No Evil Lady in the World (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
The duke moved his eyes as if pondering for a moment. But soon, he nodded.
“Give it a try.”
“What exactly was I hired for in the ducal household? A maid?”
“Something like that.”
It wasn’t an answer that particularly pleased Meiana. She spoke again.
“What does ‘something like that’ mean? Please explain more clearly.”
“You’ll find out when we reach the ducal estate, so why the rush?”
“Because you, my lord, might say you’re hiring me as a maid for the ducal manor, only to sell me off to a shrimp boat.”
The duke fell silent, as if weighing her words. Only after a long pause did he scoff and say,
“If I were to sell you, I’d choose a place that’d fetch a better price. Why a shrimp boat? You don’t look like you’d command a high price there.”
Meiana crossed her arms, her lips tightening. To her, there was little difference between Viscount Pobeck or Duke Valterminster. Even though she had grown accustomed to this society with its rigid class distinctions, she had no intention of bowing her head to nobles without question.
“For the esteemed Duke Valterminster to jest with me, what an honor. As you may have noticed, I’m not exactly the obedient type. Nor is today joyful enough for me to laugh at dull wordplay.”
Was that too sharp? Meiana belatedly wondered.
But the duke didn’t get angry or show displeasure. He merely gazed leisurely out the window at the pouring rain. Occasionally, he tapped the carriage floor with his cane—tap, tap.
The duke spoke.
“You certainly seem like it. You two will probably get along well.”
“Get along… with whom?”
The duke turned his gaze back to Meiana. For a moment, she was unexpectedly struck by how strikingly clear his features were, even in such dim light.
“As I said earlier, your role in the ducal manor won’t differ much from what you’ve done before. A maid. But to be more precise, you could say you’ll be my daughter’s personal maid.”
“…Daughter?”
At Meiana’s startled voice, the duke faintly furrowed his brow for the first time.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s just… you don’t seem like someone who’d have a daughter.”
“Is there a difference between people who look like they’d have daughters and those who don’t?”
His tone was distinctly teasing. Meiana said,
“No, I mean… so I’m to attend to the young lady?”
The duke nodded.
“Not just attending to her, but sewing her clothes, feeding her, putting her to bed, and teaching her the basics—all of it. Of course, her formal education is handled by a live-in tutor, so no need to worry about that.”
“But… there were no children in Viscount Pobeck’s household. I’ve looked after younger siblings, but I’ve never served a noble lady or young master.”
“Truthfully, ‘serving’ isn’t much. My daughter is only seven. It’s still far off before her life gets complicated with parties and such. Just do as you’ve been doing. If some scoundrel tries to approach my daughter, just kick them away.”
Meiana nodded, her expression dazed. But soon, another question arose.
“But if I’m to serve your daughter as her maid… shouldn’t you consult with the duchess?”
When the duke didn’t respond for a moment, Meiana continued.
“The duchess would likely take great care in her daughter’s upbringing.”
“Yes, she probably would, if I had a wife.”
Meiana’s eyes widened.
“What does that mean…?”
The duke lightly raised a hand to stop her.
“Let’s leave it at that. Imagine what you will.”
Meiana subtly furrowed her brow.
“Are you saying it’s fine if I imagine something irreverent enough to tarnish the ducal family’s reputation?”
For a moment, the hesitant duke burst into loud laughter.
“Why are you laughing?”
“You and my daughter will truly get along splendidly.”
Meiana was once again at a loss for words. The more she saw and experienced, the stranger this man seemed.
The maids at the viscount’s estate had said Duke Valterminster was as cold and unyielding as ice. Yet they’d also gushed that he was a breathtakingly handsome man, impossible to look away from…
But the real Duke Valterminster was far different from their tales. Handsome, certainly, but far from the cold demeanor they described. If anything, he seemed almost mischievous, despite having a daughter.
As if reading her thoughts, the duke gave a faint smile and said,
“Sleep while you can. Starting tomorrow, you’ll likely be too busy to even blink.”
“We’ll arrive tomorrow?”
“We’ll arrive by late morning. As I mentioned, the ducal estate is quite far from the capital. Even with the fastest route, it takes half a day in this weather.”
Perhaps because of the drawn curtains, the sound of the rain felt distant. Though she knew it wasn’t the best situation, Meiana struggled to keep her heavy eyelids open.
