Audrey was stunned by the absurd words. Why on earth would Amy’s necklace be found in her room?

“What, that’s ridiculous! I’ve never even seen Amy’s necklace!”

“Then why was the necklace found in your room? You’re the madam’s favored maid who gets a room to yourself.”

One of the maids sneered. As the madam’s personal maid, Audrey received special treatment and had the largest private room.

While that was convenient for serving Arasila, it worked against her in this situation. Since she had the room to herself, they couldn’t claim someone else had left it there.

“I really didn’t steal it!”

“Are you going to keep denying it, Audrey? We all know you’ve been acting arrogantly, riding on the madam’s coattails!”

“What nonsense…”

Audrey felt dizzy. She had always been careful with her actions, knowing they reflected on Arasila’s reputation.

Even when the maids deliberately ostracized and ignored her, she endured it without telling anyone.

“But still, it’s too much to shamelessly lay your hands on my mother’s keepsake!”

Amy cried out. Audrey realized for the first time that when a person is too shocked, they can’t speak properly.

“No… I really didn’t do it!”

“Stop lying! You ignore us when it suits you, but when you see a nice necklace, you just take it? You’re such a materialist!”

The commotion in the dining hall grew louder with the fierce accusations from Amy’s faction of maids. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was turning against Audrey.

Overwhelmed by facing multiple opponents alone, Audrey was at a loss for words as the maids grabbed her arms and lifted her up.

“What, what are you doing!”

“We’re going to formally report you to the head maid. If you stole someone else’s necklace, you need to be punished.”

“Let go of me!”

Audrey struggled. She had noticed that the head maid had been subtly favoring Rosalyn’s group for a while.

If she was dragged away like this, she would surely meet an unjust end, but with several people holding and pulling her, she had no way to resist.

“Head maid, head maid!”

“What’s all this commotion?”

“Audrey stole Amy’s necklace!”

“It’s the only jeweled necklace left by Amy’s late mother!”

The head maid frowned as she turned to look at Audrey. In fact, she had already been tipped off about the current situation by Rosalyn.

Supposedly, they had found suspicious documents in Arasila’s dressing room but were caught by Audrey and couldn’t take them out.

So they needed to silence Audrey, but since they couldn’t easily get rid of her, they would provide an excuse to drive her out by framing her as a thief. She had asked for cooperation in this.

“What? Is that true?”

The head maid feigned an exaggerated reaction, widening her eyes. Audrey shook her head desperately.

“No, head maid! I’m being falsely accused!”

“The necklace was found in your room, and you’re still denying it?! Head maid, I don’t want to work with a liar like Audrey anymore!”

Rosalyn asserted strongly from among the maids. Audrey looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.

“Rosalyn, you…”

“The Vandermir mansion severely punishes theft! I’ll report this to the master, so for now, lock Audrey in the barn.”

“Yes, head maid!”

The maids excitedly dragged Audrey away. As she struggled against the unfair treatment, she received several slaps from them.

In an instant, her mouth was cut and she tasted the tang of blood.

“You’re a thief, so you deserve to be hit!”

“That’s right, if you don’t want to be hit more, stay still!”

Faced with the harsh threats, Audrey had no choice but to keep quiet. The maids threw her into the barn like a bundle of straw and locked the door.

Rosalyn, who had quietly slipped away from the maids excited by their false sense of justice, went back to find the head maid.

“You know we need to get rid of her before the madam arrives, right?”

“Don’t worry, the master said he’d be back early today. The madam is always late, so we can drive her out before then.”

Originally, dealing with maid issues was the responsibility of the mistress of the house, Arasila, but the head maid deliberately intended to tell Demian.

Given his cold and strict nature, he would surely order the immediate dismissal of a maid caught stealing.

“Even if it becomes an issue later, we can just say we kicked her out with the master’s permission.”

“Good. Then tomorrow, I’ll secretly take those documents to the Vandermir ducal family.”

Rosalyn and the head maid smiled at each other, pleased with their seemingly clever plan.

“You shouldn’t do that, Arasila.”

Paula said as she put down her glass. They were having lunch together at a restaurant near the magic tower during their break time.

“You’re already busy and often away from the mansion because of your work at the magic tower. Why don’t you put some effort into managing the servants during your free time?”

Arasila chewed her food, her eyes wide as she listened to her friend’s words.

“It’s not that you’re an easy person, but if you just overlook things without saying anything, they might take you for granted.”

“Are the existing servants that stupid? It should be more convenient for them to work since I haven’t brought in any maids from outside.”

Hearing this, Paula sighed.

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about.”

“Why?”

“Arasila, do you know why women bring their own maids when they get married?”

Paula leaned towards her friend, resting her arms on the table as she spoke seriously.

“Some maids can be very hostile to a newly arrived mistress, or refuse to acknowledge and serve her as their master. They bring their own people to prevent that.”

The existing maids were her husband’s people. If things went sour, the woman would have no one to rely on. That’s why most women brought their own maids when they got married.

“But you don’t have anyone on your side except Audrey. How can you be comfortable at home like this?”

Home.

In truth, Arasila still hadn’t grown attached to the Vandermir mansion. Until the divorce, it didn’t feel real that it was her home.

Perhaps that’s why she was turning a blind eye to the maids’ rudeness.

Usually, one endures some discomfort in someone else’s house.

