“Argh!”
Britney threw the teacup she had been holding.
*Clatter—*
As the maids scrambled to clean up the shattered pieces, Britney stood fuming, glaring out the window. She couldn’t shake the memory of Kay’s visit a few days ago.
She had been briefly pleased to hear her father was building connections with the Imperial Palace, but there were hundreds—thousands—of women who dreamed of becoming the Crown Princess. It was far from certain she could survive that competition.
Yet, while those same thousands of women coveted a position as Cavebrandt Green’s wife, Rishi had secured it without lifting a finger. The humiliation of that day burned as brightly as ever.
*—If you want to put it that way, your father is the same.*
Rishi’s whispered words echoed in her mind, along with the way she had looked at her in the parlor.
‘Iris, that girl… she acts kind and obedient, but she’s a snake. Count Green needs to know her true nature…’
Kay’s mockery of her had long faded from memory; all that remained was the image of Rishi’s arrogant, brazen behavior.
‘Iris, that girl always takes what’s mine. Starting with my father… to Lapord… yes, even Lapord.’
Britney thought of the boy with sky-blue hair who had once shown her a kind and warm smile. The gentle, sweet Lapord, her first love.
*—I’m sorry, Brin. I am….*
When Lapord had rejected her confession, his gaze had been fixed entirely on Iris.
As Iris, who had been cleaning the window, turned her head, she locked eyes with him, and he gave her a sweet smile—the kind he had never shown Britney. Britney didn’t recall what expression Iris had worn; she probably gave him a loose, seductive smile to bewitch the man.
Even after Lapord, such things happened often.
To think a woman who had lived so loosely had wed into the Green family, the guardians of the Holy Relic. Kay surely didn’t know how promiscuous Iris was. She would undoubtedly tarnish the family’s reputation.
‘If he doesn’t know…’
Alford Hutchis caught her eye.
A few days ago, for some reason, Alford had arrived at the Wittlow mansion looking terrified. Even after being told that Iris had already married Cavebrandt, he refused to leave, demanding they hand her over. He even spouted nonsense, suggesting that if they couldn’t give him Iris, they should hand over Britney instead.
Although Alford was merely a Viscount, he was the master of the Hootchis Trading Company. In an era where wealth mattered more than nobility, even Duke Wittlow couldn’t easily kick him out.
‘I just have to tell him.’
A smile spread across Britney’s lips. She devised a plan to drive Alford away while pouring cold water on Iris’s newfound happiness. As soon as the thought took root, Britney hurried out of her room to find him.
Alford was munching on chocolate cookies, boasting to a nearby maid about his immense wealth.
“Viscount Hootchis.”
“Oh, Miss Britney. Please, call me Alford.”
Alford smiled with a greasy grin. He had no doubt that Britney would soon become his wife.
“How could I? Viscount Hootchis is the man of my dear sister, Iris.”
Alford’s face crumpled.
“Didn’t the Duke give that Iris to Count Green?”
“Give her away… what a thing to say…”
“Isn’t that right? If things had gone as promised, I would have already taken Miss Iris back to my territory.”
“I know, I know. You have no idea how much Iris was looking forward to that as well.”
“…Is that so?”
“Of course. Cavebrandt Green used his position as guardian of the Holy Relic to force us to hand her over… our poor Iris…”
Britney’s eyes welled with tears as she recalled that day. Of course, they weren’t tears of sadness, but of simmering rage.
“The tears Iris shed while sitting in Count Green’s carriage… My heart still aches whenever I think of it.”
Seeing the tears trickling down her cheeks, Alford looked at her with pity.
“But… what can we do? How could I possibly snatch Iris away from Count Green, whom even Duke Wittlow cannot handle? So, Miss Britney, why don’t you and I…”
“Do you know how truly beautiful Iris is? You must have seen her portrait…”
“W-well, of course…”
“Our beautiful Iris was crying while longing for Viscount Hootchis… Isn’t that right?”
When she nudged the maid next to her, the girl quickly nodded.
“Y-yes. Lady Iris cried so much.”
Alford gulped.
“I-I, of course, would like to marry Miss Iris since I was supposed to, but there’s no way…”
“What do you mean, no way? You’re a man…”
“No, why does me being a man come up here?”
“Viscount Hootchis, do you really not know? Why men were so crazy about our Iris…”
“That’s because she is beautiful…”
“That’s part of it, of course, but it’s because our Iris is an untouched, very pure girl. A flower in the middle of a lake that hasn’t been touched or breathed upon by any man.”
Alford nodded.
“That is true…”
“I’m sure Count Cavebrandt Green wanted her for that very reason. You understand what I’m trying to say, right?”
Alford was a man with a quick head.
“But who would believe that?”
