In the original story, Yerpi learned shocking news immediately upon arriving at the castle.
“Take care of my son. That is the only duty you have as the Duchess.”
A son?
Did my husband have a son?
Right after hearing those words, Yerpi collapsed from shock and remained bedridden in this estate for days.
Once she finally got back on her feet, she began frantically searching the entire castle like a madwoman, determined not to leave that child alone.
Though before she could even find him, she ended up being chased by summoned beasts drawn by her scent.
In reality, Yerpi never even met the Duke’s child.
Raymond had completely separated Yerpi from the child after learning of the situation.
Knowing all the hidden details, she could only feel curiosity now.
‘What kind of child could it be?’
She wanted to meet that child who must resemble Raymond.
But Raymond mentioned only the Duchess’s budget, and didn’t bring up his own child at all throughout the meal.
‘Why won’t he talk about the child?’
Before leaving the table, Raymond glanced at the hesitant Yerpi and spoke one sentence.
“If you have something to say, say it now.”
After hesitating, Yerpi ultimately remained silent.
“It’s nothing.”
Seeing Yerpi once again holding something back, he frowned but said nothing more and turned away.
Watching his retreating back as he left the dining hall, Yerpi rose from her seat a moment later.
Immediately, the steward appeared as if waiting for her and greeted the Duchess.
“Good morning, Your Grace. Did you rest comfortably last night?”
“Thanks to you. The breakfast was also very delicious.”
“The cook will be delighted to hear that. I must be sure to tell him.”
Smiling warmly, the steward then asked for permission from the Duchess.
“Would it be alright for the servants to come and greet you?”
“Of course.”
This should have happened yesterday, but was postponed to today due to Raymond’s intervention.
After receiving Yerpi’s approval, the steward quickly gathered all the maids working in the castle.
Among them were the women who had assisted Yerpi with her bath yesterday and the one who had helped with her morning grooming.
“I will introduce the maids now. The senior maids are on the right, and as we move left, they are the more recently hired ones.”
Within the community of being maids, the women’s personal statuses were equal—at least on the surface.
With the steward’s words, the maids began introducing themselves one by one.
“Hello, Your Grace. My name is Anna Lowen. I’m from the Autumn Territory, and I’m in charge of the east corridor and the stairs.”
“I’ll do my best, Your Grace. I…”
Those who had already served Yerpi earlier and made an impression appeared quite confident.
As the introductions neared their end, among the few remaining, a familiar face caught Yerpi’s eye.
“Hello, Your Grace. My name is Pepe. I’m from the Spring Territory.”
The maid lowered her gaze, grasping the edge of her apron and bending her knees slightly.
She was a girl whose short brown hair suited her well.
Yerpi studied her face for a moment and noticed something.
‘She has a wound on her face?’
It hadn’t been visible this morning—Pepe’s cheek was slightly swollen and bore a thin scratch.
When Yerpi stared at Pepe, the steward approached, puzzled.
“Is something the matter?”
“Oh, no—it’s just that this girl served me this morning, so I noticed her.”
The other maids all looked at Pepe with envious eyes.
But the girl herself merely lowered her gaze to the floor, seeming uncomfortable.
There were about fifty maids working in the castle, and roughly a hundred servants, making around one hundred and fifty employees in total.
After the last probationary maid finished, Yerpi thought she had completed the introductions with all the castle’s maids.
But upon second thought, the count seemed off.
‘That’s strange. It feels like one maid is missing.’
Yet the steward made no mention of it.
After all the servants had left, Yerpi was left alone with the steward.
The steward clearly seemed eager to say something.
‘He probably wants to tell me about Raymond’s child.’
But in the end, he didn’t bring up anything important, only asking about her well-being.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes. After a good rest, I’ve recovered completely from the journey’s fatigue.”
“That’s good to hear. If there’s any maid you’d like to have serve you, please let me know in advance. I’d be grateful.”
“I will. Are there any maids you’d recommend?”
“Hmm… naturally, the faces of the long-serving ones come to mind. But their family backgrounds also matter.”
