I was about to yell in a fit of rage, but I clamped my mouth shut.
He looked at me with an unreadable expression, neither a smile nor a frown.
“Anyway. Thank you.”
Being annoyed was one thing, but I should still be thankful.
‘I should express my thanks first, right?’
This was a talent, too, or so I told myself.
Why say hateful things to someone I’m indebted to?
“Why did you help me?”
I couldn’t stand not knowing his intentions.
“I just didn’t want anything troublesome to happen.”
“…”
That was all he answered, but he added, “Why do you have so many enemies?”
“Well, it’s not a lot.”
I couldn’t even refute him.
“They’re not worried about your disappearance. They’re just doubting you.”
“…”
That was true as well. It’s so true that it made me feel sad.
‘You already know you hit the nail on the head, don’t you?’
If a person disappeared in the dead of the night, the first impulse should be to worry rather than to doubt… Unless someone was determined to pull the strings from behind the scenes.
“It can’t be helped,” I said, deflated. “I’m nothing in this mansion. It’s completely different compared to you.”
“…”
I could feel his pointed gaze in the dark.
After a while, I heard his footsteps moving away. Then, the curtains were pulled to the side with one sharp movement. I covered my eyes as the glare of the sun that was just beginning to rise blanketed the room.
“If you’re done here, then leave.”
He was obviously shooing me out. With the cold eyes trained heavily on my back, I hesitated to open the door.
“Then… Please rest well.”
Thud.
“Good morning, Duchess.”
As soon as I closed the door behind me, I was startled by the sudden voice, and I found Emma outside, staring at me with a sour face.
“I assume Your Grace has stayed here all night?”
I returned her sharp gaze with my own, determined to not be intimidated by her.
“Yes.”
“But the room sharing day…”
“Obviously it isn’t.”
“…”
“But we’re husband and wife, aren’t we?” I walked past her. “Work hard.”
After I was some ways away from Emma, I breathed out a deep sigh of relief.
‘Is it just me, or…’
While I was on my way back to my room from Amoide’s, I could feel countless curious gazes following me.
‘…There must be a new rumor going around.’
No matter how large this estate was, the rumors flew at the speed of light.
Thanks to that, I received those gazes all the way until I reached my room.
“Phew.”
Rona was there, but I refused her assistance. I plopped down on the sofa.
My whole body was aching as if I had been wrestling with someone all night. My muscles, which were incredibly tense from my nervousness after seeing the snake, finally loosened and relaxed.
“We entered the room to see if there were more snakes hiding.”
That was what the servant outside said before I entered my room.
They searched my room without my permission. Conveniently, too, while I wasn’t here.
I snorted.
Someone’s raising snakes.
Inside this mansion.
Anyone at all could raise snakes, actually. The estate was so spacious and there were so many buildings.
How many rooms were there in total?
It was entirely possible to keep them hidden somewhere.
‘Who was it that put it in my room…?’
I quickly recounted the aftermath of the incident last night, and what surfaced from my memories was Greta’s frantic expression as she avoided eye contact with me.
‘Impossible.’
I shook my head. It’s not just a small thing. Somebody kept a snake hidden in my room.
‘What if it’s not Greta?’
I’d only know for sure a search would be held throughout the entire estate. However, because of how many servants there were in here, it would be difficult to search every room.
Right now, it was Greta who clearly had the biggest grudge against me.
[ Originally, the person who holds the budget calls all the shots, but I’m sure she’s now a bit frustrated because she couldn’t touch the kitchen budget. ]
Jean’s words were sensible. The more a person had tasted power, the more they would be reluctant to give it up.
I was lying down on the sofa, but I sat up.
[ Why do you have so many enemies? ]
What Amoide said made my stomach twist.
All I want is to live a long, quiet life, but my plan to make this happen until I successfully leave the mansion… has been going awry.
After all, I wouldn’t be able to investigate Greta properly unless I had full authority over the household’s internal affairs.
That’s why…
“Let’s take away her power, shall we?”
* * *
“You came to see me first?”
Camilla looked at me, clearly not expecting my visit.
“I asked to meet you today because of an important issue, Mother,” I said with a grim expression.
“Important issue?”
“Yes, Mother. It’s about yesterday’s incident.”
