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Chapter 41
“No, seriously… how can she act like that?”
“Exactly! She treats our lady with complete coldness, but how can she be so kind to Doana?”
“I heard rumors that the Count chooses his spouse very meticulously.”
“I heard that too!”
The maids were utterly confused.
Tersia’s attitude toward Doana was far warmer than the cold, detached way she treated Roze. It was incomprehensible. Roze, though fallen, was still of noble blood, while Doana was just a common-born ‘maid.’ So why would Tersia greet Doana so warmly? After a long, pointless debate, the maids came to a single conclusion.
“…Could it be because of the baby?”
“That must be it. There’s no other explanation.”
“But it’s strange. When our lady was pregnant, she reacted with such fury. Why is she so kind to Doana?”
“Maybe she finally realized the importance of grandchildren after our lady’s miscarriage?”
No matter how they thought about it, there was no explanation for Tersia’s behavior other than the child.
“Still, it’s impossible… I thought everything would be solved once the former Countess arrived…”
Their last hope, Tersia, had disappointed them, and the maids couldn’t hide their gloomy feelings. The head maid, who had been quietly listening, closed her eyes and spoke softly.
“If the former Countess has accepted Doana… then there’s nothing we can do. Everyone, if you don’t want to be fired, you’d better act carefully from now on.”
Though she didn’t want to admit it, it seemed the gods were on Doana’s side. The head maid resented fate—at least, up until that moment.
“I’ll greet you properly. My name is Doana.”
Wearing Roze’s dress, Doana performed a noble-style greeting she had learned by watching from the sidelines. Tersia looked at her warmly.
“Yes, Doana. You can comfortably call me Mother.”
“Oh my, may I? Mother?”
Doana returned Tersia’s bright smile with an innocent one of her own. Unlike the cheerful exchange between Doana and Tersia, Eric and Cedric standing nearby looked quite sullen.
‘Why on earth is Mother acting like that?’
Even her son was surprised by Tersia’s behavior. She was far harsher with Roze than with Doana, not gentler… Eric couldn’t hide his suspicion.
Tersia, noticing Eric’s doubtful gaze, clicked her tongue internally.
‘Tsk, such a frown. Just like her father.’
To gauge Eric’s feelings for Doana, Tersia started with congratulations.
“Congratulations. I hear you’re finally expecting a child.”
“…Yes.”
Eric gave her a reluctant look.
“Cheer up. The baby’s watching, so the family should show a happy face.”
Hearing “the baby,” Eric’s brow furrowed. Finally, he let out words he had held back.
“What are you scheming this time, Mother?”
Seeing Eric’s discomfort, Tersia fanned herself and laughed.
“Oh, look at you. What scheme? I’m just happy there’s a grandchild.”
“It’s just… your reaction is so different from when Roze was pregnant.”
“My son, could you avoid bringing up painful memories? Even now, my heart still races when I think of that time.”
Of course, it was joy. She simply didn’t want Roze, of all people, to carry her son’s bloodline—especially not a lowly maid. Tersia looked at Doana sitting next to her son.
“But how did such a lovely face end up like this?”
“Eric’s ex-wife bore a grudge and… did this to my face. I trusted she was a good person…”
Doana, fabricating a story, teared up in front of Tersia and Cedric.
‘Tsk, that woman even bit my son.’
Cedric, knowing the true story, was impressed by Doana’s bold lie.
“Oh my, that’s terrible. That girl was always strange. I had reasons not to like her. See? She ended up causing trouble anyway.”
Tersia scolded Eric, implying that listening to elders isn’t always bad. Doana, who hated Roze and earned Tersia’s favor, was delighted.
‘So the heroine was the type of girl who got no love from her husband or mother-in-law?’
Why was Roze the protagonist? Doana found Roze’s situation ridiculous.
‘She said she hadn’t finished reading the ending… Maybe I was the real protagonist all along?’
The unloved protagonist was unheard of. A protagonist naturally received everyone’s love—like herself, loved by her handsome husband and wealthy in-laws.
‘Roze even got divorced and thrown out!’
Her heart raced at the thought that she might really be the protagonist of this story.
“From the moment I first saw Roze, I had a bad feeling. You too, didn’t you? She resembled my mother too closely; it was unpleasant.”
