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Chapter 6
“Oh my~”
“What’s going on?”
“They say Her Grace the Grand Duchess and that lady-in-waiting finally met!”
Before we knew it, a crowd of servants had gathered around Renée and Katarina, openly watching.
Annoyance flared up inside Katarina. When she sharply turned her head, a maid who accidentally met her eyes flinched and quickly lowered her gaze.
Through the murmuring, a faint smirk passed over a footman’s lips.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Because Katarina had behaved so viciously, the servants of the grand duchy did not like her much. Subtly, they were taking Renée’s side and mocking Katarina.
As if they were thoroughly enjoying it.
‘You disgusting things! You wouldn’t dare make a sound in front of me, and now you laugh?’
Overwhelmed with humiliation, Katarina opened her mouth again.
She suppressed her rising anger and spoke in a slightly affected voice.
“Are you upset because I didn’t visit you first? I’m sorry. As your lady-in-waiting, I should have come to greet my mistress before anything else…”
“Really? I didn’t really mind… If I get someone to chat with, I’d be happy. But it’ll be hard to come to the annex wearing that dress.”
“……”
This time, Katarina couldn’t even respond.
She clenched her jaw so tightly it began to tremble.
Regardless—
“When you come to talk with me, it would be better to wear something more comfortable.”
Renée said gently, looking straight into Katarina’s eyes until the very end.
She sounded warm and kind.
But Katarina knew there was a sharp blade hidden underneath.
‘Is she saying I’m wearing clothes that don’t suit my position?’
It wasn’t just a stab.
She was being completely torn apart in front of everyone.
“…Yes. I’ll remember that.”
“When you come, let my maid Betty know first. I have something else to do, so I’ll be going now.”
Just as quietly as she had appeared, Renée left calmly.
In the lobby, only Katarina remained, trembling, while the servants continued whispering as if enjoying the spectacle.
Swallowed by humiliation, Katarina stood frozen, replaying Renée’s words in her head.
‘My maid? I’m the higher-ranking attendant. How dare she call another maid her own!’
Just then—
“Pfft!”
Katarina, clutching only the hem of her dress, fluttered her long eyelashes and swallowed dryly.
As always, she shrieked in a sharp voice.
“Who was that?! Who laughed? How dare you!”
At her scream-like shout, the servants who had been exchanging looks quickly scattered and returned to their positions.
But from that day on, it was clear that Katarina’s authority as an object of fear among the servants had greatly weakened.
***
After passing through the once-crowded lobby, we reached a quiet hallway in a corner of the first floor.
Betty, who had returned to her usual silent-maid mode, suddenly called out to me.
“Your Grace, you’re really not ordinary.”
“What do you mean?”
“I wasn’t sure before… but now that things have turned out like this, I’ll just ask directly. Do you really not know? Or are you pretending not to know?”
“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Betty shook her head.
Then he suddenly burst out laughing.
“Even if you didn’t mean it, that was so satisfying! She’s just a lady-in-waiting, but she’s been bullying the servants terribly. There are maids who cry every day because of her!”
She seemed to be talking about what had just happened.
I thought about Katarina, the woman who had introduced herself as my attendant.
My first impression was—
‘She’s incredibly pretty!’
As someone who cares a lot about good looks, I had to admit her beauty worked on me.
Her bright blue eyes, especially, were captivating enough to draw everyone’s attention.
The clothes she wore fit her perfectly, as if they had been made just for her.
‘Pretty people. I like it.
As a self-proclaimed lover of aesthetics, I was quite pleased that my attendant was so beautiful.
“Yet she spends half the day dressing up like a peacock! The servants can’t even do their work properly because they have to help her until she’s satisfied.”
“A peacock? That’s cute. She does kind of resemble one. She’s a very glamorous beauty.”
“What’s the point of being pretty if her personality is trash?”
“I don’t know about that. She spoke very kindly to me. I just thought it would be nice if she wore something more comfortable when visiting. It would be a shame if such pretty clothes got ruined on dirt roads.”
When I tilted my head, Betty let out a very deep sigh.
“Well… maybe this works in your favor too. It might not be bad for you to just stay the way you are.”
“…? Um. Thanks…?”
“We’re almost there.”
Still slightly confused by her blunt evaluation, I followed Betty around the corner.
A large door decorated with elaborate patterns came into view.
If the door is this big, the library must be huge.
“Here it is.”
“Wow…”
But…
The patterns that must have once shone with bright brass were now covered in bluish-green rust from age.
Just looking at it, you could tell how long this place had been neglected.
“Will it… even open?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve worked in the grand duchy for over ten years, but I’ve never gone inside.”
That much?
So it hasn’t been opened for at least ten years?
Gulp. I swallowed nervously.
“I see. It’s fine. I’ll try. You must be busy, so thank you for guiding me, Betty. You can go now.”
I had only asked her to show me the way. From here on, it was my job.
Alright. Let’s do this.
As I rolled up my sleeves determinedly, Betty strangely lingered in place.
Wait—that expression. The same one she had when I held the axe!
Soon, unable to hold back, Betty pointed at the rusty door and started talking rapidly.
“Do you really think you can open that, Your Grace? With that delicate body, you’ll just get hurt! Look at all that rust. What if you get scratched and end up with tetanus?”
“……”
It seemed she had seriously misunderstood something.
I spoke firmly to correct her.
“Betty. I’ve been thinking. You seem to see me as some newborn chick.”
“A chick? I thought you were more like a baby rabbit… But a baby chick might suit you too. All fluffy and soft…”
“Betty
“Haha! I’m joking. You may look like a baby rabbit or chick, but your heart seems quite strong.”
That… must be a compliment, right?
I narrowed my eyes at her suspiciously, but she only smiled as if I were cute.
Then, in a slightly bitter voice, she continued.
“To be honest… even though the grand duchy is big and everyone is busy, it’s not like we don’t have enough people to clean the library for you.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Didn’t you see how many people were watching earlier?”
“I thought there were a lot, but this place is huge.”
“Your Grace, honestly… Anyway, I think I misunderstood you too. I was being cautious. But…”
Betty’s eyes were filled with guilt.
I smiled gently.
“It’s okay. I really didn’t know.”
“Even so, judging you on my own and acting on it was a huge mistake as your maid. I’m truly sorry…”
“Most people are like that. Maybe I’m like that too sometimes. So don’t feel too guilty. I’m grateful that you apologized.”
“How can someone so angelic be treated like that… I’m such a fool! I should atone with my life!”
Betty, I’ve been thinking this for a while… you’re kind of extreme.
I shook my head and patted her shoulder.
“How about repaying me by helping instead of dying?”
“Of course! I’m your maid!”
“That’s reassuring.”
We smiled at each other.
Somehow, since coming here, it felt like I had finally made my first real friend.
“Alright then, shall we start renovating the library? “Hop!”
In a bright mood, I grabbed the double doors and tried to push them open.
“……Hnnng!”
No matter how hard I pushed, the doors didn’t budge.
“……Please step aside.”
In the end, Betty rolled up her sleeves, showing off her strong forearms, and flung the library doors wide open.
And at that moment—
“Eek
