Translator and Editor: Nabi and Yonnee

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Chapter 13

It seemed to be because I was wearing the shirt and pants I had been looking for.

Renée’s clothes that were prepared in a hurry didn’t fit her body, so they were uncomfortable.

Originally, I was originally going to go shopping for some clothes today, though since I suddenly got an invitation from Madam Elbas, I couldn’t help it.

At the maid’s words, I looked down at the clothes I was wearing and tilted my head to the side.

“Why can’t I?”

Even though it wasn’t a tailored garment, it was still formal enough. It wouldn’t be considered very flawed if I wore this to meet my mother-in-law for the first time.

However, to the maids, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Other guests will come to the Madam’s luncheon, so you must look pretty. That’s too… casual.”

I glanced in the mirror.

‘It’s already dazzlingly pretty.’

Rowaine was considered to be one of the three most beautiful women in this novel. Perhaps, even if I had scattered my unwashed hair for ten days, wore a rag, and had soot smeared on this face, Rowaine would still shine on her own.

So, I was a bit dissatisfied with the maid’s remark.

‘There is an old saying, only the good die young.’

What’s the point of a girl being pretty? Only troublesome things happened to pretty people.

In my previous life, I wasn’t a very caring person either. No matter how pretty and handsome celebrities are, compared to cute cats, they all looked the same.

Cats are the best!

I then turned towards the maid, who kept rummaging through Renée’s dresses and complaining that none of them were pretty.

“Isn’t it okay if it’s neat and plain? Do I really have to look pretty?”

“For the sake of the Duke’s reputation, you must dress properly.”

The maid shoved forward one of Renée’s dresses that looked the best. Nonetheless, I did not agree with her.

“Do you think that the Duke’s reputation can only be achieved when I wear clothes that reveal my body like this? Just to look good in front of other people’s eyes?”

“Pa, pardon?”

“Then, the Duke should have taken in a beautiful prostitute. I don’t know why he would marry someone like me.”

“How could you say that!”

At my words, the maid’s expression didn’t look well.​​“Miss Rowaine doesn’t seem to know very well, so let me tell you, the luncheon you are attending is a classy place. Everyone will dress formally.”

“Clothes are not a criterion for judging a person’s dignity. I know that dignity comes from the character of a person. And now, my attire is formal enough.”

“You don’t know that women wear skirts for formalities, Miss Rowaine?”

She said, raising her voice a little as if she was frustrated.

‘It was not long after Dimitri became Duke. It seems that there are still a lot of Madam Elbas’ people in this mansion.’

When I was shopping for the clothes I am wearing now, I had heard stories from the maids that the head maid often came and went to and from Madam Elbas’ mansion.

‘Is this maid also Madam Elbas’ person?’

With that, I thought it would be a good idea to let this person know who the new boss is.

“You, what’s your name?”

Feeling that I was trying to establish my authority, she pouted her lips.

“…It is Tilda.”

“Yes, Tilda.”

I raised her hand to her.

Thinking I was going to hit her, she shrank slightly.

However, my purpose wasn’t to hit her. I clearly showed Dimitri’s signature on the ring finger of my left hand before her eyes.

“I’m telling you because you don’t seem to know what you’re talking about, but it’s me, not Madam Elbas, who you’ll call ‘Madam’.”

Then, I gently brushed her hair with my raised hand and went out of the room.

Moments later, another maid, who had been silently waiting for me without saying a word, followed me. She was the one who whispered to me yesterday to speak informally, and she was silently preoccupied with straightening my shirt collars, as Tilda and I were fighting over a dress.

I opened my mouth to her.

“What’s your name?”

“It’s Agwen, madam.”

I smiled contentedly at the voice that was clearly audible from Agwen, to the maids who still remained in the room.

“From now on, you are my personal maid, Agwen.”

Her eyes widened. As she gulped, she bowed down to me quickly.

“Th, thank you, Madam!”

It seems that becoming my personal maid was a high-speed promotion. Seeing that, I continued my words to test how bold she would be.

“As my maid, I have a job for you to do. Put Tilda in a place that suits her while I go to Madam Elbas’ estate. I don’t think she’ll fit in with my former maid.”

Then, as I turned around, I could hear Tilda, who was arguing with me earlier, whispering to Agwen.

“Agwen, if you follow her words, the Madam won’t let you go.”

