Devil Swan - Chapter 1: A Suspicious Request (7)

“What else would it be? What else could I mean?”

When she saw the look of disdain, Elise finally stood where he told her and lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands. Beneath the brown, worn skirt, her white, thin calves and small feet were clearly visible.

Thanks to eating well here, she had gained a little weight on her gaunt bones. Still, as she stood before the angelic, noble man, exposing her pathetic, unattractive legs, her small feet on the white carpet turned as red as her face.

Against her will, her toes kept wiggling as she tried to stop her feet from impiously running away.

Even though it wasn’t a long time, his observation continued, and beads of sweat formed on her temples.

She felt like livestock being evaluated, not a person.

Unaware that her tongue, which had peeked out in nervousness, was caught between her teeth, his gaze quickly swept over her face.

“Not dirty.”

He muttered bluntly, having watched her feet without blinking. Just as she was relieved that she had passed safely, an unexpected question followed.

“Is Rebecca starving you?”

“Pardon?”

“The head maid, I mean. Is she starving you?”

“Oh, no. She’s been very good to me.”

Elise shook her head, guessing that the Rebecca he mentioned was probably the name of the woman who had brought her here. She seemed to have eaten more food here recently than she had in her entire life, so the idea of being starved was absurd.

She couldn’t imagine where such a misunderstanding had come from.

“You eat well and you’re still this thin?”

“That’s… just my constitution.”

Elise couldn’t bring herself to admit that she hadn’t eaten well before because she didn’t have money, so she made up an excuse.

“Well, you did seem to like bread a lot.” He muttered softly, tapping the table with his finger as if in thought. Elise hadn’t been told she could lower her skirt, so she waited for his instructions in an awkward pose.

The time, which felt longer than eternity, ended with a knock. She quickly turned her head to check the time and saw that it was two and a half hours later.

“Come in.”

Elise sighed in relief and lowered her skirt. At the same time, the woman called Rebecca entered the room.

Rebecca, who had entered the room, hesitated as she looked at the two people nearby, then bowed her head to the man.

“I believe it’s time to take her back.”

“Alright, take her. But next time, don’t come until I call for you.”

“Yes.”

Watching Rebecca get his approval with a short reply, Elise quickly put on the shoes she had left at the entrance and pulled her hat down over her head. Her steps to leave were blocked by his call before she could take more than a few steps.

“Rebecca.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Tell the head chef to pay more attention to the servants’ meals. Even if they’re on short-term contracts, I don’t want to see walking skeletons wandering around my castle anymore.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“And get her new clothes and underwear as well.”

At the man’s words, Elise, who had been standing tensely, felt her knees buckle slightly.

He saw everything.

Being caught wearing underwear so old and worn it was barely holding together felt far more humiliating than having seen his body.

He could have waited until she left the room to give those orders, but he said them now—clearly to mock her. Elise was at least grateful that her flushed face was hidden under her hat.

Despite how strange his orders were, the woman bowed her head silently, as if used to it.

Back in the basement, Elise gave herself a quick wash and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.

She had meant to say she couldn’t do this anymore starting tomorrow, but she was so dazed when she returned that she missed the right moment.

The one hour spent with the man was far more draining than an entire day wrestling with nettles. The clammy sweat sticking to the back of her neck was proof of that.

To make matters worse, the image of his body from the bathroom kept popping into her head.

Shaking her head hard, Elise resolved to quit—even if it meant giving up the money. If she kept working like this, her nerves wouldn’t just be frayed—they’d vanish completely.

* * *

The nettles Elise had laid out needed to be thoroughly dried before they could be turned into thread, so she would have to wait several more days.

Having barely slept through the night, Elise grabbed her basket and headed toward the lakeside to gather more nettles in the meantime.

The wide green skirt she had received with her breakfast fluttered with every step she took. Soft and light, it wasn’t noble-quality fabric, but even for commoners, it was a rather expensive material.

Though she was still annoyed by the man’s attitude the night before, Elise couldn’t help but feel a little excited about the new clothes.

It had been so long since she had something new to wear.

A smile crept across her face as she spun around on the spot in delight.

Tucked into the pocket sewn into the skirt was a slice of apple she had received for the first time that day.

Perhaps thanks to the man’s complaint, the breakfast that morning had been more generous than ever. A hearty soup thick with smoked meat and fresh vegetables, apple slices, and dried nuts.

The previous meals had been adequate, but this one was filled with ingredients fit for nobles.

If only every day’s meal could be like this.

Still full, Elise patted her belly and quickened her pace, hoping the swan liked apples. Her steps grew faster with anticipation.

She arrived earlier than usual, and the lake was completely empty.

Elise stood on tiptoes and peeked over the fence to see if the swan was nearby, but eventually gave up and crouched down with a disappointed look to begin gathering nettles.

