No Evil Lady in the World (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
Meiana tensed the moment she saw Beinti’s face, but she didn’t show it at all.
From her experience going back and forth in the duke’s mansion over the past few days, no other maid could match Beinti when it came to finding fault. On Meiana’s very first day at the mansion, the person who had been in Ariante’s room was none other than Beinti herself.
“Miss Beinti, hello. What brings you…?”
Before Meiana could even finish speaking, Beinti forcefully threw the laundry basket she’d been holding tightly in both hands straight onto the floor. She clearly knew it would tip over and spill all the laundry—that was precisely her intention.
Beinti said,
“Didn’t you hear me tell you to take the laundry basket to the washroom?”
Meiana’s eyes twitched faintly. She suddenly realized her mistake. She had heard Beinti’s instruction, but right afterward, Ariante’s stocking had torn, and she’d been so absorbed in mending it that she’d completely forgotten—until now.
“I heard you. But Lady Ariante’s stocking tore, so I was mending it.”
“Don’t make excuses for your laziness! Take it to the washroom right now. And wipe down every windowsill in the hallway.”
Meiana frowned.
“Wiping windowsills isn’t my job.”
Beinti’s lips curled spitefully.
“Oh, really? Starting today, it will be.”
“I was hired to attend to Lady Ariante. I believe caring for her is my top priority.”
“Then go learn some magic to make a duplicate of yourself! Not my problem, is it? You don’t even know where the lady you’re supposed to serve is, yet you’ve got the leisure to show off your clever tongue?”
Beinti kicked the fallen laundry basket once and stomped out, grumbling. Meiana shook her head as she picked up the scattered laundry piece by piece.
This was precisely the biggest problem. She barely had enough time staying by Ariante’s side all day, yet circumstances never allowed it.
Just like the servants at Lord Povek’s estate, the duke’s household staff also gave Meiana a hard time. Not everyone was like that, of course—but unfortunately, Beinti, whom she encountered most frequently, was the main issue.
She wasn’t even a maid assigned to the east wing of the mansion where Ariante stayed. However, by Head Butler Joslin’s orders, she often helped Ariante with her morning toilette or dusted the parlor furniture whenever extra hands were needed.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, Beinti despised Meiana so intensely she’d leap out of bed grinding her teeth even in her sleep!
Kosha, the head maid, deliberately turned a blind eye to the maids’ infighting despite knowing full well what was going on. As for Head Butler Joslin, Meiana hadn’t seen him at all since their first meeting…
And yet, she couldn’t possibly tell Duke Valterminster, “Because of your staff, I can’t properly care for your daughter.”
‘A duke should really stay at his own estate in the first place.’
Meiana grumbled inwardly.
Duke Valterminster—Sediloi von Valterminster, master of this vast mansion and its lands—was often absent from his duchy, living up to his reputation as King Elmerat’s right-hand man.
Since both major and minor diplomatic matters rested in his hands, he sometimes stayed in the capital for a few days, or even an entire month, unable to return to his duchy.
“Hup!”
Muttering to herself, Meiana heaved the heavy laundry basket up with both hands.
Laundry was normally sorted by fabric or type and carried in small baskets. But the basket Beinti had brought was filled with a chaotic jumble of clothes, stockings, ribbons, and bonnet covers all mixed together.
Stuffing all this into the enormous basket usually reserved for washing curtains was purely meant to torment Meiana. Since she couldn’t leave the laundry piled in the middle of Ariante’s parlor, Meiana had no choice but to carry the heavy basket down to the basement washroom.
“Meiana!”
Meiana, about to descend the stairs, turned at the sound of her name.
The one calling her was Gretel, a fellow maid her age. Gretel had slightly hollowed cheeks and weary-looking eyes, but the faint freckles on her cheeks gave her an oddly endearing quality that stirred protective instincts.
Gretel glanced at the laundry basket Meiana was holding and frowned.
“Beinti was being awful to you again, wasn’t she? That’s not even your job.”
Meiana shrugged helplessly.
“I don’t know why she acts like this, but the best thing is not to engage with people like her. Just let them exhaust themselves until they collapse.”
“Beinti? She’d never tire of it. Tormenting others is probably her only hobby.”
Gretel’s thin lips pursed slightly. Though she rarely spoke ill of others, she always grew heated whenever Beinti was mentioned.
Meiana said,
“By the way, have you seen Lady Ariante? I can’t find her anywhere. She’s fallen behind on her homework again. I just changed her torn stockings and told her to get right to it…”
Gretel shook her head.
“Everyone’s looking for her already. Master Bimun seems absolutely furious.”
Bimun was Ariante’s newly appointed tutor. He’d followed right behind a teacher who’d panicked at a frog leaping from his bag and entered the duke’s mansion shortly after. With his extremely domineering personality, he was practically Ariante’s natural enemy.
