Chapter 32: Temporary Replacement

“Ouch!”

Chloe yelped, instinctively tossing the kitchen knife aside.

“What happened?”

The other maids turned to look.

“Oh, just cut her finger.”

One maid, seeing the blood on Chloe’s finger, sighed in relief.

Cutting a finger was common in the kitchen.

Hearing Chloe’s loud cry, she’d thought it was something serious.

“Put on a bandage and keep going.”

“Huh? No medicine?”

“For a tiny cut like that, it’ll heal before you even finish applying anything.”

The maid teased, returning to her station.

“Ugh…”

Chloe felt a bit dejected.

No one seemed to care.

But it made sense—mealtime was approaching, and everyone was busy with their tasks. Plus, it wasn’t a big deal.

Chloe grabbed a bandage from the kitchen’s first-aid kit and wrapped her finger.

She’d have to stay sharp for the rest of her work.

With better payment just around the corner, she couldn’t slack off now!

Cheering herself up, Chloe resumed her tasks.

Soon, after finishing most of her kitchen duties, it was time for the maids to eat.

Since the official mealtime was for Larvia and Silia, the maids had to eat earlier to be on standby for any sudden orders.

Even with Sheffield and Flora as their personal maids, there were occasional last-minute demands.

The most common was Silia begging for durian pastries, forcing the pastry maids to whip some up on the spot.

Those sudden tasks were a pain.

Luckily, it wasn’t daily—Larvia didn’t let Silia have durian pastries every day. When caught, Silia was banned from them for days.

Chloe grabbed her food tray and headed to the dining area.

As she sat, Sheffield sat across from her with her own tray.

“Good afternoon, Lady Sheffield.”

Chloe gave a polite nod, then dug into her meal.

“Good afternoon… hm?”

Sheffield noticed Chloe’s finger.

“What happened to your hand?” she asked, expressionless.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just cut it by accident.”

A faint smile crept onto Chloe’s face.

Sure, her coworkers were nice, but the one actively checking on her was the esteemed Lady Sheffield!

Despite her icy demeanor, Chloe knew Sheffield’s kindness better than anyone.

“How’d you handle it?”

“Just a bandage. Thanks for your concern, Lady Sheffield.”

“Go put some medicine on it.”

“No need, I’ve got work this afternoon.”

“Hm…”

Sheffield lowered her head, seemingly deep in thought.

“Since your hand’s injured, do something else this afternoon.”

“Huh? But the staff changes…”

“I’ll handle it.”

“Oh.”

Chloe nodded.

Not sure what to do next, she kept eating.

“Any work you’d like to do?”

“Hm…”

Chloe propped her chin, thinking.

Her focus was shot today.

Might as well think about that application.

But was there a job that didn’t need her injured left hand and let her slack off?

‘Hm…’

‘Got it!’

Her eyes lit up.

“Lady Sheffield, can I clean rooms?”

“Clean rooms? That’s doable…”

Sheffield paused.

“The reception hall, storeroom, washroom, guest rooms…”

“No, not those!” Chloe rubbed her hands. “Um, can I clean Her Majesty’s study?”

“Her Majesty’s study?”

Sheffield shook her head.

“Sorry, that won’t do. Her Majesty’s working there this afternoon, so cleaning’s inconvenient.”

“It’s fine, Lady Sheffield, just ask Her Majesty, please~ It’s not really cleaning, just… keeping her company, helping if she needs anything.”

Sheffield rubbed her chin, pondering.

For an ordinary maid, she’d refuse outright.

When Larvia worked, Sheffield handled those tasks. Chloe was essentially asking to take her place.

Having served Larvia for years, Sheffield knew her habits better than anyone.

But she also knew Chloe wasn’t an ordinary maid.

Larvia had personally pulled strings to get Chloe in—her connection was clearly special.

If it was someone like that, Larvia’s response might not be a flat no.

Of course, the exact nature of Chloe and Larvia’s relationship wasn’t her business.

After some thought, Sheffield nodded.

“Alright, I’ll ask Her Majesty at noon.”

“Yay!”

At Larvia’s bedroom door, Chloe leaned against the frame, bored, picking at her nails.

Creak.

The door opened.

Chloe immediately put on an expectant look, turning to Sheffield.

“Well? Did Her Majesty agree?”

“Yes,” Sheffield replied calmly.

“Yay!”

Chloe rushed into Larvia’s bedroom without looking back.

Watching her, a faint ripple of emotion flickered in Sheffield’s cold eyes.

‘Who is this girl?’

‘If she’s just a maid, why would Her Majesty allow her to disturb her work?’

‘So, to Her Majesty, this girl is more important than her work.’

Silia’s face flashed in Sheffield’s mind, her eyelid twitching.

She shook her head.

‘Forget it. Whatever Chloe’s relationship with Her Majesty is, it’s not my place to care.’

‘Whether that thought was right or wrong, just pretend it never happened.’

Meanwhile, in the room behind her, Larvia sat elegantly in formal attire.

“Don’t just stand there, come here~”

“Ugh…”

A faint blush spread across Chloe’s face.

“You need to get closer so I can heal your finger with magic~”

“Fine. But… since I said you can come to me for cuddles, this counts as you wanting to cuddle with me, okay?”

“Sure, sure…”

Larvia waved dismissively.

Chloe walked toward her.

Unbeknownst to herself, her steps quickened.