The Saintess and the Villainess

Chapter 84

At that moment, Uncle Ulrich was in the middle of an argument about cutlery.

"This is why I told Lady Belle that it wouldn't do to have two butlers in the same house," snapped Melba.

"Which is why I suggested to you that you might use my temporary presence as an opportunity to take a well-deserved vacation," countered Ulrich.

Melba clicked her tongue derisively. "Thank the goddess I refused. It would have been wildly irresponsible of me to loaf off somewhere while you made a mess of the estate."

Ms. Melba Barnete was a giant of the capital's domestic labor industry, in more than one sense of the word. For one thing, there wasn't a maid, butler, or manservant in the city who didn't know and respect her name. But she was also, to put it simply, very tall. She was nearly a head taller than Ulrich, and she carried herself with a strength of baring that made her appear as immovable as a mountain standing next to the old silverware cabinet in Belle's kitchen.

As a fellow professional, Ulrich felt nothing but respect and admiration for Melba.

As a person, Ulrich felt confident in setting his deference aside for a moment to privately and internally acknowledge that Melba was also a backwards old fool past her prime who ought to retire already and make way from a new generation.

When Ulrich spoke again, he spoke through his teeth. "With all due respect," he said, his voice strained. "It's far more efficient to stack the cutlery in the drawers horizontally. You see, this way there is extra room to store fresh dish towels so the kitchen staff won't need to interrupt their workflow several times a day to send a runner to the linen closet."

"It's not about efficiency, it's about respect," Melba contended. "Respect for the precious objects that support life in this household. You simply do not just cram silverware willy-nilly into an overstuffed drawer. It needs to be stored with proper care."

Ulrich rolled his eyes. It was already clear from the way she dressed that Melba didn't care about efficiency. Her gray hair was pulled back in a tight bun without a single wisp out of place, her dark suit was crisp and freshly ironed, and her sliver-framed monocle was polished to a shine. Ulrich very much doubted that the busy kitchen staff were given that much free time to worry over personal grooming. Why not show them some respect and stop wasting their time unnecessarily?

Ulrich opened his mouth to say something to that effect, maybe even peppering in some colorful language that he would regret later, when two carefully folded pieces of paper appeared in front of his face. Luckily, he had a quick response time and was able to catch them before they fell to the floor.

One of them was addressed to him.

"I say!" said Melba, placing a surprised hand to her chest. "What is this nonsense?"

Ulrich finished reading the note addressed to him before tossing it into the kitchen fire. Then he gave a quick shallow bow towards Melba.

"My apologies for our disagreement, madame," he said. "Ultimately this is your household to run as you please. Regardless of my personal values, it wasn't my place to challenge the way you do things. Now, if you'll excuse me, a rather pressing matter has come up."

On his way out of the house, Ulrich passed by a small drawing room where Lady Belle and Countess Collette were sharing a pot of tea.

"But they need money for their operations, don't they?" asked Collette.

"Yes, of course," said Belle. "And Bernard thinks they should accept your patronage, but Nell insists they shouldn't take money from a rich aristocrat who only became wealthy by exploiting the poor."