As promised, Arasila took a vacation from the magic tower and came to serve, and the Grand Duchess treated her like a real maid.

Ordering her to bring this and that was the cute level.

She made her clean the room in front of her, polish her shoes until they shone, and even fetch water for washing.

She even threw a dress with slightly torn lace at Arasila and told her to mend it herself.

However, although all noble ladies were said to have above-average skills, Arasila, who was not good at embroidery, could not possibly sew properly.

When she brought the dress she had sewn to the best of her ability, the Grand Duchess was furious.

“Are you defying me now?”

“No. I just did as you told me, so why are you angry?”

“You’ve turned my dress into a rag!”

The Grand Duchess fumed, throwing away the dress with its sleeve folded in half thanks to Arasila’s fantastic sewing skills. She thought she had done this on purpose.

However, Arasila, who had mended the dress while pricking her fingers with needles, felt wronged. This was the result of her sincere effort.

“Go and bring your dress too! I’ll make it the same!”

“Yes, Grand Duchess.”

When Arasila, who didn’t care much about clothes, quickly brought one of her dresses, the Grand Duchess trembled with her blood pressure rising.

What she wanted was a sad expression, not such a bright one.

Still, needing to vent her anger, the Grand Duchess had her maid cut Arasila’s dress into pieces with scissors and shouted.

“I can’t stand the sight of you! Get out now!”

“Understood. Call me if you have anything else you need me to do.”

Arasila bowed politely and left the room. The maids in the corridor stirred and looked at her.

The Grand Duchess’s voice was so loud that it had leaked out through the door. Thanks to this, everyone thought Arasila had suffered a terrible humiliation and was sending her sympathetic glances.

“…My lady, are you alright?”

A maid cautiously approached and asked. It was the young maid who had been whipped by the Grand Duchess.

Recognizing her immediately, Arasila smiled brightly.

“I’m fine. More importantly, Cindy, are you already working when your hands haven’t fully healed yet?”

“Ah, yes. The wounds weren’t that serious.”

“What are you saying with bandages on both hands. Rest until you’re fully healed. Don’t overdo it.”

“But because of me, you’re suffering like this, how could I…?”

As Cindy’s eyes welled up with tears, Arasila patted her shoulder.

“It’s not your fault, Cindy. You’re my maids now, so it’s natural for me to protect you.”

“My lady…”

“Don’t worry about it and just focus on treating your hands. Understand?”

Arasila waved her hand lightly and walked away. She was a bit tired because the Grand Duchess had been calling for her since dawn to do various tasks.

How could serving the Grand Duchess be more tiring than going to work at the magic tower?

‘I guess this is why they say dealing with people is the hardest.’

After she disappeared, having realized this new truth, the remaining maids exchanged words with sparkling eyes.

“How can our lady be so considerate and kind?”

“Come to think of it, she was always generous in overlooking minor mistakes.”

“Why didn’t we recognize such a wonderful lady all this time? Ah, I regret staying still during the Rosalyn incident.”

Most of them were existing maids of the mansion, who had been somewhat withdrawn since the Rosalyn incident. Unlike the maids from Duke Hugo’s family who got along well with Arasila, they had felt an enormous distance from her and had been awkward…

That day, seeing Arasila appear like a hero and protect Cindy, who was an existing maid, their closed hearts began to open.

And seeing her attitude just now, not blaming Cindy at all, their hearts not only opened but completely fell for her.

Our lady called us her maids.

Then she’s our lady too!

“Is there anything we can do for our lady even now?”

“Even though she pretends to be fine like that, they say she cries silently at night…”

“Really? Oh no, that’s so heartbreaking.”

The maids’ hearts ached as they imagined Arasila crying secretly in hiding.

It was a false rumor spread by Audrey under her master’s orders, but they had no way of knowing that.

“We’ve only served the master until now, so this is our first time in this situation. Should we seek advice from maids of other houses?”

“That’s a good idea. And let’s also let them know how kind our lady really is!”

“Yes, many people don’t know that she sent away the maids because of Rosalyn and the former head maid.”

In fact, there were subtle rumors circulating about Arasila dismissing the existing maids soon after her marriage.

It seemed very strange to outsiders that she suddenly replaced the staff, rather than bringing maids from her family from the beginning.

The person in question didn’t care much about such things so there was no particular reaction, but the maids who knew the truth of the incident were inwardly uncomfortable.

It’s not that our lady’s personality is capricious, but Rosalyn and the head maid were at fault.

“From now on, let’s sincerely serve our lady well, and actively counter anyone who speaks ill of her!”

“Good, good! They say the mistress’s reputation is made by the maids originally.”

The maids clenched their fists, burning with determination.

Unintentionally, they were fulfilling the purpose for which Arasila had spread strange rumors.

Arasila’s goals were twofold.

First, to make the Grand Duchess let her guard down. Second, to spread the Grand Duchess’s misdeeds to the outside as much as possible.

This is to make it easier to drive out the Grand Duchess later.

The problem was that the maids from Duke Hugo’s family knew she wasn’t that kind of person, so they were suspicious of the rumors. So they didn’t act as she wanted.

Instead, the existing maids who hadn’t properly grasped Arasila yet were deceived by the rumors and carried out the actions she wanted.

In the process of seeking advice, they inadvertently leaked to the outside the fact that Arasila was suffering and being tormented by the Grand Duchess.

“I’m so worried about our lady these days. The Grand Duchess’s mistreatment is so severe. She’s treated like a maid, unable to eat properly, and can’t even sleep well at night.”

Words that started like this were exaggerated and distorted as they passed from mouth to mouth.

