I Don't Know the Original, I'm Too Busy Trying to Make a Living-Chapter 175

“Then, hold my hand.”

Penelope promptly grabbed Ahwin’s hand. Her lips pressed into a firm line, her gaze fixed on empty space.

Ahwin asked, “Want me to carry you?”

“I’ll give it a shot like this. It’s about time I got used to it, considering my boyfriend is the Tower Master.”

“...That’s a good attitude.”

However, moments later, as her feet left the ground, Penelope panicked and clung tightly to Ahwin.

“Just carry me this time!”

“Fine, but don’t cover my eyes. We could really have an accident.”

Ahwin wobbled in the air with Penelope clinging to him. His face flushed, and his breath grew warmer.

‘It’s nothing! Just imagine it’s a bear on your back!’

Ahwin mentally recited the most complex magical formulas he could think of to maintain his composure.

After a short moment, Ahwin stepped out of the window with Penelope on his back. Their bodies floated in the air and quickly headed toward the backyard.

As they approached the laundry area, the lively chatter of people grew clearer. Among the voices, Sain’s cheerful laughter stood out the most.

Penelope glanced down over Ahwin’s shoulder. The scene below was a chaotic mix of laundry being momentarily abandoned as water splashed around during their play.

‘They look like they’re having fun.’

At that moment, the maids froze and lifted their heads. Sain did the same.

Spotting Ahwin and Penelope flying through the air, their mouths dropped open. The two figures gradually descended toward the ground.

One of the maids snapped out of it and asked, “My lady? Why are you up there?”

“Oh, well, climbing the stairs felt like a hassle.”

“There’s a magical lift, you know.”

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

“Well, this is magic too, isn’t it?”

“...When you put it like that, I can’t argue.”

While Penelope and the maid exchanged words, Ahwin landed safely on the ground. Penelope slid off his back and surveyed the area. Sain had already slipped behind the largest maid, hiding his small frame.

Penelope suppressed a laugh and spoke sternly, “Sain, I can see you.”

“...Are you angry with me?” Sain poked his head out, looking up at Penelope like a puppy caught in the rain. His forlorn expression tugged at the maids’ hearts, and they rushed forward to shield him.

“Please don’t be mad at Master Sain! We’re the ones who splashed him with water!”

“Yes, it’s entirely our fault, my lady. If you must scold someone, scold us instead!”

“I wasn’t planning to get angry...”

Truthfully, Penelope had come intending to reprimand Sain for disturbing the maids’ work. On top of that, his expensive clothes were now soaked—another reason for a scolding.

But looking at Sain’s teary-eyed face, Penelope felt her resolve waver.

“Even if it’s hot outside, staying in wet clothes for too long can make you sick. Just play for a little longer and then come inside, okay?”

“Really? I can keep playing?” Sain’s eyes sparkled with excitement. His adorable reaction made the maids sigh deeply, clutching their chests as if trying to contain themselves.

Penelope cleared her throat. “Just until snack time. Then, you have to come inside.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Sain dashed to the faucet, washing his bare feet before plunging them into a large basin. His trousers were rolled up to his knees.

Splash, splash.

As Sain moved, bubbles from the soapy water in the basin rose and popped. It seemed they had been in the middle of washing blankets.

“Hm hmm~ hmm~.”

A soft hum escaped from Sain as he focused on stomping on the blankets. The maids scattered back to their tasks, leaving him to his cheerful work.

“The maids’ work on the blankets was precisely divided: washing, rinsing, wringing, and hanging them to dry.

The washing and rinsing stages involved stomping on the blankets with bare feet, which didn’t require much strength. However, the wringing process was an entirely different story.

One maid held the blanket in place while another twisted it, spinning her body in circles to wring out the water. The blanket would twist into a tight coil, and water would stream out {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} of it.

It was essentially the same method as wringing out a rag, only much more labor-intensive.

If summer blankets required this much effort, what about the heavy winter ones?

‘If only there were washing machines in this world,’ Penelope thought.

She glanced sideways at Ahwin. If he were willing to help, they might be able to develop a washing machine.

‘Wait... even with my memories, wouldn’t it be impossible to design one?’

Penelope began to consider the principles of a washing machine.

You place the laundry, water, and detergent inside a drum. The drum spins, causing the clothes to rub against each other, cleaning them.

...That seemed to be the general idea.

‘But could I really create something like that? Even making powdered detergent would be a challenge.’

How was she supposed to make detergent capable of removing stains from clothes?

Moreover, her limited knowledge made it impossible to draft a complex washing machine blueprint. Even with memories of her past life, it was beyond her capabilities.

And now that she thought about it, wasn’t it too early for washing machines to exist in this era?

Like the invention of the vacuum cleaner, a washing machine would likely lead to a large number of unemployed workers.

Even in Halo Castle’s laundry room, dozens of maids were employed. If a washing machine were invented, many would lose their jobs overnight.

‘It’s too soon for a washing machine. But maybe I could create just a wringer... huh? A wringer?’

Penelope clapped her hands.

‘A wringer might be doable! I could manage that with some trial and error!’

When Penelope suddenly clapped, Ahwin and the maids all turned to her simultaneously.

Blushing at the attention, Penelope quickly grabbed Ahwin’s hand.

“I just thought of something I need to do. Follow me.”

“Again?” Ahwin furrowed his brow, clearly already guessing what she had in mind.

Still holding his hand, Penelope declared, “We’ll fly this time too!”

“...I suddenly feel weak.”

“Hurry!”

At her insistence, Ahwin sighed deeply and flicked his fingers lightly. Their bodies floated into the air once more.

“...”

“Goodness...”

The sight of them rising into the air again naturally captured the attention of Sain and the maids.

Ahwin and Penelope soared into the sky and quickly disappeared toward the lord’s office.

Sain chuckled and remarked, “They really get along well.”

The maids, staring at the sky in awe, nodded in agreement before returning to the blankets.

***

Ivette, carrying a stack of paperwork, entered Penelope’s office and looked around in confusion. Only Giselle and Laura, Penelope’s head maids, were present.

“Where is the lady?”

“You don’t know either, Secretary?”

“Where could she have gone?” Laura added. Both maids, who were directly under Penelope, seemed equally clueless.

Laura, visibly annoyed, scolded Giselle. “I told you someone should stay in the office at all times.”

“And where are they supposed to go on a date? Our lady’s already a workaholic—should they date in their dreams? This is exactly the time to give them some privacy,” Giselle shot back without missing a beat.

Laura seemed momentarily persuaded but quickly shook her head. “But not even the guards know where she is. Isn’t that strange?”

“Her boyfriend is the Tower Master. Do you really think anything could happen to her?”

“Well, when you put it that way...”

Laura eventually relented, and Giselle looked smug. Ivette, finding their conversation amusing, remained silent and listened.

Moments later, Dorothy burst into the office.

“They’re both at the backyard laundry area!”

“What are they doing there?”

“It seems the lady spotted Sain helping the maids with the laundry.”

“...Oh dear.”

“My goodness.”

Both Giselle and Laura groaned in unison.

Ivette crossed the office to the window, followed closely by three maids. She froze mid-step as Penelope and Ahwin suddenly appeared, flying through the window like birds. Her pupils shook.

P-people are flying?!

Penelope casually stepped onto the windowsill and jumped down. Of course, Ahwin’s magic was still active, so she landed gently on the carpeted floor.

After quickly checking her appearance for any disarray, Penelope turned to Ivette. “Oh, you’re here. Nothing urgent happened, right?”