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Chapter 13
“P-please forgive me. I’m so sorry!”
The moment the door opened, Drury’s maid threw herself to her knees.
Her face was stained with tears and fear as she repeatedly apologized.
“What exactly is going on, Lady of the Marquess of Soro?”
“My lady is not involved! I—I did everything on my own!”
The maid was almost lying flat on the floor, her shoulders trembling pitifully.
She looked about two years older than Damia.
“Ha. So you’re saying this was all done by that maid?”
“No, Young Duke. It’s also my fault for not properly controlling my servant.”
Drury lowered her head sorrowfully.
“Hmm…”
“I’m truly sorry to you as well, Lady Damia. You must have been terribly frightened.”
At Damia’s faint laugh, Drury blinked her eyes in exaggerated innocence.
“Even though I knew nothing about it.”
Drury seemed very conscious of the Duchess of House Sarkis standing behind her.
It was obvious she was trying to frame the maid, yet there wasn’t a hint of guilt on her face.
“This child has always been greedy and has poor habits because of her background. I pitied her situation and couldn’t dismiss her. That is my fault.”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t know my place and… I grew jealous of the Young Duke’s fiancée!”
When Drury lightly kicked the maid, the prepared confession poured out smoothly.
“I hid the snake in the handkerchief and put it in the basket! It’s a non-venomous snake, so I thought nothing serious would happen!”
“Sigh… Even though she is my maid, I never dreamed she would do something like this.”
“To dare injure the body of a noble lady—I deserve death!”
The maid stared fearfully at the thick bandage wrapped around Damia’s arm.
“How did you obtain a snake that supposedly disappeared from the Empire long ago?”
Suspicion showed clearly in Cassian’s eyes.
“Th-that… um…”
Drury stomped her foot at the maid’s hesitant glance.
“I—I… Ah! I smuggled it from the black market!”
The pitiful maid continued to exaggerate her own crime.
“What? Have you truly lost your mind?”
Drury shook her head dramatically.
“I will dismiss her from our household immediately. She likely won’t be sent away unharmed, and she will never work as a maid again.”
“H-hiik!”
Whatever deal had been made, the maid trembled but did not reveal the truth.
Or perhaps she firmly believed that disobeying Drury would bring even worse punishment.
“Lady Damia… do you wish for stricter punishment?”
Instead of answering, Damia stepped closer to the maid.
Seeing her shaking in fear reminded her of her past life—when she had always suffered at the hands of Count Pavron.
She had no desire to play along with Drury’s obvious scheme.
“It’s fine. Raise your head.”
“Y-yes…”
As the maid hesitated, Damia quickly organized her thoughts.
‘Even if everything goes as Drury plans, this maid’s ending won’t be good anyway.’
Drury would never show mercy to a servant who knew her secrets.
Even if she had promised compensation for taking the blame, the maid would likely be disposed of before she could enjoy it.
Count Pavron had been the same in her previous life.
‘Managing the herb garden alone is starting to become difficult anyway.’
She had been needing someone to help with small errands. Taking this maid in wasn’t such a bad choice.
If she rescued her from Drury’s grasp, perhaps she would gain a loyal servant in return.
Just as Damia rationalized her kindness as logical judgment, the maid slowly lifted her head.
“My child, there is no need to show excessive mercy for a servant’s wrongdoing.”
Elena Sarkis, who had remained silent until now, spoke with concern.
‘…Huh?’
The moment Damia looked closely at the maid, everything else faded away.
She had seen this face before.
In her previous life.
“…What is your name?”
“My name? Why do you—”
Cassian let out an irritated sigh, and the maid hurriedly bowed again.
“R-Romy.”
Damia barely swallowed her gasp.
It wasn’t just her face she remembered. Even her name was exactly the same.
“Leave this maid with me.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
The excuses she had prepared to avoid Drury’s suspicion instantly became useless.
“…Pardon?”
“After thinking about it, I believe it would be better if I punish her personally.”
Damia suppressed her pounding heart as she answered.
“Someone as noble as Lady Soro could never imagine the terrifying punishment I have in mind.”
“Damia? Why are you suddenly like this?”
“…My child?”
The Sarkis family sounded startled.
But securing the maid came first.
She would soon become famous enough to fill the newsletters.
“Yes, that would calm my anger. What if the boat had overturned? The Young Duke could have been in danger too.”
“I believe Young Duke Cassian would have maintained his balance on his own…”
“Sigh. Unlike Lady Soro, I cannot remain calm when it comes to the Young Duke.”
“…Excuse me?”
“As his fiancée, I cannot simply overlook this. To think she nearly endangered him!”
At Damia’s exaggerated outburst, Drury flinched.
“Yes, I shall keep this maid by my side and torment her continuously!”
Drury’s eyes wavered. She clearly did not want to leave behind a potential threat.
“Yes, I think it would be best to follow my daughter-in-law’s wishes,” Elena said calmly.
“…If Lady Damia insists that strongly… I suppose I have no choice.”
After hesitating for a long moment, Drury reluctantly agreed.
“Thank you, Lady Soro. I will also thoroughly question her about where she obtained the snake.”
“…She already confessed to smuggling it. Is there any need to investigate further?”
“We must uncover the black-market route and punish it severely. The snake’s shed skin could also be quite useful in my herb garden.”
Drury’s pretty face twisted unexpectedly.
“And…”
Damia lifted the white snake from the basket and slowly approached Drury.
“W-what are you trying to do?”
The snake gently rubbed its face against Damia’s fingers.
But the moment she drew near Drury—
More precisely, the moment Drury twisted her body and the strong scent of perfume spread through the room—
Hissssss!
“Why this gentle creature reacts so aggressively to your scent… we shall find out in due time.”
“Ahhhhh!”
Drury burst into the Marquess of Soro’s office, her eyes red with fury.
“Drury Soro!”
Ignoring her father’s attempt to stop her, she stormed straight toward a large tank.
Without hesitation, she grabbed a bright red snake with her bare hands.
The snake writhed in fear but did not dare bite her.
“Put it down immediately!”
Drury ignored the Marquess’s shout and slammed the snake onto the floor.
“What is the problem this time?”
The red snake convulsed several times before going limp.
The strange glow that had shimmered over its dark red scales faded like a lie.
It had been smuggled with great difficulty. Deep wrinkles formed on the Marquess’s forehead.
“Cassian threw me out! That weak, dying man dares—!”
“Drury!”
The girl trembled violently, unable to contain her rising rage.
Despite her angelic appearance, Drury was cruel and violent. She hid it in front of others, but she easily lost control and was extremely impulsive.
For an ordinary noble lady, it would have been a fatal flaw.
But the Marquess secretly welcomed this side of his daughter.
‘It proves she inherited our blood strongly.’
Their ancestors had been far more wicked and magnificent than mere humans.
“How dare he treat me like this!”
While the Marquess was momentarily distracted, Drury’s face flushed red with fury. She violently lifted the hem of her dress.
“You ignore the gift I sent you, yet you treasure something like this!”
Crash!
A glass bottle shattered on the floor.
“You stole something from the Young Duke again—ugh!”
The Marquess covered his nose.
He glared fiercely at the purple liquid that had spilled from the broken bottle.
