Brody looked at Tristan, whom she encountered in the hallway.

The expression of Arthur’s loyal subordinate was not very good.

“……”

Brody had already noticed that Tristan did not particularly like Reina.

Well… looking at the circumstances, it was understandable.

What happened to Sir Arthur was a fraudulent marriage after all.

But Brody felt bitter and resentful about it all.

“……Sir Tristan.”

Tristan, who was about to brush past, looked down at Brody, moving only his eyes.

Though his attitude was not friendly, Brody opened her mouth for Reina’s sake.

“……She probably didn’t do it because she wanted to.”

“……”

Not that my words would be of much help.

Still, remembering how Reina had defended her, Brody continued speaking.

“She’s not such a bad person. Please don’t hate her too much.”

And Brody looked at him with eyes that somewhat conveyed her inner thoughts: ‘If you think about it a little, couldn’t you pity her?’

“……”

Brody did not say anything more, bowed her head to him in greeting, then turned and returned to where she was supposed to be.

The eyes of Tristan, who remained behind, grew cold.

Brody had been talking about Reina acting as a substitute bride,

But to Tristan, it sounded as if Brody knew all about the notes Reina had been passing.

[This is the timeline separator]

The lady, who was on her way to inspect the newly decorated bridal chamber for Christina, frowned when she saw Brody and Tristan exchanging words near Arthur’s quarters.

The conversation was brief, and the two soon turned in different directions, but the lady was displeased.

‘……What is that maid doing, carelessly chatting like she’s close to him?’

As she was looking on disapprovingly and about to avert her gaze, the lady stopped again when she saw one of Arthur’s knights giving way to maids on the stairs nearby.

Even though there was enough space to pass each other, the knight stepped back to let the maids go through first.

The maids hesitated when they saw the knight step back,

Then slightly bowed their heads to him in gratitude before hurrying up the stairs.

The knight simply gave a brief nod without leaving room for further interaction, then brushed past them.

After the knight had passed, the maids turned their heads and glanced at his retreating figure.

The lady twisted her fan and rolled her eyes.

The knight’s attitude was quite mannerly, but that very point was irritating.

As with most grand mansions, romantic relationships between employees within the Julius estate were also tacitly forbidden.

The mistresses of noble households all wished to avoid their maids becoming embroiled in scandals.

It was an issue directly linked to the family’s reputation.

However, Arthur’s knights were certainly eye-catching potential romantic partners for the maids.

The money spent by the marquis.

The honor of being Arthur’s knight who returned with a brilliant victory.

Some of them would even be granted titles at the victory ceremony according to their merits.

Above all, they were young, handsome men who kept catching the eye in the same space.

They were imposing and dashing men, incomparable to

The butlers, footmen, or coachmen who were usually considered as marriage partners for maids.

[This is the timeline separator]

“That one! The red-haired one!”

“Sir Lucan?”

“His name is Lucan? My goodness, even his name is cool. How do you know his name?”

“His smiling face is so charming! Like a red black panther!”

“Don’t you mean a red panther then?”

“No, red black panther is right.”

“That’s right. Somehow that name suits him better!”

The maids chattered and giggled among themselves.

The knights were quite popular among the maids.

After all, for maids who rarely had occasion to leave the estate,

These handsome men in their prime suddenly occupying a place in the mansion were an unexpected feast for the eyes and a windfall.

The maids’ potential romantic partners were usually limited to people within the estate.

But even this was difficult due to the severe gender imbalance,

And most maids had no time to meet potential partners elsewhere, so they had almost given up on romance or marriage.

But suddenly, these ‘real knights’ exuding an overwhelmingly unfamiliar charm had rushed into the estate

So they inevitably caught the maids’ attention.

The maids were experiencing a historic ‘Arthur boom’.

“For me, it’s that one! The one who got slapped by the marquis!”

“Sir Lionel!”

Two maids exclaimed his name simultaneously, making a fuss.

“He’s so handsome! He looks like he has a story.”

“Right! There’s something melancholic about him.”

“Ah, when I saw him talking to the marquis, I thought I was going to faint from how cool he was……”

One of the clever maids immediately imitated his voice.

“The reason I’m not executing you on the spot is not because you’re Marquis Julius, but because I respect Sir Arthur. If you don’t withdraw immediately, I’ll execute you on my own authority for the sake of Sir Arthur’s honor!”

“Kyaa!”

A happy scream erupted from among the maids.

Lionel, who had impressively stood up to the marquis and seemed to have quite a backstory, was also gaining considerable popularity as a handsome type.

“I like the one who gives off an intellectual vibe! I never imagined there would be that type among the knights……”

“Sir Kay? I mean, Arthur. He’s from the Ford count family. They’re an incredibly high-ranking noble family.”

“Tsk. Who said anything about getting involved? I just said he’s my type.”

“For me, it’s Sir Tristan! Honestly, isn’t he the most handsome face after Sir Arthur?”

“What’s the use? He’s married.”

“What?! Sir Tristan is married?!”

“He has a five-year-old child. They say he’s extremely devoted to his wife.”

The maids bloomed with laughter over stories of the knights even in the midst of their busy work.

Following the leading duo of Lucan and Lionel, all the other knights were also enjoying hot popularity.

In particular, Arthur’s four closest knights became objects of fervent interest from most of the maids.

[This is the timeline separator]

“They’re all falling for them!”

The lady irritably unfolded her fan and fanned herself.

“They were complaining about being too busy, but now they’re not doing their work and just making eyes at the knights? Have they no pride?”

Christina chuckled as she took off her clothes with Marina’s assistance.

The lady’s complaints continued.

