“I’m cold...” I groaned. I wanted to dive back under the covers, but my stomach was growling. “I won’t be able to do anything if I don’t eat.”
What I’d thought about saying was “I’m starving,” but when I tried to voice it, the words came out converted into Patience’s style of speech. Even “mom” turned into “mother.” I wasn’t sure if this was convenient or annoying.
Judging from my memories, the redheaded Mary seemed to be the only maid here. There were three other members of the staff: Eva, the cook; George, the servant; and Wyatt, the butler who managed everything.
“Is this what being a noble is like?” I’d expected nobles would have a plethora of maids, but it seemed the Granger family’s issues meant we had a staffing shortage.
This impoverished life was all that Patience knew, even though her father, Viscount Granger, was a noble, albeit a landless one. He should have been working in the royal palace and receiving a stipend, but he had been dismissed from his position. This seemed incredibly important, but Patience’s memories didn’t offer much information on the matter. Apparently the little lady wasn’t really interested in topics like the family finances. However, I could see in her memories that the number of maids began decreasing several years ago, even before her mother had died.
“In other words, he has no income! This all seems to have started four years ago.”
Patience’s youngest brother, Henry, was six years old. Patience’s mother had passed away two years ago, when her son was four years old, the height of cuteness. Also, Nassius had been six at the time, and Patience eight.
“Well, I guess maybe it’s to be expected that a ten-year-old wouldn’t know much about her father losing his job several years ago.” Yes, I was ten years old! In becoming Patience, I had gone from being an adult to being a child. Well, at least it was better than suddenly turning into an old lady.
It was clear that the maid wasn’t going to come and dress me, so I got out of bed.
“So this is what I wash my face with.” On the wash stand was a pitcher and a ceramic wash basin, the latter of which had the faint remnants of what had likely been a cute flower pattern. “My toothbrush...isn’t this bit of coarse fabric, is it?” Indeed, Patience just used this coarse fabric to scrub her teeth. I longingly recalled the proper toothbrushes of my past life. This needed to change immediately!
I washed my face with the basin water that had now become lukewarm, then looked through my wardrobe and found two pieces of clothing. The dress with lace was probably for warmer seasons, so I chose the other—a light blue dress with long sleeves.
“This may not be made for cold weather...”
Though the dress had long sleeves, it was incredibly thin. Even Mary’s clothing looked warmer; of course, hers had seemed to be made of cotton while Patience’s dress was silk. Is this an attempt at trying to keep up appearances as a noble? I guess it could also have been a gift. I think we have relatives.
“Let’s see... For undergarments, we have drawers and a chemise. These socks are made out of cotton.” I used garters to hold up my socks and put on the paper-thin silk dress. “I’m so cold!”
I looked around for something to drape over my shoulders, but all I could find in the wardrobe was a coat.
“Can I not wear this coat?” I reached for the coat, but reflexively pulled away when Patience’s memories responded: No!
“Well, there should be a fireplace in the dining room.” I wasn’t going to get full just standing around in a cold room.
I wanted to hurry to the dining room, but Patience got in my way. You must make the bed! You must also fold your pajamas and put them away in the wardrobe, she demanded. I wanted to complain about how that should be the maid’s job, but Mary was the only maid we had. She was probably busy caring for the little angels. Since Patience was a poor noble, she was used to making her bed. On top of that, all she had were thin covers, so it was an easy task.
I’d finally gotten permission from her—or myself?—to leave, so I quickly headed to the dining room. Thanks to Patience’s memories, I was able to find my way around. Despite being poor, our family still had a large mansion, and I went down the stairs, which were gently curved into a spiral, toward the dining room.
“Good morning,” I greeted my father, William. He was reading a newspaper at the dining table. The fireplace flickered with a small flame, making the dining room warmer than my bedroom.
“Good morning, Patience. Are you feeling better?” William had brown hair with some gray mixed in, and light gray eyes. As he looked up from the newspaper, I saw worry in his eyes.
“Yes, father. I’m sorry to have worried you.” Though I felt fondness toward this classy man, I didn’t have any hopes for him when it came to life skills. He was skinny, although not as skinny as Patience, and the sleeves of his sweater seemed quite tattered. I found that I wanted to get him something warmer to wear, though I wasn’t sure if those feelings were Patience’s or my own.
“Good morning, father, sister.” My brothers arrived at the dining room, led by Mary. Aaahhh, such angels!
“Nassius! Henry! Good morning!” I exclaimed.
“Are you feeling better, sister?” Nassius, the older of the two, asked. He had brown hair and gray eyes, and was basically the spitting image of our father. I hope he didn’t inherit our father’s lack of life skills.
“Yes, I am. Thank you for asking, Nassius.”