Now This Family Belongs to My Mother Chapter 73

“Instead of just being happy, you should focus on fixing your reputation.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Stella whispered in a low voice. “Maddux said he’d take care of everything.”

 

“Maddux?”

 

“Yes. He decided to go around explaining that his true lover isn’t me, but Epirosa.” Stella spoke confidently.

 

* * *

It was in the backyard of the servant quarters. I was walking through the wooded backyard with Britlyn. A chill rose from the stream that trickled softly over the rocks.

 

“Milady, over there.” Britlyn pointed somewhere as she spoke.

 

My eyes followed the direction of Britlyn’s finger. There was a black-haired maid doing laundry alone. Her sleeves were rolled down to her wrists, even though they were bound to get wet.

 

I approached that maid with Britlyn. It was when.

 

“Milady, you shouldn’t be in a place like this.” The maid, who had her back turned while doing laundry, spoke curtly.

 

We approached quietly, yet she immediately noticed someone was behind her. What a sharp maid. And her voice carried strength, unusual for someone of her middle age. A maid this skilled could be put to much better use, yet she’s stuck doing laundry. It didn’t seem to fit.

 

“Are you Mizulin?” I asked gently.

 

Mizulin, scrubbing the laundry with vigor, replied. “Yes, Milady.”

 

“Isn’t it hard doing the laundry all by yourself?”

 

Surely, there had to be more than one laundry maid, yet it was strange that she was handling all this laundry alone. According to Britlyn, Mizulin was being ostracized in the laundry room. They said she didn’t get along with anyone, so they found her easy to pick on. That must be why she was doing the laundry alone.

 

“Don’t you want to do something other than laundry?”

 

“I like this work.”

 

Mizulin tossed the laundry into the basket and stood up. When she stood, she was incredibly tall. Her shoulders were broad, and her body looked solid and strong. She turned around and looked at me. Her exotic appearance, as striking as her physique, was the first thing that caught my eye.

 

“I think you’d be better suited for something else.”

 

“…”

 

“Like being the head maid, for instance.”

 

At my words, Mizulin’s eyes widened. But soon, she wore a cynical expression. “I’ve been stuck in the laundry room for over ten years. And Milady thinks I could be the head maid? Don’t mock me.”

 

“Before you ended up stuck in the laundry room, you received a high-class education, didn’t you? Alongside your mother’s master, no less.”

 

“!”

 

“Your mother almost became the head maid of the Blanche family, didn’t she? If it weren’t for Madam Mona and Diane framing her and getting her kicked out.”

 

A look of surprise spread across Mizulin’s usually cold face.

 

“The only reason you were able to keep your footing in the Blanche family was thanks to the master who took you in.”

 

“…”

 

“You must have learned a lot from your mother and your master. Both of them recognized your talent.”

 

“…Are you trying to collect payment for that now?” Mizulin asked coldly.

 

I shook my head with a smile. “I’m just saying that. Like your old master, I mean my mother, I recognized you too.”

 

Mizulin’s expression grew complicated. Seeing that, I deliberately smiled even wider.

 

Mizulin’s mother was from a foreign tribe. When my mother was twelve, she brought her home from the temple’s charity shelter, where she had been doing menial work. It was because Mizulin’s mother was diligent and clever.

 

A few years later, Mizulin’s mother even earned Hubert’s recognition and became a strong candidate for head maid. Though she was framed and driven out. Her misfortune was that the other candidate for head maid was none other than Madam Mona. The power of Madam Mona, who came from a family that had served as head maids for generations. And Diane, who treated Madam Mona like her own hands and feet, was unbeatable.

 

Mizulin’s mother, who had been driven out, went missing. It must have been Madam Mona’s doing. To completely eliminate any future threats. Those claws of malice reached Mizulin as well. At that time, the one who stood up for Mizulin and took her in was my mother.

 

Even in her daily life, my mother would take Mizulin along and ensure she received the same education as herself. It was because Mizulin was clever, just like her own mother. But after my mother left the house, Mizulin locked herself away in the laundry room.

