At the door was a meek and mouse-like maid.
She obviously was one of the newer ones, based on her freshly made outfit. The maid kept her head bowed at an angle, her curly brown hair ruffled slightly as she fidgeted. She seemed to be caught off guard that the door was opened immediately, stuttering as she performed a clumsy bow.
"Lady... Lady Doll, I have been assigned to take... take care of you," said the girl, "this servant is named I... Ina."
Maerie raised an eyebrow at Ina before glancing at Raijin. He still had his smile as he led the girl inside and closed the door behind her.
"Come here," said Maerie, propping her chin up as Ina drew closer.
Although Ina seemed hesitant, she made her way over and stood in front of Maerie. Maerie didn't say anything else, only closely observing her.
Ina was fairly short, her height no higher than five feet. Her skin was bronze-colored, while her hair was a soft chocolate color. It was fluffy and curly, giving off a beautiful shine. She was probably told to take a bath before she came because Maerie could see some parts of her hair was still damp with moisture.
"Mm, you," asked Maerie, "you're a commoner? Which family?"
Ina looked taken aback before answering, "Um, Winsley, Lady... Lady Doll."
Maerie's raised an eyebrow at this.
Maerie knew a decent amount of information regarding most nobles, as she liked to keep useful information on her enemies. Therefore, she knew the Winsley family were Barons. However, she also knew they only had three sons. One had already graduated from the Academy years back and now has a government position. The other two are still attending the Academy, though in different grades.
But now they have a daughter? Moreover, this girl looks to be only thirteen or fourteen at most. They couldn't have hidden a child for this long. She doesn't even look like the family, that's why Maerie had assumed she was of commoner status.
Why is the daughter of a Baron working as a maid in the Academy?
Maerie's eyes settled on Ina once more.
"You, are you adopted?"
"Ex... Excuse me?"
"Quickly, I disliked slow people," Maerie told her in a chilly tone.
The girl was startled before she nodded her head.
"Um... yes, the Winsley family did..." Ina's words faltered.
"Did what?" asked Maerie sharply.
Ina's lips pursed from Maerie's harsh tone, bending her head lower.
"Baron Winsley... did... adopt me," she finished.
Maerie listened and thought carefully.
Had Ina been firm with her words, Maerie probably would have believed her. Seeing her struggle to even confirm she'd been adopted, Maerie's eyes widened as a nagging feeling appeared in the back of her mind.
Oh? It seemed she was given quite a nice present.
"I see," said Maerie in an indifferent tone, "well, I can't exactly say I'm happy with the maid they assigned."
Ina gave Maerie a dumbfounded look.
"Raijin," called Maerie, beckoning him over with just a glance, "see this girl out."
Raijin came swiftly and lightly grabbed the girl who began trembling. Before he could move her, she released herself from his grasp and knelt close to the ground.
"Lady... Lady Doll! Please, was there something this servant did wrong?" Ina said such desperate lines.
Maerie had heard these lines said by multiple servants numerous times in her past life. She completely despised the servants who pretended to be ignorant about their behaviors.
"Of course you did," Maerie replied, "when I ask you a question, you're supposed to answer quickly and in a punctual manner. You, on the other hand, were slow and stuttered with every answer. If I keep a servant by my side, they're to follow according to my rules."
Even though she was scolding Ina, her eyes drifted to Raijin in for a split second before she looked back at the shivering girl at her feet.
"Please Lady Doll, give me another chance!" Ina begged, keeping her head down.
Maerie knew that the maid could view her as fickle and temperamental about this. However, this was her behavior in her past life to such measly things, so of course, she has no qualms about trying to change it. Perhaps she might later on, but for right now, she must stick with her unreasonable behavior.
"I don't know if I should. I'm very particular about certain things, I don't think you'll be able to reach that standard," Maerie sighed, looking as though she was perplexed about Ina's words.
Ina pressed herself lower. "Please, this servant troubles Lady Doll to help teach her the etiquette that she cannot learn herself."
