Esika had never once ordered Yuri to kneel or beg.
Though there was a difference in status between the two, it was because she considered Yuri a friend.
However, Esika was now commanding with a dignified and clear tone.
Yuri looked at Esika with furrowed brows.
“What did you say?”
“For a mere head maid to interfere with the duchess receiving her belongings, isn’t that a grave offense?”
“…!”
“And speaking informally too. I should sternly correct that habit of calling your superior by name.”
At Esika’s words, commanding haughtily with her chin slightly raised, Yuri clenched her fists.
The maids were hunched over, looking elsewhere.
As if nothing had happened.
There was nothing wrong with Esika’s words.
Until now, Esika considering Yuri a friend was merely an act of kindness.
The maids disrespecting Esika was also under the grand duchess’s allowance.
But now the tables have turned.
Esika’s influence was growing, and the maids who used to look down on her now couldn’t even meet her eyes.
Even the recent bullying of Cella was just something Yuri had instigated.
“…”
Yuri gritted her teeth.
For someone like Esika… for someone like Esika to tell her to kneel.
It was unbearable with anger.
“Duchess.”
Yuri glared at Esika as she spoke.
“I was simply disciplining a maid trying to steal belongings on her own. Would you tell me what I did wrong?”
Esika replied with a calm face.
“Since when was managing belongings under the head maid’s jurisdiction?”
At those words, the corner of Yuri’s eyebrow twitched.
“The grand duchess gave me the authority to…”
“So the grand duchess ordered you to prevent Cella from taking my pillow?”
Yuri flinched at Esika’s words.
“That’s… not it, but I have a duty to fairly manage belongings according to the grand duchess’s wishes.”
“Pfft.”
Laughter flowed from Esika’s lips.
At the blatant mockery, Yuri’s eyebrow twitched.
“Then tell me. How is it not fair management of belongings for me to take a pillow made of blue swan feathers?”
“Blue swans are gifts from the imperial family. The precious feathers are only used by the duke. The grand duchess uses them because the duke specially allowed it, but it’s different for you, madam.”
“So you’re saying it’s not appropriate for the duchess to use.”
At Esika’s words, Yuri added one more spoonful.
“That’s right. It could be called presumptuous.”
“Is that so?”
Esika crossed her arms and looked down at Yuri.
“The inventory records are kept for over ten years. Then we can check if the grand duchess used blue swan feathers when she was the duchess.”
At those words, Yuri’s eyes shook violently.
She didn’t expect Esika to say such a thing.
“…Th-That…”
Yuri stammered, flustered.
The gazes of the grand duchess’s maids were focused on her.
They were all like the grand duchess’s walking ears.
If she misspoke here, it would cause trouble.
“The head maid, Yuri Anesis, said it’s presumptuous for the duchess to use blue swan feathers. Shall I relay this to the grand duchess?”
Yuri couldn’t answer.
If such words were conveyed, the grand duchess wouldn’t leave her be.
She wants Yuri to torment Esika, but doesn’t want that insult to splash onto herself.
“If you don’t know what you did wrong, I have no choice but to ask your superior, right, Yuri?”
Yuri’s fingertips trembled.
“If even such rude behavior is within the grand duchess’s wishes, I should request education all the more.”
“Duchess!”
Yuri glared at Esika with a voice trembling with anger, but couldn’t refute.
Before, someone like Esika would have been nothing, but now she was crumbling so miserably.
“If you do this to me… you’ll regret it someday…”
Yuri glared at Esika as she slowly knelt on the floor.
As her knees touched the cold floor, and the scar on the lower part of her thigh touched, the humiliation of that day was transmitted.
Esika lifted Yuri’s chin as she knelt.
“I’m glad you seem to be admitting your mistake.”
And she raised her hand and slapped Yuri’s cheek hard.
With a smack- sound, Yuri’s head turned.
Cella flinched in surprise and looked at Esika.
The maids were the same.
Yuri glared at Esika with a reddened cheek.
“Before accepting your apology, I’ll return what you gave to Cella first.”
