21.
“May I decide the punishment instead of you, Head Maid?”
The Head Maid nodded slowly.
“These are maids who run their mouths recklessly. If they remain in social circles, they will only continue to speak lightly. I think it would be best for them to work in a place where they don’t encounter anyone.”
No sooner had Marin finished speaking than the maids burst into tears.
“No.”
“Sob.”
A place where they wouldn’t encounter people meant only one thing: dealing with the waste of the cows, pigs, and chickens raised at the estate. It was a chore even the servants avoided like the plague due to its grueling nature.
“I’m not sure if that alone will suffice.”
The expression of Page, the Head Maid, darkened.
Whatever Marin’s true status might be, the maids had openly attacked their master’s honor. It was a grave offense, one that would typically warrant having their tongues cut out before being cast out of The Duke’s Estate. Even as the maids huddled in the corner wailing, Marin’s sentence was, if anything, merciful.
“If you think that is insufficient, may I suggest one more thing?”
“Yes.”
“Have you heard of mental training?”
The Head Maid furrowed her brows, casting a sharp glare at the group of maids.
“That is a relic of the past.”
Marin stared straight into the Head Maid’s brown eyes.
“Unfortunately, it seems it is not yet the past. I have no intention of infringing upon your authority, Head Maid. However, now that I have heard of it, if I do not stop the abuse of young maids under the guise of ‘training,’ then I, too, am merely an accomplice.”
Marin turned her gaze to Yuria, who stood to the side, looking dejected with her reddish eyes filled with tears.
As if she understood, the Head Maid nodded slightly.
“I will ensure such a thing never happens again.”
“Thank you, Head Maid.”
Only then did Marin shed her firm demeanor and smile brightly. The Head Maid watched her quietly, as if she found the transformation unexpected.
“Since it seems settled, Lady Marin. First, to the physician……”
Just as Sebas Chen, who had been watching with a proud expression, opened his mouth—
“Good heavens, Lady Marin! Your face?”
Olive Lion, appearing from nowhere, cut in with a startled face.
“Mr. Olive.”
Marin looked at him, embarrassed. Being caught by Sebas Chen was shameful enough, but to be discovered by Olive as well.
“Let’s go for now. The Duke is calling for you.”
At Olive’s words, everyone present froze.
* * *
“Oh my, oh my.”
Olive, who was walking in the lead, noisily repeated the same words.
“Are you alright?”
Marin, trotting behind him like a chick, cautiously read his expression. At her question, he stopped abruptly and whipped around.
“Is that really what you should be saying to me right now?”
“You seemed very startled……”
“Yes, I was very startled. How can a lad—I mean, a woman, get into a physical brawl with maids?”
Olive swallowed the title ‘Lady’ and rephrased his words. No matter how much she pretended to be a commoner, she had lived years as a noble lady; how could she possibly roll in the dirt fighting with maids? It felt as though every piece of common sense he held regarding noblewomen was being shattered.
“They are women, too, after all.”
Marin shrugged as if it were no big deal.
“Yes, that is true. They are women, too.”
Olive, having nothing more to say, feebly echoed her.
“But why is the Duke calling for me? He’s been avoiding me for a while.”
“I do not know.”
Olive felt a throb in his head and pressed his temples with his fingers.
“Mr. Olive, do you have a headache?”
“Yes. A severe one. Thanks to someone.”
“I’m sorry.”
Marin hung her head with a dejected face. Olive suppressed a sigh and scrutinized her. Her once-neat hair was a mess, as if chewed on by rats; there were scratches on her face; and both sleeves of her single dress were torn. Yet, even in that state, she was firmly clutching her hardcover fairy tale book to her chest. The more he looked, the more of a spectacle it was.
“You don’t need to be sorry to me. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The two arrived in front of the office without another word.
“Come in.”
Olive took a candle, lit it, and entered first. Marin used his back as a shield and slipped in behind him.
“I smell blood.”
Wow, a keen nose. Marin peeked out from behind Olive’s back and marveled.
“Imsi.”
“Yes?”
“Come here.”
“……Yes.”
Marin, with a face like a wilted puppy, forced her unwilling feet to move toward him.
“What happened?”
“Well, it wasn’t a big deal.”
Marin made an excuse, pretending to look away and acting as if it were nothing.
“Not a big deal, yet I smell blood?”
“It was just a trivial conversation between women, and, well……”
The Duke ignored her words and called for Olive to get an accurate answer.
“Olive.”
“The maids insulted Lady Marin.”
“Insulted?”
“That Lady Marin is the Duke’s courtesan……”
Olive trailed off, looking as if he were too embarrassed to even repeat it.
“So you hit them again?”
The Duke’s gaze shifted back to her.
“Again?”
At Olive’s reveal, Marin’s head, which had been hanging in shame, shot up.
“You hit someone last time, too. Did you say that sometimes, when unavoidable situations arise, a person can turn fierce? So, what kind of unavoidable situation was it this time?”
“Ah……”
Marin hesitated, unable to continue.
“Answer.”
“They threw the first punch.”
Pfft. Olive, standing behind, was seen hurriedly covering his lips. The curtain, hanging like a black shroud, swayed slightly. There was no wind, so why on earth was the curtain moving?
“A brawler, were you.”
At the Duke’s slow, leisurely remark, Olive ended up burying his face in his hand to stifle his laughter.
“I am not.”
Marin, pretending not to hear Olive’s muffled laughter, pouted her lips.
“Closer.”
“Yes.”
Marin forced her legs to move and went close to the Duke’s side. When he reached out his hand, this time she held out only her wrist for him to touch. The Duke made a circle with his fingers to inspect her wrist.
“Still the same. Why won’t it grow?”
“It’s already fully grown.”
“Look at a tree. Tree branches can grow further.”
“I’m not a tree branch.”
Her voice was laced with rebellion. One corner of the Duke’s mouth lifted slightly. Marin found her gaze captivated by his lips before she knew it. Is he smiling? Or is that a sarcastic expression?
As she leaned in to see more closely, her torn sleeve brushed against the back of his hand. He furrowed his brows deeply, as if he had touched something hot.
“Did you tear your dress, too?”
Flustered, Marin hurriedly pulled at her torn sleeve.
“No.”
“You lie to me saying you can’t see…… Who does Imsi trust to be so brave?”
His relaxed tone felt even colder than before.
“I apologize. It is a lie. The dress is quite tattered.”
Marin quickly tucked her tail and confessed honestly.
“It seems your only dress will disappear.”
Marin was startled and whipped around to look at Olive standing behind her. Their eyes met, and Olive shook his head slightly, as if to say he wasn’t the one who had said it. Marin narrowed her eyes and stared intently at the Duke again.
Is he really not seeing?
“I really cannot see.”
“Hut.”
Marin hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand. Reading even her thoughts.
“Olive, cut all the tongues of those maids.”
“Yes.”
Marin listened to their conversation and carefully raised her hand to interject.
“Um……”
“I said ‘um’ is forbidden.”
Realizing her mistake, Marin quickly bowed her head.
“I apologize, Duke. I have already punished the maids. I am sorry.”
Marin’s anxious voice spread calmly through the office.
“What kind of punishment?”
“I gave them the punishment of working in the breeding grounds.”
“……Merciful.”
“No, it’s a terrible punishment. If they keep working there, they’ll want to cut off their noses because of the smell. No one will want to go near those maids. They might live and die in loneliness forever……”
As she spoke, Marin briefly wondered if she had been too harsh.
“So, did you win?”