What Remains in the Damaged Place - Chapter 32

At that time, since it wasn’t yet past the end of the workday, the servants cleaning each area would have witnessed everything.

Lirette thought back to the murmurs those people made while looking at her. Due to Hayley’s violent outburst, the gossip must now be directed at her instead.

In a way, it was a relief.

It was around the time she had nearly finished her meal, her hands busily moving.

A group of three or four maids entered the room, possibly just finishing up their cleaning. The face of the one who received food first wasn’t unfamiliar. It was Hardy, who had followed her to the well and warned her about Hayley.

Lirette, who had been chewing a piece of bread, made eye contact with Hardy, who was looking around for a place to sit.

Hardy hesitated for a moment, pacing back and forth before cautiously approaching.

“Uh, is this seat taken?”

Lirette was a little surprised because she hadn’t expected Hardy to strike up a conversation so readily. So, caught off guard, she nodded.

Hardy smiled and sat down across from Lirette. The other maids, familiar with Hardy, took their places beside her.

Suddenly surrounded by the group, Lirette half-listened, half-ignored their casual conversations.

At one point, she looked up and noticed a maid diagonally across from her staring.

“Was her name Brilline?” she thought.

With her spoon in her mouth, Lirette widened her eyes.

The chatter around her died down when one maid asked a light question. Gradually, the others turned their attention toward her. Feeling all eyes on her like sharp needles, Lirette swallowed nervously.

“Yeah.”

“Is your cheek okay? That must’ve hurt.”

“Was it really Hayley who did that?”

“I heard she tried to attack you!”

As soon as Lirette uttered a simple “yeah,” they unleashed a flood of curiosity as if they had been holding back.

“Uh…”

“So it’s true?”

“It wasn’t theft, right? Hayley made that up, didn’t she?”

“Why ask? Remember how Emmet was kicked out in a similar way? Why was that again?”

“It was because Emmet didn’t clean her area for her.”

“Anyway, she acts like she’s a princess, even though we’re all getting paid the same.”

The gossip flared up again.

Previously, they had been talking behind her back, but now Lirette was at the center of it all.

“Still, it feels good to get the truth out there.”

“Hey, hey, Brilline. I heard the master took your side. Is that true?”

“So that’s why Hayley got fired, right?”

Lirette’s eyes darted back and forth.

When one person finished speaking, the next quickly took over, pulling at the thread of conversation to satisfy their curiosity.

She had suspected that Hayley’s absence would bring about some change, but this was all happening too fast.

How could they act like this?

Just yesterday, they either ignored her like she was invisible or treated her like a disgusting bug, avoiding her at all costs.

At first, she felt flustered, but as time went on, Lirette’s heart turned cold.

Of course, she understood that they must have had no other choice.

If they’d been offering her advice not to get on Hayley’s bad side, they had probably witnessed all the ways Hayley tormented others. They must have been anxious that they’d be next on her list.

Still, she hadn’t expected them to approach her like nothing had happened.

Something about this didn’t add up.

They hadn’t harmed her like Hayley had. In fact, they hadn’t done anything at all. To be precise, they were bystanders.

But from the perspective of someone who had been an outcast, there wasn’t much difference between an active tormentor and a passive bystander.

After all, they hadn’t been on her side. That was undeniable.

And so, she found herself at a loss for words.

Overwhelmed, Lirette quietly closed her mouth. She bowed her head and focused solely on finishing her meal.

With the person who could answer their questions now silent, only confusion remained in the air. But that too was fleeting. Sensing Lirette’s cold, unwelcoming demeanor, the maids gradually stopped talking, and the noise died down.

The lively atmosphere dissipated, and a tense quiet fell over the room.

The air felt sharp, almost as if it were cutting into her skin.

“I’m finished, so…”

Lirette lifted her now-empty plate.

“I’ll get going first.”

“Oh, uh, okay.”

Someone, still rational enough, awkwardly responded to Lirette. She didn’t look back once as she cleared her dishes and left the kitchen.

