I Became a Gallery Manager in Another World

5:00 AM.

Frederica, the head maid of the Blackdahlia family, woke up.

Though the sun had not yet risen, a maid’s morning starts early.

Especially for someone like Frederica, who held multiple roles such as head maid, chief butler, top security officer, among others – 17 positions in total, excluding the cook – her morning had to start even earlier.

Changing from her pajamas into her maid uniform, Frederica glanced out the window and muttered to herself.

“…It’s time to call the gardener.”

Swoosh-

An enormous pile of documents was stacked on the desk in the office.

Had Frederica not streamlined the majority of the Blackdahlia family’s businesses, keeping only the leasing business, she would have collapsed from overwork long ago.

Because of money?

No.

Certainly, she received a salary far beyond what one would expect for a maid, but money was not important to Frederica.

Proof of this was the fact that Frederica, who effectively acted as the chief steward of the Blackdahlia family, did not embezzle a single penny, even though she could have easily done so.

So, why did Frederica stay with the Blackdahlias?

“…Master.”

It was her loyalty to the Blackdahlia family.

It was Gilbert, the former head of the Blackdahlia family, who had saved her when she was caught and beaten nearly to death for pickpocketing.

And Gilbert did more than just save her.

He let Frederica stay in the mansion without any compensation and even hired a private tutor for her, teaching her the literacy and skills needed to survive.

Thanks to that excellent education, the child from the back alleys could now serve as the chief steward of the Blackdahlias.

‘Gilbert-nim might not have anticipated such a situation, but…’

Of course, Frederica was as loyal to Estelle as she was to Gilbert.

From the young lady’s perspective, it would have been reasonable to be upset about an unknown person rolling into the household and sharing the attention of the master and madam…

‘Huh?… Sister Frederica!’

‘…Sister?’

‘Yes!… Sister!’

The young lady was so kind and cheerful, never showing jealousy, calling Frederica ‘sister’ and treating her like a real older sister.

But…

The once bright young lady completely changed after the former master and madam died in a carriage accident.

‘Ah!…Ah!…Uh!…Aaaah!!..Sob!…Aaaa!!…Oh…mom!…Ah…dad..!!..Huhu..!!..No, no!…Not true!…Not true!!..!I hate it!!..Ah..no way..!…Ah…dad…mom..sob…!’

Frederica would never forget the sight of young Estelle clinging to the coffin, screaming and desperately calling for her mom and dad.

‘…Fre…derica….sister..!..Sob…I…I…what do I do…I…I’m…alone..Sob!…left alone…’

‘…It’s okay, Miss, I’m here for you. And look, you’ve got a letter. Your uncle is coming to take you. You might get adopted if you go with him.’

‘…A…Adoption?…Sob…I…I don’t…want to leave…I…sob…!’

‘Miss… I understand your feelings, but I’ve often heard good things about Mr. Jeffrey. He donates a lot to orphanages and often volunteers… And you’re still young, Miss. It would be better for you to be with a family.’

‘Sob…sob…Then, what about…you, Sister?…Sob..If..I get adopted…will you…also disappear like…dad and mom?’

Tightly grasping-

‘…Don’t worry. I’ll come with you. I will always be by your side.’

‘Ah…!Ah…!…Sob!…Sister!’

Then, a few days later, Mr. Jeffrey and his family came to adopt the young lady…

‘…You’ve been through a lot, Estelle. From now on, I’ll be your father. I can’t replace my brother, but I promise to do my best.’

Mr. Jeffrey’s family was annihilated in an attack by someone.

A horrific scene where an entire family was brutally murdered.

Especially Mr. Jeffrey, whose body, except for his left leg, couldn’t be found, indicating the extent of the violence he had suffered.

After losing her entire family in such a manner, the young lady inherited a massive fortune, but…

‘…Um…Sister?…Something…feels strange.’

Compared to the misfortune that befell the young lady, all the gold in the world seemed insufficient.

‘I…I….Sob!…My…legs…won’t move…Huhu!…I…can’t feel…anything..Sob!….’

‘It’s okay…I’ll…make sure…you get better…It’s just…shock…that’s all…’

From that day on, Frederica tried everything to cure Estelle’s legs but failed every time.

The death of her parents, the annihilation of her uncle’s family, paralysis of the lower body.

Was it these continuous misfortunes that changed the young lady?

Ssshh-!

‘…You can’t even brush my hair properly without hurting me!!!’

Gradually, the kind demeanor of the young lady disappeared, and she began to punish her employees harshly for even minor mistakes.

