“Hmm, I’ve lost my appetite,” Hazel declared, her voice tinged with dissatisfaction as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. When her gaze met Elena’s, she offered a chilly smile, lifting one corner of her mouth.
“Elena, have the meal set up again and bring it to my room,” she commanded.
“If I simply change the fork, you can continue your meal immediately. I could arrange it right now,” Elena suggested, motioning to the nearby maid.
However, Hazel rose from her seat, smoothing her dress with her palm. “You seem to have forgotten that I’m in the midst of teaching you dining etiquette, haven’t you? Remember the incident with the fork at our last dinner?”
There was no way Elena could forget. It was the day Carmen, at Hazel’s insistence, had dragged her into the dining room. She flushed with embarrassment as she recalled the shocked expressions of Kennard and Serin upon seeing her. Not only had she dropped the fork out of nervousness, but she had also fumbled trying to retrieve it.
“You truly are clueless,” Hazel sighed. “People have instincts—words or actions that emerge unintentionally.”
What was she trying to say? Elena wondered.
“You instinctively reached for the fork that day. Perhaps because you lack the etiquette of nobles, but it indicates it’s ingrained in you. How does one rid themselves of such instinct?”
It dawned on Elena what Hazel was suggesting. “You mean I need to practice?”
“Yes. I aim to instill the dignity and etiquette of nobility within you. As a noble myself, I’m investing my time in educating someone like you, who is unaware of her own status. So instead of being ungrateful, refrain from making that disdainful expression.”
Meeting Hazel’s gaze head-on, Elena clenched her fist, feeling the handle of the fork digging into her palm as if it might pierce through.
“Oh, and I’ll be taking a bath tonight, Elena, and you’ll be attending to it,” Hazel announced casually.
“Me?” Elena repeated.
“Why are you so surprised? You’ve been bathed by your maids before, so you should be familiar with the process,” Hazel retorted.
It had been three days since Elena began attending to Hazel’s bathing needs. Initially, she had been led to believe that she could learn noble etiquette through this task, but it turned out to be more of a torment than anything else.
Waiting by Hazel’s bedside with water for washing and assisting with tasks like brushing her teeth before dawn had become routine. Even upon waking, Hazel would feign sleep, prompting Elena to fetch fresh water because it had cooled down. This pattern had become a daily occurrence now.
Elena hadn’t been entirely surprised by this turn of events. In fact, she had already anticipated it. Hazel’s usual demeanor towards her made it evident that she wouldn’t treat her kindly. Despite this knowledge, Elena had accepted the proposal, finding herself with little to say in response.
As Carmen rose to leave with Hazel, Elena’s gaze lingered blankly at the entrance they departed through. At that moment, two knights stationed outside glanced in her direction. Throughout their time escorting Hazel around the castle, these knights had been keeping a close eye on Elena.
“I can’t fathom why she’s doing this. It seems like she’s set on tormenting Miss Elena,” Cura, one of the maids, whispered discreetly to Elena, ensuring her lips barely moved as she spoke.
Despite her simmering anger towards Hazel’s arbitrary demands, Elena remained silent. Then, the maid who had left to retrieve gloves returned, glancing outside briefly before turning to Elena.
“Would you mind setting up Lady Hazel and Lady Carmen’s meal again?” Elena inquired of the nearby maids.
“It will take a moment,” one of the maids replied.
“That’s fine,” Elena said, prompting the maids to begin tidying up the table while they awaited further instructions.
“Are you really going to do this for them?” Cura’s eyes widened with concern.
“I have no choice,” Elena replied, swallowing back a sigh. Even amid such incidents, she needed to maintain her presence for the knights monitoring her alongside Hazel. Perhaps in doing so, there might be moments when their surveillance would loosen. With only a week remaining before they could depart the capital, she needed to make the most of it. Enduring these trials meant it would all be over in a week.
“You can leave that to me,” Elena assured, approaching the maid who had brought the gloves and extending her hand.
“Are you sure?” the hesitant maid asked, casting a worried glance at Elena’s complexion as she handed over the gloves.
In response to the sudden question, Elena looked directly at the maid. “Yes?”
“It’s just… does His Grace know about this? That… Miss Elena is doing this kind of thing,” the maid whispered, her voice tinged with apprehension, her hand covering her mouth.