Esika spoke to Yuri with a gentle smile.
“And you’re not in a position to dare advise me. You’re in a position to only beg.”
Yuri didn’t open her mouth.
Then Esika’s chilling voice flowed out.
“Judge correctly. What if I end up kicking your stomach?”
At those words, Yuri’s shoulders flinched.
And she looked at Esika with surprised eyes.
A thought flashed through Yuri’s bewildered eyes.
‘Surely… she doesn’t know?’
It must be a careless guess. There’s no way she could know.
In the end, Yuri clasped her hands and begged.
“I was short-sighted. I’m sorry, Duchess.”
Her lips were trembling.
“It’s not the grand duchess’s will. It’s all the result of my misjudgment and arrogant behavior. Please don’t ask the grand duchess.”
Yuri pleaded to her with her head bowed and fists clenched.
Seeing Yuri completely submit, none of the grand duchess’s maids could make a sound.
The weak and insignificant duchess was no more.
**
On the way back after punishing Yuri and the maids, Cella kept sniffling.
“Hic… Madam…”
Looking at Cella following her with red eyes, Esika said indifferently.
“I won’t be able to use that pillow for a few days.”
The blue swan feather pillow in Cella’s arms was half wet.
It was because of Cella’s tears.
“I-I’m sorry… Madam… hic…”
Cella said, sniffling.
“I’ll dry it well and make sure you have a fluffy pillow to use tomorrow.”
Cella looked at Esika’s back and regretted the past days.
Why didn’t she know that madam was such an amazing person?
How stupid she was to bring bread that seemed about to rot…
Moreover, trying to poison madam. She deserves to die.
Cella inwardly resolved.
That Duchess Esika Klaus was someone worth pledging loyalty to as a subordinate.
And that she too would devote her life to serving Esika.
“What’s a mere pillow. Pfft.”
Esika’s lips twitched as she let out a laugh.
No matter how comfortable and good bedding is, it alone cannot put the mind at ease.
What makes for sound sleep is the presence of trustworthy people.
**
When I close my eyes, it’s as if a sweet scent flows to the tip of my nose.
The face of the girl looking at me as I turn my head becomes clearer.
In those calm yet strong eyes was a deep conviction.
As the girl’s lips move, something in my chest begins to stir.
It was probably the will to live.
A will like fire rising from the ashes.
That which once saved me.
“I can never forget even in my dreams…”
Resban Deon Lucein, sitting askew in the chair looking outside, moved his lips.
A low voice flows out between the faintly twisted lips.
“You are truly capricious.”
The brilliant golden eyes held the scenery of the imperial palace garden.
“…”
Resban closed his eyes.
The breeze tickles his eyebrows.
It seems like she would be within reach if he stretched out his hand, but she is both near and far.
Still, he knows it’s time to be cautious.
He mustn’t let the white butterfly he’s finally found escape.
“…Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
The approaching attendant reported to Resban.
“Count Pertos Riheim is here.”
Resban nodded slightly and slowly rose from his chair.
The leader of the imperial investigation team, Count Pertos Riheim, was coming.
A man of fair character like an unbreakable tree, with a solid intuition like a spear.
He was also a loyal subject who pledged absolute loyalty to the imperial family.
The count bowed deeply to Resban to pay his respects.
And he opened his lips.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince. As you ordered, we obtained testimonies and evidence from them.”
The count waited for Resban’s response.
Normally, sending a summons would have been the first step.
Klaus was one of the major families, and even if they were to be investigated for an unsavory matter, there was a need to protect their honor.
However, Resban’s voice was heard.
“Act as noisily as soldiers going to war.”
“…”
The corner of Resban’s mouth twisted slightly.
“I have no choice but to remind them when they seem to forget.”
That he is waiting.
Even waiting can be enjoyable if thought of as part of the process, but occasional irritation like lint is unavoidable.
The count’s low voice was heard.
“I will obey your command, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Perhaps what he sent would be a timely gift for her.
The count leaving the study ordered his subordinates behind him.
“Everyone prepare. We’re going to Klaus Duchy now.”
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