“Maids are always such a headache. You’ll have a lot to worry about when managing the girls! Of course, I’ll help keep an eye on them too.”

The lady soon threw down her fan with a cold face and picked up her teacup to drink.

Christina, now in a white chemise after removing her dress and corset, let her hair fall outside her clothes as she replied.

“Well… They are irresistible partners for the maids. It can’t be helped. They want to get married too, after all.”

This girl has no fear.

The lady frowned.

“It’s not something to be so nonchalant about, dear. People are already watching us from all sides, looking for any excuse to find fault. What if a scandal breaks out? They’ll be in an uproar, saying they know all about the discipline in the Julius estate. Why give those hyenas such fodder?”

Christina gestured with her head for Marina to leave as she spoke.

“I’m sure the maids have enough discernment.”

The lady snorted briefly and lamented.

“Don’t trust the discernment of maid girls. You’ll surely be stabbed in the back.”

Christina laughed.

“That’s why we have Mrs. Lorenson, isn’t it?”

The lady pressed her forehead as if she had a headache and said.

“We can’t just rely on Mrs. Lorenson. Things are different now from before. There are many eyes on the estate.”

“I know.”

Christina continued nonchalantly.

“But it might not be all bad.”

“What?”

Christina spoke through the mirror.

“I mean, the maids getting involved with the knights.”

The lady looked at Christina.

Christina’s words, briefly interrupted as she lit her cigarette holder, continued.

“A maid of the Julius estate meeting one of Sir Arthur’s knights. Doesn’t it paint a nice picture? Wouldn’t it rather elevate Julius’s status? It would make the alliance look stronger too.”

Christina exhaled a puff of smoke and said.

“Most will end up disappointed, but you never know. We do have quite a few capable girls in our estate after all. Of course, they shouldn’t get involved in any dirty scandals, and we’d need to package it nicely, but still.”

The lady’s eyes widened as she heard her daughter’s words.

Christina crossed her legs comfortably and rested her elbow on the dressing table.

“If there are quick results, we could use them right away to hear news from their side. Conversely, we could have them spread favorable stories about us to their side.”

The lady, who had been speechless, finally managed to open her mouth.

“……But dear, no matter what, we’re a noble family! We’re a grand ducal house! How much importance does high society place on appearances, and how would we look from the outside…!”

“We could use it to our advantage externally too, depending on how we utilize it. We could show differentiated inclusivity. After all, aren’t we the family that embraced even an unacknowledged illegitimate child?”

The lady frowned and complained in a slightly smaller voice.

“No, that and this are different cases.”

Christina elegantly and nobly smiled as she fiddled with the cigarette holder in her hand.

“What’s the use of trying so hard to meet others’ standards of dignity, history, and culture, only to be told we’re not as good as other grand ducal houses? We need to show something completely different and bold.”

The smooth black cigarette holder danced gracefully in her hand.

“Encourage it. As long as it doesn’t lead to scandals, it’s fine. It’s even good.”

Delicate smoke rose like silver threads into the air.

“Of course, since it’s an issue that requires self-control and discernment, they should be obedient and easily controllable girls.”

“……”

Christina brought the cigarette holder to her mouth.

Matilda stared at her daughter with her mouth slightly open.

Maid girls wanting romance and marriage, and the men chasing after them, had always been a headache for noble ladies managing estates and worrying about reputation.

But to encourage the maids to get involved with the knights…

She knew her daughter was extraordinary.

Sometimes it was overwhelming to keep up with her.

Matilda nervously fiddled with the end of her fan.

“……”

But following Christina’s advice had never led to bad results so far.

The lady, trusting her daughter’s abilities, carefully considered.

Christina tapped her crossed leg once and flicked ash into the ashtray.

“Reina was quite good. It’s a shame she’s in charge of the most important person.”

“……”

What an incredible mind.

That’s her own husband, yet she doesn’t even blink an eye.

“……I carried you in my womb, but I don’t know how I gave birth to someone like you.”

At the lady’s muttering, Christina took a drag on her cigar and smirked.

The lady rested her chin on her hand and took in her daughter’s appearance.

……Stunning beauty, and frighteningly quick-witted.

Christina’s only flaw was that she had inherited her father’s unmanageable temper.

But without that temper, she wouldn’t have been able to stand up to that father to this extent.

Then the Julius marquis family wouldn’t have come this far today.

Christina casually tapped off her cigarette ash and said.

“Of course, if we want them to spread good stories about us, you’ll have to treat the maids ‘well’ too, mother. You understand, right?”

“……”

Christina leaned forward in her seat to take off her shoes and smiled nonchalantly.

“Just like we do with Reina.”

The lady was dumbfounded by her daughter’s words for a while, but eventually nodded with a sigh, feeling that Christina could somehow make anything work out plausibly.

“……Alright. We’ll do as you say.”

Christina smiled.

“Thank you, Mom.”

The lady put down her fan on the table, then sighed as she got up and took out a gold-covered secret ledger from a safe hidden under the bed.

It was a ledger classifying ‘useful’ maids with weaknesses.

The heavy ledger with its shining gold hardcover made a thud as it was placed on the table.

Christina’s gaze followed her there.

【 Maid Ledger 】

Flip.

The open ledger showed rankings of the most tight-lipped and obedient ‘special maids’,

And listed the ‘special favors’ that the lady was bestowing upon them under careful calculation.

At the very top of the maids classified as top-tier, Reina’s name was written.

Below Reina’s name.

Above the names of several other maids also classified as top-tier, all were marked with red ink X’s.

They were the names of maids no longer working in the estate.

Only Reina remained.