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Chapter 22
A new Grand Duchess had arrived. That meant the vacant position of mistress of Fenril Castle was finally filled.
However, there was not a trace of joy or welcome on the faces of the castle maids.
“How long do you think this one will last?”
“A month?”
“No way. A month’s too long. A week.”
“Even so, she might hold out for half a month. After causing such a commotion and still staying in that position, she at least seems to have some backbone.”
Their mouths moved faster than their hands as they sorted beans for dinner, each maid giggling as she spoke.
To them, a new Grand Duchess was never a welcome presence. Though their individual stories differed, the humiliation of being treated like savages by past Grand Duchesses—and the resentment of being called ignorant and lowborn—was something they all shared.
This new Grand Duchess would be no different. That was the expectation most of the maids had of Diana.
“Looks like you’ve got plenty of time to chatter.”
“Eek! Lady Elka!”
At the appearance of Elka, the head maid, the maids’ faces turned pale. Their constantly moving mouths and hands froze instantly.
“If you’ve got time to gossip, hurry up and finish shelling those beans! Do you not want dinner tonight?”
“N-no, ma’am!”
The maids hurriedly lunged back toward the pile of beans in front of them.
“Oh, perfect. You’re all here.”
“Aquila?”
“Sir Aquila!”
“What brings you here, sir?”
When Aquila appeared with his characteristic gentle smile, the maids instantly replaced their previously protruding lips with cheerful smiles, as if nothing had happened.
But the moment they heard the Grand Duchess’s order conveyed through his mouth, the smiles vanished, replaced by open dissatisfaction.
“The Grand Duchess says we’re all to gather? Why?”
“Susan. Mind your manners before Her Highness. You’ll understand once you get there.”
Susan bowed her head hastily, yet still grinned to herself at the fact that the knight remembered her name.
Gathered together at the Grand Duchess’s command, the servants whispered among themselves, each guessing at the reason.
Had she overheard something awful they said about her?
Or was she planning to dismiss everyone and refill the castle with new servants?
If not that, then what on earth could it be?
“Ugh, I wish she’d just tell us already. When is she coming?”
“It’s my first time actually seeing the Grand Duchess. I’m a little curious.”
“Lania, who went to greet her that day, said she looked terrible. Short, scrawny, and her hair was all puffed up like tangled wool.”
“If that’s true, I don’t think I’ll like her. Hah… poor Lord Erno. To take a woman like that as his consort after Lady Veronica…”
“Shh, she’s coming.”
Escorted by Aquila, the Grand Duchess in question finally appeared.
Indeed, her first impression was far from that of an elegant, beautiful, refined lady befitting the grace and cultivation of someone like Veronica.
But neither did she look vulgar, arrogant, or particularly difficult.
If anything, she fell somewhere in between. Put kindly, she had a gentle and calm impression; honestly speaking, she was an utterly ordinary person one could find anywhere.
Seated, Diana swept her gaze over the servants and took a steadying breath. The thought of so many people focusing on her, waiting for her to speak, made her mouth go dry and her fingertips tingle.
“Is everyone here?”
“These are all those currently in the castle.”
Suppressing the dizziness that threatened to overtake her at the larger-than-expected number, Diana nodded.
“I’m sorry to take your time when you’re all busy. I am Diana Fenril.”
When the Grand Duchess’s first words began with an apology rather than a command, the servants unconsciously straightened their postures.
“I’ll get straight to the point. The greenhouse needs to be rebuilt, and I need your help.”
“…The greenhouse, you say?”
“Oh! The place with that haunted tree?”
“Hey! How can you say something like that in front of Her Highness!”
“Why not? It’s true, isn’t it? They say there’s a tree that eats people. Someone even died there!”
“Enough, all of you!”
At Elka’s thunderous shout, silence fell instantly.
“But that place… wasn’t it something the late Grand Duchess cherished…?”
Unease flickered across the faces of those who had served Fenril all their lives and knew what the greenhouse truly meant. Elka felt the same anxiety.
