LMHM 06

 Chapter 6

Xenia.

The only maid in the East who had been favorable to her, a kind young lady who couldn’t ignore someone in trouble.
In the end, she had fallen out of Bella’s favor and had to leave the castle after falling into great difficulty.

Before confronting Bella, she needed to find Xenia and make her her own person.
And to return the favor she had received in her past life, to prevent the bad things that Xenia would suffer.

In her past life, Amber, who had spent the night alone in the bridal chamber waiting for Calix, was exhausted by dawn.
It was because she had sat stiffly all night, unable to cry or eat for fear of meeting her husband with ruined makeup and an unsightly appearance.
Bella had deliberately blocked information so that Amber would suffer as much as possible. And she forbade the servants from entering the room.

It was Xenia who secretly came in and brought her water and bread.

*<U-um, Milady. I’m a maid who works in the laundry room of this castle.>*
*<How did you come all the way from a distant land, a noble person like you, to suffer like this.>*
*<Why isn’t the Duke of Talesto coming? Have I done something wrong…?>*
*<Milady, you haven’t done anything wrong! His Grace has simply gone on a campaign.>*
*<A campaign? But tonight is our first night.>*

Amber was so shocked she almost dropped her water glass. Her mind became complicated with countless thoughts.
The first emotion she felt was fear.

In the East, Amber was utterly alone.
Because the close maid who had traveled with her from the Viscount Riat household had fallen ill midway, unable to endure the long carriage journey.
Unable to delay the marriage, Amber had sent her close maid back to the West and come to the East alone.

Stepping off the carriage, Amber was overwhelmed by the architecture, the clothing, and the people speaking a strange dialect, all of which she was seeing for the first time.
The environment of the East surrounding her was also formidable.

Unlike the warm and fragrant air of the West, the air of the East was so dry that even standing still would make one cough. And in stark contrast to the West, full of lush greenery and fertile plains, the East was barren and desolate.

*’This is where I must live for the rest of my life.’*

Amber felt a crushing pressure from the harsh environment of the East.
She had no idea how to improve the situation of the East.
And in that situation, her husband, the only one who could be on her side, was leaving.

Amber felt suffocated by fear, sadness, and quickly onsetting homesickness.

*<Milady! Milady!>*

Then Xenia reached out and tightly grasped Amber’s hand.
*<Don’t cry.>*

Only after hearing Xenia’s words did Amber realize she was crying.
So many tears had fallen that her cheeks were wet.

Xenia wiped away Amber’s tears with a careful touch. Xenia’s hands were rough and hard from her arduous maid work, but Amber found immense comfort in that touch.

That was Xenia.

There was no way she could afford to have her time taken up by eating with Calix.

*’No matter what, I have to find Xenia. And this time…’*

Amber reaffirmed her resolve and stepped onto the back stairway used by the servants.
As she went down, she wondered where Xenia might be.

*’The maid’s quarters? No, not there.’*

Even though it was early dawn, the maids had already started their work.
Servants woke several hours earlier than the nobles. Rising before dawn, they moved about the castle, lighting fires, sweeping dust, baking bread, and attending to the castle’s master.

*’Xenia said she works in the laundry room, so let’s go there first.’*

Laundry work was the hardest among all the chores. Because regardless of heat or cold, one had to squat and keep one’s hands in cold water all day long.
Amber gathered her skirts and hurried her steps.

Passing through a small hall with a rusted chandelier and going out the back door, she saw the laundry room with several piles of white cloth.
The maids were frantically rinsing the laundry.
Since winter days are short, they seemed to intend to wash at dawn and dry during the morning.

Just as Amber spotted a familiar blonde hair among them and was about to call out.

“Who are you?”

A sharp, arrogant voice came from behind.
“Who are you, loitering around without working when the sun is rising?”

Turning her head, she saw a woman with a striking, poison-herb-like impression.
She appeared to be in her early thirties. But her beautiful appearance had the power to make one forget her age.
Her glossy maroon hair curled in waves, and her red lips were full and luscious.
Her prominent cheekbones gave her a unique charm, and her well-fitted clothes made her slender figure look attractive as well.
She was a beauty anyone would turn to look at if they passed her on the street.

Though she looked ten years younger than Amber remembered, Amber had no trouble recognizing her.
She was Calix’s stepmother, the Dowager Duchess, Belladona.

How could Amber possibly forget her?
The one who had made her married life, her life in the East, a living hell?

“I asked who you are!”