A long sigh escaped Meiana’s lips.
“I’ll drop off the laundry first, then go look for her myself.”
Gretel patted Meiana’s shoulder sympathetically a few times before leaving.
When Meiana opened the door to the washroom, a thick, damp odor wafted out. Careful not to tip the basket, she slowly descended the stairs. The air grew increasingly humid, and the scent of laundry steam intensified…
The moment she rounded the final stair corner, Meiana nearly screamed and fell backward—Ariante had suddenly appeared from the shadowed spot beneath the railing.
“My lady!”
Instinctively gripping the basket handle tightly, Meiana reflexively checked Ariante over. Aside from her hair clinging damply to her forehead from the humid landing air, she seemed unharmed.
“What on earth were you doing here? It’s time for your homework! Master Bimun has been looking for you since earlier.”
Ariante looked up at Meiana with her bright blue eyes raised sharply.
“And you—aren’t you supposed to be bringing me my snack right about now? What are you doing here holding that thing?”
Meiana glanced down at the laundry basket in her hands. Ariante wasn’t entirely wrong—it was definitely snack time…
Meiana said,
“That’s only true when you’re actually doing Master Bimun’s homework. What’s the point of leaving cake on an empty desk if you’re not even there?”
Ariante’s lips trembled, rendered speechless. Clearly furious, she clenched both fists tightly, stood up abruptly, and glared at Meiana.
Meiana sighed and set the basket down.
“My lady, it’s dark here and there are many stairs—it’s dangerous. Please return to your room and do your homework. I’ll bring your snack right away. Shall I call a servant to escort you?”
“Do you think I’m too stupid to find my own room?”
Despite saying that, Ariante didn’t immediately climb the stairs. Instead, she suddenly reached into the laundry basket and pulled something out.
“My lady, what are you doing!”
What Ariante had pulled out was her own corset. Though tailored small for a child’s frame, its countless buttons and ribbons were no different from those worn by adults.
Staring at the corset as if it were a repulsive shed skin, Ariante abruptly hurled it to the floor and began stomping on it with her little shoes.
“My lady! What are you doing! You mustn’t do that!”
Flustered, Meiana quickly snatched the corset away from Ariante. The soft ribbons were already frayed, and several large buttons were broken.
Meiana let out another long sigh at the ruined corset, then tossed it back into the laundry basket and looked at Ariante.
“My lady, do you dislike the corset—or do you dislike me?”
“I hate both.”
“But I like you, my lady.”
Ariante let out a sharp, unchildlike laugh.
“Don’t lie.”
“It’s true.”
Meiana hid the damaged corset among the laundry, stood up with the basket, and began to leave. Ariante’s gaze followed her stubbornly, though the sharp hostility in her eyes remained unchanged.
Meiana said,
“I’ll bring your snack as soon as you go back upstairs.”
“I won’t eat anything unless it’s chocolate cake with seeds in it.”
Meiana rolled her eyes playfully and said with feigned innocence,
“Understood. I’ll climb a tree and check whether plump chocolate-seed cakes have ripened or not.”
“Don’t talk nonsense! Are you stupid?”
“Oh my, nonsense? My lady, did you not know? Chocolate-seed cakes grow on trees.”
Ariante’s cheeks puffed out sulkily. She seemed eager to argue back, but she was still just a child. Meiana’s bold absurdity left her unsure how to respond.
Meiana said with a triumphant smile,
“Please go on ahead—and be careful on the stairs.”
Ariante stomped up the stairs loudly, as if to make sure she was heard. Had Kosha or Joslin seen her, they surely would have scolded her again for lacking the dignified bearing expected of a noble lady…
As Meiana pushed the washroom door open with her shoulder, she suddenly glanced at the basket. The small corset Ariante had trampled and thrown—its torn ribbons and battered state flashed in her mind.
“What are you daydreaming about?”
The burly laundry maid, wielding the long wooden stick used for stirring lye, shouted sharply. Meiana quickly set the basket down and hurried out of the washroom before the woman could start nagging.
‘Now that I think about it, I’ve never considered—does a child like Ariante really need to wear a corset?’
Behind the closing door, the laundry maid’s loud, irritated voice rang out. Meiana pretended not to hear and hurried up the stairs.
“Sediloi!”
Duke Valterminster, striding swiftly down the palace corridor, whipped his head around.
“Cloff.”
A faint smile appeared on Sediloi—Duke Valterminster’s lips.
Dressed impeccably in a deep brown uniform and a dark green cravat, Marquis Cloff tucked a bundle of papers under his arm and playfully tapped Sediloi’s shoulder. The two shared an exceptionally close and familiar friendship.
Cloff said,
“I’d been thinking I hadn’t seen you at all lately—and here we meet. When did you arrive?”
“Last night. His Majesty wished to review the trade agreement with Osraphen early this morning.”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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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.