Chapter 27

Oh my. I barely remembered how to get here.

Evelyn sighed inwardly and quickly followed Fiona. Fortunately, Fiona’s steps stopped in front of a room not far away.

“The maids from the Wardrobe Department wait here after finishing their tasks. While here, they handle miscellaneous tasks or embroider.”

“Excuse me? Embroidery?”

“They mostly make handkerchiefs for the Imperial Knights.”

Evelyn grumbled inwardly, thinking, they have so much money, yet can’t they just buy handkerchiefs? Fiona, smiling faintly at Evelyn’s reaction, opened the door.

“Shall we go in? Everyone should be gathered, so it’s a good time for introductions.”

Oh no, I’m not mentally prepared yet! 

But before Evelyn could hesitate, Fiona had already entered.

The room resembled a spacious lounge. In front of a massive tapestry hanging on the wall, two young Imperial Knights stood guard.

With swords at their waists, they stood tall and dignified, but they looked undeniably young. They couldn’t have been older than sixteen or eighteen at most.

The knights gave Fiona a brief bow, and she responded with a light nod before passing by them and heading further inside. As she did, their gazes shifted cautiously toward Evelyn.

They’re looking at me like I’m some kind of exotic koala.

Feeling competitive, Evelyn gave them a once-over in return. Within three seconds, the knights’ faces turned red, and they quickly averted their eyes.

Hah, what a joke. Acting all high and mighty for nothing.

Feeling triumphant, Evelyn walked past the knights. Fiona, who had been watching her with an expression that seemed on the verge of a sigh, gestured toward her.

“Quickly, come over here.”

“Yes!”

Evelyn hurried over and stood beside Fiona.

Across from Fiona stood five girls. The tall red-haired one and the angelic blonde seemed to be about Evelyn’s age, while the other three were clearly younger.

Their upright postures alone made it obvious that they had been strictly raised in noble households. It made Evelyn feel slightly guilty about being there as a parachute recruit.

“This is Evelyn Hynes, who will be working with you all from now on. By the command of Her Majesty, she has been appointed as a mid-level maid. She is your colleague, so ensure that no unpleasant incidents occur.”

As soon as Fiona finished speaking, sharp gazes pierced Evelyn’s body. The sudden change in the girls’ eyes made her realize the gravity of being in the palace.

This is electrifying. I feel like I’m about to get grilled.

Evelyn smiled as if she didn’t feel anything. The girls’ probing gazes began to shift.

The first to speak was the angelic blonde girl.

“Hello, I’m Maria Primrose. The eldest daughter of the Marquis of Primrose. Please call me Maria.”

Her gentle smile looked as though it had been painted on. Next, the red-haired girl coldly introduced herself.

“Camilla Eden.”

“Camilla is the second daughter of the Earl of Eden. Both of us are mid-level maids.” 

Maria kindly added. Evelyn responded with a bright smile that matched Maria’s.

“Nice to meet you both.”

The remaining three introduced themselves as lower-level maids: Anne, Diana, and Bella. All three had brown hair and similar appearances, making it a bit confusing. Evelyn tried hard to memorize their names and faces.

Fiona, who had been watching the scene with satisfaction, spoke up.

“Evelyn, join the others in embroidering handkerchiefs. Maria, help Evelyn choose fabric and embroidery thread.”

“Yes, Head Maid.”

Maria smiled without a hint of reluctance. Fiona nodded approvingly, looking pleased, and left, saying she would return later.

“The fabric and thread are over here.”

Maria moved toward the closet as she explained. At first glance, she seemed genuinely kind and good-natured, but something about her felt off. Evelyn couldn’t pinpoint it, but as soon as the closet door opened, she froze.

“Oh my, what’s this?”

Maria tilted her head, placing a hand on her cheek as if puzzled.

Inside the closet were only black and gray fabrics. The embroidery threads were limited to black, gray, and white. It was almost eerie to see only such colors left, as if preparing for a funeral.

“It seems the maid in charge forgot to restock the fabrics and threads. Still, it’s fortunate that the colors left are perfect for Miss Hynes. Isn’t that lucky?”

Maria smiled angelically.

Ah, so you’re quite the sly one, aren’t you?

When Evelyn didn’t respond with a smile, Maria feigned concern and asked.

