Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi

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Chapter 33

3 — I’m trying to be the Mistress.

And so, Anriche replaced the maids who were sided with Meg.

To start off with, she started entering and exiting her office, which she hadn’t even been to before. The employees’ eyes widened due to the sudden change of the madam.

“Did you hear? The madam is looking through all the budget herself these days.”

“Really? My God… it’s something we can only see if we live long enough.”

“The butler is also reporting back to the madam, right?’”

In the past, the butler would have been annoyed and said they should do this on their own instead. The attitude of the madam changed as if the palm of the hand was turned over, and the employees were suddenly experiencing the feeling of coming to heaven.

However, of course, there was also a skeptical view of, ‘how long would this last?’

“These days, the madam… I think she’s much more friendly than before as well.”

“That’s right. She’s just letting go of what she had done before.”

In fact, there have been several cases proving that Anriche has changed. For instance, when a maid who was cleaning the other day accidentally splashed a few drops of water on Anriche’s dress…

[ “Oh! I-I’m sorry, madam!” ]

The maid’s face turned white like blank paper. Although it was a very small stain that one wouldn’t even notice unless observed closely…

‘What do I do, I’m dead now!’

The problem was that the owner of the dress was Anriche, the ‘Villainous Madam.’

Just when the maid was trembling anxiously…

[ “It’s okay.” ]

[ “I’m sorry, please forgive me just this once… What?” ]

[ “I said, it’s all right.” ]

Anriche casually pointed to the water in the bucket with a chin gesture.

[ “Isn’t that clean water, anyway?” ]

[ “What? Yes, but…” ]

The maid nodded her head blankly. She was the last to clean the floor, so she had clean water.

Anriche, who heard the answer, shrugged her shoulders.

[ “Then, use that.” ]

[ “R-really?” ]

[ “Yes. Well, it doesn’t even show that it’s there.” ]

Then, she walked past the maid.

Still confused, the maid glanced back at Anriche’s back with a dumb face.

After that day, the maid started rumors about the miracles she had experienced. And starting with that, a lot more experiences began to circulate, proving that ‘the madam has changed.’

“So, where is the madam now?”

“Yes? Of course…”

The maid who was proud of the madam’s change concluded with a proud voice.

“She’s in the office.”

***

At the same time.

Anriche was drooping on the chair in her office. Her eyes filled with tiredness, glancing at all the documents piled up like a mountain in vain.

‘No, I can’t finish the documents no matter how much I’ve gone through them… If I knew it would be like this, I would just be the lazy Mistress!’ She struggled, covering her face with both hands.

The misfortune began from her suggestion, which she brought upon herself without much thought.

[ “From now on, I want to be a little involved in the house.” ]

As soon as she said that, joy filled the butler’s face.

[ “Is that true?” ]

[ “Yes? It’s true, but…” ]

[ “Hurray!” ]

The butler hurriedly began to pile up papers on her desk with a blissful look. Anriche was tired after the day and questioned the butler.

[ “What is all this?” ]

[ “These are the budget proposals for the townhouse that the madam should see right now.” ]

These enormous documents… It’s only the budget for the townhouses?

Anriche swallowed a dry saliva.

But the butler’s words are not over yet. [ “The report from the Duchy of Valois, I will organize and send it back to you soon.” ]

[ “No, are you saying that these documents aren’t all?” ]

[ “Of course. Other than that, there are a few more of the estates that we owned, too.” ]

With his two fists clenched, he muttered in an ecstatic voice.

[ “Finally, I can sleep more than five hours a day…” ]

…Even though she heard those words for him, there was no way she could have turned away from the butler. Anriche couldn’t overcome her remorse, she opened the door to hell on her own.

“Sigh…”

After a long sigh, she picked up a pile of papers. Contrary to complaining and being dissatisfied, her hand was very meticulous, scrutinizing the documents and checking for incompleteness.

Suddenly,

“What?” Anriche narrowed her eyebrows.

Something is strange.

