With tears in their eyes, the maids looked at Demian desperately, while the cold wind blew fiercely between them and the lady. Demian had a headache.

If there had been a direct conflict between Arasila and the maids, he would have taken her side without hesitation, but this was a fight over Arasila’s maid.

As long as Demian was their master and employer, he had to make a somewhat neutral judgment. That way, the servants would follow him with loyalty and trust.

First, he approached Arasila, pushing through the maids. Standing beside her, he spoke to the maids.

“Your mistress is right here, I don’t know who you’re asking to save you.”

The maids looked as if their world had collapsed. This was clearly taking Arasila’s side.

But as Demian turned to face Arasila, he then raised his hand for the other side as well.

“I understand what happened, my lady. However, since neither side seems to have clear evidence, let’s fairly dismiss everyone.”

“…Do you mean to dismiss Audrey too?”

“That’s right. Instead, bring as many maids as you want from Duke Hugo’s household.”

Arasila let out a bitter laugh. No matter how many maids she brought, no one could replace Audrey.

Above all, dismissing Audrey along with the others was not a fair measure.

“How is it fair to dismiss someone who’s been falsely accused?”

“Objectively, it’s difficult to prove that the maid called Audrey was falsely accused. There’s only circumstantial evidence, no actual proof. So it would be better for that maid to be dismissed along with the others.”

Demian’s words were rational. However, this was possible because none of his people were involved in the current affair.

“If your butler were in this situation, would you dismiss him fairly too?”

“…”

When she mentioned the butler who had served him as young master since birth, a slight crack appeared in Demian’s expression.

Albert was one of the few people Demian truly trusted. If he were in a similar situation…

Staring down at Arasila, he stepped closer and spoke in a low voice.

“I understand how you feel, but it would be better to send that maid back to Duke Hugo’s household for now.”

“…”

“I can’t just take your side without clear evidence. I’ll…”

“Listen to me.”

The voice cutting off Demian’s words was calm. A feather-light touch landed on his broad shoulder. His large body stiffened slightly.

Leaning towards him as if confiding in a lover, Arasila whispered.

“You married me because you love me, didn’t you?”

She was merely citing the official reason for their marriage, but as Demian met her steady blue gaze, he felt oddly unsettled.

It was as if a wave from the calm night sea had suddenly crashed over him.

He briefly considered which would be more beneficial: siding with the maids or supporting Arasila.

The maids had worked under him for a long time, and some had considerable experience working in the duke’s household, making them useful.

And Arasila was currently the person Demian needed to keep most firmly by his side. Maintaining their marriage was necessary to secure the duke’s position.

‘The person I need more right now is probably her.’

Demian surrendered to Arasila, who stood straight, looking directly into his eyes. He decided to make a blind judgment befitting a husband who married for love, as she desired.

“Is there anyone here who saw the maid called Audrey enter the room of the maid whose necklace was stolen?”

“…”

“If not, it’s hard to assume that maid stole it. Dismiss everyone involved except for Audrey. We’ll reorganize the maids and set things right.”

Demian gave the order, citing an absurd reason. When their trusted master abandoned them, the maids immediately protested.

Chief among them was the head maid. Although she wouldn’t be dismissed, it was already too late, as her relationship with Arasila had severely deteriorated.

It would be troublesome if the maids who followed her were dismissed in this situation. Most of the maids who associated with Rosalyn were her faction.

“Master, this is too unfair! Just because no one witnessed the theft doesn’t prove Audrey’s innocence! If you argue like that, we’re also innocent-!”

“I can prove it.”

A faintly trembling voice cut through the head maid’s passionate argument. Everyone’s gaze turned to the left corridor.

There stood Audrey, panting and drenched in sweat as if she had run there.

“I can prove my innocence.”

Despite being out of breath, Audrey spoke each word clearly and distinctly.

Arasila, who had been staring at her in surprise at her completely different appearance from when they had parted, quickly approached.

“Audrey, are you alright?”

“Yes, madam. More importantly, please read this.”

Audrey pulled something out from behind her back and held it out. It was two letters. Arasila took the letters with a puzzled expression.

While her mistress checked the contents, Audrey boldly stepped forward to face the maids.

“I’ve endured it all this time, even when you deliberately ostracized and bullied me. I thought it was just hazing because I was new, that it would get better someday. But I’ve changed my mind.”

The reason Audrey hadn’t brought up what had been happening among the maids was simple.

She thought it would eventually blow over like a passing storm.

But if that wasn’t the case, she had no reason to keep enduring it. Audrey looked around at the maids who could barely meet her gaze, then turned to Demian and bowed her head.

“Master, Rosalyn and some other maids have been disrespecting the madam and speaking ill of her behind her back. The head maid, who should have kept them in line, turned a blind eye. Please punish them all.”

Demian’s expression hardened coldly. Just as the shocked head maid was about to step forward again among the startled maids, Arasila spoke.

“Demian, has Rosalyn ever tried to seduce you?”

Having finally finished reading the letters, Arasila turned around and asked. Demian’s eyebrows twitched at the unexpected question.

“Who is Rosalyn?”

“That blonde maid over there.”

Arasila pointed her slender white finger at Rosalyn.

Rosalyn stood frozen, her face pale and bloodless. Her gaze was fixed solely on the letter in Arasila’s hand.

The name “Bradley Brown” engraved on the envelope’s exterior was an alias used when sending letters from the duke’s household.

Why was that there…

A chill ran down her spine. She should have disposed of it immediately, but she had put it off, intending to burn it after sending a reply.

