WCSM 09

chapter 09

Before she knew it, Tara had finished writing the resignation letter. Iona could feel her hands clasped together, looking at her with deep worry.

“It’s alright, Tara. I’m doing this to protect you.”

At least in this life.

‘I won’t lose the people who have treated me well.’

Soon, the butler and the head maid appeared again.

Both wore faces full of displeasure, but Iona lightly ignored that.

“Follow me.”

“Where are you going…?”

“Since when has the head maid dared to question her mistress’s steps?”

The head maid, Mariam, was uneasy.

She had slipped away from the elder mistress’s side at the butler’s call… only to find it was the little mistress’s bedroom.

And Tara, beaten thoroughly for days, wasn’t even sitting on the sofa!

‘What on earth is going on? What is she planning to do this time?’

Iona’s attire was different than usual today.

She had let down her hair, usually tied up, and her outfit was more extravagant.

Looking closely, it seemed to be the dress she brought when she first arrived at this house. The quality of the fabric alone made her instinctively uneasy.

And she was wearing cosmetics that were surely forbidden!

‘She’s definitely changed.’

The biggest difference was her presence.

A pressure that seemed to pin people down.

It was something not felt from the previous Iona.

The head maid was ultimately dragged along, barely able to breathe.

Their destination was the second-floor reception room that Griselda used exclusively.

“Greetings, Grand Mistress.”

“You…!”

“One of your maids was going to resign. I brought the resignation letter myself to deliver it.”

Iona’s presence was like that of a wild beast.

Her eyes burned with a blue flame.

The energy radiating from her entire body was full of fighting spirit, too much for complacent people to handle.

Young, beautiful, fierce… a madwoman.

That was the current Iona.

Griselda had spent several days trying to figure out how to handle the completely changed Iona and had prepared a countermeasure.

That was to bring up that Iona had never formally held the rights of the mistress.

“You insolent girl! How dare you call my head maid and bring her here, now receiving a maid’s resignation yourself? You have no such authority!”

This was a battle for position.

By law, once the head of the household’s son married, the official mistress should have been the daughter-in-law.

But Griselda had no intention of letting go of the domestic power she had grasped.

Especially not to a wild woman like this!

“You behave so brazenly, yet you think you can’t be recognized as the mistress…”

“Ah, I don’t care. Just take the resignation.”

Hearing Griselda mumble, Iona interrupted, snatched the resignation from Tara’s hands, and threw it at Griselda.

Literally threw it.

“Gah!”

Unfortunately, the head maid lunged and caught it, but Griselda’s face was already red with humiliation.

“You’re from a family that can’t afford to lose face, aren’t you?”

“You’ve truly lost your mind! Do you want to be locked in a mental hospital?”

“If you refuse to accept the resignation, I’ll release an article. The Teresia family is an abusive employer. If it goes in a newspaper, they’ll be delighted. Also… try to put me in a mental hospital if you can. My natal family won’t stay quiet. You want a religious war, don’t you?”

The Abel family would not intervene for her safety.

‘But they would act if it could harm the family.’

In the past, she only thought of escaping her father and brother and didn’t dare to think of using them in return.

‘I was foolish. I should have used what I could to protect myself.’

The daughter of Abel, trusting Isis!

From the Teresia family, the most loyal servant of Baldur!

Locked in a mental hospital!

Just sending a few letters with the facts through Tara would have her father ready to protest immediately.

Because he could use it as leverage to get more.

At least, she could even damage the Teresia family’s reputation.

‘He won’t miss that chance.’

While Iona’s mind raced, an uneasy silence filled reality.

‘I hope the maids stop fighting.’

‘But who will win?’

‘Where should I align?’

As soon as the little mistress appeared, another ridiculous situation arose, and the maids held their breath in tense whispers.

And those whispers grew into a wave the moment Iona spoke again.

“Also, Tara will be rehired as my personal maid. Her salary… yes, I’ll raise it by half.”

Half!

That increase was nearly equal to the head maid.

The Teresia family’s pay was stingy.

Just as greed began to glimmer in the maids’ eyes, a message appeared.

[Seongjwa ‘Master of Lies’ wonders if you actually have that kind of money.]

Almost simultaneously, Griselda, trembling all over, shouted.

“Where on earth do you get the money for that? Your audacity is incredible!”

“Why would I not have it? I’ll have it soon. My paintings will return to me as they rightfully should.”

“That is…!”

“You have no grounds to stop me, do you? The fact that I don’t have a single personal maid is absurd. Didn’t you say in the first year of marriage that due to financial difficulties, next year I’d have a personal maid? How many years have passed?”

“……”

“Imagine, a countess without a single personal maid. People would laugh. Is the Teresia family really that poor? Ah, yes, you are. But I’m wealthy. I’ve just been acting modest because I had no personal servants yet.”

Iona spoke without hesitation.

She had resolved not to swallow it anymore and fall ill alone.

“From now on, Tara is my personal maid. Dare to touch her again, and I won’t just ruin the house—I’ll ruin the family’s image. As you often say, I don’t serve that Baldur guy anyway. Even if the Teresia image gets dragged through the mud, I don’t care.”

[Seongjwa ‘<Urgent> My husband has 14 pieces, what should I do?’ is very pleased with your statement.]

[Seongjwa ‘<Urgent> My husband has 14 pieces, what should I do?’ has donated 100 diamonds!]

[▶ Current total donation: 620 diamonds]

The diamonds spent reading the booklet were quickly replenished.

Only 10 diamonds before… why were they so pleased?

‘Could it be… for insulting Baldur?’

After a brief thought, Iona slowly spoke.

“A secret of the paladin family serving Baldur! They continuously abuse their maid! How’s that? Perfect for an article headline.”

“You shameless… shameless dog of Isis!”

Griselda, no longer able to maintain dignity, exploded in a scream. A message appeared showing her extreme displeasure.

[Seongjwa ‘<Urgent> My husband has 14 pieces, what should I do?’ frowns.]

‘Dog of Isis’? Not even a cat.

Ah, that’s the problem?

“You intend to ruin the Teresia family. I thought you’d reflect quietly in your room, but you haven’t reflected one bit!”

Griselda continued rampaging, and Iona was slowly growing tired.

“I’m only stating my rightful claim. But think carefully about who is belittling people and threatening to send them to a mental hospital.”

With that, Iona took Tara’s hand and hid her behind herself.

Of course, all of this was planned.

The maids near Griselda could see Tara.

That was Iona’s purpose in coming here personally.

“Everyone listen carefully.”