Who Do You Like More, Mom or Dad? - Chapter 5

The Head Maid walked to the shelf and opened a safe. She counted the money inside it and put it in a leather pouch, seemingly indifferent she pushed the pouch and threw it towards Diana.

“Here. It’s the salary for this month and your retirement pay. It would be great if you left as soon as possible. When are you planning to pack up?”

“I’ll sort it out today.”

“Alright. About your work…. I’ll work it out, so just go.”

“Yes.”

“Go quietly. Don’t make a fuss, leave silently like the dead. Understood?”

Diana took the leather pouch.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

The sound of the door closing behind her back echoed quietly. The hallway was empty.

“Haah.”

Diana sighed deeply and rubbed her eyelids.

‘Who would know that I’d quit like this.’

She had been agonizing about how she would do it, but yet again, her agonizing was all for naught.

‘It’s fine. It worked out rather well.’

Diana opened the pouch and checked the amount of money inside. A maid’s salary varied depending on their position, but it was usually around 200,000 Sorna a month, which was about 10 silver coins.

However, Diana’s salary was nothing compared to that. Her salary was 20,000 Sorna at most.

The Head Maid said it was because she was young, so she had no choice but to give her less. She said that she should be grateful for even getting a salary at a place that already provided her accommodation.

‘But, I worked the same amount as the rest….’

No, rather, ever since she began being ill-treated by the Miss, she had to do more work than the other maids.

Diana rubbed the scar on the back of her hand. It was a wound that formed while doing laundry in the middle of winter.

Washing clothes in the cold was a painful process. She had to break the ice and do the laundry in floating water. That day, by the time she had finished doing the laundry it was already very dark. Diana came back expecting to get some rest, when suddenly Laura threw the Miss’s skirt at her and told her to go back out and wash it as well.

Even worse was the fact that the skirt had ink stains on it that were intentionally put there. The already ingrained ink didn’t come off well, and by the time she returned, barely finishing the task, her leather shoes were frozen hard, splattered with water. While taking off her shoes, Diana couldn’t help but groan, her feet had become swollen red, frozen like a statue.

Diana’s luggage was simple. She simply had to fold her few clothes and put them inside her bag. She also grabbed a bunch of letters that were tied with a string and placed them into the bag, closing it.

She took one last look around the room. Her gaze passed from the old bed, to the small bedside table, and to the only closet.

‘I didn’t know I would leave here like this.’

She had enough of everything, but she still felt sad. After all, it was the place she lived in for more than five years. Diana sighed and picked up her luggage.

***

“I’ll write to you when I’ve settled down.”

“What’s the point of writing a letter? I don’t know how to read.”

Mrs. Martin snorted. She was the only Missus who sincerely cared for Diana at Bordeaux’s mansion. She was also the only person to ask when she didn’t come back yesterday.

Diana at least wanted to say her last greetings to the Missus and give her an explanation. After hearing the circumstances, the Missus was enraged as if it was her who was told to leave, and even offered to escort Diana out.

Diana smiled and stopped her steps.

“Mrs. Martin, I’m really fine. You can go in now.”

“Didn’t I say I’ll go with you? I have to at least see which bastard it is who’s claiming to be your guardian.”

Mrs. Martin huffed and crossed her arms, untrusting the fact that Diana now had a guardian and was leaving the mansion. It was to the extent that the Missus asked her if she was kicked out and that’s why she was leaving. Even offering to step in and ask the Head Maid about it.

“I can’t let you go because I’m anxious. Don’t you know how dangerous the outside world is…?”

At that time, the figure of a carriage appeared from the forest.

“I think I see a carriage over there. Don’t tell me, is that the carriage?”

Diana turned her head at Mrs. Martin’s words.

“Ah, I think that’s right.”

Mrs. Martin squinted her eyes and muttered.

“The carriage is nice….”

The fast-running carriage stopped on the hill. The door opened and Hermann, who was wearing a deeply-pressed hat, got off.

“Gasp!”

Mrs. Martin, whose mouth was shut, let out a strange exclamation. Diana also looked at Hermann with big eyes.

Hermann dressed completely different from the common travelers one would see in the morning. He dressed like the city people, clad in a sophisticated suit, a glossy black cape, and holding an expensive-looking cane. The cape in particular, looked incredibly expensive.

‘Looks like he’s even better than the Lord…?’

With a strange expression, Mrs. Martin whispered to Diana.

“…By any chance, is that person a noble?”

An answer came out from the other side.

“No, I’m not. Diana, who is she?”

Diana hurriedly introduced Mrs. Martin.

“This is Mrs. Martin, the head cook of the Bordeaux Mansion. She came out to see me off.”

“….”

Hermann took off his hat and bowed slightly without saying a word. Mrs. Martin, who had been staring blankly for a while, belatedly greeted him.

“P-please take good care of Diana.”

“You don’t have to worry.”

Hermann spoke politely, reaching out his hand to Diana.

