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Chapter 10
“Still… when people are sick, they’re bound to become more sensitive. No matter how kind Miss Bianca is, it can’t be helped.”
“Right, that’s true.”
Barkan’s expression darkened.
But becoming Bianca’s maid…
Recently, it seemed Bianca had entered a very late rebellious phase. She no longer replied to her family’s letters and frequently quarreled with her friends.
As a result, there were barely any young ladies left in the North who could still be called her friends.
On top of that, the household maids kept resigning one after another because of her.
Barkan firmly shook his head.
“If that’s the situation, then I think it’s even more impossible.”
Just as he was about to object, Diena suddenly raised her hand high.
“I want to do it!”
Barkan shook his head.
“It won’t be as easy as you think.”
“I still want to do it.”
“It’ll be very difficult.”
“How difficult?”
“Well, I’m not sure. I haven’t been able to see her for a very long time.”
A bitter smile appeared on Barkan’s lips.
He couldn’t approach Bianca while she was suffering from darkness erosion. His presence could make her condition even worse.
It was absurd that he couldn’t even personally see the state of his own younger sister.
“Even so, I want to do it!”
Faced with Diena’s stubborn determination, Barkan hesitated.
Even before she became ill, Bianca’s personality had never been easy to handle. He had heard she had become even more aggressive lately.
Still, if it was Diena, whose resolve was this strong, perhaps she could get along with his sister.
Besides, she was someone bold enough to talk about taking revenge on the Duke of Rothwell.
He wanted to place his hopes in her.
In the end, he had no choice but to nod.
“Fine. If that’s really what you want, do as you wish. But if it becomes too difficult, tell the head maid immediately.”
Barkan turned to leave.
He had to carry out the Emperor’s order to escort Malakar to the Imperial Palace.
But Diena’s next words stopped him in his tracks.
“You have to come back quickly, Lord Barkan.”
“…Come back quickly?”
“Yes. You absolutely mustn’t be late. Promise me.”
Barkan looked at Diena with confusion.
No matter how much she tried to act strong, she was still young. She was probably afraid of being left alone.
There wasn’t a single person here that she knew.
“Well… alright.”
Diena was about the same age as his younger sister.
Part of him wanted to stay and see whether she adapted well, but he couldn’t remain here any longer.
I’ll be leaving soon anyway.
Even as he thought that, he found himself strangely concerned.
“I’ll depart immediately. Prepare everything.”
Malakar also looked at Diena with concern.
“I’ll come visit again soon. Take care of yourself until then.”
As Barkan and Malakar departed, the butler turned toward the head maid.
“Matilda, you heard Lord Barkan’s instructions.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll teach her well and take good care of her.”
Seeing Matilda, the butler smiled reassuringly.
“Good. You’ve served Lady Bianca well all these years. I trust you’ll do a fine job.”
With those words, the butler left.
The moment he disappeared, Matilda’s attitude completely changed.
The respectful and disciplined demeanor she had displayed just moments ago vanished, replaced by a cold expression.
She spoke in a frosty voice.
“You. Follow me.”
The place they arrived at was a rather shabby maid’s room.
“What? Disappointed? Were you expecting a better room, only to end up in a maid’s quarters?”
Crossing her arms, Matilda looked down at Diena, who was standing by the doorway.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’ve served this Cardian family for many years. I’ve met countless people like you.”
Diena silently looked at her.
Contempt lingered at the corners of Matilda’s lips.
“The sort who try to take advantage of the young master and young lady. Every single one of them pulls the same tricks. Let me give you a piece of advice. Know your place. Otherwise, you won’t last long in this house.”
“Wow…”
“What?”
“No, it’s just surprising.”
Listening to her, Diena was genuinely impressed.
What an incredible self-introduction.
To Diena, who knew Matilda’s true identity, the words were utterly ridiculous.
Caught off guard by Diena’s reaction, Matilda cleared her throat.
Then she curled one corner of her lips upward.
She assumed the child simply didn’t understand the situation.
With a rough motion, she tossed a black dress onto Diena’s bed.
“Stop talking nonsense and put this on. It’s what the maids in this mansion wear.”
Diena carefully picked up the dress.
Even so, it was in far better condition than the clothes she had worn in the Rothwell family.
Watching her, Matilda clicked her tongue and left the room.
How petty. She didn’t even give me anything to eat.
Diena clutched her empty stomach.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t been hungry in so long, but I can’t endure it.
During the entire journey to the Cardian family estate, she had eaten plenty of delicious food.
Barkan had constantly been feeding her.
“Why are you so thin? If you want to survive in our family, you’d better eat a lot more.”
Just because she had eaten well for a few days, she now found it harder than usual to endure hunger.
Fortunately, there was some water on the table.
Closing her eyes, Diena slowly drank it.
In truth, if she hadn’t volunteered to become a maid, Barkan would have treated her as a guest.
But if she did that, she wouldn’t be able to accomplish what she wanted.
The reason she had insisted on becoming a maid was because she already knew what Matilda would do while remaining at Bianca’s side.
Because Matilda is a person sent by the Rothwell family.
In her previous life, after Bianca died, Diena had accidentally read one of the reports Matilda sent to the Rothwell family.
That was how she learned what Matilda had done here.
Even now, she’s probably subtly brainwashing Lady Bianca.
The report had detailed Bianca’s tastes and preferences.
It also described exactly how Matilda had treated Bianca and what kind of person she had molded her into.
There had been times when Diena imagined telling Barkan everything she knew.
Lord Barkan, I know what your sister is going through right now. So please trust me and dismiss that head maid immediately. And I don’t know whether I can cure darkness erosion or not, but I think I might be able to. So let me stay by Miss Bianca’s side and find out.
If she had said something like that, she probably would have been thrown out before Matilda.
After all, Matilda had worked for the family for many years, while Diena was someone from the Rothwell family.
Moreover, Bianca trusted Matilda and didn’t even realize what was being done to her.
There was no way Diena could expect testimony from Bianca.
Therefore—
I’ll get rid of that head maid myself, as quickly as possible.
While performing purification work at the Rothwell Duchy, she had encountered villains far worse than Matilda.
Dealing with a mere head maid would be nothing.
And after that, she planned to become Bianca’s favorite maid and cure her darkness erosion.