As the young lady’s behavior worsened, employees started leaving, but Frederica stayed until the end.

Then one day…

Crash─!

Exhausted, Frederica, handling all the servants’ duties alone, accidentally dropped a teacup.

‘Ah! …Ah, Miss!…I’m sorry! Are you hurt anywhere…’

Ssshh-!

‘Don’t touch me with your filthy hands!! Disappear from my sight!!’

‘….Mi…Miss?’

‘Shut up!! Can’t you hear? I said go! You’re fired! Get out!’

‘…Why…why…are you doing this…Miss..please…It’s…my fault…I won’t…make mistakes…’

‘Why? You should be grateful that I’ve kept a gutter rat like you around this long, shouldn’t you?’

‘…..’

‘Ha… You still want to cling to this house? Fine, stay if you want. But don’t you dare show your face to me again.’

‘…Yes, Miss.’

Frederica never understood why the young lady had said those things.

But one thing…

She knew that the words spoken that day weren’t what she meant.

Ding─ Ding─

“…Miss!?!”

Startled by the ringing of a bell she hadn’t heard in ages, Frederica immediately stood up.

Despite many unresolved tasks and documents, nothing was more important to Frederica than the young lady’s call.

“…Huff.”

Arriving at Estelle’s door, Frederica sighed deeply.

Once a room she entered so naturally as a child, she now feared even knocking.

Knock knock-

“…Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Seeing the young lady’s face for the first time in a long while, it appeared noticeably brighter than before.

“…Frederica.”

“Miss…”

“…It’s been…a while.”

“…Yes, it has. It’s been a long time.”

Frederica felt like she might burst into tears during this long-awaited conversation with the young lady but swallowed her emotions, not wanting to ruin the moment.

“Ah! But what brings you here? Do you need something?”

“…Yes, there is something.”

“Tell me anything! If you wish, I’ll even pluck the stars from the night sky for you.”

“…No need for that… Just…”

The young lady hesitated at the end of her sentence, then spoke softly.

“…I just… want to learn… how to make… macarons…”

“…?……!!”

Flushed ears, a tense voice, the sudden call, and above all, the upcoming ‘Day of Saint Elise.’

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The pieces of the puzzle fit together in Frederica’s mind as she realized the implication.

“Miss!!! Could it be… with the Day of Saint Elise coming up… do you, do you have someone you like?!!!”

“….!!”

Frederica didn’t need to hear the young lady’s answer; she knew it was true.

The question alone turned the young lady’s face as red as her ears, as if hearts were pouring out.

It was hard to believe that this was the same person who had once spitefully uttered cruel words with a pained expression.

“Who, who is it! Who is this lucky person who has captured your heart!!”

“…I didn’t say I had someone I like.”

“It’s obvious! But why macarons? On the Day of Saint Elise, it should be chocolates!! If you’re going to confess, it should be with chocolates!!”

Clap-!

Frederica clapped her hands as she continued.

“Yes! Indeed, instead of conveying ‘something special’ like macarons, confessing ‘love’ with chocolates would be better.”

“…No. I can… only do this much… Chocolates are… not possible…”

“Why not! What are you lacking, Miss! Family! Beauty! Figure… um, well, anyhow, men would line up for you!! Go with chocolates!”

“…Frederica…stop…even macarons are… too much.”

“Uh…!!”

Frederica flinched when Estelle called her name.

-Shiver

Frederica was deliberately being over-the-top, pretending not to be affected by the trauma of that day.

“Ha ha… Sorry, Miss… I guess I got too excited.”

Eventually, Frederica stepped back and apologized.

Despite knowing it wasn’t heartfelt, hearing such words from the young lady again might shatter her heart.

“…It’s okay. Then… could you get me the recipe for macarons from Mr. Ramsay? And if you prepare the ingredients in the kitchen… I’ll be grateful.”

“Yes! I will. Oh! Can I help you when you make them?”

“…….”

Frederica swallowed hard, expecting a refusal, but Estelle took longer to decide than she thought.

“…No… that’s not… possible… Let’s continue… to avoid each other… as much as we have… until now.”

“Ah… Ha ha… Right? I was just saying.”

Frederica had hoped this could be an opportunity to reconnect with the young lady as in the past…

“…Sorry…”

“Oh, no! You don’t need to apologize, Miss. It was just a thought. Ha ha ha…”

“…Yeah. But… Frederica.”

“Yes… Miss…”

“…Sometimes… just… sometimes… will you talk with me like this?”

Whoosh-!

Frederica responded with a broad smile to Estelle’s last request.

“Of course, Miss!”

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