“By ‘greenhouse,’ do you mean that ill-omened—no, the glass greenhouse?”
“Yes.”
“With all due respect, that place currently belongs to Lord Erno. Without his permission, even you, Your Highness, cannot touch it freely—”
As if she had expected this, Diana took out a key. Seeing it, the servant who had spoken so boldly could only bow his head.
“His Highness Erno gave this to me. You all know what that means. Rather than a fashionable modern greenhouse, I want to see the greenhouse that remains in everyone’s memories.”
Biting her lip, Elka pulled out fragments of memories she had long buried in her heart.
Every spring, under the shade of white-flowering trees, the laughter of the ducal family enjoying picnics still rang vividly in her ears.
To rebuild such a place—it was hard to believe. And yet, at the same time, it was something she desperately wanted to beg to be allowed to do.
“If the reconstruction succeeds, the greenhouse will surely be magnificent. I don’t want to monopolize such a place all by myself. So how about this? If you help rebuild the greenhouse, I’ll share part of the land with you as well. You may do whatever you like there—plant edible crops, make your own garden, or even place soft cushions and come to rest whenever you wish.”
The Grand Duchess’s unbelievable proposal continued.
Under the tacit approval of the former Grand Duchess, it had not been uncommon for servants to plant wildflowers, medicinal herbs, or herbs in remote flowerbeds far from the center—but to officially allow such a thing was unheard of.
At the unexpected offer, the servants’ murmuring swelled like a wave and washed all the way to Diana’s feet.
On the surface, it didn’t sound like a bad deal. In fact, it sounded so good it was almost unsettling.
“That’s all I wanted to say. Those interested in rebuilding the greenhouse may stay; those who aren’t may leave now. Oh, and separately… thank you, always, for your hard work for Fenril Castle. I’ll strive to be a mistress who isn’t unworthy of your efforts. This is a promise.”
The Grand Duchess even rose from her seat and bowed deeply to the servants—people of far lower status than herself. Forgetting their whispers, the servants stared at the scene in stunned silence.
They all had many thoughts, but one thing was certain: this Grand Duchess was… strange.
As everyone hesitated, unable to be the first to stand, Annika left her seat as if she had been waiting for this moment.
Hmph. Who does she think she’s fooling with a few honeyed words?
Anyone could say things like that after spending three days in high society.
The promise of greenhouse land was the same. No matter how much it was supposedly the Grand Duchess’s own property, it was still land belonging to Fenril Castle.
What kind of trouble would arise later if she handed such land to servants on a whim?
It was obvious she had blurted it out without thinking of the consequences, desperate to win people’s favor.
When Annika glared, the maids who usually clustered around her hesitated, then turned their backs as well.
Would that woman even still be around by the time the greenhouse was rebuilt?
Even if they did receive land, how much would it really be? Better to just buy a flowerpot instead.
Did she think they had time for such pointless things? Did she think them fools?
It was regrettable, but there was nothing to gain by falling out of favor with Lady Annika…
Starting with Annika alone, then two, then three, people began turning away, each giving what they considered a reasonable excuse as they left Diana behind.
Once the servants had gone, the number of people remaining could be counted on one hand.
You wretches—may every hole in your bodies be stuffed with salt!
Elka ground her teeth inwardly, sinking into gloom. As head maid, she had no face left to show the Grand Duchess.
If only she had punished those who had been especially disrespectful beforehand, to make an example of them!
Watching quietly, waiting for an indisputable excuse to act, had been a mistake.
The only maid left was Sasha, one of the youngest in Fenril Castle.
Put kindly, she was quiet and calm. Honestly speaking, she was an eerie little girl. How much help could a child like that be in rebuilding a greenhouse?
“Hm… I suppose that’s everyone who’s staying.”
At that moment, the Grand Duchess stood up. As she muttered with her brows drawn together in trouble, the dignity she had shown earlier was nowhere to be found.
