The Count’s Secret Maid

The Count - Crazy Master (1)

I am the daughter of a peasant who was born with nothing and grew up with nothing. At least, it was difficult to eat because of the lack of circumstances.

A daily breadwinner.

Terrible poverty.

Struggling in it was my whole life.

The funny thing is that I had five children to handle in the meantime.

Unable to endure the tearing poverty, my mother fled alone, and my remaining father drank daily and used violence.

The youngest child, who was breastfed, was beaten to death, the fourth starved to death, the second was sold to a broth*l, and the third was raised as gold or jade because her face was pretty. It was a sign that she would be raised well and marry a young gentleman from a noble family to open up her fortune.

And the first ugly me, I was kept by his side well.

My day was all about food, laundry, cleaning, working in Mark’s bakery downtown during the day, and being beaten by my violent father at night.

It was a hard life without a proper breath.

My ugly face was swollen, and I became uglier. And I broke my leg during the growing phase of my life, and my height stopped. 

An ugly dwarf. 

That’s what the kids in town called me.

I thought if there was hell, it was now and here. I envied the third child, who became beautiful and beautiful day by day, and it was hard to endure my father’s violence. There were several times when I h*ng myself because I wanted to die. Each time, I was caught by my father or someone on the street because I am ‘unlucky’, or the rope was cut off just before I passed out.

This is my prison, and I was the condemned prisoner. 

No, I’d rather be in a real prison.

My father didn’t sell me to the broth*l because he needed someone to do the housework. But it’s half a lie. I was sold to a broth*l for being ugly. While I was washing my fingers without knowing anything, I knew from the chit-chat of local women.

The mother called my father a demon cub, and I call him the same. My future life will be governed by that demon cub.

If this is not a tragedy, what is it?

But God didn’t betray me until the end.

***

An old gentleman visited the village when she miraculously grew taller. Her loose bangs covered her ugly face. She didn’t know why an old gentleman, who flows in luxury from head to toe, visited this small, corner village.

It was because he was walking around the village and beckoned on the day she passed by the street.

“I want to hire her.”

The old gentleman politely offered a package of gold coins. Preoccupied with the gold coins, her father swallowed once. Her father’s wretched mind quickly turned to see the old gentleman in front of him and the bundle of gold on the table.

He wanted to snatch the pack right away, but he grabbed his own trembling hand and fixed his expression.

“Sir, my humble daughter caught the eyes of a gentleman, but there’s a lot of inexperience in her because all she knows to say is thank you and all she has learned is begging. If you don’t like it even later…”

“Don’t worry about that. Even if I don’t like her later, I won’t send her back.”

The old gentleman slid the bundle of gold coins toward her father and answered calmly. At that, her father forcibly lowered the corner of his mouth, which rose sharply, and looked at his daughter sitting next to him. It was like looking at his beloved daughter, so Paula was horrified. 

“My dear, your father respects your opinion. I wish I had money, but it’s not more important than you. Please feel free to tell me what you think.”

Then, with his big hand, he grabbed her skinny wrist. The grip was strong enough to twist her bones. It was the face of a father who was worried about his precious daughter, but his eyes flashed fiercely, far from the gold coins.

The old gentleman also waited in silence for her opinion. If she indicates her refusal here, the old gentleman will leave to find another girl, and her father will beat her to death as if punishing a naughty daughter.

“I will go.”

“My baby.”

Abby hugged Paula with an ecstatic look on his face, a weeping voice spilling out of his hoarse voice. She had to suppress her desire to shake off the hand that gently stroked her back.

On the way, she prepared herself and her luggage, and followed the old gentleman. All she had was one bag. She didn’t have any clothes or anything. It was different from usual, however, that she wore a dress embroidered with pretty flowers, rather than the rags covered in the dust she wore every day.

“Goodbye. Be careful.”

Her father, who was seeing her off in front of the door, patted her shoulder. In his touch, there was an unspoken pressure to please the gentleman well.

The third child, Alicia, who was standing next to her father, smiled at Paula.

“Goodbye, sister. Be there for a long time.”

“…Never come back.” 

Alicia muttered the words. But when Paula didn’t respond, Alicia smiled and pursed her lips.

Paula spat out just a few words at Alicia for the last time.

“Take care of that pretty face. Because you have nothing else.”

“What?!”

Paula turned away, leaving Alicia behind.

The place she followed the old gentleman was a large mansion that widened her eyes. It was much bigger and grander than the mansion of the wealthiest lord in the village she lived in. 

‘Wow…’

She let out pure admiration and followed the old gentleman inside.

“You are here.”

A well-dressed, middle-aged woman greeted the old gentleman. The old gentleman nodded his head once and took off his fedora.

A middle-aged woman noticed a girl standing behind an old gentleman and asked.

“Who is this child?”

“She is a child who will serve the master from now on.”

‘Master?’

As she looked at the old gentleman with suspicion, he beckoned Paula to come forward. As she crawled forward, a middle-aged woman scanned her up and down and looked at her as if appraising her. Paula was nervous about that, swallowed dry saliva and waited patiently.

“Okay.”

Guess it was a good rating. The middle-aged woman nodded her head and turned her body. Soon after, the old gentleman also turned to the other side. 

Paula took turns watching the two people split to either side, then followed the woman.