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chapter 12
“No, that’s not allowed!”
“Huh?”
Unexpectedly, Aubry lost her temper.
“Why on earth would you appoint someone from the borderlands as head maid?”
“But Aunt chose Adel, didn’t she?”
“That’s just because she doesn’t want to show too much attention to you! There’s a big difference between giving a gift outright and letting someone choose between two—it’s about the thrill, you see?”
Adel, treated as if she were a “gift destined to be discarded,” didn’t change her expression at all.
I glanced at Luc Kefosher, and his eyes were just slightly subdued.
I had been a little worried.
I’d thought that since Adel was his hidden younger sister, Luc might not know her at all.
But it seemed he was only pretending not to know Adel for the time being.
“Ah… so this isn’t just a single lottery win, it’s two in a row,” I thought.
Gaining Luc Kefosher’s favor was crucial. He had been the chief aide to Duke Asis Frezier for over a decade.
To capture the Duke’s heart, I first needed to make Luc completely on my side.
I nodded at Aubry’s words.
“Understood, Aunt.”
“Is that so? Then, Tulia, your head maid will be Rilda…”
“Adel will be the head maid, and Rilda will be my maid.”
“What?! Tulia Frezier!”
Aubry trembled as she spoke.
“How can you put someone from the borderlands in charge and assign a child of noble blood beneath her?”
“Weren’t they both given to me?” I countered.
After all, no matter how I arranged their positions, it was ultimately my choice.
But Aubry’s face turned bright red as she insisted,
“No matter what, it’s not right! Nobility has bloodlines, and this empire has ‘classes.’”
“Exactly, Aunt,” I said, smiling with all the charm of the perfect niece.
“I am the legitimate daughter of the Frezier Marquess House, and in this Duke’s family, I’m the only granddaughter who carries the ‘true’ bloodline, right?”
For a moment, the room fell silent.
Even Aubry Frezier, who alternated between a composed noblewoman and a flighty songbird, froze.
‘Not exactly wrong, is it?’
The Duke’s eldest daughter, Hyacinthia, had already passed away without leaving children.
Tulia’s father, Marquess Aster Frezier, had two sons and one daughter—Tulia.
The Duke’s third son, Grand Duke Nigela Frezier, had a daughter brought in from outside, who carried none of the Frezier blood.
Finally, the Duke’s youngest son, Viscount Lilius Frezier, had a son, Tedric, and another “daughter”—not a true daughter, but a child from the Frezier household brought in young for her beauty and intelligence.
In other words, my statement pinpointed the truth: I was the only true granddaughter of the Frezier bloodline.
‘It’s a pretty obnoxious thing to say, but it’s the truth.’
Tulia had said much the same thing casually in Grimilpan.
True to her villainous skill, she could crush people’s moods with a single word.
Even now, Aubry Frezier’s face was turning every shade of red and blue.
But I knew she couldn’t respond, so I just smiled.
“What does rank matter under me? They’re all technically beneath me anyway.”
Again, a line straight out of Grimilpan.
‘I just toned it down a bit this time.’
It’s no wonder she earned the title of “the wild mare of high society.”
Truly, few could handle Tulia when she chose to speak her mind—excluding the male leads, of course.
‘Ah, I should probably go meet the male leads soon.’
Thinking of them reminded me of my quests, and naturally, my gaze drifted to the star hovering above.
I glanced at it briefly, then lightly grasped the hem of my dress and bowed my head.
“Thank you for assigning the maids, Aunt Aubry. I will come by later to express my gratitude in person.”
“Tulia, should I turn off the lights?”
“No, keep them on for now. I still have things to do, and I’ll turn them off myself later.”
Adel shook her head.
“No, Miss. If you pull the cord on the bed, I’ll come and turn it off for you.”
“Hmm… alright, let’s do it that way.”
Adel smiled faintly and stepped back.
‘Adel must have a Charisma stat of 10,’ I thought.
Being a minor character unseen in Grimilpan, her detailed stats weren’t listed, but she had been exceptionally kind to me.
And she was Luc Kefosher’s hidden younger sister. What a valuable and promising ally.
I greedily smiled and took out paper and pen.
Time was crucial in Grimilpan.
To achieve an A-rank, I needed to leave an impression on the male leads early, even if I raised their favor later.
That meant I had to meet them first.
Then… my plan:
-
Head to the Imperial Palace quickly: The Crown Prince is there.
-
Attend the Founding Day Banquet: The illegitimate prince appears for the first time.
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Attend the Duke Frezier’s birthday banquet: Twin brothers return from the academy at this time.
Not much to note—I had played Grimilpan for two years, so it was all memorized.
“The only issue is that I’m Tulia, whose reputation is at rock bottom, not the protagonist, Koriko…”
Also, I still couldn’t leave the Frezier territory.
To leave without a guardian, I needed the ‘direct descendant’s necklace,’ which I didn’t have yet.
‘Hmm… something to think about.’
I spilled some tea on the paper, smearing the writing, then tidied the desk and lay down on the bed.
I pulled the cord. Almost instantly, there was a knock at the door.
“Adel?”
“Yes, Miss. What is it?”
“Wow… that was fast.”
I was genuinely impressed, but Adel’s face stiffened slightly.
“Sometimes, there are maids who have no idea how to serve their mistress.”
But she quickly smiled and pulled the blanket up to my neck.
With the head maid and new maids coming, the blanket had been replaced with a fresh, soft one.
“Sweet dreams, Miss.”
Such kindness—I had never heard anything like it, in Grimilpan, while playing, or before knowing it existed.
It felt like being a baby bird wrapped in soft down for the first time in my life.
A strange, cozy warmth stirred beneath my neck.
Tomorrow, Rilda—poisonous as ever—would surely clash with Adel over everything.
And I’d have to deal with her, citing Aunt Aubry’s authority.
‘After all, all the maids are Aubry’s people too.’
For now, though, I wanted everyone to greet each other as if nothing had happened, peacefully.
“Adel,” I returned the smile—the first genuine, warm one I’d shown since arriving here.
“Good night.”
A few days passed.
As expected, Rilda, though a maid, immediately acted like the head maid because of her noble blood.
Partly, this was because she had the trust of Viscountess Aubry, one of the chief managers of the Duke’s household.
I had considered several strategies for handling Rilda if she tried to assert herself against me.
‘Tulia… or rather, like a reckless villainess, plan number one was to just pour water on her.’
But…