“Did you hear that? Apparently, the Grand Duchess Vandermir is terribly tormenting Lady Vandermir. She makes her do dirty work that only servants would do, gives her only one meal a day, and doesn’t let her sleep.”

“Gasp! What? Lady Vandermir is being abused while serving the Grand Duchess like a slave? Is it true that she’s not given food if she doesn’t obey? They even say she’s beaten if she accidentally falls asleep…”

“The stories from the Vandermir mansion are scary. You know, they say that lady is locked in her room and starved at every meal, and tortured at night. Apparently, the Grand Duchess has completely enslaved her.”

Words passed from maid to maid were slowly conveyed to each master. And through the mouths of those masters, they began to spread little by little into high society.

Countess Hounds had a long-standing friendship with Grand Duchess Vandermir.

The relationship started when her father borrowed money from the Grand Duchess’s father, so there was a clear hierarchy, but anyway, they met whenever she came to the capital.

Seeing that Arasila’s spirit seemed to be broken again, the Grand Duchess made an appointment with her. Other well-known noble ladies in the capital also attended.

“Kids these days are so cheeky and brazen, I’m very worried about how they’ll live if we don’t establish discipline as adults.”

Countess Hounds was the first to agree with the topic thrown out by the Grand Duchess.

“That’s what I’m saying. That’s why my husband and I haven’t passed on our title yet. It’s clear how they’ll treat us if we give up our position.”

“They really look down on the elders of the family, don’t they? Especially the girls. If they’re married, they should serve their mother-in-law even more than their own mother.”

“At least the ones from lower families are better. The ones from higher families are so arrogant—. Phew, I can’t even describe it.”

The noble ladies each waved their hands and gossiped. Some of them had daughters, but generally, when talking like this, they automatically exclude their own daughters.

Or, they’re already treating them the same way at home.

“That’s why I’m staying at my grandson’s house now, educating his wife.”

The Grand Duchess took a sip of tea elegantly and put down her teacup. Flattery rushed in immediately.

“Oh my! Isn’t it a lifetime honor to receive the Grand Duchess’s teachings? I’m so envious.”

“If only I had learned a bit from the Grand Duchess when I was young, I would have managed my household much better. Lady Vandermir is truly blessed.”

“That’s right, how fortunate to have a respectable elder in the family. I want to secretly send my daughter to be educated together.”

“I want to send my second daughter-in-law. To make her come to her senses.”

At those words, laughter burst out. The Grand Duchess also smiled slightly, in a good mood.

At that moment, the last participant who was late arrived.

“I’m sorry I’m late. Something suddenly came up at home, and I was delayed dealing with it.”

“Welcome, Duchess White. Come quickly and greet the Grand Duchess.”

Countess Hounds, the host of the gathering, gently pulled her and placed her in front of the Grand Duchess.

As she was a new member she hadn’t seen before, the Grand Duchess narrowed her eyes. The White ducal family, wasn’t that the rival family of Duke Hugo’s family?

“Hello, Grand Duchess. It’s my first time greeting you. I’m Nicole White.”

The Duchess smiled and politely greeted her. Then she pulled her daughter, who was standing behind her, to her side.

“This is my daughter, Nora White.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Grand Duchess.”

Nora bowed her head modestly and gently, following her mother. The Grand Duchess, who had only seen the impertinent Arasila of a similar age recently, smiled with satisfaction.

Yes, this is how a noble lady should be, docile and obedient.

“I’ve been close friends with Duchess White since last year. Her daughter, though still young, has a clear and upright mind unlike kids these days. I wanted to introduce them to you, Grand Duchess.”

Countess Hounds sat close to her and explained. Fortunately, the Grand Duchess didn’t show a hostile reaction to the new participants.

The conversation among the noble ladies resumed, and the White mother and daughter quietly kept their seats and first assessed the situation.

Hmm, they were gossiping about each other’s daughters-in-law.

Then the topic of conversation changed to Arasila, the Grand Duchess’s granddaughter-in-law. Everyone threw in a bitter word about Arasila to please the Grand Duchess.

“Lady Vandermir should recognize the Grand Duchess’s grace and come to her senses as soon as possible.”

“I just can’t understand why she didn’t quit the magic tower even after getting married.”

“No wonder her nickname was ‘weirdo’ when she was single. The Grand Duchess must be having a hard time teaching such a person one by one.”

“Come to think of it, isn’t she about the same age as Lady White? Lady White, how is Lady Vandermir evaluated among her peers?”

It was at that moment that Nora, who had been sitting shyly next to her mother, opened her mouth.

“Lady Vandermir was famous for her honest and confident personality since the academy days. She was a bold person who strongly asserted her opinions when there were conflicts. She wasn’t afraid of making enemies either.”

Nora, who had indirectly expressed that Arasila was stubborn, arbitrary, and had no standing in high society, smiled brightly and continued.

“For such a person, one shock might be more effective than repeated gentle teachings.”

“Shock?”

“Yes, for example… something like ‘Passing the Purple Violet’.”

Passing the Purple Violet was, to explain simply, a public execution in high society style.

It’s a method mainly used when wanting to publicly expose someone’s wrongdoing or shortcoming, where other nobles each hand over a violet to the noble in question while conveying their words.

At this time, the rule was that the person in question couldn’t make any rebuttal and had to keep their mouth shut until they received all the flowers.

This means they have to just silently watch as their shortcomings are revealed one by one and their reputation falls in real-time.

If this is violated, they suffer the disadvantage of being permanently expelled from high society for breaking the implicit custom.