***

To be honest, Lirette no longer wanted to be entangled with others.

After all, this job was only a one-year commitment for her.

With Hayley’s constant harassment now gone, it was time for her to focus on the things she truly needed to address.

According to her plan, she just had to keep a suitable distance from the others and go about her business. After a year, they would naturally part ways.

“Let’s see, who’s left?”

The head maid glanced around to see who was still present and started writing something with a quill.

“Hardy and Brilline, you two will handle cleaning the lamps on the third floor.”

Familiar names rang in Lirette’s ears.

She felt Hardy, standing at the front of the line, glance over at her.

Suppressing a sigh, Lirette stayed silent.

“That’s all for today’s briefing. If there are any issues, come find me.”

A loud response echoed throughout the servants’ hall.

Lirette left the room quickly.

Since the incident with Hayley, serving morning tea had become her assigned duty.

She had mastered the task, preparing tea sets with such skill that she was unmatched by anyone else as she headed to the drawing room. Valderion wasn’t there, but Lirette wasn’t surprised. She brought tea daily, but the master was not always present.

She asked just in case, but the head maid instructed her to prepare tea even if the master wasn’t around.

“Where’s your master?”

In place of Valderion, Camon, the dog, was lounging in the sunny spot, wagging his tail lazily as he approached. Lirette stroked his head as he rubbed against her knees. After setting up the tea, she stood by for a while. When she felt enough time had passed, Lirette left the drawing room.

Although Camon’s company made her want to stay a little longer, she had other tasks to complete today, so she hurried along.

Lirette made her way to the third floor. As she walked through the long corridor, she spotted Hardy cleaning alone inside one of the rooms.

“Sorry, I’m a bit late because of another task.”

She spoke as she entered, startling Hardy, who visibly flinched.

“No problem, you were preparing the tea, right?”

“Yeah.”

Lirette gathered the lamps from various corners of the room and placed them on a nearby table, just as Hardy was doing. She could clearly feel Hardy stealing glances at her throughout the process.

In most cleaning tasks like sweeping or dusting, Lirette would have ignored the attention.

But today, they were cleaning lamps, a task she had never done before.

The lamps, encased in elegant gold frames, were clearly expensive. Without knowing how to handle them properly, she could easily cause damage, which would be a serious issue.

“I’ve never cleaned a lamp before, could you show me how it’s done?”

She had no choice but to ask.

Still, things were better now than they had been before. Previously, when she didn’t know how to do something, there hadn’t even been anyone she could ask.

Hardy’s face brightened immediately, as if she had been waiting for Lirette to speak to her.

“First, you need to twist open the top lid. Then you take out the wick, and clean from the inside out. If the lamp’s just been used, the glass might still be hot, so it’s best to let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes before touching it.”

Hardy demonstrated as she spoke, her hands moving swiftly to show Lirette the process in detail. Thanks to her clear explanation, Lirette was able to follow without any trouble.

There were quite a few lamps scattered around the room. Lirette moved some of them to a different table and then gathered the rest.

She grabbed a dry cloth and began wiping down the lamps. The only sound that filled the room was the quiet rustling of the cloth against the glass, cleaning away the dust. The distance between the tables and the awkward tension from past events made the atmosphere increasingly uncomfortable.

“I’ll help.”

By the time Lirette had cleaned about ten lamps, a shadow fell over the table. She looked up and saw Hardy, who had quietly approached her. Behind Hardy, Lirette could see that the lamps on her side were already cleaned and neatly arranged.

Hardy’s speed in cleaning made it clear she had been doing this for a long time.

Since they still had the entire floor’s lamps to clean, teamwork was essential. With a nod of thanks, Lirette refocused on her work.

Then, noticing a subtle restlessness next to her, she turned her head.

Hardy, who had been fidgeting like she wanted to say something, immediately bowed deeply when their eyes met.

“T-that time… I’m sorry!”