Chapter 7

7

The head steward, though embarrassed, silently followed my instructions. It seemed that on the surface, the Countess Valentina did not completely ignore me.

“W-Why have you called us…?”

One of the two maids standing before me asked with a somewhat guilty attitude. Behind her, three other maids were bowing deeply, visibly tense.

Upon closer inspection, the maid who had isolated Charlotte and overworked her was this one, and the other four seemed to have been dragged into it. Still, the fact that Charlotte was harmed did not change.

I gazed at the maid quietly and questioned her in a low voice. Or rather, it was almost a statement.

“Your name is Laura, right? Laura, why aren’t you properly assisting Charlotte? Do you know that this is considered negligence?”

It wasn’t just last night. This morning was the same. If this continued, Charlotte would end up doing all the work that should be shared by many. So, I had to reprimand her properly. Even if my actions seemed presumptuous and arrogant.

‘Harassing my personal maid… it’s too childish and undignified.’

I can understand the cold treatment I receive.

But making life difficult for the person who serves me… is it really necessary?

Moreover, this time, it wasn’t encouraged by Lady Seymour or Theodore; it was the servants acting on their own.

…Even if I plan to live like a ghost, I don’t want to be seen as a joke. The more the servants look down on me, the harder it will be for Charlotte.

Laura glanced at the head steward, not at me, and tightened her grip on her hands before speaking.

“It’s just that… there’s always something coming up… I couldn’t help it. I’m truly sorry. But the situation in the Valentina estate is not good, and the servants are always busy. It’s not uncommon for one person to do the work of two….”

Look at that.

She could have simply said, “I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful from now on,” and moved on, but instead, she expressed her grievances and even tried to teach me a lesson.

This was clear insubordination. Regardless of my birth or which family I came from… I am the Countess Valentina and the lady of this castle.

Is she going to skip even the basic courtesy? A hollow laugh escaped me.

I began quietly.

“If I am lacking as the lady of the house, I should be taught accordingly.”

“…”

“But if the teacher is my husband or an elder, not just a mere maid…”

“…!”

Laura’s face turned pale. She finally realized her mistake. What will she do now? If she admits her mistake and apologizes sincerely this time, I would let it go quietly. I don’t want this to become a bigger issue. In fact, I want to resolve this before it reaches Theodore or Lady Seymour…

“I….”

Just as Laura, biting her lip, was about to speak,

“What’s all this commotion?”

This voice… it was Lady Seymour. I slowly turned my head to see her approaching from the end of the corridor.

When Lady Seymour finally reached us, she looked at the servants and me with a perfectly composed posture. Then she raised one eyebrow and spoke.

“Head steward, what’s going on here?”

“…”

She should have asked me, the Countess, but by asking the head steward, she was clearly ignoring me.

Not surprising.

“That… I…”

While the head steward explained cautiously, watching Lady Seymour’s reaction, I stood expressionless.

After hearing the head steward’s explanation, Lady Seymour approached Laura with elegant steps. Laura flinched slightly and glanced up at Lady Seymour.

“Laura, it seems you and the others have been very busy recently.”

“…”

Lady Seymour’s words started with a gentle tone. Laura bowed deeply, looking quite pitiful.

“Still, your role, along with the other four, is to assist the Countess’s personal maid. You must fulfill your duties.”

“…I am ashamed, Lady Seymour.”

Lady Seymour’s reprimand was effective, and Laura showed a repentant attitude. On the surface, it was a heartwarming scene.

“From now on, I expect you to perform your duties well. All four of you as well.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Yes…”

The five of them, including Laura, bowed repeatedly, showing their repentance. I no longer needed to say anything. Lady Seymour had clearly planned it this way.

“Lily.”

Lady Seymour turned to me, her voice and expression devoid of any emotion. It seemed fair at first glance.

“I’ve reprimanded the servants, so please forgive them. They will follow my instructions without question and won’t cause any more problems.”

Her words implied, “My influence in this household is that significant.” It sounded like a simple statement, but it was as good as saying, “I run the household, and you have no power.”

I wasn’t offended. It was just… all of this was ridiculous. I had merely made a justifiable protest. It wasn’t a huge demand, yet they wanted to put me down over this small matter.

Yes, in this Valentina castle, I am supposed to live like a ghost. I intended to do just that.

“If Charlotte is assisted properly, I have no reason to complain.”

“Of course, that will be the case.”

Lady Seymour took my words and glanced at Laura and the other four. They bowed deeply, showing strong affirmation. Lady Seymour reprimanded them a bit more and then sent them off to do their work.

Turning back to me, Lady Seymour said,

“Lily, it must be difficult for you to adapt, coming to this household at such an inopportune time.”

Her words were laced with hidden meaning. While I didn’t like being reminded of the Everett family’s sins, I also wanted to shout that I was a victim too.

“…I will try to adapt.”

“Yes, I was going to suggest something, and this is a good time.”

“Suggest… something?”

“Why don’t you go on a tour of the estate?”

I almost stiffened but managed to maintain my composure.

It’s common for a lord’s wife to inspect the estate to understand the people’s lives. The problem is that I am the daughter of the Everett family. Given the current intense animosity towards the Everett family, going on an estate tour would not be a good choice.

Lady Seymour must be well aware of this. Yet, by suggesting it, she is…

‘She wants to humiliate me.’

She wants me to feel the raw hatred of the people. To realize how much hatred I, as a daughter of the Everett family, have incurred.

I have no grounds to refuse.

‘Unless I suddenly break a leg or something.’

I had no illusions that Lady Seymour would be kind to me, but if this continues, I will have to endure her and her followers’ subtle torment.

‘…It’s exhausting.’

It’s exhausting. I want to give up. I don’t want to get used to being tormented by others. But the problem is, I’m already used to it. Would it be easier if I were poisoned? But what about Charlotte after I’m gone?

She can’t continue working in the Valentina castle or return to the Everett castle.

“…”

I lowered my gaze to the floor and tightened my hands. Slowly, but skillfully, I emptied my mind. I filtered out everything, making sure that all the hatred directed at me had no color or form, no meaning to me.

I had done this countless times.

I raised my gaze. It wasn’t difficult. This woman, the head steward, and even my husband… they were all meaningless to me.

My voice, when I spoke, was calm and steady, even to my own ears.

“Yes, I will prepare and go on the estate tour soon.”

Lady Seymour’s eyes twitched. She seemed to have wanted to see me flustered. I’m sorry I couldn’t meet her expectations.

“…Yes, then.”

“Yes, thank you for your concern. I appreciate your attention.”

I nodded briefly to the head steward and left the scene.

* * *

I decided to go on the estate tour with Charlotte and a maid named Jenna. Two guard knights, Jeremy and Will, would also accompany us for safety.

Both were quiet, either because they were not talkative or because they didn’t want to speak to me, which made the journey comfortable. Jenna didn’t speak at all, probably due to the previous incident.

Charlotte…

“…”

She seemed to think that I was going on the tour because of her. She believed that I had incurred Lady Seymour’s displeasure by standing up for her… I would have to correct her soon.

“We have arrived.”

The coachman politely announced. I sighed inwardly and reluctantly got up, reminding myself to face whatever I would see with composure.

Soon, the carriage door opened.