The weather had warmed over the past few days, and tiny buds from nameless wildflowers were now poking up between the nettles. Carefully avoiding the flowers, she gently placed the plants into her basket.

Then came a flapping sound.

Elise looked up and spotted the swan standing beyond the fence. Her eyes lit up with delight. At the same time, the swan flapped its wings as if pretending not to care, clearly making a show of it.

Still, Elise was sure the swan was happy to see her, too.

She waved her hands eagerly, smiling brightly, and the swan, with its usual dignified air, tilted its head and began to preen its feathers.

Not knowing how to call it—and knowing it wouldn’t come even if she did—Elise removed her gloves and approached the fence.

She untied the cloth from her mouth, just in case it could understand human speech, and smiled kindly as she pulled the apple from her pocket.

“I brought this apple just for you. You don’t know how good it tastes. It’s so expensive in the city I could never afford it, but they gave it to me this morning. I was going to save it, but I thought of you and brought it instead.”

Elise spoke as if talking to a friend.

“Oh! And I got a new outfit too. The owner of the castle gave it to me. He’s a bit weird and bad-tempered, but maybe he’s not all bad since he gave me this.”

That was Elise’s verdict on the castle’s master: strange, cranky, the type of person she never wanted to see again.

“….”

Instead of taking the apple, the swan looked back and forth between Elise and the fruit, then turned its head away with a scoffing motion. A clear rejection.

Elise had half-expected this, but still felt a wave of disappointment at being ignored.

As she looked down sadly, putting the apple away, the swan suddenly approached and tapped her palm gently with its beak.

Oh? Could it have changed its mind?

Delighted, Elise offered the apple again, and the swan cautiously took it with the tip of its beak.

Elise, touched that her offer had been accepted, beamed as the swan glanced sideways at her—then promptly dropped the apple to the ground and flew off over the fence with a mocking air.

Guess swans don’t like fruit.

Elise pouted and picked up the apple, brushing off the dirt.

*

“Just until we find someone more suitable—please manage for a few more days.”

That was Rebecca’s reply when Elise told her that night that she couldn’t continue serving the man.

Elise hated the idea, but the thought that others might be inconvenienced by her refusal left her no choice. The mere thought of seeing him again made her sigh heavily.

Upon returning to his study, it took only minutes for Elise to feel completely drained.

Whatever displeased him, he kept pointing out spots for her to clean, and after an hour, she looked like she had aged ten years.

She repeatedly scrubbed at invisible stains while glancing at the clock, dismayed that there was still another hour to go.

She wanted to ask, “Did I do something wrong? Or do you just not like me?”—but the likely answer made her decide to keep her mouth shut.

Better to wear the cloth over her mouth again.

He was dazzlingly handsome, but his words were enough to cancel out all his charm. Elise pressed her lips together like she was wearing an invisible gag.

Maybe it was that bad temper of his that made the other servants refuse the job. Come to think of it, the 10 gold coins a night might be payment for enduring his murderous remarks. In that case, maybe it wasn’t such a generous offer after all.

“You sure are tight-lipped, huh?”

Whatever he was going to say, it clearly wasn’t praise. Sure enough—

“Your body’s just as slow as your mouth. If you’re not quick-witted, at least be quick-footed. Tsk.”

She knew it was wrong to think such disrespectful thoughts about a noble, but she clenched her fists more than once. Still, unlike the children who used to mock her by calling her the “pauper swan princess,” at least this man paid her well. Maybe that was something to be thankful for.

Grinding her teeth, Elise wiped the furniture with a dry cloth and tried to endure.

At last, the seemingly eternal two hours ended. Apparently satisfied—or just out of things to criticize—the man summoned Rebecca.

“Let’s go.”

Rebecca’s curt voice had never sounded so kind.

Seeing her arrive, Elise smiled brightly, but felt a disapproving gaze from somewhere.

Not that it was anything new—the man’s face was full of displeasure as he watched her and the head maid.

Seeing how warmly Elise greeted Rebecca, the head maid glanced toward her master and handed Elise her hat, which had been left in a corner.

Just as they were about to leave, when Elise had let down her guard thinking it was over, the man struck again.

“Starting tomorrow, come after you’ve washed. That pungent weed smell is reaching all the way over here.”

Behind her veil, Elise’s face flushed even more fiercely than when he commented on her underwear the previous day. She’d planned to wash up after finishing her chores, so she had only changed her top before coming—was there really a smell?

Of course, she couldn’t very well sniff herself in front of him to check. She was mortified.

Shoulders slumped, Elise trudged back to her quarters.

“The master is just a little particular. I’m fine with him, so try not to let it bother you too much.”

She must have looked so downcast that even the normally cold Rebecca offered a rare word of comfort before leaving.

Not long after, someone delivered a new set of undergarments along with a bar of soap.

Apparently, it was the master’s favorite scent.

But why did she need to smell like something he liked just to clean his room? Even though it was a gift, Elise felt strangely offended.

* * *