“Don’t tell me you don’t like them? All the fabrics and threads here are of the highest quality.”

Oh, so you’re trying to make me seem picky now?

“Of course not. I’d just like to embroider on white fabric like everyone else. It wouldn’t be good to stand out too much, would it?”

Evelyn shrugged as she replied, and Maria let out a small sigh.

“What should we do? It seems difficult to get new fabric or thread right away. Oh, but don’t worry. I’ll tell the Head Maid that you couldn’t embroider because there wasn’t any white fabric. Since it’s your first day, I’m sure she’ll understand.”

If Evelyn nodded here, rumors would spread that she had gone on strike on her very first day.

“Isn’t there a better solution? I think borrowing some fabric or thread from the others would work.”

Evelyn tilted her head, mimicking Maria’s gesture as she placed a hand on her cheek.

Maria’s eyes darkened, as if realizing Evelyn was mocking her.

“Oh dear, that would be difficult. We only have just enough for ourselves.”

“Hmm.”

Ignoring Maria’s excuses, Evelyn walked over to the other girls.

Camilla glared at her, Diana and Anne avoided eye contact, and Bella kept her nose buried in her embroidery.

Alright, I’ve got a rough idea of who might be an ally or an enemy.

Evelyn deliberately circled the table before speaking.

“Maria, I really like the pink thread you have. Could you spare just this much for me?”

She held out her hands, indicating a modest length. Before Maria could respond, Camilla snapped.

“Hey, didn’t Maria say she doesn’t have any to spare?”

Oh, speaking informally, are we? Not that I care.

Evelyn glanced at the massive spool of pink thread that looked like it could last ten years and smiled brightly.

“Really? Then I’ll just tell the Head Maid that kind Maria didn’t want to lend me even a single thread, so I couldn’t embroider. Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“What?”

Camilla glared at Evelyn with wide eyes. Before she could explode, Maria, whose face had gone pale, intervened.

“I’ll give it to you. Since you insist on taking what’s mine, I have no choice. Go ahead.”

“Wow, you’re lending it to me? Thank you so much. Maria, you’re so kind.”

Feigning cluelessness, Evelyn took a small amount of the pink thread.

Camilla ground her teeth, glaring at Evelyn, while Maria pretended to calm her down, subtly mocking Evelyn. She probably thought Evelyn wouldn’t be able to do anything with just a single thread.

Ignoring them, Evelyn focused on choosing fabric.

“Let’s see—which fabric—looks the prettiest—”

After some deliberation, she chose gray fabric. Though the color was dull, it was well-suited for a handkerchief, neatly cut and carefully finished. Gathering the thread and other tools, she sat down in a suitable spot.

I’ll embroider as small as possible. Just a tiny design in the corner.

While others embroidered large patterns across their handkerchiefs, Evelyn had no intention of doing the same.

It’s not like I’m selling this or giving it to someone I love. Why bother putting in so much effort?

“Um, um! Would you like to use this?!”

A piece of chalk shaped like a pencil was suddenly thrust toward her. A brown-haired girl with a squirrel-like face mustered all her courage to speak.

“Y-You need to draw a pattern on the fabric, but you don’t seem to have an embroidery pen. I-I’ve already finished using this, so if you need it, please take it.”

“Oh, thank you so much. I really needed this.”

Evelyn gratefully accepted the chalk. The girl sighed in relief at Evelyn’s reaction and smiled shyly.

Her name was probably Diana, right? 

She was a kind-hearted girl, willing to speak to someone ostracized.

Evelyn gave her a warm smile before starting to draw on the fabric. She had already decided what to embroider when choosing the fabric.

If I try something fancy, it’ll fail. I’ll aim for something intentionally simple and cute.

Evelyn wasn’t particularly skilled at embroidery. The Head Maid had forced her to learn just the basics.

But she was confident in her drawing skills, thanks to her past life dabbling in comics.

The safest choices are a puppy or a cat.

Dogs were more universally loved, but to make her handkerchief stand out among the others, a cat, with its dedicated fanbase, was a better option. Evelyn sketched a cat lying on its side.

It sprawled with its legs stretched out and its belly exposed in the most ungraceful pose imaginable. She planned to embroider the cat’s pink rear with the pink thread Maria had given her.