“Then, let’s go now.”

After nodding her head, Diana greeted Mrs. Martin one last time.

“Mrs. Martin, I’ll go now. Thank you for escorting me all the way here.”

“Y-yeah. Be careful, and stay healthy.”

Mrs. Martin gave Diana a tight hug.

“Is this all of your luggage?”

“Yes.”

“Nice way of thinking, it’s better to throw away all unneeded baggage.”

Hermann picked up Diana’s luggage bag.

“Ah? I can also hold it….”

Hermann simply ignored Diana and put her bag inside the carriage. He then grabbed Diana’s waist and lifted her up.

“…!”

Before she could even scream in surprise, she was already in the carriage.

‘W-what just happened?’

Hermann followed, casually stroking Diana’s head as he got in. Settling in, he nonchalantly sat on the seat across her. Diana was left puzzled and touched the part where Hermann had stroked her.

The carriage took off slowly. Rushing to the window, Diana waved back at Mrs. Martin.

Diana waved to Mrs. Martin until she wasn’t visible anymore before sitting down. Hermann, who was staring at her, blankly asked.

“What’s that?”

Hermann pointed with the tip of his chin. It was the bouquet of wildflowers that Diana was holding.

“Ah.”

Diana hurriedly looked at the bouquet. She accidentally squeezed it when she climbed up, but thankfully the flower was fine because she held the stem part. She let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s because I’ll be going to see mom.”

To get flowers one had to go out of the city. Even more so, flowers were very expensive, so she could only manage such luxury once a year, on her mother’s death anniversary.

Hermann looked caught off guard. He turned his head and looked out of the window as if to hide his face. After a long time, he opened his mouth again.

“…Philippa didn’t like flowers.”

“Philippa…. Ah right, you said it was mother’s name.”

Hermann belatedly recalled telling Diana her mother’s real name yesterday. It was still awkward for Diana to hear the name.

“Boys always sent her flowers as gifts, so she said that she was tired dealing with it.”

“Really? I didn’t know.”

It was the first time she heard that story.

So, she didn’t like flowers…

Diana once again fiddled with the pendant that was on her chest, a habit she had picked up. Hermann looked at her appearance and said,

“About that pendant, don’t tell anyone about it and don’t show it as well. ”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

“Are there a lot of people who know that the pendant is your mother’s relic?”

Diana agonized over it with her fingers then shook her head. Mrs. Martin, Miss Atticia and a friend at the academy. Those were the only ones. Hermann nodded at the number of fingers Diana folded.

“It’s a relief that there are only three people. The fact that it’s a relic isn’t the important thing. What’s important is the fact that there’s a spirit in it.”

“A spirit?”

“Yeah.”

“You said last time that it was cast by a magic spell.”

“Of course, the spirit was placed using magic.”

The spirit was put in by Thesevitz, who is most likely your biological father.

Hermann swallowed the following words.

It wasn’t confirmed yet so he shouldn’t come to conclusions so quickly. Although he was almost 100 percent sure due to the timing and her symptoms.

Even so, it was really fortunate that there was that pendant. Without the traces of the spirit, even if it was Hermann who was searching, he would not have found Philippa, no, Diana.

The problem was that the spirit who had long been asleep in the pendant suddenly started to move.

Hermann examined the pendant when Diana fell asleep, but Spirits wasn’t his major.

“T-then is this something very precious?”

Frightened, Diana turned pale. Herman was appalled, trying to calm her down, he said moderately,

“Surely it’s not common, but it’s not very precious.”

It was worth a castle, but it’s not precious because your father is the Grand Duke of Nohibaden.

Hermann once again swallowed the following words. Fortunately, Diana seemed somewhat relieved by Hermann’s words.

“At this rate, in the future how will Philippa’s daughter….”

Hermann looked at Diana worriedly.

The horseman knocked on the carriage door, indicating that they had arrived. Hermann’s expression, which had relaxed, turned stiff again. In a firm voice, Hermann said.

“Looks like we’ve arrived. Let’s get off.”

They arrived at the Aachen Public Cemetery. A place where people without connections were buried. It was a quiet place with very few visitors, even now, they were the only people there.

A mixture of weak wooden tombstones and still shaped stone tombstones gave the scenery a lonely feeling.

Diana walked familiarly between them, Hermann following right after her. After walking for a long time, they arrived. Diana laid down a bouquet of flowers in front of the best-managed tombstone.

[April]

It was a rough tombstone with only one small name that was engraved on it.

“Wait, for a moment….”

Hermann buried his face between his long fingers. As he breathed in, Hermann said without raising his face from his hand.

“Diana. For a moment, haa…. Can you leave me alone for a while?”

Hermann pretended to be calm, but at the end of his words he trembled. Diana alternated between looking at her mother’s grave and Hermann. She knew that Hermann didn’t want to show her his grief.

“I’ll be in the carriage.”

Diana headed for the carriage looking back every now and then anxiously.