Chapter 7
“Everyone is busy.”
“Then, is Brother busy too?”
“Of course.”
Madam Howard drew a firm line. Then, she added a spiteful remark.
“Well, if the Young Lady tried a bit harder, wouldn’t the family seek you out naturally?”
“T-that is…”
“I believe I’ve told you time and again. A daughter of the honorable House of Lucert must be perfect in every way.”
Madam Howard’s eyes curved into a thin, soft line as she looked at the speechless Cecilia. It was a smile truly overflowing with malice.
“The ‘Real Cecilia’ was a person just like an angel…”
“……”
“To fill her empty space even a little bit, shouldn’t you at least become a refined lady?”
Cecilia bit her lip so hard it almost bled. At the same time, Madam Howard flicked her gaze toward me.
“So, who on earth is this ill-mannered child who dares to glare at a superior?”
In an instant, my mind went white with rage. The words just tumbled out of my mouth.
“Well, I certainly don’t want to hear that from you, Madam.”
“What?”
“I mean, it’s true, isn’t it? You’re clicking your tongue right in front of the lady you serve.”
I tilted my head sideways defiantly.
“Are you really in a position to call me arrogant?”
“How dare you crawl all over your betters!”
Madam Howard’s face distorted like a demon’s.
“Milena, stop…”
Just as Cecilia, unable to watch any longer, tried to jump into the conversation, Madam Howard whipped her hand up high.
“This stupid girl doesn’t know her place!”
Hearing that shrill scream, I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut. But even after a moment, the pain I expected didn’t come.
Huh?
I slowly lifted my eyelids and was silently shocked. Cecilia was firmly gripping Madam Howard’s wrist!
“My Lady?”
Madam Howard called out to Cecilia in a bewildered voice. Cecilia straightened her shrinking posture and held her back tall. Her blue-green eyes stared directly at Madam Howard.
“Nurse, she is the personal maid I chose.”
At that moment, I saw it. Cecilia’s slender shoulders were trembling uncontrollably.
“It’s true that I am… lacking in many ways. But.”
Cecilia put strength into her final words.
“She is my person. If there is to be punishment, I will be the one to do it.”
“……”
I know exactly how much pressure Cecilia is feeling right now. It was described so many times in the original story—how she lived her life swayed by every single word the nurse said. She was so afraid the nurse would say something bad to her parents and brother, causing her family to hate her even more. And yet…
She stepped up for me.
Suddenly, I felt an indescribable sensation. It was a complex mix of feeling stifled, sorry, grateful, and pitying. Meanwhile, Madam Howard was staring at Cecilia with a stunned face. It made sense; Cecilia had seldom openly rebelled against her before.
“My Lady. Of course, I know you may choose your own personal maid.”
Madam Howard spoke in a coaxing tone.
“But shouldn’t you have sought advice from a superior at least once before bringing in a subordinate?”
“…That’s.”
“In my opinion, it’s because of this selfish side of yours…”
Madam Howard looked at Cecilia with a disapproving gaze and finished her sentence with a deep sigh.
“I fear this is why the Duchess feels such a distance from the Young Lady.”
At those words, Cecilia’s face clouded over like a stormy sky. Meanwhile, I couldn’t hide my look of total disbelief.
Seriously, what kind of ridiculous nonsense is that?
Unable to take it anymore, I opened my mouth again without thinking.
“What on earth does that—”
“Milena.”
But before I could finish, Cecilia called my name firmly. I looked at her with shaking eyes.
“My Lady.”
“You go inside for now.”
“But…!”
“Hurry.”
Cecilia urged me again. I shut my mouth tight. My heart wanted to snap back at Madam Howard one last time, but looking into those trembling blue-green eyes, I couldn’t be stubborn anymore.
“Yes, my Lady.”
In the end, I quietly stepped back. I felt like I understood Cecilia’s heart. In her own way, she was trying to protect me. Also…
…She probably doesn’t want to show me her shrinking away like that.
No matter what, she is the one and only Young Lady of the Empire. It must inevitably hurt her pride to show someone her being lectured by a nurse. And yet, she can’t easily warn the nurse to stop. Because…
She’s afraid of looking bad to the Duke, the Duchess, and the Young Duke.
That’s exactly how it was in the original book. Madam Howard played a huge role in damaging Cecilia’s reputation by driving a wedge between her and the Duke’s family.
Still, do we have to just take it like this?
Suddenly, my eyes landed on the third-floor balcony of the annex.
Wait.
My eyes gleamed wickedly. If I play this right…?
After Milena left, Madam Howard became even more arrogant and cornered Cecilia.
“My Lady. How long do you plan on acting so childishly?”
“……”
“To just watch while a maid acts arrogantly toward me! The fault of the subordinate is the shortcoming of the master. Do you plan on disappointing the family forever?”
“……”
“This is why the Duke and his wife avoid the Young Lady!”
In an instant, Cecilia stiffened her shoulders as if she had been struck. Madam Howard muttered to herself, making sure she was heard.
“If it were the ‘Real Cecilia,’ she would have handled this much more wisely.”
Cecilia barely swallowed something hot rising up her throat. If I try, will anything actually change? Mother, Father, and even Brother… none of you have ever looked at me once. How long do I have to struggle and beg for you to look at me? No, if you would only listen to my plea…
But then. Suddenly, two arms holding a bucket poked out from the third-floor balcony.
Splash!
With a refreshing sound, dirty water came pouring down. And that dirty water was dumped squarely onto Madam Howard.
“Aaaaah!”
The constant nagging about “maintaining dignity” was gone in an instant. Madam Howard shrieked so loudly that the whole annex could hear her.
“Wha—what!”
Since the dirty water had unfortunately gotten into her eyes, Madam Howard couldn’t even open them properly. She screamed at the top of her lungs with her eyes squeezed shut.
“Who is it! Who dares to do such a thing!!”
Dark water droplets dripped from Madam Howard’s entire body. Her neatly combed hair was a total mess, and her expensive dress was soaked and ruined by the filthy water.
“My Lady! My Lady, did you see anyone?!”
Cecilia’s lips twitched. She quietly glanced up at the third-floor balcony and then…
“No, I didn’t see anyone.”
She replied, keeping a perfectly straight face.