Then Arasila’s summons came, and she had hidden the letter behind the bedside table without sending a reply.

But why did Arasila have both the letter from the duke’s household and her unsent reply?

“She has been a nuisance. But I believe she was scheduled to leave soon.”

“We can’t let her go. She seems to be a spy sent by your enemy.”

Arasila’s gentle voice struck Rosalyn’s ears like a death sentence.

Simultaneously, Demian’s gaze, which had turned cold upon hearing those words, was like the blade of a guillotine as he looked at her.

It’s over, everything’s finished.

Feeling an intense sense of crisis, Rosalyn instinctively turned her body to attempt an escape.

“Get out of my way!”

She roughly pushed aside the maids and sprinted towards the door. However, she didn’t get far before tumbling down with a crash.

Arasila had used binding magic to tie her feet. Streams of light extended from her white hand, wrapping around Rosalyn’s legs like ropes.

Rosalyn tried to crawl away even on all fours. Someone blocked her path.

She looked up to see who it was. It was Arasila, so beautiful like an angel that she seemed almost demonic.

“She was caught rummaging through the madam’s dressing room by one of the maids.”

Arasila unfolded Rosalyn’s reply and read an excerpt. Her clear, resonant voice reached everyone’s ears distinctly.

“I will frame her for theft and have her dismissed, so please take care of it.”

“…”

“The head maid has agreed to cooperate, so there should be no problems with the plan.”

There was a thud as someone collapsed behind them. It was the head maid. Her lips trembled as she sensed the end approaching.

Arasila quietly looked down at Rosalyn as she handed a handkerchief to Demian. Her gaze wrapped around Rosalyn’s entire body like chains, rendering her immobile.

“Use this to gag the head maid. It would be troublesome if she bites her tongue.”

Demian silently took Arasila’s handkerchief and stuffed it into the head maid’s mouth.

The trembling Rosalyn suddenly jumped to her feet. The pressure to do something to survive constricted her breathing. She desperately waved her hands.

“No, no! That letter is fake! Someone… Yes, Audrey who brought that letter made it up! I’m not a spy-!”

“Hold out your hand.”

“…Pardon?”

Rosalyn reflexively held out her hand. Arasila placed her hand on top and let her magic flow. Rosalyn’s fingers gradually turned red.

The blue eyes watching this narrowed meaningfully. As I thought, she touched the premarital contract documents.

“What, what is this…”

“There’s magic cast on the things I’ve touched that leaves a mark on anyone who touches them without permission.”

Rosalyn blankly looked up at Arasila. Arasila elegantly raised the corner of her lips and held out her hand. Audrey quickly pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket.

“You shouldn’t have touched my things.”

“…”

Rosalyn’s powerless eyes met Arasila’s smiling face looming over her.

She personally grabbed Rosalyn’s chin and gagged her with the handkerchief. Despite the grip not being strong, Rosalyn couldn’t resist.

“Take them to the basement.”

Demian, who had summoned knights at some point, ordered. The bound head maid and Rosalyn were dragged away, unable to even scream.

And Arasila approached her husband with graceful steps. As she pushed the letters into his uniform pocket, she stood on her tiptoes and whispered.

“Don’t worry. The premarital contract wasn’t discovered.”

In fact, even if Rosalyn had gotten hold of that document and left the mansion, she wouldn’t have been able to gain anything. Magic had been cast to prevent just anyone from viewing the contract.

“Make sure to crush them thoroughly and let me know.”

Arasila smiled radiantly as if whispering sweet nothings and stepped back.

Letting out a laugh like air escaping, Demian asked.

“What will you do with the maids?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Understood.”

Demian turned around with a chilling expression. His golden eyes flashed like those of a beast as he headed towards the basement. Just his gaze alone suggested that the price of betrayal would be severe.

A heavy silence settled among those who remained. The maids each wore slightly different expressions, but despair was common to all.

Having been incited by a spy to cause trouble for the madam, their punishment was unlikely to be light.

“You admit that you’ve been looking down on me and working carelessly all this time, right?”

The maids affirmed with their silence. Arasila looked around at them and clapped her hands once.

“Well then, shall we begin the housecleaning?”

A thorough investigation was conducted to determine if there were others among the remaining maids who had been bought by the duke’s household, like Rosalyn and the head maid.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, there were no additional maids who had been bribed.

Over the course of several days, Arasila created a list of those to be dismissed. Those who had been close to the two spies were first in line for dismissal. Even if they hadn’t been bribed together, they weren’t innocent.

Some of them came to her in tears, claiming their innocence.

“We really didn’t know! If we had known Rosalyn and the head maid were such bad people, we would never have associated with them!”

“That’s right, it was a mistake made out of ignorance. If you give us one more chance, we’ll never repeat the same mistake!”

“Please show mercy, madam. I have a family to support…”

Arasila looked at them with eyes that had grown cold, in contrast to her smiling lips. She wasn’t even angry at their behavior now; it was merely amusing.

Tapping the back of her pen on the desk, she leisurely moved her lips.

“It was fun when you all hung out together, laughing and chatting, wasn’t it? When you spread unconfirmed rumors as if they were facts, when you singled out one person to bully and corner.”

“…”

“It wasn’t because you didn’t know. You knew it was wrong to bully Audrey and speak ill of me, but you did it anyway.”

Although she hadn’t raised her voice once, the maids stood as if struck by lightning, unable to move.

They couldn’t refute a single word of what Arasila said.