I was enjoying a weirdly relaxing walk in the halls of the manor. Leila walked beside me, keeping up with my pace as perfectly as she could. Not too fast, not too slow, just perfectly right beside me at each step. Even a metronome wouldn’t be as consistent as her steps.
But, this was the type of thing I expected from Leila. Making me question if she was a robot or not finally made me feel like things were starting to go back to normal…
Except for that smile of hers.
It was subtle and gentle, probably wouldn’t have even seen it had I not had my super eyes. But the fact that she was smiling made me feel like something was not right…
Leila seemed to notice my gazing, as she faced me, her pace still perfectly synchronized with mine.
“Lady Carine, is there something wrong?”
This was as good of a chance as any to ask.
“Leila…” I said, slowing down my pace.
Leila slightly widened her eyes, the smile fading. She slowed down as well, her feet mid-step.
“What is it, My Lady?”
“Leila, about Mother’s words…”
I thought about telling her the same thing Father told me, that she said them out of concern for her. I was willing to say anything really, if it meant lightening the weight that might have been pushing down on her.
“I was just wondering. Mother’s words to you, they were…”
But before I could even continue to talk, Leila spoke up.
“That is alright, Lady Carine. I believe I know what you are referring to.”
Leila shifted slightly, her long skirt swayed gently as she took a step closer to the windows. Her eyes were gazing at the already sky-high sun in the distance, covered partly by the clouds.
“Her words were… shocking, yes. I would be untruthful if I said they did not concern me,” she admitted, her voice steady. Then, in a single elegant motion, she turned back to face me. “However, her words do carry some truth.”
I frowned. “Leila… What are you talking about?”
Leila didn’t answer me. Instead, she brought her gaze forward, at the empty hall before us. “The servants here have done their job well, haven’t they, Lady Carine?”
I blinked again, not sure where she was going with this. With cleanings done for this morning, everything around us, from the vases to the glass on the paintings, seemed to reflect sunlight like a pristine mirror.
Having walked through these halls every day for most days of my life, it was the same sight I had grown used to, something so familiar that I had stopped truly noticing it.
“Yes,” I said with a nod. “I believe they are the finest servants this manor could have.”
“That they are.” Leila nodded as well. “However, they weren’t always this thorough.”
“No, they weren’t,” Leila said with a shook of her head. “Years ago, it was common to see a servant dust a vase for only a few seconds before moving on. They wouldn’t clean their own footprints after mopping. The ceiling corners continued to gather cobwebs. They worked only as much as was expected, no more, no less.”
Huh… so the servants in this manor used to be humans…
It was a bit hard to imagine now. The manor’s halls had always been so spotless it was like someone made a room out of only mirrors.
“However,” Leila continued, “when I started working as your personal maid, I took notice of something that I couldn’t quite ignore.”
Leila turned her eyes to me. For the first time in a while, I could feel some sense of amusement in her.
“Your disgust for imperfections was… apparent.”
I was caught off guard. I nearly choked on my own breath.
“Every speck of dust. Every scratch on vases or paintings. Every footprint left behind… No matter how small they were, no matter how invisible they seemed, your eyes were always drawn to them.”
Hearing Leila’s words, it clicked within me. A memory resurfaced of my life years ago, back when I was a pretty short little child. Indeed, as she said, the halls of this manor used to be marked with imperfections.
Although I wasn’t ever disgusted by it, my eyes never seemed to stop looking for the new imperfection that popped up every morning. I would wonder if the cobweb in the ceiling would grow, or if the dust on the painting would form a new pattern the next day.
It was almost like a game, really.
But, I guess with how my eyes were almost always in glaring mode, it wouldn’t be surprising to believe that I found them annoying instead.
But wait, if what Leila said was true, then…
“Leila, are you saying that you…”
Leila nodded with casual certainty. “Yes, My Lady. After noticing your plight each morning, I brought the matter to your parents one night. They had approved of my proposal, and so, from that day forward, each servant was instructed to leave their cleaning site utterly spotless.”
I blinked, blinked, and then blinked as a good measure. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
“Of course, when the rule was newly enforced, the servants were… inexperienced. Still I notice your eyes glare from one imperfection to another every morning.”
She let out a quiet sigh that never reached my ear. “Admittedly, I found myself slightly frustrated at the sight. That was when I asked to be assigned to be the head of cleaning and began training them myself in my spare time.”
I stared at her. “You… trained them?”
Leila’s eyes flicked towards the sunlight shining along the pristine floor. “Over time, they improved. Mistakes became rare. Habits became instinct. And now…” She raised her gaze, taking in the spotless hall once again. “This is the result.”
Well, things were starting to make sense. If there was anyone who could turn humans into cleaning robots, it would either be Mother who would do it out of sheer fear, or Leila… because she’s Leila.
But still, I was still lost on why she went on this tangent. And, as if she was an esper or something, Leila turned to me once more.
“Improving one’s self is possible, Lady Carine.”
I blinked at her, letting her words sink in.
Was this what she was talking about?
She lowered her head, her gaze shooting at the floor. “Your mother’s words… they reminded me of something I thought I had forgotten. I am not perfect. That I have failed her… and I have failed you, My Lady.”
I opened my mouth, about to refute her claims. But then, Leila continued.
“But… Your words that night at the park… they reminded me of something else that I had forgotten.” She lifted her head, gazing at the ceiling with that subtle gentle smile. “That I, too, can improve. The failures I caused… they were never the end for me.” She glanced briefly at me. “I have to thank you, My Lady, for allowing me to realize that.”
Her tone was as monotone as ever. However, I felt a sense of warmth I thought I would never feel from her words. “Thus, I do not mind the Duchess’s words. I was hurt, that much I am confident. But, I believe I can prove myself worthy to earn back her praise.”
A warm silence enveloped us. For a moment, there was nothing around us but the warmth of the sun, and the chirping of bees outside.
I studied Leila for a moment. Her stance was straight as an arrow. Her gaze still felt empty yet warm. And her expression was still dead-faced, but even I couldn’t ignore the slight lift on the sides of her lips.
But weirdly, I didn’t find it strange anymore. I saw it as something understandable, something warm.
Before, I would’ve guessed she was planning something. Before, I would’ve guessed Leila wasn’t feeling well. Hell, I thought that when I greeted her at the door… But now? Now I know. This was Leila’s true smile.
It was small. It was subtle. Nearly invisible even. But the fact that it was there meant she was happy, content, at peace…
Of course, I couldn’t read her thoughts. But… I was almost sure she wasn’t being weighed down by anything, and that slight raise in her cheeks was the proof.
Leila closed her eyes and shifted again, this time facing the hallway straight ahead like she normally would. “That being said, we should head to the dining hall right away.”
I blinked but quickly composed myself. “R-Right, we’ve… spent a lot more time than I expected.”
“That we do,” Leila said, her voice as calming as ever. “Shall we, My Lady?” She gestured ahead.
I nodded with a smile of my own. “Of course.”
And with that, we returned to our walk down the hall. Our pace synchronized once more.