Surviving As A Maid
Chapter 10

If I had entered Yurigel’s body, I could have truly dominated this kingdom. Nearly every man was bewitched by Yurigel. I would have had the power to seduce ministers, generals, and knights. I could have overthrown the king to seize control myself.

In fact, I believed that the true love between Yurigel and the king, as depicted in The Escape, was proven in such ways. Despite his influential charm, Yurigel never instigated a coup or manipulated the ministers to depose the queen and take her place. Rather than becoming an unprecedented male queen, he humbly remained as a concubine by Evans’ side. Their love was pure, so why did it wreak such havoc on those around them?

I had been clenching the fountain pen so fiercely that ink had started to splatter all over my hand. Sighing, I put the pen down and gazed into the mirror on the desk. There I was, my face unchanged, neither more beautiful nor less, just the same.

I wonder if my ramyun is still okay. It was the day Mom was dyeing her hair. I want to go home. I knew I shouldn’t think about it, but I really wanted to go back home. My already-capsized life was now caught in a tempest. I wished I could go home, lie next to my mom, and find solace in her presence. I was scheduled to move into a room next to the prince’s tomorrow. That must have been what the head maid meant when she told me to come early. Because now, I was the prince’s new nanny.

While reading The Escape, Yurigel and King Evans’ love was depicted as beautiful and genuine. I wished I could have been swept up in that emotional narrative. Instead, my attention gravitated toward the queen as I read the book. Once I started feeling pity for her, it troubled me. From then on, every mention of her caught my eye.

Is this why I’m here now? Am I being punished for pitying the queen? Or was I sent here to save her because I sympathized with her and I’m expected to save her? Both possibilities were equally frustrating. Who was there to save my life? One’s life was one’s own salvation.

In this type of romance novel world, how would an average-looking woman with no connections survive?

First, I could adhere to the original story and befriend the main character.

Second, I could try to disrupt the original plot.

Third, I could do nothing.

Why are these the only options I can think of? It was like choosing between focusing on a civil service exam, switching careers entirely, or facing unemployment. Any wrong move could lead to a disastrous ending. There’s nothing I can do. Sighing, I put down the pen.

Covered in dried blood, my body felt crusty and uncomfortable. I needed to bathe before Mina arrived and burn the papers. As I gathered my clothes to take a bath, a realization struck me. Being appointed as the prince’s nanny by the king himself meant I couldn’t be easily dismissed. I was almost like a civil servant. Does this mean I could start sowing seeds of doubt in the young prince’s mind against his father—the king—before Mio does?

Can I tell him his father is a real bastard?

***

My unexpected promotion and elevation in status occurred in the early morning hours. Such a swift promotion in life was unlikely to happen again. I had progressed from an apprentice maid to a full-fledged one with a salary increase. Now, I was even drafting a contract to become a life peer.

“Nannies for the royal family all become life peers. Your situation is unique, but... you understand the implications, right?” the head maid, Susa, asked.

“Yes! It means everyone will be dying to have me as a bride now!” I beamed.

Her expression was one I recognized. It was the same look my supervisor gave me when I confessed my ignorance about the copy machine. Yet, my statement held true. When a commoner like Ash, of unknown origins, became a life peer, her potential as a spouse expanded to include even knightly ranks in the marriage market.

A life peer was a noble with a title that could not be inherited. However, if their spouse also held a title of the same rank, their children were able to inherit it. Consequently, younger sons of nobility who weren’t the heirs of their families or knights who also possessed a life peerage often sought ladies with that title. And finding a lady with such status was not easy. Moreover, unmarried life peers like Ash were even rarer.

Finally, life seems to be looking up. Young and handsome knights, here I come!

“The moment you sign this contract, I must address you formally, and you will be solely responsible for the prince’s care. I hope you have thought this through,” Susa warned.

“It’s not like I have any other choice but to sign it.”

I felt like a royal maid who had been promoted. It was extremely rare for a king to personally appoint his son’s nanny. The head maid laid the freshly written contract before me without another word, but all I could see was white paper and black ink.

Wait... Ash is illiterate? No! I thought there wouldn’t be any more surprises! No wonder there were no books or letters in my room! I composed myself and stared at the contract again. Thankfully, I wasn’t completely illiterate.

Is... To... As... Work... Must...

I was wrong. I found myself in an embarrassing predicament—reminiscent of the time when I ambitiously bought an original vampire romance novel when my reading level was still at children’s chapter books.

“Um, Madam Susa... I’m reluctant to say this, but... the thing is...” I stammered.

“Go on.”

“I can’t read.”

Admitting this was humiliating. Back in my world, I was a top scorer on the language portion of my college entrance exam, hailing from a country with an almost nonexistent illiteracy rate. I didn’t want to admit my illiteracy even if it meant tearing my mouth apart, yet I humbly lowered my head and confessed it to her.

Fingers fidgeting in my lap, I felt the weight of the silence pressing down on me. I couldn’t bear to see her face. The thought of the disappointment that would be visible on her face scared me.