“In the old days, they used to keep maids in line by wielding a cane.”

“Who uses such old-fashioned methods these days?”

“I’m not saying you have to hit them. But at least fire a few maids you don’t like as an example.”

Arasila wrinkled her nose at her friend’s words.

While the mansion’s maids had been showing poor attitudes lately, she didn’t want to fire them on a whim and make their livelihoods difficult.

So far, no one had crossed the line, and they were playing around within limits that Arasila could tolerate.

“Anyway, it’s better to make it clear that you’re the mistress of this house. Otherwise, they might not see you as the owner and disrespect you.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it.”

“Phew, at least it’s fortunate that you’re not living with the Vandermir ducal family.”

Paula shook her head.

As she said, the ducal family stayed in the duchy, while Arasila lived in the capital with Demian.

It was indeed fortunate that she didn’t have to live under the same roof with her husband’s family and endure all sorts of hardships.

“For your own sake, please pay attention to how things are going in the mansion. Okay?”

“Alright, alright.”

Arasila, who had been hearing a lot of this kind of nagging since getting married, nodded perfunctorily.

After lunch with her friend, Arasila returned to the magic tower and focused on finishing her overtime work. She had told Audrey in advance, and it was customary for her juniors to leave after she did.

Thanks to this, Arasila finished her work earlier than the regular quitting time and rose from her seat.

“Good work today.”

“Yes, senior. You worked hard today too. It’s rare for you to go home early.”

Rudy, peeking his face out from behind a tall stack of books, widened his eyes. Sally also looked surprised.

“Why, is that not allowed?”

“Of course it’s allowed! You’re newlyweds after all! Sally and I were actually worried because you hardly ever went home after getting married.”

“That’s right, we were too hesitant to ask… Are you getting along well with your husband?”

Until just before the wedding, Arasila had frequently left work early, citing seeing Demian as the reason. In reality, it was because of the prenuptial agreement issue, but how would her juniors know that?

They had thought she was leaving early because she liked Demian and wanted to see him, but when that changed after the wedding, they secretly worried if there was a crack in her married life.

‘I guess I should show them that I’m really devoted to my home now.’

It seems she had revealed her workaholic nature too quickly. Reflecting on this, Arasila waved her hand to reassure her juniors.

“Of course we’re getting along well. It’s just that I can’t neglect my research just because I’m married, so don’t worry unnecessarily.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Alright, you two should wrap up and go home soon too. See you tomorrow.”

Arasila waved her hand briefly and left the magic tower. Now that their superior had left first, Rudy and Sally would soon head home too.

How long had it been since she left work while the sun was still up?

She walked home to the Vandermir mansion with light steps. Determined to focus on her new family, she didn’t even stop by Duke Hugo’s residence.

Proudly entering through the main gate, Arasila soon felt something was amiss.

‘Hm? Something feels off.’

Audrey, who always came out first to greet her, was nowhere to be seen.

Moreover, for some reason, almost none of the other maids were visible either.

“Welcome back, madam.”

“Butler, where’s Audrey?”

The butler, who wasn’t well-informed about the maids’ affairs, shook his head with a puzzled expression.

Unable to find Audrey among the maids who had come out to greet her, Arasila went up to her room alone, feeling perplexed.

“Audrey, Audrey, are you there?”

No matter how much she called, Audrey didn’t appear. She was someone who would come out to greet Arasila even when she was sick…

Something felt off. Intuitively sensing that something had happened, Arasila came out into the hallway.

The maids, who had been oddly shifty-eyed since greeting her at the entrance, flinched and scattered in all directions like cockroaches.

“Hey, you, come here.”

Arasila called out to a young maid who was too slow to escape. The maid approached her nervously.

“What, what is it, madam?”

“Where is Audrey?”

The maid’s shoulders jumped at the direct question. Her eyes wavered anxiously.

“I, I don’t really know…”

“What’s your name?”

“It’s Becky.”

“Alright, Becky. I don’t like lies.”

“…”

“Especially when someone lies while showing that they’re lying. You know what I mean?”

Arasila smiled as she firmly gripped the maid’s shoulder. Her expression, with eyes not smiling while only her lips curved, was terrifying.

Who knew such a pretty face could be so frightening?

The scared maid finally revealed Audrey’s location.

“Au-Audrey is locked up in the barn.”

“Why?”

“She was caught stealing…”

Hearing just that much, Arasila strode away. Her lavender hair swayed, and it seemed as if black smoke was rising from her back.

She quickly found the barn where Audrey was locked up. It was easy to find with two maids suspiciously guarding the front.

“Move.”

Startled by her sudden appearance, one of the two maids on the left spoke up.

“Madam, until the master arrives…”

“The owner is here.”

“…”

“Unless you’re the ones to judge my qualifications as an owner, move aside now.”

Feeling a chill from her piercing gaze, the maids stepped back. The head maid had ordered them not to let anyone in without permission, but Arasila was not someone who needed anyone’s permission.

It wasn’t in her nature to begin with.

Arasila, who entered as if about to break down the door, surveyed the inside of the barn. She saw Audrey huddled in a corner.

“Audrey!”

“…Madam.”

Audrey raised her head, her face full of tears. Arasila’s expression immediately froze like ice when she saw Audrey’s swollen cheeks.

“Who did this to you?”