“It’s so quiet and nice without that woman.”

After about two days, Leonard was quite satisfied with the peaceful daily life.

However, as it became three days and then four, suddenly everything started to feel irritating.

“Draw the curtains. It’s too bright.”

“Pardon? But you just said the room was gloomy and to open the curtains…”

“Can’t you hear me telling you to close them?”

“…Yes, master.”

Leonard acted like a grumpy old man, often contradicting his own orders.

Thanks to this, only the servants suffered.

“Four days should be enough.”

“Pardon?”

“How long do I have to wait?”

He grumbled into the air.

He thought he would feel relieved without the person who bothered him every day, but instead he felt irritated.

Remembering Cordelia’s face as she forced a smile at the end, Leonard kicked off his blanket forcefully.

“Hey, you. Come here and support me. I’m going to get some air in the garden.”

“Yes, master.”

Leonard went outside with the servant’s support, partly to clear his head.

Compared to the main Atilei house, the Abrams’ garden was more like a cute vegetable patch(?), but it was decent enough.

The sun was pleasantly warm as he walked slowly. A maid standing in the distance froze when she saw Leonard.

When Leonard arrived in front of her, the maid blocked his way with a very troubled expression.

“What is it? Move aside.”

“I’m sorry, master. The madam and Countess Dahlia are having tea time in front.”

Normally, he would have just avoided them and passed by, but he felt a chill.

“So? How dare you block my way unless you’ve gone mad?”

At the sharp command, the maid finally moved aside.

Walking a bit further, an astonishing scene unfolded inside a small patio. Seeing it, he realized why the maid’s complexion had been poor.

“What are you doing now?”

“Oh my. Craig. Is it alright for you to be walking around like this now?”

“You don’t seem to have answered my question yet.”

He spoke while looking at Cordelia, who was standing with wine poured over her head.

Cordelia was startled to see Leonard arrive and averted her gaze.

“What do you mean, what? We’re in the middle of etiquette lessons.”

Helena answered with surprising composure.

“Etiquette? Does this household educate by pouring wine on people’s heads?”

“Craig. Don’t worry about it. This is nothing for her. You should have seen how impudently she behaved towards Mother. By the way, I’m still not over it.”

“Ha.”

“Instead, let’s go hunting together later. Then I’ll forgive you.”

Not noticing Leonard’s coldly hardened face, Lily clung to his arm and smiled coquettishly.

“Oh my. Lily. What hunting when the weather isn’t even fully cleared? What if you catch a cold?”

“It’s fine. I can just wear my new fur coat.”

Mother and daughter chatted pleasantly and laughed. Cordelia wasn’t even a topic of their conversation.

The maids standing nearby seemed used to this situation, not showing any signs of surprise.

He knew Cordelia was being disregarded in this household, but he didn’t know it was to this extent.

His head cooled instantly. Leonard roughly pulled his arm away from Lily clinging to his side and said,

“I see the vulgar bloodline can’t be hidden after all.”

“What? Who are you talking to like that?”

“Who else, the person with the lowly bloodline here?”

He glared alternately at Helena and Lily with contempt in his eyes. Helena’s face quickly turned red.

“I’ll overlook your rudeness this once. You may go now, Craig.”

“Rudeness? Who dares to order me around? I guess this household without roots doesn’t know its place?”

As the situation became tense, Cordelia, who had been standing to the side, quickly intervened.

His position was already terrible due to rumors of him being an idiot, and it wouldn’t do any good to upset Helena here.

Cordelia grabbed Leonard’s sleeve and shook it weakly.

“Craig. Let’s go back inside.”

“Why are you in such a state… Ah, forget it. We’ll talk later.”

“Madam. Craig is still very unwell, having just gotten out of bed. Please forgive him.”

“It’s not me who needs to ask for forgiveness, but that woman.”

“That woman? Craig! I am your mother and the mistress of the Abrams family. Where did you learn such ill manners…”

However, Leonard paid no heed to Cordelia’s mediation. Instead, he pushed Cordelia behind him and stepped forward.

“Mistress? How dare you call yourself the mistress of Abrams Castle?”

“What are you saying?”

“As soon as the previous count, Father, died, you embezzled the castle’s funds behind everyone’s back.”

“Wh-What?”

“Moreover, you have the audacity to call yourself the mistress when you shamelessly invite young servants to your bed? Ah, is that perhaps a qualification for being the mistress in this castle?”

“You, wh-what nonsense are you spouting?”

Helena’s complexion turned as white as milk. Cordelia was shocked and looked back and forth between Helena and Leonard.

Lily stuttered in great surprise.

“Cr-Craig! What on earth are you saying? There’s no way Mother would do such things…”

“You still don’t understand what I’m saying? This woman has been embezzling Abrams’ wealth behind our backs and doing dirty things with the servants. Your mother.”

Leonard pointed at Helena with his finger and openly mocked her.