“Didn’t you hear that? She is my madam now.”

“You…! You traitor!”

“Betrayal? When I first came here, my colleagues and I were very much under you because of your territoriality. What kind of friendship do you think we had?”

“Come on, wait, Agwen!”

‘In many ways, it’s tragically good.’

I walked out of the room, listening to her pleading with Agwen.

* * *

‘I think my fighting skills are improving. I’m on my own after all.’

I shook my head with a crude smile.

At the age of twenty-nine, I’ve been fighting for my whole life. For that reason, there was not much love for humanity left in my heart.

During those days, I faced my brother who beat me up, and my father, who regarded me as a slave. Even with Kim Deok-soo, who killed all of my cats, I fought to death every time I ran into him.

‘Compared to those monstrous people, the maid was actually quite cute.’

If I had to choose my life motto, I would say, ‘Let’s just live as humans.’

I’m fed up with people who try to press me down.

‘What about Madam Elbas?’

It was said that the Elbas territory was quite close to Blois. The carriage didn’t run for long and came to a stop shortly after.

As I slowly got out of the carriage, no one came to meet me at the front door of the mansion.

“Anyone here?”

Still, I knocked on the big front door a couple of times, but no one came out.

I could feel the maids giggling and watching from the windows at the far end of the second and third floors.

‘Aha, how long is she going to make me wait?’

In the end, I shrugged lightly as I picked up a branch from the garden and wrote in large letters in the yard.

Fortunately, the characters and the language in this world were included with Rowaine’s memories, so I was able to handle it as freely as if it was my native language.

「 Rowaine came and left. 」

Leaving the branch on the grass, I jumped into the carriage.

“Let’s go.”

The horseman was bewildered when I banged on the carriage wall as a sign of departure. The request to return as soon as we arrived seemed to embarrass him.

“Pardon? However…”

“No one is coming out to greet me, so I can’t go in without the owner’s permission, right?”

“Yes, but…”

As if it would be better to wait a little longer, the horseman hesitated, stammering his words. Nonetheless, that must have been what Madam Elbas wanted. I didn’t want to be like a horse that moved the way someone wanted.

Even before I could see her face, this attitude of trying to rile me up stimulated my emotions.

I knocked on the carriage’s wall and shouted in a gentle but firm voice.

“Depart!”

In the end, just as the horseman was about to leave, the head maid of the Elbas mansion hurriedly jumped out and caught the carriage.

“You’re here, Miss Rowaine. I was late in greeting you because I was busy preparing for the luncheon.”

She wore an awkward expression because she didn’t think I was going to leave like this.

‘I wish I had left sooner…’

I was already mentally exhausted from going through just this test that Madam Elbas had set up at the entrance.

When I got out of the carriage and went inside, I could see that there were more tests waiting for me.

I sighed and got off the carriage.

“Where is Madam Elbas?”

“The Madam is decorating the table in the backyard. Let’s go.”

Even though she was looking at me up and down, dissatisfied, she guided me without a word. There, Madam Elbas was standing in front of a round table, working on the flower arrangement.

“Miss Rowaine has arrived, Madam.”

At that, Mrs. Elbas stared at me, raising her sharp-looking eyes. She had a somewhat strict impression. Her white hair was tied neatly like a flight attendant, creating volume in her thick hair.

Although her stature was small, her posture was upright and her presence was so great that she felt bigger than she really was.

Since their blood was not mixed, of course, there was not the slightest bit of resemblance to Dimitri.

“Welcome, Miss Rowaine.”

Her gaze looked up and down at me as if displeased.

“Nice to meet you, Madam Elbas.”

“It’s not the first time. You may not remember, Miss Rowaine, but I have seen Miss Rowaine’s face a few times at the Imperial party.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. By the way…”

Looking at my attire, she burst into laughter as if she was astonished.

“I invited you quite hastily, but I didn’t know you would come like this. Didn’t I write in the invitation that the luncheon is to be formal?”

I replied with a smile.

“I did read your invitation, but you see, I was invited here before I had even unpacked my luggage at Blois. I wish I had time to get a dress tailored for this occasion, so I’m really flustered because I was summoned all of a sudden. I didn’t expect to see you in such a hurry like this.”

It was only yesterday that I came back to Blois, but calling me out so suddenly like this was a clearly euphemistic expression of a lack of consideration.

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