‘Too much has happened today…’
Her fading vision blurred. Through a tiny gap in the curtain, a flash of lightning slipped in, its silver gleam slicing across Duke Valterminster’s face before vanishing.
As soon as her eyes fully closed, Meiana sank into a deep, long sleep.
* * *
[I know you love me. Right? You do, don’t you? But you’re leaving for the capital tomorrow… One last time… Can’t we?]Meiana gasped, her eyes snapping open. Her body jolted so dramatically that the blanket covering her slid to the carriage floor.
It was an unsettling, unpleasant dream—no, unpleasant didn’t capture it. Irritated, Meiana grabbed the blanket’s pointed collar and crumpled it, only to suddenly realize where she was and compose herself.
“You don’t look well.”
Duke Valterminster, seated across from her, spoke. The rain had stopped, and his voice sounded much louder and clearer than the night before. Perhaps he, too, had just woken, as his slightly hoarse, husky voice carried a deep, almost sensual tone.
Meiana stared at him. Though he’d clearly just woken up, he looked unbelievably pristine. His hair wasn’t mussed, nor did his handsome forehead or nose glisten unpleasantly.
The duke asked again,
“Was the ride too uncomfortable?”
Meiana quickly shook her head and replied,
“No, my lord. I just… had a bad dream.”
“Hmm, dreaming of an old lover, perhaps?”
It was likely a casual remark, but it hit the mark. Meiana briefly grimaced before turning her head sharply, retying her disheveled hair.
“I don’t even want to call him a lover anymore. The thought that I once considered marrying that man is horrifying.”
The duke raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, then chuckled.
Meiana asked,
“How much farther?”
“We’re already within the ducal estate. We’ll arrive soon.”
At that, Meiana looked out the window again, bewildered. But all she saw were endless trees.
Walnut, oak, larch, birch, ash, and towering camphor trees stood in no particular order.
“This is a forest.”
Meiana said, her voice tinged with suspicion. Surely the Valterminster ducal family wasn’t a clan of squirrels living in the middle of a forest.
But the duke replied nonchalantly,
“This forest itself belongs to the ducal estate. This is the eastern part. The western and southern areas have plains and a small river, also part of the Valterminster family’s private land. Keep that in mind.”
It was hard to believe, even hearing it. Meiana pressed her forehead against the small window, alternating between the path behind and the road ahead. No matter where she looked, there was nothing but forest.
She hadn’t expected to encounter the grandeur of the Valterminster ducal family in this way, Meiana thought.
For a while, countless types of leaves’ shadows passed over her lap—wide, narrow, triangular, round…
Having grown up in the countryside, Meiana knew many tree species. Gathering acorns or walnuts to store for lean times was part of her work. She vividly recalled the time as a child when she naively touched a walnut fruit and suffered a bad rash.
‘I’d never seen a walnut fruit before, so it’s no wonder.’
Having only seen neatly packaged walnut kernels on shop shelves, how could she know what a raw walnut looked like or whether it was safe to touch?
A fleeting thought. Meiana let out a small sigh. At that moment, as if scolding her sigh, her view suddenly opened up and brightened. Though still seated in the carriage, it felt as if a grand door had opened before her.
Through the window, Meiana saw a garden. Unlike the forest earlier, it was filled with all sorts of flowers, low shrubs, large and small fountains, and neatly trimmed ornamental and fruit trees, all beautifully harmonized.
There were pristine white statues, flawless as if untouched by dust, and a greenhouse and tables elegant enough to host a royal tea party.
Passing through it all, a portion of the grand manor finally came into view beyond the small window, its countless glass panes sparkling like jewels in the sunlight. Meiana, staring in awe, said,
“How many rooms are there?”
The duke looked at her as if she’d said something absurd. She continued,
“I’ve seen many noble manors in the capital, but I’ve never seen one this large. It’s almost like a palace, isn’t it?”
A short laugh followed.
“You’ve never been to the palace, I take it. His Majesty’s residence is beyond comparison to this manor. This place only seems grand because the land is vast in this rural area.”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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It was her who made that old lady blind?? What an awful person……or maybe not, but still she is really disgusting.
BOY DONT PLAY WITH ME. OMG NO WONDER THE CHILD IS BEHAVING LIKE LOOSE GOOSE
Very matured. Just blaming anyone but yourself on your inadequacy.