 

I remember hearing Mizulin’s story in passing in my previous life. But back then, I didn’t pay much attention. Now, however, my thoughts have changed. After asking Benjamin to look into the movements of the household servants, I discovered something shocking.

 

Was it really just a coincidence that all the maids who were close to my mother back then disappeared, except for Mizulin?

 

My mother went mad because of the curse. Then, could her close aides have been free from the powerful influence of that curse? And just before Mother completely lost her mind and left the family, Mizulin… I looked at Mizulin’s sleeve, soaked through with the laundry water. She suddenly fell ill and left Mother’s side to rest.

 

Realizing where my gaze had landed, Mizulin quickly hid her arm behind her back. “I-I have no intention of becoming the head maid. Just hearing the word ‘maid’ makes me sick.”

 

“Mizulin, you need to clear your mother’s name,” I spoke to her gently.

 

Mizulin’s eyes wavered. But soon, she turned her head away. “Please don’t give me hope over something impossible. Even Sir Benjamin promised to clear my mother’s name, but he couldn’t keep that promise.” She then picked up a new piece of laundry. “I have a lot of work to do. I’m sorry, but please leave.”

 

I quietly watched Mizulin’s back for a moment before turning away. That’s enough for today. Pushing further would only make her heart even more closed. But something still weighed on my mind.

 

I glanced at Britlyn, who was trudging along beside me. “Britlyn, don’t worry.”

 

“Milady…”

 

“I’ll make sure your mother can step out of the laundry room.”

 

At my words, tears welled up in Britlyn’s eyes.

 

Britlyn was the daughter Mizulin had given birth to in secret. Fearing that Diane and Madam Mona might harm her daughter, Mizulin had entrusted her to someone else to raise in secret. But Britlyn, wanting to be by her mother’s side, had entered the grand duke’s family on her own.

 

“Thank you so much, Milady.”

 

“Your mother says Benjamin broke his promise, but Benjamin is still in the process of keeping it. That’s why he told me the old story about you and your mother.” I said as I wiped the tears from Britlyn’s eyes.

 

A few years after Mom was driven out, Benjamin, who had joined the Blanche family, learned the full story of what had happened. However, due to Diane and Gale’s interference, he couldn’t reveal the unjust truth.

 

“Even if Milady fails to bring my mother out of the laundry room, I will repay your kindness. Milady and Sir Benjamin are the only ones who have gone this far for my mother and me.” Britlyn pledged her loyalty to me.

 

Britlyn, this isn’t just for you. It’s for me as well. Hiding my bitter feelings, I held Britlyn’s hand.

 

* * *

It was outside the banquet hall, where the party was in full swing.

 

“Get out! Who do you think you are, ruining the mood like this?”

 

Thud! Maddux was seized by three or four men and thrown outside.

 

“Li-Listen to me! My real lover is—!”

 

“Shut up! Who cares about your so-called real lover?” The men spat at Maddux and went back inside.

 

“Damn it!” Sprawled on the floor, Maddux slammed his fist against it. “Ouch!” But it hurt so much that he clutched his hand and let out a scream.

 

Ah, seriously! Why does nothing ever go right for me?! Curled up in pain, Maddux felt so miserable about his situation that he was on the verge of tears.

 

He had been attending every social party he could to clear up the misunderstanding. But the moment he declared at the first party, “Actually, I’m not Violet or Stella’s lover,” people’s gaze had turned icy. Deciding there was nothing more worth hearing, they paid no attention to anything Maddux said after that. I should’ve just said my real lover is Epirosa!

 

After that, Maddux was outright turned away at the door of every party. Today, he had managed to sneak into a party, only to be caught quickly and thrown out in disgrace. As he raised his fist in anger to hit the floor again, he flinched when, out of nowhere, a handkerchief was offered to him.

 

“Your fine clothes are getting all dirty. Come on, get up.”

 

Maddux lifted his head. Under the moonlight, a woman as beautiful as an angel was smiling kindly at him.

 

“Are you a goddess sent to save me?” Maddux asked, as if entranced.

 

She let out a laugh that sparkled like starlight. To Maddux, who dumbly accepted the handkerchief, the goddess spoke sweetly.

 

“Have you forgotten me? I’m Epirosa.”