C26
"That's why people should live a good life. You shouldn't try to take other people's money for free."
Terence's eyes squinted wonderfully at my words.
"I agree."
"May I ask what that smile means?"
For an aristocrat, he seemed like a commoner. When I asked out of curiosity, he shook his head.
"It's not a big deal. I was just thinking that I liked Ethel's personality."
"That's good."
There's nothing wrong with looking good in front of your associates.
Our wait didn't last long. This was because Laura appeared exactly at the agreed-upon time.
"Madam!"
"Laura!"
We warmly greeted each other, and we hadn't been apart for such a long time in the past two years. I briefly introduced Terence to her.
I only told her that he was helping me, and Laura didn't seem very curious. More precisely, it seemed she was concerned about something else.
"Have you considered my offer?"
I explained calmly.
"Cassius might hate you. But don't worry. I'll protect you at all costs. If you want, I'll keep employing you as a maid, and I plan to maintain your salary as close as possible to the original level."
It was when I was about to say that if she waited a bit, considering the mine, she would get a substantial raise.
"You don't even need to ask. Of course, I'll follow you!"
"Laura..."
I expected her to follow me, but I didn't expect her to be so determined. Nevertheless, it seemed that the past two years had not been in vain.
"Laura, is the bag you brought your luggage?"
Laura had a travel bag.
"Yes! I packed it in advance to leave as soon as I saw you!"
The preparation was quite thorough.
"I also handed in my resignation to the Cassius family!"
Huh? I was glad to see her follow through so well, but at the same time, I felt a little puzzled.
"...She's surprisingly active, isn't she?"
Laura was basically kind and calm but somewhat shy and indecisive. That's why I came here to persuade her face to face.
Well, we can find out more details as we go along because there's plenty of time.
"Let's first go to the train station."
Wanting to return to the capital as soon as possible, I grabbed Laura's gloved hand. But Laura let out a faint moan.
"Ugh."
"Where are you hurt?"
"Oh, no!"
Laura vigorously shook her head, but I looked at her cotton gloves. Gloves I had never seen before despite being so close to her.
"I think you're hurt. Take off your gloves."
"I'm really fine!"
"Laura."
When our gazes met, Laura lowered her head. I gently rubbed her shoulders and spoke in a friendly voice.
"It's okay. It's okay. Just tell me what's going on."
"......"
"You don't have to tell me if you really don't want to, but I wish you'd tell me if it's possible. If there's anything I can do to help, I will."
Laura bit her lip and soon broke into tears.
"...ugh. I'm sorry, Madam. In fact, I didn't leave the Duchy on my own; I was expelled."
"What?"
Absurdity overcame me. Laura was my direct maid brought from my parents' house. Who dares to expel Laura when I'm not without my consent?
"Was it Leandro?"
But the possibility of that happening seemed slim. Leandro had been staying in the capital all this time, so he had no time to worry about this place, and more than anything, he didn't want to divorce me.
Is there any reason to go against my will by isolating Laura instead of fanning the flames?
Tears welled up and moistened her freckled cheeks. I comforted her and asked her questions one by one.
"Who expelled you?"
"The head maid..."
"Why did the head maid do that?"
"I, I... I destroyed Lady Liena's portrait."
I sat on a bench in the square and comforted Laura. Terence also gave her freshly squeezed fruit juice from a nearby store. After a while, Laura, who had barely stopped crying, began to stammer and explain.
The whole story of the incident went like this. It is said that the day before my letter arrived, Cassius's maids found Laura, who was guarding my room alone with a portrait.
"I heard a new artist who recently started making a name for himself painted Lady Liena."
Up to this point, it wasn't particularly special. The people of Duke Cassius enjoyed painters drawing Liena. Poets composed poems praising Liena, and musicians composed songs that expressed Liena.
Usually, when they finished the portrait, even though I said it wasn't necessary, they insisted on showing it to me. But what followed was unusual.
"They tried to hang that painting in the madam's room."
"Why?"
"I asked too, and they said that appreciating beautiful artwork every day would be a great boost to her life..."
"Who the hell said that?"
My brain couldn't accept the absurdity, so my true feelings surfaced.
"Go on speaking."
"Oh yes... Anyway, I thought you wouldn't be happy if you came, so I stopped them."
Of course, I didn't want to face Liena's face, which I saw once every 10 seconds as I walked the halls of Cassius Mansion, even in my room.
"I just grabbed the portrait to stop her because she was recklessly trying to hang it on the wall in front of the madam's desk..."
The image they were taking touched the ink bottle on the desk.
