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Episode 9
It was late morning—the kind of wake-up time you’d expect from a noble lady.
I slowly sat up in my huge bed.
The bedroom was larger than Bliss’s room and filled with sunlight.
It was so enormous that you couldn’t even see the whole room at once.
That was because it used to belong to my late husband.
As soon as the funeral ended, I moved into his bedroom.
I also kept all of the furniture and expensive decorations exactly where they were, except for the bed.
As a result, the room was filled with dark red velvet, silk, cherry-colored furniture, and gold decorations.
But strangely, I didn’t dislike it.
It felt like I had taken everything away from the husband who had caused me so much misery.
“Moving here instead of returning to the Marchioness’s room, Julia used was definitely the right choice.”
I shuddered as I remembered that room, which still carried Julia’s presence everywhere—from the furniture to the cosmetics.
That was also why I had gotten rid of my late husband’s bed.
Just then.
Knock. Knock.
A neat knock came from the double doors on the other side of the room.
Before I could answer, the doors opened.
Dolores and Mary walked in.
Dolores was carrying a newspaper, while Mary pushed a serving cart so quietly that it was honestly impressive.
Looking at my half-awake face, Dolores spoke in her usual blunt tone.
“If you’re awake, I’ll help you get ready.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
With Dolores’s help, I washed my face with rose water in a white porcelain basin that had already been prepared.
Then I applied a generous amount of moisturizing cream.
Once I finished washing up, I noticed breakfast waiting on a wooden table by the window.
Soft bread.
Cream soup.
Soft-boiled eggs.
High-quality butter.
Fresh fruit.
And fragrant black tea with a sweet floral scent.
Just the light breakfast I had requested from the family’s chef.
As soon as I sat down to eat, Mary gently brushed my silver hair.
Standing beside the table, Dolores began her daily report.
“As instructed, all the locks in the mansion have been replaced. I’ve also started reviewing the family’s financial records. I’ve only checked the last six months so far, but an alarming amount of money has been disappearing.”
“Give me a full report this afternoon.”
“Yes. There’s something else you should know.”
“What is it?”
“Just as you predicted, Julia arrived with the former butler and housekeeper.”
The silver spoon carrying the cream soup froze in midair.
“…Of course, they didn’t send notice beforehand?”
“No.”
“What time did they arrive? What time is it now?”
“It’s eleven in the morning. They’ve been waiting outside for a little over two hours. Apparently they came based on your old waking schedule.”
I remembered that before my regression, I used to wake up at six every morning.
Back then, I wanted Bliss to see me living responsibly, even if I was trapped in a small room.
It was the only thing I could do for him.
Maybe my mood darkened visibly.
I could feel Dolores watching me.
“What should we do with them?”
I didn’t need to think.
“Tell them to wait.”
I smirked.
“Outside the front entrance.”
Then I added,
“Guests who show up without an invitation don’t belong in the drawing room. Right?”
“I’ve already done that.”
My eyes widened.
Without another word, Dolores casually placed the newspaper on an empty spot on the table.
As expected.
She always understood exactly what I wanted.
I shrugged and shook off my gloomy thoughts.
“Good. Then I’ll enjoy breakfast and read the newspaper.”
Behind me, Mary asked,
“My lady, how would you like your hair styled today?”
A life where breakfast and entertainment were prepared without me lifting a finger.
Yep.
Another wonderful morning.
Later That Day
I didn’t meet Julia and the former butler couple until almost three in the afternoon.
Apparently, the three of them had been standing outside since around nine in the morning.
The nerve of them.
These leeches helped waste the Arista family’s fortune and never once stopped the Marquis from his nonsense. What gives them the right to come here?
Feeling annoyed, I met them at the entrance hall instead of the drawing room.
And of course, I wasn’t alone.
Behind me stood Dolores and five large servants who looked more than capable of throwing people out.
Julia and the former butler couple had clearly become irritated after waiting for hours.
