Five piedi (approximately 1.5 meters) behind Aunt Teresa, Sancha stood with her arms crossed, seemingly boasting at least that’s how it appeared to Maletha.

‘There’s no doubt that Aunt Teresa, who’s gone blind with ambition for the position of head maid, is trying to please Sancha!’

Maletha, gritting her teeth, picked up the thrown piece of mop.

“Clean it until it shines! Everyone else is busy! You clean the maids’ rooms on the third floor!”

This was clearly unfair treatment.

‘I can’t even fight back!’

Cleaning the maids’ rooms on the third floor was a job assigned to newbies. It wasn’t even worth doing, and if something went missing, she’d get blamed. Maletha was a fouryear veteran and a close maid to the young lady. She didn’t have time for such menial work.

“Hey, are you glaring? Want to get beaten and expelled for insubordination?”

Aunt Teresa threatened. If Teresa were to say that Maletha was insubordinate, the one who would punish her was Miss Ariadne. It was clear what would happen if she were dragged there.

Suppressing her rising sense of humiliation, Maletha picked up the mop and started scrubbing the floor, her head hanging low.

‘Sancha must be enjoying the sight of me being humiliated like this.’

Sancha, while supervising Aunt Teresa, was herself sprawled on the floor, scrubbing the marble. I’m the older sister and the senior! It was unjust and infuriating.

‘I’ll get my revenge one day!’

Sancha, who was misunderstood by Maletha as enjoying her misery, didn’t even notice Maletha scrubbing the floor. Sancha wasn’t the type to rejoice in others’ misfortune, and besides, there was something that bothered her much more.

“…Oh, Sancha, what a coincidence.”

‘What coincidence! He has been waiting for hours!’

Sancha looked up and down at Giuseppe, the head of the new guard created by Miss Ariadne, with a look of utter contempt.

Giuseppe was tall, had a smattering of freckles on his face similar to Sancha’s, and had light brown hair that resembled straw.

Everyone said that Giuseppe was good at his job, but seeing him wasting time like this during a busy period, she couldn’t agree.

“Don’t you have anything to do? Should I tell the Miss to decrease the number of guards and increase the workload?”

Startled by Sancha’s sharp words, Giuseppe was taken aback.

“No, that’s not it.”

He pulled out a small object wrapped in a handkerchief from his pocket. It was the size of his palm.

“Here, this.”

Sancha took the object and unfolded the handkerchief. It was a sugarcoated cookie.

Sugar was expensive, and such desserts were only served when guests came over, even in a noble house.

The cookie had been in Giuseppe’s hand for quite some time as the sugar had melted a bit on the surface.

“I happened to get this, and it’s too much for me to eat alone. It’s good that we ran into each other. You eat it.”

What do you mean it ‘happened to get it’? The handkerchief bore the logo of ‘La Montang Bakery’. It was a new bakery in town. The lines were long, the prices were high, and the popular items were unavailable.

Such a treat wasn’t something a friend like Giuseppe would get as a gift, but something a friend like Giuseppe would wait in line for hours to give to a girl he liked.

But Sancha was only fourteen years old. Even though she was described as wicked, she hadn’t experienced a return like her master. She was a novice when it came to courtship and love. And she was a woman who could not refuse food given to her.

“Hmm. Well, alright. I’ll eat it well.”

Giuseppe’s face lit up immediately. Sancha bit into the cookie, her head tilting curiously, wondering why on earth he was behaving that way.

The house was in disorder. Ariadne gestured to the house steward, Nicolo.

“What’s going on?”

“Miss… Epolito, the young master, is returning.”

The steward Nicolo handed a parchment letter to Ariadne. The envelope, clearly hastily written with bad handwriting, was addressed to Cardinal De Mare.

Ariadne mechanically smiled.

So, it’s coming.

“When is he expected to return?”

“Early next month, around New Year’s.”

“I see. I’ll have to prepare a suitable room and get ready to welcome the young master.”

She handed the envelope back to the steward Nicolo and returned to her room on the second floor. It was the best room in the western wing of the second floor, which Epolito had originally used.

Sancha followed Ariadne into the room, her face full of anxiety.

“Miss, when Epolito, the young master, returns… ‘Miss Rosy’ will return too, and Miss Isabella will be released too, right?”

“Uhhuh. I suppose so.”

“Are we okay doing this?”

Sancha was burning with anxiety. However, Ariadne looked at Sancha and smiled leisurely.

“Let’s stop worrying and tell an interesting story. So, how much do you hate Maletta?”

Sancha was surprised by the sudden mention of Maletta.

“Why Maletta, all of a sudden?”