The steward gave some recommendations and advised her to think it over.
Then he continued explaining the layout of the castle.
Yerpi listened attentively, but her mind was elsewhere.
‘Why won’t they tell me the truth?’
If this were something never told to the original Yerpi, she might understand. But keeping her in the dark specifically felt odd.
Could it be that they trusted her less than the original Yerpi?
But then again, she had just been given the bundle of keys and the duchess’s budget—things the original Yerpi never received—so that couldn’t be it.
As she continued pondering, the door through which the maids had exited opened again, revealing an unfamiliar face.
The steward, whose back had been to Yerpi, frowned upon seeing the late-arriving maid.
“The time to greet the Duchess has already ended. Being late to such an important occasion—how could this happen, Meidi?”
Yet the maid called Meidi stood there unflinchingly, even appearing quite bold.
“I’m sorry. There was a small issue.”
The steward seemed about to speak again in reprimand.
But then he closed his mouth, letting out a small sigh instead, and stepped aside.
“Greet the Duchess. She is Your Grace.”
The maid, previously hidden behind the steward, had plain features and her brown hair tied up high.
She bowed politely before Yerpi.
“Hello, Your Grace. My name is Meidi.”
On the surface, her attitude was respectful.
But notably, while she had apologized to the steward, she offered no apology to Yerpi.
Yerpi’s gaze subtly sharpened as she noticed this gap.
Facing this clearly perfunctory greeting, a forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced.
‘Ah, I remember now.’
In the original story, Yerpi had been so unruly upon arriving at the castle that she received no explanation about her position at all.
This included the right to have a personal lady’s maid. The castle maids, obsessed with Raymond, had no desire to serve a duchess who might try to harm his child.
Yet despite this, one maid had stepped forward to become Yerpi’s personal attendant.
That maid’s name was Meidi.
The other maids had all avoided her.
“Nice to meet you, Meidi.”
Instead of scolding the late-arriving maid, Yerpi concluded the exchange with a formal greeting.
As Yerpi walked out of the dining hall, still feeling uneasy, her eyes met another maid waiting for her.
“Hello, Your Grace. My name is Rien. I’ll be attending to you today.”
“I remember you from earlier introductions.”
“Really? I’m so happy!”
Rien beamed and chattered on cheerfully.
Seeing such a lively, chirpy maid made a smile naturally appear on Yerpi’s lips.
“Would you like a light walk before returning to your room? We could also enjoy tea time in the garden!”
“Maybe I will.”
Her head had been so cluttered that she didn’t feel like going straight to her bedroom, so the maid’s suggestion felt welcome.
Seeing Yerpi’s interest, the maid quickly led her to the garden—only to regret it immediately.
“I’m so sorry, Your Grace. I completely forgot the garden hasn’t been tidied up yet.”
The garden had only hastily been covered with grass; no flowers had been planted yet, making it look rather bare.
Since garden maintenance was also part of the duchess’s duties, only the basics had been prepared.
Yet the modestly neat appearance pleased Yerpi’s eyes.
Yerpi spotted a temporary table and chairs and pointed to them.
“No, it’s fine. The sun is nice. Could you prepare some tea?”
“I’ll bring it right away!”
The cheerful but somewhat clumsy maid hurried off toward the kitchen.
Yerpi worried she might spill the hot tea, but it seemed too late to say anything now.
Probably best to just sit and wait.
As Yerpi approached the table, she absentmindedly went to sit down.
“…!”
Haaah—!
That was, until she felt something heavy and coiled beneath her backside.
“…A dragon?”
Why She Is Still Unmoved (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He uses various methods to seek her affection, but she remains unmoved.
Synopsis:
Si Qingyu is a doctor who has saved countless lives and enjoys tranquility.
Luo Shaoxuan is ruthless, deeply scheming, and the top young master in the capital. He admires Si Qingyu.
Luo Shaoxuan: I want to be the only one in your eyes and heart.
Features a cold and calm female lead vs A noble and scheming male lead.
There will be both sweetness and torture towards the male after their marriage.