“Don’t worry, Viscount Hootchis. You have the Wittlow Duchy behind you, and we will make the words coming from your mouth the truth.”
+++
The most famous designer and tailor in Dakote City, where the Count Green mansion was located, visited. Rishi opened the design book he brought and selected a few styles.
Two glamorous dresses, one elegant dress, three day dresses, a few pieces of casual wear, and pajamas. She chose fabrics several steps below the most expensive ones; it was still a time to be frugal with the Green family’s finances.
“For the casual wear… are you sure about this?” the designer asked, looking puzzled. The designs she chose were not typical for a noblewoman.
“I’m fine with those.”
The designer replied with a suspicious glance.
“Yes, I understand. Oh, and the Count asked me to bring some dresses you could wear for now, so I brought a few. Would you like to try them on?”
“Let’s do that.”
With the help of the maids, Rishi tried on a few dresses and selected several. She also picked a few items from the jewelry box.
“You have an excellent eye.”
Rishi smiled at the remark. She had to; she had lived as the mistress of a trading company for quite some time in her past life.
After the designer left, Rishi picked up a green dress. It was a very light, almost white shade on the bodice, deepening as it reached the hem.
Once again, with the help of the maids, she changed.
‘When will a personal maid arrive?’
The current maids were clearly flustered, having never assisted a noblewoman with her attire before. Since none of them knew how to style hair, Rishi left her long locks flowing down.
As she stepped out of the room, her eyes caught sight of a woman walking down the hallway. She was a pretty woman with brown hair and green eyes who had been standing out since a few days ago.
When the woman saw Rishi, she offered a perfunctory nod and walked past.
There was bound to be a maid who was jealous and unable to accept a new mistress, but none had ever been so blatant.
‘How annoying.’
Rishi had only been in the Count’s residence for a short time and had intended to give the staff time to adjust, but that attitude was unacceptable.
“Count, I’m here.”
A woman’s alluring voice rang out from behind. She stood in front of Kay’s room. Although Kay and Rishi shared a bedroom, their private quarters were on either side of the bedchamber.
Standing before Kay’s room, which even Rishi wouldn’t enter without permission, the woman hadn’t identified herself, simply announcing, “I’m here,” as if requesting the door be opened.
The sound of the door opening echoed through the hallway.
‘She’s no ordinary maid.’
Perhaps she was Kay’s mistress. It was common for nobles to take servants as mistresses and keep them in their manors. Kay was young, so Rishi could understand him having a mistress or two.
However, it was unacceptable for a mistress to treat the lady of the house in such a manner.
“Who is that woman?”
At Rishi’s question, the maid replied with an awkward expression.
“That is the Count’s… exclusive maid.”
“Her name?”
“It is Gillette Merdi. They say she is the daughter of Viscount Merdi…”
“A Viscount’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
The maid, likely assuming Gillette was Kay’s mistress, bowed her head low.
‘A Viscount’s daughter working as a Count’s maid…’
It happened occasionally for ladies of lower-ranking houses to serve in the homes of Marquesses or higher, but it was almost unheard of for a Viscount’s daughter to serve in a Count’s household.
‘So she really was Kay’s mistress.’
Rishi narrowed her brows slightly. Even if Gillette were a commoner, her attitude would be a headache; if she were a Viscount’s daughter, it might lead to even more complicated trouble.
Since Rishi’s goal was a peaceful and quiet life, she did not want anyone disturbing her nest.
‘I’ll have to get rid of her. Or at least make sure she can’t even lift her head in my presence.’
She felt sorry for Kay, but she couldn’t tolerate a woman who acted like that toward the lady of the house.
“Iris.”
Jamie’s call pulled her out of her thoughts.
“I have brought the maids. They are in the drawing room right now. Would you like to go meet them?”
“Yes, let’s.”
As they headed toward the drawing room, Jamie added,
“Since I had to find them in such a rush, I could only find two this time. If the Captain… if the Count had told me about the marriage in advance, I wouldn’t have had to scramble like this.”
It seemed she still hadn’t gotten over the fact that Kay hadn’t informed her of the marriage beforehand. Rishi hesitated, not knowing how to respond, but Jamie didn’t seem to be waiting for an answer.
“But since I am highly capable, I managed to get the job done even in these situations. Isn’t it fortunate for the Count to have a subordinate like me?”
“Indeed. It is fortunate.”
This time, she was able to answer appropriately.
As Jamie nodded in satisfaction, they arrived at the drawing room. Before opening the door, Jamie explained about the two maids waiting inside: Erwel of the Ruteck family and Krisina of the Ferni family. Though commoners, their families had enough reputation to be treated almost as nobility.
Before entering, Rishi said to Jamie,
“There is one more person in this mansion I want to have as my maid.”
“Yes, please tell me.”
“Gillette Merdi. Tell her to wait in my room.”