C27
"Little miss!"
"Do you have stiff legs?"
"...!"
The gatekeeper belatedly knelt down.
"May I enter now that my identity has been confirmed?"
His head dropped to the ground.
"I committed a mortal sin because I had no idea that I would return in a rickety carriage without any notice... By the way, where is the little duke?"
Faced with the cold look in her eyes, the gatekeeper raised his face slightly and put it back on the ground.
"Do I have to inform you of all that? Am I not Ethel 'Cassius'?"
"Act unreasonably!"
"Then stop talking nonsense and just open the door."
"I will open it right now!"
Without even having time to wipe away the dirt that had stained his forehead and the bridge of his nose, he quickly jumped and manipulated the door.
Ethel asked as she looked inside the open door.
"Where is everyone? I don't see a single ant."
"They are at Percy's birthday banquet in the grand banquet hall."
Tsk.
"They're having a damn birthday party after Laura?"
Perhaps due to my mood, I often cursed, but the gatekeeper who had committed the crime was terrified.
"Is the grand banquet hall far from here?"
It was a masked question.
"No. It's right in front of here because it's a place where many outsiders come and go."
"I don't think I need directions. I will enter."
Finally, the man and the woman got into the carriage, and the gatekeeper fell to the ground.
"Forgive me again!"
He worried about who that strange man was and whether he could be allowed to enter the castle without permission, but he didn't dare to speak.
As he was at the lowest level of the lower class, he didn't see her often, but this was the first time he had seen the little lady so angry. Even within the family, he thought she was just a person without presence because she didn't do many notable activities.
"Phew."
While he continued to maintain a servile posture until the carriage drove away, he could faintly hear the driver laughing.
---------------------------------
Meanwhile, the grand banquet hall of Cassius Mansion.
"Percy, happy birthday!"
"Congratulations!"
Percy's birthday party, Liena's pet dog, was in full swing.
After the birthday song, it was the much-awaited moment when the servants were about to have Liena's pet dog, Percy, blow out the candles on the birthday cake.
Bam!
Suddenly, the banquet hall door was violently pushed open, and the candles were blown out by the wind blowing in from outside.
"What was that?!"
The employees' faces turned to see if some inconsiderate newcomer had ruined the most important part, and their faces filled with amazement.
"Little miss!"
"Ma'am, how?"
"It's clear that the Little Duke will stay in the capital longer..."
I was convinced by their reaction, which seemed as if they had no idea.
I guess the news of our divorce hasn't reached Cassius Castle yet. In fact, given Leandro's personality of putting importance on his image, he wouldn't have bothered spreading the word among the employees who were far away.
It's impossible for the people here to read third-rate gossip magazines from the capital, and rumors spread by word of mouth were limited to the upper class of the capital due to the Cassius family's control.
I looked at the people in the main banquet hall.
Among the confused employees, a dog wagged its tail while looking at me, and a servant with an awkward posture holding a small box stood next to it.
"It's just as I expected."
I have the supplies needed for the plan I had in mind on my way here.
I turned my head and asked behind me.
"Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine. I begged her to follow her!"
Laura appeared behind me.
Originally, I was going to leave Laura in the city. It was only a few days ago that Cassius had treated her harshly, so I didn't want to drag her along because she was weak. But when Laura found out that I was heading to Cassius, she said she would follow me.
"I can't just stand still when the mistress thinks so much of me. And I don't want to just suffer because of those people!"
I did my best to block her, but a faint fire ignited in Laura's eyes, who, consciously or unconsciously, had been harassed by Cassius's servants. It wasn't typical of someone who held back for fear of causing discord.
It was a good mindset. Just as I had decided to get a divorce, Laura was also changing.
I asked Laura, raising my eyebrows and looking at the employees gathered around the long table.
"So, who's the person who ratted you out to the head maid after arbitrarily hanging a portrait in my room?"
Laura selected three maids among the employees with slightly trembling fingers.
"Come here."
The three maids looked closely and approached me hesitantly.
"Did I ask you to hang a portrait in my room before I left?"
The short-haired maid who seemed to play the most dominant role among the three responded.
"... No."
