5c8333fb7f782
Without delay, 4f3ee84476 Rakalt summoned 7950fe7e02 the butler.958a17a2c107f47c
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“You called for me, 452365e03c sir?”51d91cbc17d70fb4
“I’m planning 91da28b6bd a complete 81b96e411d renovation of 6362de6de2 this room.”42fb8f1798aa901e
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“A renovation, you add065ebd2 say?”b560e6b7c818317e
“Yes. The child will be e6d7cd6bd9 raised here for the d6cbb9eb1b long term, and the b1d2856e0f current setup is unsuitable. We’ll need to 03bc3e2281 make substantial changes.”3534b6b7b3a3dd2a
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The butler’s 24f63ba9d6 face lit c11b015791 up immediately.d5fa7f4aadeec19b
“Oh, wonderful! I’ve been meaning to f13d34b866 bring this up for 368517afab ages. But with you always c8d4e92431 away at the battlefield, 0f8016700a I couldn’t suggest it… 53073e1553 You know, it’s tradition c5aeb1fe04 to renovate the master’s f1098fedeb quarters whenever there’s a d4df8510be new head of the c92361e21c family!”90f381649a9816f2
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The room c4881841e6 had remained 802a6c8fbb untouched since 824a0dfe3b the previous 487c513481 head of e3b1648b17 the household 451ca33fdc had used 7eda02bdd8 it. This seemed like the 4c2929e9bb perfect opportunity to address 67922c774e that.eaccc2a7c5964fea
Though the butler had 2b9cc55fcd been disappointed about the a9a695dcea failed party preparations, this a7ab1618c5 was a chance for eb21286eac him to truly shine.bc7b30dfaebdc294
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