The woman spoke as if scolding Amber, glaring at her with pale blue eyes.
Startled by her appearance, Amber momentarily missed the timing to answer.

*’I never expected to run into Bella this soon.’*

In her past life, Bella had tormented Amber thoroughly through Grace before showing her face.
But in this life, because Amber hadn’t endured Grace’s harassment and had moved proactively, the situation seemed to have changed.

Amber turned her body toward Bella. And she calmly met her gaze.
Her surprise quickly subsided.
She was only surprised by the timing; facing Bella itself was something she had expected from the moment she returned.

*’What should I do?’*

Amber fell into thought as she watched Bella’s expression contort moment by moment.
The current situation was disadvantageous for Amber, so she could yield a little and wait for another opportunity.
But she didn’t want to.

It had taken a long time to decide what to demand of Calix, but a moment was enough to decide how to treat Bella.

*’I will never yield. I won’t get involved, nor will I pretend to yield.’*

Now that a new lady had arrived, Bella’s presence should naturally fade.
Moreover, Bella was a person who made the East sick.
At this point, there was no room for compromise.
Even if she were an outstanding person, she should step aside for the new lady, and since she was also a villain…

“If you want to know my name, shouldn’t you first reveal yours?”

Having finished her calculations, Amber spoke.

“What?”

Bella raised one eyebrow as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Who hired you that they didn’t even tell you to mind your mouth in my presence?”

Bella seemed to have mistaken Amber for a new maid.
Given that Amber was wearing a simple, plain dress, it wasn’t an unreasonable assumption for Bella to think so.

“It seems you truly wish to be scolded. If you didn’t know, remember this from now on. In this castle, my word is law.”

Bella lifted only one corner of her lips in a cold smile.
Even seeing that chilling smile, Amber remained calm.

Bella seemed irritated by Amber’s completely unafraid attitude.
In fact, even Amber herself was surprised at her own calmness.
In her past life, she had been so frightened by that smile that her body trembled.
On days when Bella spoke harshly to her, she couldn’t sleep at night, and even if she did manage to fall asleep, she suffered from nightmares.

But even with the nightmare of her past life right before her eyes, Amber’s mind was astonishingly peaceful.
Amber thought hard about why that was.

*’Is it because I died and came back?’*

The experience of losing her child and facing death had been so miserable that it was hard to endure with a clear mind.
Now, less than a day after returning, Amber’s mind was filled only with the thought of avoiding that miserable end.
That thought was so intense that there was no room for fear of Bella to creep in.
If it meant not repeating her miserable life, Amber could face Bella’s smile ten times more.

Amber followed Bella’s lead, smiling as she faced her.

“Grace!”

Bella, thoroughly annoyed, looked back and shouted.
Grace could be seen in the distance, hurrying after Bella, running in a fluster.
Grace’s face was full of fear. The reason was immediately apparent.

“Milady, I was wrong! I naturally thought that you would be the one to see them off…”

She must have been scolded by Bella for what happened at the training ground earlier.
Bella was not one to tolerate mistakes. When it came to matters concerning her own benefit, she was excessively sensitive.
So those who served Bella trembled at the slightest mistake.
But when she was in a good mood, Bella became boundlessly generous, and there were many perks to being around her, so most of her faction clung to her stubbornly.

“I’m so sorry, truly…”

“Did you hire this maid?”

Grace, who had been frantically spewing apologies, looked up. Spotting Amber, her eyes widened.
“Oh, n-no, why on earth is this person here…”

“Answer me. I asked you, did you hire this maid?”

At Bella’s repeated question, Grace’s complexion now turned pale.

*’She’s probably frantically assessing the situation. And thinking about how to minimize Bella’s displeasure.’*

Amber could see right through Grace’s mind.

“Excuse me.”

Having watched the situation, Amber spoke first.
At her clear, ringing voice, Bella turned her attention to her.

“You seem to have some misunderstanding, but I am not a maid.”

Bella looked back and forth between Grace and Amber. Her face contorted further.

“Not a maid?”

“Yes, I am the new lady of this castle.”

Amber answered with a bright smile.
Hearing this, Bella was so surprised she couldn’t even hide the contortion of her face.

“The new lady…”

Bella, lost in thought for a while, chewing over Amber’s words, soon narrowed her eyes as if they were being ripped apart.

“My name is Amber Talesto. As of today—no, yesterday—I became married to His Grace. And you are?”

Amber smiled brightly again at Bella.
“It will be difficult for me to maintain my courtesy any longer if you don’t reveal your name.”

It was a polite tone, but the content was a warning.