The surrounding servants whispered and became agitated. Noticing this, Helena quickly changed her expression and ordered a nearby servant.

“How dare you spread such ridiculous rumors! You must have gone mad after nearly dying. James. Escort Craig to his bedroom immediately. Hurry!”

The young servant called James awkwardly walked towards Craig.

“Um, master. I’ll escort you to your bedroom.”

“Ken, Renald, Charles, Edward.”

“…”

“Those are the men who’ve been in your bed… Shall I name more?”

Helena’s lips trembled. In contrast, Leonard was as composed as could be.

She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and said,

“It seems you’re still not in your right mind. To be spouting such preposterous lies.”

“Well. Why would I tell lies that would be exposed right away? I’ve found all the servants you had affairs with and put them in the underground prison. If you want, I can call them here. Maybe seeing their faces again will jog your memory?”

“Nonsense! Those men have already left this country…”

Helena hastily refuted but then stopped. She seemed to have belatedly realized what she had just said. The atmosphere froze.

“No. No! What am I… This is all Craig’s plot! It’s a ploy to drive me out with ridiculous lies!”

“When you get old, stay put in the back room gracefully. If you irritate me one more time, I’ll send you to the wasteland.”

“You, how, how dare you…”

“James.”

Leonard spoke coldly to the servant who had come to restrain him.

“Mother seems to be unwell, so escort her to her bedroom. Now.”

“…Yes, master.”

His voice was surprisingly full of authority.

The servant didn’t even think of disobeying Leonard’s words.

Two servants turned and approached Helena. And without hesitation, they grabbed both her arms.

“Let go of me! How dare you! I said let go!”

“We’re sorry, madam.”

The subordinates were sensitive to shifts in power. They instinctively knew who would hold power in this family.

“I am the mistress of this household! Not that dissolute son! How could I, who built up this family…”

Although Helena resisted fiercely, she couldn’t overcome the strength of adult men.

Lily stared blankly at Helena’s retreating figure before following after her.

Everything passed like a storm.

Even the maids nearby withdrew, and now only Leonard and Cordelia remained. Cordelia looked towards where Helena had disappeared and said,

“Is this really alright? The madam won’t stay quiet…”

“Why are you covered in wine?”

“It’s nothing. Just her venting her anger on me as usual.”

“What kind of venting?”

“It seems Lily told her about being chased out of your room that day. She’s using that as an excuse to pick on me.”

She spoke nonchalantly. That was Cordelia’s way of protecting herself.

All this harassment was nothing. So there was nothing to be hurt about.

“I’m fine.”

Cordelia smiled to reassure him.

He was someone who had stood up for her in his own way. Although she didn’t know what intention he had in speaking, she was quite grateful that Leonard had taken her side.

However, the moment she saw his eyes, Cordelia automatically hunched her shoulders.

Anyone could see that Leonard looked thoroughly angry.

‘Why is he angry…?’

“Are you stupid? Don’t you have any self-respect?”

“Pardon?”

Cordelia was taken aback by his cold sarcasm that followed. Leonard spoke while looking at her wet hair.

“Do you think those people will give you more money when you leave if you grovel and try to please them like this?”

“…”

“Wake up, Cordelia Vasquez. No matter how much you struggle, nothing will change.”

Struggle.

It was like a dagger. It felt like all the moments she had endured in this household, forcing herself to smile, were being belittled.

‘It’s okay. It’s okay.’

But as usual, she tried to smile and endure the uncomfortable situation.

“Your words… are a bit harsh.”

“You’re a Vasquez. One of the sacred eight families. Do you need to bow your head so submissively?”

“…”

“So stop bowing your head like an idiot…”

“What do you, what do you know about me to say such things?”

At that moment, Cordelia’s patience, which she had endured over and over again, burst.

She had been able to endure when Helena hurled insults at her, but for some reason, every word Leonard uttered pierced her heart like a sharp sword.

“Struggling? Yes, that’s how it would look in your eyes. Why is she living so submissively? Doesn’t she have any self-respect?”

“…Wait. I just.”

“What do you know about my life to spout such nonsense?”

Cordelia looked straight at Leonard with her eyes wide open. She was so angry that her head felt cold instead.

Leonard couldn’t retort and only moved his lips.

“My own father sold me to this hell for a few coins! He told me not to come back even if I became a corpse. So what am I supposed to do? Do you even know how a woman born into a declining family lives and dies? No, you don’t!”

For the first time, she yelled at him. All sorts of emotions were mixed, and even she couldn’t tell what form they took.

“How could you know? You were born with everything from the start. Born under dazzling blessings, you’ve lived without ever lacking anything.”

“…”

“Do you know why I bow my head so submissively, why I smile even when wine is poured over me?”

Unintentionally, her voice trembled at the end. She tried not to cry, but she couldn’t completely control the surging emotions.

In the end, a single tear rolled down her cheek.