Chapter 23
It must have been because of that.
Even while Cecilia was anxiously wondering whether that girl might eventually push her out of the family entirely, she still ended up helping her avoid drawing the attention of the household.
But Milena was far braver than Cecilia had expected.
‘I didn’t think she’d actually thank me here…’
Honestly, it would have been fine if she had simply stayed quiet.
Yet Milena had openly revealed, without the slightest hesitation, that she wasn’t skilled at handling utensils—displaying it right in front of outsiders.
All of it, just to express gratitude to Cecilia.
And the result was astonishing.
For the first time, instead of drifting apart like oil and water, the family was beginning to mingle in a more natural, comfortable way.
It was all thanks to this “emulsifier” named Milena.
“Big sister, how do I eat this?”
At that moment, Milena leaned in with a friendly voice.
“Oh, you use this utensil here…”
As Cecilia picked up the fork and knife placed side by side, a soft voice—tinged with amusement—slipped into her ears.
“Cecilia.”
“Yes, Father.”
It was the Duke of the Luseret household.
Cecilia straightened instinctively and turned toward him.
The Duke smiled gently.
“You look truly lovely today.”
“……”
For a moment, Cecilia was speechless.
It was the first time she had ever been praised by her father.
The Duke continued in a warm tone.
“Continue to take good care of your younger sister.”
If Milena was truly her younger sister… did that mean she still had a chance?
Could she still remain in the Luseret household…?
Suppressing the cloud of thoughts rising in her chest, Cecilia quickly nodded.
“Yes, Father.”
She knew better than to hope too much.
She had been hurt far too many times already.
…And yet, her heart—completely ignoring her resolve—was already beating faster on its own.
For the first time in a long while, the usually silent Luseret Ducal Manor was lively.
The servants were no different.
And the reason was simple.
“So the new young lady has arrived. What do you think of her?”
It was Milena.
She had appeared in the ducal household out of nowhere.
Golden hair identical to the Duchess.
Deep green eyes unique to the Luseret bloodline.
And even the “Wind ability.”
Although it had not been publicly announced, within the household, she was already almost unanimously regarded as the Duke’s true daughter.
“She seems quite calm, from what I’ve seen.”
“Yes, she greets everyone properly whenever she passes by.”
The servants were also rather fond of her.
“I heard the Duke personally contacted the Tower Master?”
“Well, the paternity test results should be coming soon.”
As the maids chatted among themselves—
Click.
The lounge door opened.
Howard, the housekeeper, stepped inside.
The maids immediately stood up with welcoming faces.
“Welcome, Mrs. Howard.”
“Weren’t you going to escort Lady Milena? How did it go?”
Mrs. Howard held considerable influence among the servants.
As the nurse who had raised the Luseret siblings, she was deeply trusted within the household.
It would be disastrous to earn her displeasure—rumors could easily reach the Duke himself.
Fortunately, she was usually kind to the servants as well.
However—
“Haah.”
Mrs. Howard let out a long, weary sigh, her face shadowed with concern.
The maids exchanged uneasy glances.
“Ma’am, is something wrong?”
“Did something happen?”
At their questions, she slowly shook her head.
“No… nothing happened.”
But contrary to her words, her expression remained heavy, as if burdened by the worries of the entire world.
The servants grew uneasy.
Whenever Mrs. Howard made that expression, trouble usually followed for them as well.
After all—
“If you keep this up, do you want to be cast out of the family?”
“One word to the lady, and I could easily have you removed.”
Those words were not empty threats.
Mrs. Howard held overwhelming trust within the ducal household—and knew exactly how to use it.
She had even quietly removed servants she disliked more than once.
“Please, just tell us what happened.”
“Right, maybe we can help you.”
The maids spoke quickly, almost pleadingly. No one wanted to fall out of favor with her.
Mrs. Howard, as if waiting for that moment, finally spoke.
“It’s about the new young lady.”
“Lady Milena?”
“Yes. That young lady… has a rather arrogant disposition.”
What?
The maids widened their eyes and glanced at each other.
That didn’t seem to match the girl they had seen at all…
Sensing their doubt, Mrs. Howard sighed dramatically and continued.
“She’s only just arrived, so you may not know. But I’ve already met her in Baron Trancie’s territory.”
“What happened there?”
Mrs. Howard lowered her voice as though revealing a grave secret.
“You see, Lady Milena… has a very strong temper.”
“A-strong temper?”
“Yes. I was only trying to assist her with her dressing, but she told me to get lost on the spot. Said she didn’t need a nurse who had served Cecilia….”
In truth, what she had really said was closer to not wanting someone who had previously served Cecilia to attend her, but Mrs. Howard twisted it skillfully.
She implied that Milena had reacted sensitively just because she had once served Cecilia.
She even added fabricated harshness like “get lost,” words that had never actually been spoken.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
A faint, sly smile crossed Mrs. Howard’s lips.
It wasn’t as if the servants would verify the truth anyway.
“If anything, Lady Milena is likely the true daughter. So Lady Cecilia, as the adopted one, might be uncomfortable.”
And just like that, she constructed a narrative:
The real daughter bullying the fake daughter.
Then, with a concerned expression, she looked around at the servants.
“So all of you must be careful not to offend her. I’m only saying this because I worry about you.”
At that, the maids exchanged glances.
From their perspective, whether Milena truly bullied Cecilia or not didn’t matter.
What mattered was not offending Mrs. Howard, who stood closest to power.
“Goodness, how awful…”
“She must be so upset.”
“Are you alright, Mrs. Howard?”
Sympathetic words flowed effortlessly, though none of them were sincere.
Mrs. Howard sighed again and again, like a righteous servant suffering unjustly.
“Still, I have no choice. If I serve the young lady with sincerity, I believe she’ll eventually open her heart to me.”
“But that must be so difficult for you.”
“You really are enduring so much… especially with that sensitive Lady Cecilia.”
The maids shook their heads in pity.
“Please hang in there, Mrs. Howard.”
“You’re already dealing with Lady Cecilia’s difficult temperament…”
“If it were us, we would’ve run away by now.”
Yes.
That should do it.
The atmosphere was now completely on her side