Maerie leaned forward. "Really? Can you handle my version of 'etiquette'?"
"This servant will try her best!"
"Raise your head."
Ina froze, gulping as she looked up. Lavender eyes with hints of blue sparkled dangerously as they met her own brown ones.
"If you don't perform to my standards, I guess I'll have to talk to the Headmaster and see that I get a different one. He holds no special reservations about the servants and will accommodate me if I'm dissatisfied," Maerie told her in a low tone, "I'm not worried. I'm sure there's plenty to choose from."
Ina's body shivered before she lowered her head. What else could that last sentence possibly mean?
So what if you're a Baron's "daughter"? You're just as replaceable as the next maid to me.
"Raijin," Maerie said before getting up, "take her and have a nice chat. I expect her to properly act next time since you'll be teaching her."
Unbeknownst to Ina, Raijin made a face as though he was unwillingly being forced. With a haughty glare from Maerie, he resigned and helped Ina up.
Maerie turned and walked to her room, shutting the door behind her.
For the Academy students, they normally didn't have personal servants by their side. This was to keep the Academy less crowded and use fewer resources on people that were not their own. To accommodate for having no servants, normally a maid or butler from the Academy would be assigned to each student.
Maids and butlers were assigned to each student based on their gender. If you were female, then you would be assigned a maid. If you were male, then you were assigned a butler. This was to prevent any scandals between the noble children and their assigned servants.
The servants were mainly there to attend to their assigned student's needs, such as cleaning, dressing, schedule keeping, and other minor chores. This satisfied a lot of the students and their families, so they were happy to leave behind their family servants.
However, this meant that the servants provided by the Academy were not loyal to the noble children. The servant may follow their orders and treat them with respect, but in the end, all matters are reported to the Academy security, no matter how big or small. Nothing is kept secret from the Academy.
This was why none of the servants, however low their status was, were treated terribly. Any student found to be out of line were reported to the Headmaster, who would then promptly discipline them.
Of course, this is on the surface. If you were to go below, it's a much different story. Everyone wants to climb the social ladder, therefore there are people who will keep secrets and look the other way depending on your status.
This was how Maerie was able to get away with many things inside the academy.
Based on her family's standing, Maerie was able to bring a family servant to the Academy with her for trusted loyalty. With other families, they probably could if they bribed, but all Maerie had to do was ask her Father for a favor. She had refused the Academy's servants, wanting only her family's.
Instead of Raijin, there was another family servant that traveled to the Academy with her in the past. It was the maid that had played with Maerie from when she was very young. She was very loyal and very affectionate to Maerie despite her shortcomings. She had ended up dead at the Third Prince's hands.
Thinking back to when Maerie had to watch her get sliced in two as she was on her deathbed, Maerie's hands clenched.
Shaking her head, Maerie took a seat on her bed before falling backward onto it. As her pale hair spread about her, she changed her train of thought.
Baron Winsley did have affairs, but none of them produced children due to his wife's meddling. So even if that maid did come from the Winsley family, she most likely isn't biological.
Even though she was told that the girl was adopted, the way she reluctantly said it made Maerie believe otherwise. If she was adopted truly, most noble families would put their children through harsh etiquette classes. The adopted children would receive stricter classes as well.
But that maid still seemed to be unused to the presence of nobles and didn't seem as quick-witted as most of the Academy's maids. Despite her lack of discipline, she was still assigned as Maerie's maid. This was slightly insulting to Maerie, especially since she was the daughter of a Duke.
Beside insulting, this gave her a bit of unease as well. Since she refused servants from the Academy, they had never sent her one. However, she doesn't know why they had sent one this time. It shouldn't be any different, since they had settled the matter before Maerie had arrived to start her first year.
Faintly, she felt as though Raijin had something to do with this change. Her face scrunched together in displeasure, irritated that he might be doing unnecessary things.
As though Raijin knew he was called, there came a knock and a voice.
"Miss Maerie, may I come in?"
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