"Then, is there a law in Cassius that allows a single maid to mess up the hostess's room as she pleases?"
"Of course not."
"Then, why did you want to hang a portrait in my room?"
"I thought you'd be happy...!"
"That's not up to you."
Most people in Cassius are like that.
Come to think of it, it wasn't unreasonable for Liena to think that everyone would like her.
"These Liena fanatics."
Not to mention Duke Cassius and his two brothers, I'm sure that nine out of ten people surrounding Liena like Liena as much as they do.
How could you not love such a cute creature? This way of thinking dominates their minds.
At this point, it's almost like a religion. Maybe that maid really did it for me.
The little miss will be filled with energy when she sees the beautiful, cute, and charming Liena every day and night.
Yes, she surely thought like this.
It's useless to try to talk about this kind of thing. Have you seen blind religious viewpoints that commit to logic?
"Regardless of the reason, you acted recklessly without my permission. Although my personal maid stopped you, you didn't care. Therefore, I will punish you accordingly."
If trying to be kind doesn't work, there's no choice but to show it with action.
"From this moment on, the three of you are dismissed. Of course, I cannot write you a letter of recommendation."
The maids' expressions paled when I gave them the same punishment that Laura had received.
For them, being dismissed was not only losing their jobs but also distancing themselves from Liena, whom they revered like a god.
"Little miss!"
"N-no!"
"Please, you can't do that!"
"I won't back down. Please pack your things right away."
At that moment, as expected, someone stopped me.
"Stop."
She was the head maid who commanded all of Cassius's maids. I looked at the woman intently.
The head maid is usually a middle-aged or older maid with a long career, but Cassius's head maid was only a little over thirty.
The secret to her rapid rise was that she was Liena's nanny. In short, she followed the line well.
The head of the maids stood in front of me as if protecting the three maids and then made a formal bow.
"I apologize for not receiving the message in advance and not being able to welcome the little miss as necessary."
"That's it. Rather, let's talk business. There must be a good reason to dare to block my actions."
"Indeed..."
"One moment. You, there."
I spoke with the head maid and pointed to the servant who was right next to Percy.
He was the person I had been looking at from earlier.
"Y-Yes? Are you talking to me?"
"Yes. Please bring what you have in your hand."
The servant quickly approached me and handed me a small wooden box.
There was no way it was an unexpected action to make the head maid nervous. It was something I had been thinking about since I heard Laura's story.
"It's going to be a quite important conversation."
The head maid clearly ignored me, a superior, and drove Laura, the maid under me, away. Furthermore, she even stopped my corporal punishment and restrained me now.
Inevitably, the conversation that will arise will be related to my situation of not being properly treated as Cassius's hostess.
"Ah, keep talking. What were you about to say?"
I quickly opened the lid of the box and pressed one of the buttons inside. I knew how to operate it because it was in the original work.
The head maid couldn't take it anymore and asked.
"That magical artifact is something I want to send to Lady Liena. Is there a problem?"
"I will send it to her in person. Anyway, I'm planning to return to the capital soon."
"So why did you come back halfway...?"
"That's none of your business."
"......"
Although she tried to hide it, her inner dissatisfaction was evident on the head maid's face.
"Until now, you've felt comfortable relying on Liena's halo, haven't you?"
Perhaps because she was the first person to care for her, Liena cared a lot about her nanny. Because she was almost like a mother to Liena, not even Duke Cassius could treat the head maid carelessly.
Leandro also treated the head maid with more respect than a maid, and she, who was the highest-ranking among the servants and had the highest nominal status, wielded real power.
I also didn't interfere with the head maid's work because there was no benefit in clashing with her for no reason. So far, the head maid hadn't crossed a critical line.
But the head maid crossed the line. The reason, of course, was Liena.
"... In fact, I ordered those girls to put a portrait of Lady Liena in the little miss's room. The only crime they have is following my instructions, so if you want to punish them, please punish me."
"Hey, head maid. Even if only the maids can make mistakes, you can't."
"I have nothing to say. I thought the little miss would like it if I did that."
Somehow, all the thoughts these people have are there.
Well, the head maid was the first person to win Liena's heart when she came to Cassius, and she is the founder and first member of Liena's fan club.