The Duchy of Arden (4)

Marie was the most enthused. Marie had a lover in town to whom she was engaged to be married, so she couldn’t follow Rosetta to the duchy. Rosetta hadn’t bothered to ask Marie to come with her, either, because she was planning to divorce or run away.

“I should have been here, to make them all fall on their knees and beg for forgiveness, all those who have pointed fingers and cursed at our young lady!”

“I’ll beg your pardon, but…begging is unnecessary, for a noblewoman.”

“Even once or twice is not enough, my lady, how many years has she been harassed!”

“A little over a year?”

Marie snapped, as the coachman, who had been wandering into the kitchen to get something to eat, interrupted.

“You think that’s short?!”

“Oh, why are you so angry with me? When people say bad things about you….”

“Bad things?”

The coachman’s voice broke in as everyone’s eyes gathered and he was about to reply.

“You quickly changed the subject~.”

“Eh~.”

“Ah, why, are you all cursing in unison, what power do I have, I’m just a coward.”

The booing subsided because everyone had a similar experience. It’s hard to speak up when you’re outnumbered.

“It’s a good thing it’s out in the open now. She’s a wicked woman, that princess. She’s got a grudge against our young lady….”

“It’s because of Prince Michael.”

“Even if it’s because of him! Who would do that? She’s the kind of woman to do that….”

“There’s also the matter of the ballroom incident…. I hope His Majesty will have her executed quickly, so my lady can sleep in peace.”

“Yes.”

“True.”

Just as the servants were agreeing, the kitchen door burst open. They spun around, startled, to see Rossi, the errand boy, enter.

“What a surprise! You should’ve waited.”

At the maid’s urging, Rossi stuck his tongue out and looked at Marie.

“Someone’s looking for you.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. A friend of yours is waiting for you at the front door.”

In response to the sour response, the kitchen maids and the maids of honor immediately swarmed in.

“A man or a woman?”

“A woman.”

At Rossi’s word, they all lost interest and scattered. She must have been alone, because Rossi didn’t say anything else.

Marie frowned, said she’d have to go, and slipped out through the servants’ passage. As she passed the perimeter where the knights were doing their morning exercises and headed for the Count’s front door, she saw the woman in robes.

She appeared to be about Marie’s age, but with a distinctive air of arrogance. Marie recognized her instantly.

‘Why is she…, huh?’

Mari’s eyes lit up and she ran. The gatekeeper cringed as he rolled up his sleeves, snorted, and stomped off, clearly about to fight.

“M, Marie?”

“Open the gate, please. I need to kick that thing out!”

Marie said, pointing confidently at the woman in the robe, and the gatekeeper obeyed. As Marie stepped out, the woman, who had been glancing this way and that, forced a smile.

“Long time no see.”

” Long time no see, huh! Unfortunately, you should leave right now!”

Mari wanted to hurl a barrage of insults at the woman, but she couldn’t because there are eyes to see. The woman’s eyes narrowed at Marie’s words.

“I’m here to say something nice to you because I’m thinking of you. Is it okay for you to come out like that?”

“Oh, you thought of me! Why don’t you tell the butler what you’ve done to my lady, and then come out here with a bunch of people, and I’ll pull a handful of hairs out of your head!”

Marie shouted as if she were about to pounce, and the woman scowled and hunched her shoulders. That emboldened her, and she put her hands on her hips. Before her voice could get any louder, the woman suddenly thrust a necklace in front of her.

“What is it?”

Marie asked, her face full of suspicion. She, Melissa, wore a ‘if you say so’ face.

“My lady asked me to bring it to you. She said she’s sorry for all the trouble.”

“…….”

At first glance, it was an expensive necklace with an emerald the size of my thumb. Even though it was obviously a trap, Marie’s heart swayed; it was something she couldn’t afford, even if she saved a year’s salary.

“What are you doing? Take it.”

Marie’s mouth dropped open in trepidation, and Melissa pressed the necklace into her hand. At the feel of the emerald necklace in her palm, Marie jerked her hand away in horror.

“You, you’re trying to accuse me of being a thief, aren’t you? I’m not falling for it!”

“What thief. This is why you can’t be a bad-headed girl. I’m trying to appease you, of course~.”

“A, appease?”

Melissa said, waving the hand that held the necklace provocatively.

“How good can they be at being nice to you? You said you’re going to quit your job and work at your fiancé’s shop when you get married, so don’t you need money?”

“…I need money even if I don’t get married.”

Marie blurted out. She thought Melissa was being really stupid. She hated to see Melissa sneer at her.

“If you do what my lady says…, she’ll give you more than just this stupid necklace. She’ll give you more than just a small shop in the capital…, she’ll give you enough to live off of in a small town in the provinces.”

“…….”

“Are your ears open? You could live off the land in a small town?”

At Melissa’s words, Marie swallowed dryly and glared at her.

“So, what do you want from me?”

“You’re finally getting some brains. You…. You’ve known her for a long time.”

“Yes, I have, since I was eight years old, when I went in as her playmate.”

Marie was the illegitimate daughter of a baron, and when Selina saw that she was being abused in the house, she took her to Count Whirsen’s as if to buy her back. Marie’s mother was the baron’s maid. After giving birth to Marie, she was thrown out without a letter of recommendation and died in the streets.

So Marie liked Countess Whirsen and she liked Rosetta.

Rosetta might be aggressive and simple, but she was nice to her as a playmate and as a maid, and Selina was the one who got Marie out of that hellhole.

Besides, Count Whirsen was a nice place to work. Her masters were good-natured, and the servants were generous.

She could see how her life would have been miserable if she had stayed at the barony and grown up the way she had, so she liked Count Whirsen.

They had paid for her, and even if they had no objection to her marrying and leaving the county, they even promised to give her a small dowry.

“…Is that so?” (Melissa)

“Then you know something, some secret that your lady won’t be able to keep….” (Melissa)

Marie’s eyes narrowed as the words finally came out of Melissa’s mouth. That was the punchline, wasn’t it?

Marie was outraged; if you’re guilty, you should apologize and be punished, not try to prey on your victim’s weaknesses like this.

“My lady is simple, she doesn’t keep secrets.”

“Who in the world doesn’t have secrets?!”

“There is. My lady!”

She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t shaken. Melissa was a maid of honor to a marquise, and their family was fabulously wealthy; and of all the young ladies who had accused Rosetta, she was the one who would not admit her guilt.

‘But really, she has no such thing as weakness. She’s just simple and lazy?’

At least she seemed to have changed over the past year of bullying. Marie thought Rosetta’s personality had been changed, influenced by the accusations and other people’s demands.

Marie stuck her tongue out at Melissa and fled to Count Whirsen. Melissa stumbled to her feet, stupefied, but could not follow Marie inside.

The gatekeeper, who had been watching from a distance, recognized her as an enemy of the lady and gave her a frightening glare.

?

‘Wretched things!’

The problem was that this temptation was not directed at Marie alone. This was just the beginning.

Everyone who cleaned Rosetta’s room, served her, or escorted her around was lured.