Still, they forced smiles onto their faces.
Unfortunately, for them, I wasn’t interested in being nice.
My voice was firm as I gave the order.
“All three of you, get out of my sight immediately. The Arista family doesn’t welcome uninvited guests or people beneath its standards.”
The shock on their faces was incredible.
It was as if they had never imagined I could be hostile toward them.
It really showed how lightly they had always taken me.
Then again, in my previous life, I had always welcomed them into the drawing room whenever they came.
Even in my previous life, I had fired the butler and housekeeper.
But in the end…
My thoughts were interrupted.
Suddenly.
Julia dropped to her knees.
“My Lady! I’ve done wrong! Please forgive me!”
The skirt of her bright pastel-blue dress spread across the floor.
Tears appeared instantly.
Like a tragic heroine from a romance novel.
“Sob… I know you don’t even want to look at me. But I had no choice but to come here today. I came for your sake!”
I laughed.
“For my sake?”
“Yes! For your sake! My Lady, do you know that this butler couple openly spoke badly about you behind your back?”
The butler and housekeeper looked like they’d just been struck by lightning.
“Miss! What are you talking about?!”
“Why are you suddenly saying this?!”
Julia snapped at them.
“What do you mean, why? Did you think you could insult My Lady to my face and get away with it?”
Apparently, the couple hadn’t expected Julia to betray them this time either.
Their faces turned pale.
Soon enough, they were begging me for forgiveness.
“My Lady! We deserve death! Please spare us just once!”
“Please show mercy, My Lady!”
But my attention was fixed entirely on Julia.
Look at her pretending she’s never insulted me herself. What a shameless woman.
I knew exactly what she was doing.
She’s trying to redirect my anger toward them so she can escape blame herself.
Meanwhile, Julia continued her performance.
“My Lady, I understand why you can’t forgive me. But please, just listen to me for a moment.”
I tilted my chin.
“Go ahead.”
Everyone else immediately fell silent.
Julia continued.
“My Lady, hard as it may be to believe, I didn’t stay by the late Marquis’s side because I wanted to.
“Of all people, surely you understand. You were forced into marriage because of a scandal. You know what it’s like for a woman to share a bed with a man she doesn’t love.”
“That’s true. I do understand that.”
I nodded.
“But even if that’s true, you spent years making my life miserable.”
“Sob… The late Marquis forced me to! You know that!”
Lies.
I still remember her smile when she kicked me out of the Marchioness’s room.
She had laughed so hard she nearly held her stomach.
And that wasn’t all.
She was the one who had convinced my husband to ban my early morning walks—the one freedom I still had.
I remembered seeing her secretly meeting my husband in the garden before dawn years ago.
Because of that memory, I remained completely cold.
“That’s strange. From what I remember, nobody enjoyed mistreating me more than you.”
“My Lady, that’s because the Marquis”
“Stop blaming the dead.”
I cut her off sharply.
“You’re an adult. Haven’t you learned that you’re responsible for your own actions?”
Then I pressed my foot down on the knee she was kneeling on.
“And call me ‘My Lady,’ not ‘Madam.’ Our positions aren’t equal.”
For the first time, a crack appeared in Julia’s expression.
But only briefly.
The born con artist quickly returned to acting pitiful.
Honestly. If she wants sympathy, maybe she shouldn’t show up wearing the dress she used to flaunt in front of me while my husband was alive.
Of course, she probably didn’t even remember.
Thinking about it again made me realize how much of a pushover I had been in my previous life.
I’m definitely not letting her back into my house this time.
I clenched my fist.
Then something happened that never happened in my previous life.
“MOM!”
A small figure suddenly rushed past me.
Bliss.
He ran straight toward Julia and threw himself into her arms.
Apparently, he was overjoyed to see her again after so long.
The sight felt like an invisible hand squeezing my throat.
Then Bliss glared at me with furious eyes.
“Stop bullying my mom, you evil witch!”
He was shouting at me.