What is this?

‘My eyes… am I seeing something strange?’

Gazing down at the paper in her hands, Anriche narrowed her eyes and studied where the indemnity money was given to her. Once a month, she was receiving an enormous amount of indemnity. Until now, she thought that the amount was just set to cover Anriche’s luxuries, before the transmigration…

‘More than half of my indemnity money is being passed on to the Marquisate of Saxony, right?’

The Marquisate of Saxony was Anriche’s family.

After the late Marquis, her younger brother inherited the title of Marquis of Saxony. Anriche, before the transmigration, seemed to have thought it was natural to send this indemnity money to her younger brother…

‘No, why should he get this much amount of money?’

Now, she was observing all the documents with a grotesque gaze, jogging through her memory step by step.

The current Marquis of Saxony, in other words, her younger brother was a person who took ‘the sacrifice of his family’ for granted.

Unlike Anriche, who would become a member of another family after her marriage, her younger brother was a precious son who would inherit the family. He was the center of the family. Her younger brother, who grew up with the love of her parents, used to even act like his sister was his subordinate.

Against her younger brother, Anriche could only lean flat like that. Because she believed that it was the only way she could receive love from her parents, so she couldn’t go against her brother’s will.

“Hmm…”

As she was lost in her thoughts…

Knock, knock.

A short knock resounded.

“Come in.”

The person who opened the door was the butler. In his hand, he was holding a tray of some refreshments and a teapot.

“How is it, how are you coping with the work?”

“Well… I’m very tired, but… I know, this is all my karma.”

At her anguished voice, the butler smiled. He laid the tray down on her desk and added an explanation in a gentle voice. “Oh, this cookie was baked by Miss Liliana and Young Master Elliot.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. The two of them also asked me to say, “Please do your best”.”

Uh, cute!

Thinking of the two children lightened her up a little.

“Let’s take a break while having some tea first.”

“Sure, just take care of this.”

Anriche bit the chocolate chip cookie and showed a piece of paper. The butler looked down at the documents casually, and was surprised.

“Isn’t this the madam’s indemnity expenditure?”

“That’s right. And…”

Anriche picked up a pen and drew a line over the word ‘Marquisate Saxony.’

“Please don’t pay a penny to the Marquis of Saxony in the future.”

“Well, are you certain? That’s the amount the madam ordered yourself…”

“What’s the matter? It’s not my money. If I ordered you to give it to them before, I could also instruct you not to give it from now on as well.”

Anriche replied indifferently. Then, as she just remembered, she added one more word.

“Oh right. And I’m thinking of reducing my indemnity by half.”

“Yes?”

“Even if I cut it down by half anyway, the amount itself is the same, right?” Saying so, she shrugged lightly.

“Well… if the madam doesn’t send it to the Marquisate, then yes.”

At that, the butler peered up to Anriche with fresh eyes. She gazed back at the butler with a subtle expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, no.”

The butler hurriedly shook his head.

Until now, the Duchess’ office had never felt like a place to come and go. In addition, for eight years of marriage, Anriche has never stepped in here herself.

However…

‘Now, the madam is always sitting here…’

She would either be busy fiddling with a pen in the office, sighing while looking at all the documents piled up like a mountain, or glancing through the documents.

The sight was so amazing that he felt familiar.

‘You really have changed, madam…’

The thought suddenly came to the butler’s mind. And with a happy face, he gazed at Anriche.

***

A few days later.

Alexei was leaning at an angle on the carriage, heading to the Imperial Palace. He was to attend a House of Lords meeting. Though, his nerves were focused only on the few documents he had in his hand.

“You said… the madam handled these documents herself?”

Throughout reading the papers, Alexei couldn’t hide his surprised expression. Just a peek at it, he could see how delicately these documents were organized.

More surprisingly, these were the documents that could be produced by administrators who had been in practice for several years.

‘I have recently heard the news that the madam is working hard at her job, but…’

He just couldn’t believe she could do things so well.

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