“Right, you were a commoner. It’s just as expected,” she said in a tone that seemed understanding, but her words seemed to have implied that such ignorance was unacceptable among her people. “Even I don’t know how long you’ll be serving the prince as his nanny...”

She paused, and I couldn’t help but wonder if her words also hinted at not knowing how long I would stay alive.

“In caring for the young prince, there can be no room for inadequacy. Until he’s old enough for a tutor, you must be adequately prepared.”

“Yes, Madam Susa.”

“I will arrange for a tutor to instruct you in reading and writing.”

The prospect of returning to studies years after university didn’t thrill me, but I had no choice.

“Thank you.”

“Now, sign here. Then you may leave.”

I opened my fountain pen, feigning calm, and asked, “Where should I sign?”

She pointed to the bottom of the contract, her expression betraying a sense of pity and disdain. Following that, I was moved to a room next to the baby prince’s early the next morning. Mina and Ellie cheered me on as they assisted me, but their encouragement rang hollow in my ears. Even though I was unmarried, I had read about debates on marriage and in-law relationships on websites, gaining some insight into such dynamics.

The first hundred days with a baby were said to be the most challenging, with the need to feed every two hours. It marked the end of any semblance of a personal life for me. The people here are all insane. Why would they entrust me with a newborn? They should hire a professional! Someone experienced!

The king, in his ignorance, confidently stated that the baby wouldn’t need breastfeeding after a month, but that was far from reality. So, every morning, the queen came to breastfeed the baby prince. Even when the previous nanny was present, the prince had been fed both breast milk and formula.

The prince was breastfed three times a day—in the morning, at noon, and at night. It didn’t seem sufficient, but perhaps the queen didn’t have an abundant supply of milk.

“I’m sure I’ve heard your name before...” the queen remarked.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m Ash,” I replied.

“Right, Ash.”

Although it seemed improbable that the queen would know the names of all the maids in her palace, she responded politely. She didn’t hold the prince for long. Once he seemed full, she placed him back in the cradle. The baby prince briefly fussed as he waved his hands but soon calmed down. Reaching out to the mobile hanging above, he played contentedly by himself.

“You must have a lot to manage,” she commented.

I wanted to respond modestly, claiming it wasn’t much, but I found myself unable to say something I didn’t believe in. The queen rose from her seat, gave a brief glance to Mio by the door, and then a look toward me before turning to leave.

“I’ll visit from lunchtime onward with the prince. My apologies for being inexperienced on the first day, Your Majesty.”

She gazed at me intently. The queen, with her black hair and black eyes, wasn’t a striking beauty, but she possessed elegance and grace. Her beauty was quiet and serene, like still water or an ink painting. This type of beauty didn’t diminish her attractiveness, but the problem was she had to compete with the dazzling Yurigel. While the queen’s beauty might be subjective, Yurigel’s was undeniable.

“No, there’s no need for that,” the queen replied calmly, her demeanor neutral. She shared a trait with Mio—both were enveloped in melancholy and sadness. “I don’t want the smell of the child in my room.”

Though I had never given birth myself, I was aware that a mother’s world often revolved around her child after giving birth. I had always thought the notion of a mother’s unconditional love for her child in every situation was somewhat of a maternal fantasy. Yet, it saddened me to see a mother who had endured nine months of pregnancy and childbirth appear so devoid of happiness.

The queen left quietly, and the young prince began to fuss in the cradle. He would likely grow up unaware of the day’s events.

Perhaps the words Mio might whisper to the young prince wouldn’t be entirely false—words about his mother not truly loving him, about his father showing no interest, or how he was born into a world without love. And in the grand scheme of things, since not every child is fortunate enough to be born into a loving environment, his situation wasn’t uniquely tragic.

Holding the heavy prince, I patted his back gently, and he quickly settled down. I wasn’t fond of babies, finding their crying annoying and bothersome. However, the baby prince was fortunately quiet and well-behaved.

The room showed no signs of the previous day’s bloodshed. Even the scent of blood had been eradicated. The person responsible for cleaning the room had evidently put a lot of effort into eliminating all traces of the incident.

Just yesterday, I was huddled on the floor, trembling. Now, I stood as the prince’s nanny and a life peer, no longer wearing a maid’s uniform.

I turned to Mio, still holding the prince. From now on, except for the hours I spent sleeping, bathing, and changing clothes, I would spend all my time with the man who gazed sorrowfully at the empty cradle. I wondered what it felt like to be in charge of protecting the son of someone who loved the same man as him. Amid this complex love dynamic, did the opportunity to see Yurigel more often excite him or not? Why does he love Yurigel?

“Hello, Sir Mio Zodiac. As you might know, I’ve become the young prince’s nanny. My name is Ash Tolkayn, but you can call me Ash,” I said.

I extended my hand to him while supporting the prince with the other arm. But Mio took no action as he simply stared at my palm with sad eyes.