“Ah.”
Camilla was horrified by just the thought of the snake.
“Why are there so many snakes. I already told the servants to take more measures to keep them away from my son.”
“Of course.”
But Mother, I was the one who was almost bitten by one last night.
I swallowed these words.
“Yes, and another important issue. I wanted to bring it up, too.”
“What is it, Mother?”
As the atmosphere shifted, there was an ominous air surrounding Camilla suddenly as our gazes met.
What did she want to say that the air became so cold all of a sudden?
“Didn’t I say that Amoide’s body is frail?!”
“…”
“You were seen leaving Amoide’s room!”
Huh? Why was she bringing that up here?
I pursed my lips before answering.
“That’s… well…”
“I told you to control yourself! His energy should be saved for the designated room sharing days!”
Just by her fury, I could feel myself flinching away from her and leaning away.
Camilla’s sermon showed no signs of ending, even though some spatters of saliva splashed onto my face a couple of times.
“What if Amoide collapses after exerting so much energy?! Does your brain even work or not?!!”
“It’s because I got frightened by the snake,” I replied meekly.
“What?”
“I asked him if I could stay with him because I was afraid that another snake would come again. I didn’t mean to, but…”
A deep sigh came out, expressing my great difficulty. Sorta.
“Amoide kept insisting…”
“Insisting? What are you talking about!”
Camilla gave me a look of disgust.
“But it’s okay, Mother. This is a sign that Amoide’s health is improving day by day. Right?”
“…”
“If a snake doesn’t eat a mouse when it’s right there in front of it, that would be a sign that it’s seriously ill, right?”
Ah, I just compared myself to a mouse. I really did that.
As I spoke, I was sobered by the fact that I insulted myself, but I couldn’t think of any other animal to use as a metaphor.
“So this is a very good sign, Mother.”
“…”
Camilla’s face gradually changed from distrust to acceptance.
“…Really?”
“Of course. He’s definitely getting better.”
I nodded enthusiastically.
“…”
Camilla’s expression finally softened, convinced by my words.
“Hmm… but it’s still not good to do it too frequently. No matter how much strength Amoide has regained.”
“Of course, Mother.”
That strength. Well, I’ll never know.
“But what was it that you wanted to bring up?”
For some reason, Camilla voluntarily asked me?
“Oh, what I wanted to say is…” I took a deep breath and went straight to the point. “Last night, a snake appeared in my room.”
“So? Isn’t it fine since you didn’t get bitten?”
“Yes, but…” I sighed long and hard. “The servants had already removed all the snakes in the garden. Thanks to Coulton’s care, the snakes outside have already been wiped out.”
“And?”
“It’s Greta, the head maid, who’s responsible for the mansion’s interior,” I said calmly. “This is Greta’s responsibility. Isn’t she responsible for the safety of the mansion inside?”
“…Well…”
Camilla couldn’t say anything more because there was nothing to refute.
“What is it that you want to say?”
“I almost died, Mother. Wasn’t it pretty dangerous?”
No matter how much she cared only for her son, it was still disheartening to know that she didn’t really care about my safety at all. I never asked for it in the first place, but it still made me feel bitter that she’s making it clear that she didn’t care about me.
“I know that our relationship is purely contractual, but I’m still technically Amoide’s wife. And my body is his asset.”
My words flowed out like an unstoppable stream of water.
“I want Greta to be punished.”
“What? What are you going to do with her?”
“I want her punished, Mother. Because she didn’t perform her duties properly.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Temporary demotion of the head maid.”
Camilla’s hesitance was palpable even from where I was sitting.
“Leave Greta out of this.”
She frowned, as though it was a sensitive spot.
I knew she was going to react in this way, but perhaps I underestimated her faith and affection for the head maid, and I’m kind of jealous that Greta had a boss who trusted her this much.
“I understand that Greta is a maid brought directly from Mother’s house when you were still unmarried. Maybe it’s because of that, but the other maids can’t easily go against her. Did you know about this?”
“…”
“Also, Jean has full authority over the kitchen as you know, but even he feels uncomfortable. I think Greta’s going beyond the authority you’ve allowed her.”
Camilla continued listening to me without saying a word.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login