A few days passed like that. My room was filled with lively laughter and cheerful chatter. Yuliana had assigned some maids to me, as I didn’t have any of my own. They giggled as they adorned my hair with a floral crown.
“We made a wildflower crown for you, Madam!”
“The latest trend in social circles is this wildflower tiara.”
I gently smiled as I adjusted the wildflower tiara they placed on me. “Well, I want to give you a gift as a token of my gratitude.” I looked at them intently and handed each of them a butterfly-shaped brooch. “Take it. I’m giving it because I’m grateful for your help, truly grateful.”
“Wow, it’s such an expensive brooch!”
“Thank you, Madam!”
I chuckled softly as I lifted the brooch from the box, which didn’t seem to be of very good quality. “I plan to give them to the other maids as well.”
I recalled the maids who had watched me with kind eyes. They were truly warm-hearted. But there was just one. Was her name Rudensha? I smiled to myself as I fiddled with a brooch, remembering the maid with that oddly rebellious, scrutinizing gaze.
This black ribbon brooch would suit her well.
* * *
“We made a wildflower crown for her, and she gave us brooches in return!”
“She gave me one too! Said it was a token of gratitude.”
Rudensha listened to the excited chatter of the maids, attendants, and servants, then stood up. “Yes, I received a brooch too.” The brooch she received looked cheaper compared to the others, which were intricately embroidered with butterfly designs. Yet…
It was the brooch that meant the most to me.
Giselle had looked at Rudensha and said, ‘It’s the brooch you need the most.’ With the shabby brooch pinned to her chest, Rudensha bit her lip and stood up.
Caitlyn was entering the maids’ quarters.
“Greetings, Lady Caitlyn.”
Caitlyn’s eyes gleamed brightly as she saw the beautiful brooches adorning the chests of all the maids lined up in front of her. “You were having some interesting conversations, I see. What are those brooches?”
“T-They were given to us by the madam.”
“The madam, you say.” She pretended to snort lightly, but in truth, she was more furious than anyone else. Giselle. I know all about your reputation in society, and yet you dare to rise above me, unaware of your place?
Giselle, whom she thought would marry some wastrel and fall into complete ruin in society, had become a duchess and stood above her. The superiority Caitlyn had felt turned into an inferiority complex, and eventually, it transformed into a fiery rage.
A perceptive maid, catching a glimpse of Caitlyn’s angry expression, continued speaking. “She gifted us these lovely brooches. I don’t think she’s such a bad person.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
“Yes, she was quite kind to us.”
“Brooches, you say.” Her eyes gleamed with greed and light. “I want one too, the most beautiful one, of course.”
The maids exchanged glances. It was the same as always. No matter who received something beautiful, they couldn’t keep it. Because Caitlyn would take everything.
“Hand it over.”
With several sharp snaps, she snatched the brooches dangling from the maids’ uniforms. Except for the poor-quality brooch Rudensha received, Caitlyn took them all.
“This one has a… a scratch, so it’s not that beautiful. Could I give you a prettier one next time?”
To the maid who dared to speak…
“How insolent.”
With a resounding slap, Caitlyn struck the maid’s cheek.
“I-I’m sorry, Lady Caitlyn.”
“The madam is on my side. Don’t tell anyone. Remember that.”
“…U-Understood.”
Caitlyn walked away with her hands full of gleaming spoils, casting a mocking glance at Rudensha’s. Rudensha, with a defiant expression, clenched the worn-out black brooch pinned to her dress. A clicking sound was heard, but only Rudensha noticed it.
* * *
Before long, it was time for dinner. A few members of the Kalinos family, the duke himself, Yuliana, Neslan, and I all gathered together.
“I distributed the jeweled brooches that Lord Neslan gave to the servants! They weren’t too expensive, right~?”
“…Ah, don’t worry too much about it. Gifts are meant for the recipient to use. It actually makes me proud.”
Is this person a real angel? …My conscience pricked at me.
I closed my eyes tightly and then opened them again. “But there’s one person Giselle didn’t give a gift to.”
“What do you mean?”
“Caitlyn Ronus! I didn’t give her one because I didn’t really like her!”
I sprang to my feet, staring at Caitlyn, who was standing behind Yuliana and wearing the brooch. Normally, if someone stands up during a meal, wouldn’t people ask, ‘What’s wrong?’ Unfortunately, I had already been labeled as the odd one, so neither Neslan, Yuliana, nor even Caitlyn paid me any attention. Only a few relatives who were seeing me for the first time exchanged bewildered glances.
“I was sure of it. How did it end up here?”
“…”
“You stole it, didn’t you?”
“…What on earth are you talking about? Stole it?”
Just as Caitlyn was about to turn away with a stiff expression, I forcibly tore the brooch from her chest and shouted. “This is the brooch I gave as a gift to the servants and maids who helped me. I didn’t give one to you.”
“…So? Are you saying I stole it?”
“Yes!”
“Do you have any proof?”
“Huh? No, I don’t.”
“Then let me provide the evidence. Dorin, when did you first see this brooch?” She gestured with her chin toward the maid who was pouring tea right beside me.
The maid, called Dorin, trembled as she muttered. “Ru-Rudensha gave it to Lady Caitlyn directly. It seems Madam is mistaken.”
“That’s what she says, Madam.”
Dorin shivered even more as Duke Kalinos smirked, but after glancing at Caitlyn, she quickly quieted down.
I suppose a nearby enemy is scarier than a distant one.
“It seems you’re quite excited about becoming the lady of the house, but… accusing the head maid is wrong.”
With her single remark, the number of glances cast my way began to increase. There were likely more people who trusted Caitlyn, who had been in the duke’s household longer than I had. Honestly, given the rushed nature of my marriage, there are probably not many who truly know me.
Buoyed by the atmosphere that seemed to support her, Caitlyn lowered her head and lifted the corners of her mouth in a smile only I could see. But just as I was about to speak, Yuliana’s unexpected intervention caught both Caitlyn and me off guard, and our expressions turned bewildered.
“Caitlyn Ronus. I believe I warned you.”
“…I apologize for overstepping, Big Madam.”
It wasn’t that Yuliana liked me, but rather that she didn’t want the mistress of the duke’s family to be in trouble in front of all the servants and household members. She’s just a principled person. I quietly crossed my arms over my chest and watched the situation unfold.
At that moment, Caitlyn threw herself to the floor and pleaded loudly. “But Big Madam, it’s so unfair to be falsely accused!”
“A false accusation, you say… Why do you think Caitlyn is the culprit, Duchess Giselle Kalinos?”
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