Beneath the Savior’s Feet

‘Goodness. How can anyone take their clothes off in broad daylight, no matter how hot it is? Who knows who might be watching!’

The man was not normal. He was breathing hard, his heart pounding. The heat on his face wasn’t just from the scorching sun.

She had to get out of here now. Liese sat up and at that moment the sound of splashing water filled the quiet room.

Splash!

Without realizing it, Liese turned back toward the lake just as she took her first step away. Large waves rolled over the calm surface of the water. The sun shone down and sparkled on the deep blue waves. Silence crept in, as if time stood still.

But only for a moment, as the man finally surfaced from his dive.

The man floating above the water raised his chin and slicked back his wet blond hair. There seemed to be a faint thrill in the slightly slack face.

Soon the man stretched out both arms and gracefully crossed the water. The muscles in his shoulders and arms, strained by the movement, were taut. There was no part of his body that wasn’t glistening with water and sun.

Liese stared at him for a while, enchanted. The man was like a watercolor painting, blending with the blue of the lake and the green of the grass. Intense curiosity overcame her.

‘Who on earth is this guy?’

The neat appearance of the navy blue military uniform, without a single wrinkle, and the way it covered a muscular body without excess. The man’s striking features pointed to only one answer.

Today, the whole city was excited by the return of Baron Baltazar, who had come back as a hero by establishing the military government and returning to his country. So it was not foolish to speculate on the identity of the soldier seen by the lake.

But the place below, Bachmann’s Plaza, was still full of anticipation. The hero they were all waiting for had not yet appeared.

‘Baron Baltazar is a hero who set up a military government and returned to his country. Someone like that wouldn’t deliberately avoid the people’s greetings and sneak into back streets.’

It was not just one soldier who returned to Bachmann after the long war. So Liese decided that the naked man wasn’t Baron Baltazar. Besides, he was too…

That was as far as her thought progressed. The blond man, who was swimming skillfully in the lake, suddenly stood up and looked in Liese’s direction.

Liese realized belatedly that she had been watching him without hiding her body properly. She was standing at a distance, holding a tattered cloth bag with a pistol in it, and watching the naked man with a dazed expression on her face.

Was she caught?

Her heart pounded as she waited an uncertain amount of time. Finally, the man turned his head with an indifferent expression.

Perplexed, Liese blinked, wondering if he had not noticed her. Then he lay on his back, facing the sky, and began to swim vigorously, his wet front gleaming like a polished statue in the sunlight, his well-built body radiating a dazzling light. Overwhelmed by the man’s unbridled abandon, Liese blinked again.

She took a cautious step back, trying not to attract his attention until she was out of his sight. Then she grabbed the end of her straw hat with one hand, held the cloth bag with the other, and ran like mad.

It was as fast as when she had escaped from the country house at midnight.

* * *

“How about going to the job center tomorrow when it’s light?”

Viscount Brennan put down his glass and asked during dinner, when the smell of savory soup filled the air. Liese was absentmindedly moving her utensils around and did not hear the question because the man she had seen by the lake was stuck in her mind and distracted her.

“Hey, Lieselotte!”

“Ah, yes, Grandpa. What about the job placement center?”

“I think we need more hands to tend the orchard properly.”

“Extra help?”

Liese stopped stirring her spoon at the unexpected news. Viscount wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a small note from his pocket. It was a cultivation note from his acquaintance who used to own this house and orchard.

“Cultivation and work is done about three times, depending on the state of the flowers. Even though it’s a small orchard, it’s too difficult to do alone, isn’t it?”

Liese lifted her chin without hesitation.

“Is there anyone who can help us with the orchard work in our current situation?”

Lord Brennan looked up at the ceiling with a slightly distressed expression.

Earlier, Charlie, who sulked after seeing the same unchanging menu, had gone up to the second floor with his nanny, claiming he was going to bed early.

“If we can only have a successful harvest, things will be better than they are now. Let’s try to find some help as an investment for the future,”

Grandfather said.

“….”

“Go to the square tomorrow and see.”

Lost in thought, Liese looked silently down at the bowl of soup. Despite its minimal ingredients, the soup, which was free of impurities, did not look particularly good to Charlie, who was still growing and had to eat it.

Starting school in a big city would make him more sensitive to the gaze and judgment of others. What if Charlie felt excluded because of his small stature and cheap clothes compared to his peers?

Grandfather’s words had some validity. The task of separating the flowers from the fruit is crucial to the success of the harvest and has a significant impact on the harvest season. Perhaps we need at least one experienced worker.

‘But we have neither the time nor the resources…’

A thought flashed through Liese’s mind as she bit her lip. It was a way to get help and improve their livelihood by taking care of the orchard.

She believed that there was always a way out of any crisis. If there was no money, they had to find a way to earn it.

“I’ll do so, Grandfather,”

She said.

But she had to keep it a secret from him.

* * *

At dawn, Liese dressed neatly and prepared to go to the central square.

The largest job center in Bachmann was near the riverbank. Although she could have taken a carriage, Liese stubbornly chose to walk, wearing only a hat to protect her from the sun as usual.

It was just after midday when she reached her destination.

“Are you here to look for a job?”

The clerk sitting at the desk next to the entrance asked in a businesslike manner as she pushed the door open and walked in.

Liese nodded her head, and as the room was filled with busy people, she had to raise her voice a little to be heard.

“I would like to find a job that pays a good salary, if possible.”

“Are you looking for a full-time job? I usually recommend women to work in textile factories.”

“No, I want to work part-time, so full-time work is not possible. I would prefer work that I can take home, like sewing, and if the conditions are right, I could also work in a restaurant or tea shop. And I would also like to hire laborers to work in my orchard….”

“I will look at each one. There are no vacancies at the moment.”

“I see.”

Instead of answering, the clerk handed her a document. Liese filled in her personal details as required by the document. In the section where she had to check whether she had any relatives with titles, she hesitated for a moment before ticking the box.

“Please sit in the waiting room. We’ll call you when it’s your turn.”

When she returned the document, the clerk wrote a number roughly on a small piece of paper and handed it to Liese. When she saw the three-digit number, she was embarrassed.

“How long will I have to wait?”

“I have to check the application form because you have special conditions. There are people who have come before you.”

The clerk pointed to a pile of documents and people queuing. Young women and even children were sitting on several chairs in a row.

The clerk looked Liese up and down with a worried expression, then down at her document. Then she whispered.

“How about a job as a maid?”

“A maid?”

“A noble family is looking for a servant to help with the housework. They are often short of labor during large celebrations. Especially with the summer social season coming up.”

She knew about the social gatherings of the upper classes.

Especially during the summer social season, it was a big event for young nobles to eat and drink at various parties and charity events.

It was not unreasonable to hire someone to help, especially since this year’s social season was to be held in Bachmann instead of the capital of Loheim.

But Liese tilted her head in confusion.