Vainty confronted her.

“Why not? What will you do if I don’t erase it?”

Ariante replied bluntly.

“I’ll show it to Father when he comes.”

Vainty chuckled and looked at the wall. Her hands, covered in soot, left smudges all over, and it was impossible to discern what she had drawn, especially with the smudges spreading.

“Seriously, I can’t even tell what kind of drawing this is. What will the Duke say if he sees this?”

When Vainty gave her a hard time, Ariante’s eyes flashed with anger. It was too late for Vainty to realize what she had gotten into.

“You don’t know anything! Go away, troublemaker!”

“No, Lady, wait… Ugh, Lady!”

Vainty struggled, but Ariante had already smeared her soot-covered hands on her face. Seeing Vainty in a mess, Ariante laughed heartily, seemingly satisfied.

“Look at your face! It’s a complete mess!”

“Lady, your face isn’t exactly clean either!”

Vainty retorted in a strained voice, and Ariante widened her eyes in surprise. Judging by her expression, she hadn’t even considered what she looked like.

Ariante said, “What about my face?”

Vainty, with lips twisted, shouted back, “Lady, your face is even messier! It looks like you’ve been cleaning chimneys rather than making soot!”

“Lies! I don’t believe you. I’ve never smudged my face!”

“Oh, really? You think it’s a lie? Then go and look in the mirror. See if I’m lying or not!”

With their faces dirty, the two argued loudly. When Vainty tried to speak, Ariante suddenly opened her eyes wide and stood up.

Turning her head, Ariante held a shortened piece of firewood tightly in her hand, staring at Jocelyn with determination.

“What’s going on here?”

Jocelyn asked. However, Ariante remained silent, resisting Jocelyn with her entire body. Seeing Ariante’s defiant stance, Vainty, who had been watching her with squinted eyes, hastily stepped forward.

“Um, Housekeeper. Lady was just…”

“I wasn’t talking to you. Step aside.”

Vainty flinched and took a step back. Jocelyn approached. Still, Ariante stood her ground, holding the piece of firewood as if ready to smack Jocelyn’s cheek with it.

“Lady, can’t you hear me? I’m asking what this is all about.”

But Ariante still didn’t respond. Instead, she blinked her blue eyes, looking fiercely at Jocelyn, who found her gaze very uncomfortable.

When Ariante didn’t answer, Jocelyn straightened her posture and said, “Vainty, go fetch water in a bucket and bring a cloth.”

“Oh, understood.”

For a moment, Vainty looked worriedly at Ariante and then retreated. Jocelyn, with a determined look, spoke again.

“Ariante, go and clean yourself up. This is not how you show respect.”

Ariante’s breath became rough instantly. Acting as if she were about to throw the firewood, Ariante raised her arm, but Jocelyn grabbed her wrist firmly with a bony, skeletal hand.

Ariante struggled.

“Ouch! Let go!”
“If you spill ink in my room or put bugs in the teacher’s snacks, it doesn’t matter. Do you understand? However, daring, daring to make the Duke dirty with those filthy hands is unforgivable. Do you understand?”

“Let go! Let go!”

“This family must not have the slightest flaw, especially a flaw like the Lady. Regardless, the Lady is the flaw in this house. Like a mosquito sticking to the skin and sucking blood, I assure you that, as long as I’m here, you won’t be able to cling to the Duke and drain his noble blood and light. Do you understand well?”

Ariante’s eyes trembled.

The child understood only half of what Jocelyn was saying. Whether she understood the words or not didn’t matter. The malice emanating from Jocelyn, the hatred and resentment that wanted to kill her right away, pierced, twisted, and tore through the child’s tender flesh. When new wounds appeared on the old, the pain continued endlessly.

“Let go!”

Ariante screamed. Jocelyn let go of the child’s wrist as if throwing it away, and Ariante, who had been staggering, tilted and fell to the side.

Vainty saw this scene while bringing what Jocelyn had instructed. Seeing Ariante fall, Vainty, who had put down the bucket and cloth as if dropping them, lifted Ariante with an astonished expression.

“Lady!”

Fortunately, Ariante wasn’t hurt. Vainty unconsciously pulled Ariante behind her and looked up at Jocelyn with an alarmed expression.

“Housekeeper, what are you doing? What if the Lady had hit the railing?”

Jocelyn’s dry lips twisted faintly.

“Since when did you become such a loyal dog to the Lady? As far as I know, you were the worst one, playing tricks and doing naughty things to the Lady.”

Vainty’s face turned red.

“A dog… that’s not true! W-well… I did play tricks on the Lady! But this is a different matter!”

“What’s different? It seemed useful for a while, but you’re just as stupid.”

“What are you saying?”

“Bring the cloth and bucket here. Let her clean the graffiti thoroughly.”

Ariante and Vainty looked at Jocelyn simultaneously. Vainty spoke.

“Are you asking the Lady to clean? The Lady?”

“If you’ve made a mess, you should clean it up yourself. Isn’t that right, Lady?”