Tersia spoke to Cedric, who was sitting next to her. Her words carried a subtle sting. She knew Cedric’s first love had been Roze’s mother, Rivera. She wasn’t foolish enough to miss the fact that he had reluctantly married Tersia after being rejected. That made her dislike Roze even more. Women from that family, who ensnared both father and son, were unbearable. The only way to settle scores with Rivera in the past was to mistreat her daughter, Roze.
Cedric coughed awkwardly a few times in agreement. Though displeased with his half-hearted reaction, Tersia let it slide to maintain appearances in front of Doana.
“It pleases me greatly that you, not Roze, will bear my grandchild.”
Tersia stroked Doana’s hand.
“If anything makes you uncomfortable, tell me anytime.”
“Yes, Mother. I will.”
Doana, unaware of Tersia’s insincerity, was happily excited.
“May I call you Father too?”
Doana, trying to charm Cedric, looked at him with a sweet voice.
“Father… is not—”
Before Cedric could protest, Tersia pinched his thigh, silencing him. Sending a threatening glance at Cedric, Tersia ensured even he would play along with her scheme.
‘Seems like the real power in this house is Mother.’
Doana secretly giggled at Cedric’s inability to speak. It delighted her that the household’s top authority favored her, regardless of Cedric’s feelings.
“Oh, right. Shouldn’t we start preparing for the wedding?”
‘Wedding!’
Doana’s eyes widened at the word. She looked at Tersia, thrilled.
‘She really likes me if she’s bringing up the wedding already!’
Her bright expression became radiant as she stared at Tersia.
“Of course. The position of the ‘Countess’ is still vacant.”
Emphasizing “Countess,” Doana gleamed at Tersia, who smiled dismissively.
‘Greedy little thing, thinking she deserves it.’
Indeed, Doana openly coveted the Countess’ position, and Tersia found it amusing. She decided to tease Doana further about the wedding.
“Yes, Eric. We can’t leave the Countess’ seat vacant.”
“Even if it is, it doesn’t really matter.”
It had only been a day since Roze was expelled. Bringing up the wedding now felt exhausting.
“Oh, what are you saying? Do you know why I hurried your marriage? Without a spouse, you’re destined for a short life! I couldn’t sleep worrying after hearing yesterday’s news.”
‘She actually believes such a flimsy lie.’
Eric found it amusing that Tersia and Cedric fell for his deception. He had long wanted independence—to escape his violent father. Not wanting to leave empty-handed, he bribed someone to lie. Surprisingly, his parents didn’t suspect a thing.
Thanks to that, Eric smoothly inherited power and gained independence—not the perfect independence he desired, but enough. Unaware of Eric’s intentions, Tersia continued to speak insincerely.
“You stubbornly rejected any woman besides Roze, and ended up divorced. Fate is separate for everyone. Just as Doana is carrying your child, your real fate wasn’t Roze—it was her.”
“Oh my, Mother. I’m so moved.”
Doana blinked happily at Tersia’s words.
“Let’s have the ceremony tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? There’s so much to prepare. I don’t even have a wedding dress.”
“What’s a wedding dress? There are plenty of places that can make one in a day if I ask.”
The thought of becoming Countess the next day made Doana giddy.
“Oh, my heart! Mother!”
“Heart? What’s that?”
“It means my heart is racing with excitement!”
“Hoho. From humble origins, you say funny things.”
Tersia chuckled. Doana doubted her ears.
“Oh, not in a bad way. I’m just curious.”
“Oh… yes, Mother.”
Though slightly uneasy, she brushed it off—what mattered was that Tersia accepted her as her daughter-in-law.
“Eric, the ceremony will be at noon tomorrow. I’ll make invitations, so spend some good time with the little one.”
Eric nodded indifferently. He was irritated by Doana and Tersia’s noisy chatter, knowing he’d have no choice but to follow them to the ceremony.
“See you tomorrow, my dear.”
“Oh, Mother, what about my dress?”
“Oh dear, how forgetful of me. I’ll send the designer later; you just stand still for measurements.”
“Yes, I will.”
Doana nodded, thrilled. Tersia smirked at her excitement, linking arms with Cedric as they left Eric’s room. Only the next day would Doana realize she wasn’t the bride.