"It was a mess with ink splattering everywhere."
"—I guess it ruined the painting as well."
"Yes, Lady Liena's face is covered in black ink!"
The portraits weren't my concern. I felt my stomach slowly boiling.
"So, the head maid fired you?"
Laura nodded weakly.
"What about the gloves?"
When, hesitatingly, she removed her cotton gloves, her palms were exposed with bruises and marks from being beaten with a stick.
"At that time, I received a letter from my lady. The head maid didn't write me a recommendation letter, saying I was lucky she didn't charge me for the painting. I felt like I had risen from the dead when the lady accepted me back."
As an employee of a noble family, it's hard to get a job without a recommendation letter. To make matters worse, if even a rumor existed that she was expelled from Cassius, few families would be willing to hire Laura.
"For Laura, who had only learned to work as a domestic servant, her future would have been bleak."
I took out a handkerchief and wiped away her tears and snot.
"You don't need to hide that kind of story."
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid my lady will get angry because of me."
"It upset me. But if I hadn't known, I would have been even more upset when I found out later."
"...Because I wasn't good enough, I also stained my lady's honor. I'm so sorry."
"There's nothing to regret. And I'm not offended because the head maid didn't respect my authority and interrupted you. I'm angry because you, my person, got hurt."
I took out some bills from my pocket and placed them in Laura's hand.
"I'm sorry for calling you, but do you want to go somewhere with this and wait for two or three hours? While eating something delicious."
I looked at Terence and asked for understanding.
"I'm sorry, Tay, but I have to change my plans. I wanted to return to the capital as soon as possible."
"It's okay. There's always a train."
It was a smile that showed what he was going to do from now on.
I looked at Cassius Mansion, which stood on a hill as if overlooking the city of Ashton.
I had just remembered something I should have done when I was still "Ethel Cassius."
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The great Cassius, one of the five dukes of the empire, who has protected the northern part of the empire for a long time.
The gatekeeper guarding the doors of Cassius kicked a rolling stone in frustration.
"Oh, I'm so unlucky."
On a happy holiday like today, he couldn't believe that the Mansion's door security had stopped him. Colleagues who got a special permit went out to play in the city, and even the employees working in the mansion now enjoyed a banquet among themselves.
However, security cannot be neglected, so the basic security staff stay behind, and he happened to be one of them.
At that moment, a carriage appeared in the distance, making a clattering sound of horse hooves.
No one had planned to visit Cassius Mansion at this hour today.
"Oh, they're in good hands."
The gatekeeper's mouth corner curled up.
Sometimes it happens. Those who come to see Cassius's increasing power. A flatterer, a businessman, a swindler. These types are desperate to give bribes or make a lot of money.
Even if they weren't, the act of barging into the Duke Cassius's house unannounced was itself a great act of disrespect.
In addition, it's a carriage that anyone can ride as long as they pay money. Not only noble families but also wealthy commoners have their own carriages, so the gatekeeper probably isn't someone to be courteous with.
Feeling the need to vent his anger, he menacingly raised his spear towards the approaching carriage.
"Stop!"
The frightened horses stopped, and the driver bowed his head in fear.
Cassius's status is good in this regard. Cassius's majesty protected them and made them stand out above the rest.
"Reveal your identity and the purpose of your visit immediately!"
The coachman trembled and cried at the gatekeeper's command.
"Actually, I just received a request to come here, so I can't tell you in detail..."
At that moment, the carriage's door opened, and a tall man dressed in a black robe with a mask on his face got out. He was large and intimidating, so the gatekeeper instinctively shivered.
"The carriage needs to enter, so open the Mansion's door."
Open the door? Not "Please open" but just "Open"?
It was a very arrogant comment and behavior he had never encountered before as a guardian of Cassius. Even the servants of the noblest families would be discouraged in front of the Cassius family.
The gatekeeper shouted, his stomach churned by the fact that he had been momentarily overwhelmed.
"What did you just say, idiot?!"
"I don't know, but I guess I should be careful with your mouth in front of my mistress."
In the blink of an eye, the man who was approaching from a short distance lowered his voice grimly. Suddenly, he felt numb.
He wanted to apologize for his rude comments, but he couldn't.
Even if he was just a gatekeeper, he was a person of Cassius. If he bowed, Cassius seemed to bow his head as well.
The gatekeeper gathered all the courage he had, whether he had it or not, and said.
"W-What kind of idiot is your master?"
"Me."
The answer came from elsewhere.
The gatekeeper's eyes widened when he saw the face of the woman who got out of the carriage.