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Chapter 24
Aira didn’t die in the end, and the situation ended in an uncomfortable, unresolved way.
Luna, who had been nervous the whole time after Jessie left, wondered if Aira had run to her father and confessed that she had taken and used the former Countess’s belongings. If so, what would happen to Luna’s position in the Marceline household?
Just imagining it was terrifying.
But as time passed, no servant or maid came to call for her.
If her father had found out, he would have summoned her immediately with furious anger.
‘Did Aira not say anything?’
Luna rolled her eyes, thinking.
If she were Aira, she would have eagerly run to their father, reported everything with a sorrowful expression, and encouraged him to punish her sister severely.
‘Or maybe she did tell him, but he ignored it.’
The thought made Luna’s lips curl slightly.
Now that she considered it, the Count rarely spoke about his late wife.
Her room had been left untouched, filled with cobwebs, and not a single portrait of her hung in the mansion. It was clear that their marriage had not been a happy one.
Even the way he treated Aira was stiff and distant.
‘If he didn’t care about his late wife, he won’t punish me just for using a few of her things.’
With that thought, Luna finally let out a breath, feeling a bit relieved.
Yesterday’s charity event had been a disaster, with Aira humiliating her in front of everyone. And Reina’s scornful gaze as she was cast out had left her shaken.
And her attempt to kill Aira had been so rash that she had allowed Jessie to gain control over her.
“Damn it…”
Luna ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
Now she had another problem to deal with, all because of her carelessness.
She couldn’t even be sure about her father’s thoughts—her assumptions were just guesses.
‘What I need to do now is secure my place in this household.’
Even if Aira regained favor among the noble young ladies, Marceline would still belong to Luna.
Even if her father was disappointed in her, he would soften once he heard the servants praising her.
When Luna arrived at the kitchen, she smiled brightly and waved at the maids.
“Hello.”
The gathered maids turned to her, but their expressions were different from usual.
Instead of their usual warm smiles, they looked slightly awkward. Their lips curled up politely, but their eyes weren’t smiling.
Luna’s brow twitched.
“What’s wrong, Miss Luna?”
Normally, the maids would shower her with compliments about her hair, dress, or posture.
But today, they barely spoke, and only one hesitantly asked a question.
“I just came to grab a snack while reading. Is something wrong today?”
Luna’s brows furrowed as she sensed the shift in their attitude.
‘Has Jessie mentioned me?’
She had assumed Jessie wouldn’t, since revealing the truth would also put her in danger for attempting to poison Aira.
Should she go silence Jessie right now?
“About the snacks…”
“Just give me the usual. And don’t be shy—help yourselves too.”
Luna enjoyed tropical fruits that were dried and cost over 100 berks each. The taste was delightful when combined with the royal palace’s expensive biscuits.
“Miss Luna, um… There are only two Gold Plums left, so…”
Luna’s brow twitched again.
Irritation surged through her, but with so many maids watching, she forced herself to stay composed.
She smiled brightly.
“If there are two left, one is for the Count, and the other should go to me, right?”
Normally, the maid would have clapped her hands, apologized for not thinking of it sooner, and the other maids would have scolded her for not offering it to Luna in the first place.
But today, the atmosphere was completely different.
“Ah… Well…”
The maid hesitated before continuing.
“Miss Aira requested them first, so… I’m sorry, but we can’t give them to you, Miss Luna.”
The moment Aira’s name was mentioned, Luna’s expression turned icy.
The forced smile she had been holding onto disappeared completely.
The maids shrank back, glancing at her nervously.
‘Why does that matter?! If Aira and I both want something, you always gave it to me first!’
Technically, Aira, as the legitimate daughter, had the right to the items.
But Luna had always manipulated the maids into giving her the best of everything, while Aira was told, “Sorry, we’re all out.”
But now, they were suddenly following the rules?
“Also, we probably shouldn’t help ourselves anymore… Miss Aira is very strict about accounting for everything.”
“T-That’s…”
Luna’s cold gaze turned sharper.
She wanted to punish every single one of them, but doing so would ruin the image she had carefully built.
Clenching her fists, she suppressed her rage and spoke in a soft voice.
“If there’s nothing left, then I suppose I can’t do anything about it… But it’s a little sad.”
She sighed, playing the part of the misunderstood victim.
“Being born a lowly illegitimate child means I always have to step aside. But… I suppose that’s just my fate.”
In the past, this tactic always worked.
The maids, who lived as invisible shadows of noble daughters, saw themselves in Luna and sympathized with her.
But this time, silence filled the room.
Luna’s eyes flickered with unease.
This should have worked.
But not a single maid met her gaze.
All of them looked down, as if they had agreed not to acknowledge her.
The realization hit her like a cold shock down her spine.
They had completely turned against her.
Meanwhile, in the central plains, inside a towering castle spire, an elderly Marquis adjusted his engraved ring as he read a document.
A small bird landed beside him, carrying a message tied to its leg.
He untied the letter and opened it.
It was from his granddaughter, sent from far away.
After his daughter passed away, he lost contact with the family and often wondered how they were doing. But now, his granddaughter had sent a letter, saying she hadn’t forgotten about him and was letting him know she was well.
She also mentioned that her father would be visiting soon to greet him.
“What suddenly brought this on?”
The golden wheat fields swayed like waves of gold in the wind.
He tried to recall his granddaughter’s face, but it had been so long since he last saw her that he couldn’t remember.
But if she resembled her mother, she would have bright, golden hair, just like the wheat, and would have grown into a fine young lady.
“Now that I think about it… that land belonged to her.”
There was a piece of hard, uncultivated land in the highlands where no wheat grew. It had originally belonged to his daughter when she married into the Marceline family.
Recently, a railway company had surveyed the land, considering it for development. Since the Count of Marceline would be visiting soon, the Marquis thought it might be a good idea to officially transfer ownership of the land to his granddaughter.
