Chapter 28
Emily was the maid who was most disliked by the head cook. Ironically, she was the subject of disdain for not being able to make a proper meal and for having to face the Duke’s family with just a cup of tea.
Furthermore, Emily was also the trash can who bore all of Rita’s curses and violence. The taste of the tea always felt different to Rita, depending on her mood.
“Is this what you call tea?”
“Can’t even make tea properly, you worthless thing!”
Whenever Rita was in a bad mood or irritated, she would throw her teacup or overturn the tray. Although the problem was Rita’s narrow-mindedness, the burden was always Emily’s.
In extreme cases, Rita would even pour hot tea over Emily’s hand. I quickly checked her hand for burns.
‘Fortunately, it seems she hasn’t suffered that yet.’
Cowardly, I always kept silent during those times. It was only when Rita left in a fit of rage that I would comfort Emily.
I remembered handing Emily a handkerchief to treat her burns while not even asking her name.
‘What a pathetic way to live, Rachel.’
As I sighed while setting down the teacup, Emily’s eyes widened and her body began to tremble.
“Is something wrong with the taste, ma’am?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Thank goodness.”
“But isn’t it a problem if it tastes good?”
“Excuse me?”
“I specifically asked for the chocolate tea to be made like coffee…”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.”
“It’s okay, Emily. It’s only the first day. It’ll be better tomorrow.”
As I comforted her, who was bowing her head in self-reproach, I suddenly remembered something.
“Emily, have you ever had coffee?”
“…No.”
“That explains it. Coffee is a bitter and dirty-tasting tea.”
“Really? Then why does Duke drink it, ma’am?”
I almost let slip Stefan’s true nature, that he was an unpleasant person with equally unpleasant taste.
“Well, coffee is said to clear the mind. It helps one focus better on work.”
“I see.”
“I’ve heard that chocolate has a similar effect to coffee. So, try making chocolate tea while drinking coffee.”
“Um, that’s…”
I had forgotten that coffee, which is imported entirely from abroad, is more expensive than chocolate.
“Emily, bring coffee and chocolate tea to my bedroom every day after lunch. We’ll drink them together and work on making the tea.”
“Really, is that okay?”
“Of course. We’re trying to make chocolate tea for the Duke.”
***
By now, the sun had set, and it was nearing dinner time. Since there was still no word of Stefan returning to the Duke’s residence, it seemed I will have to spend dinner in another pointless feud with his sisters.
‘I guess he really plans to come home in the middle of the night.’
With little expectation from him, I headed to the dining room alone.
As expected, Rita’s lackeys had arrived first and were already seated in the dining room. It seemed they were preparing something special today, as Susan greeted me with her green eyes shining brightly.
“You’re late, sister-in-law.”
“I’m not late; I arrived on time. It’s you girls who came early.”
“You never let anything slide…”
Susan muttered aloud, lifting her hand in a dramatic gesture.
“Prepare the dishes.”
“Yes, Miss.”
At Susan’s command, the servants bustled around. The spread was much the same as the day before, but Susan’s eyes were drawn to the salmon steak placed in front of me, and she asked, clearly irritated.
“Why does only the sister-in-law get salmon steak?”
“I asked the cook to prepare salmon steak.”
“So why do only you get it?”
“I’m not eating it alone.”
“Can’t you see that we’re having tenderloin steak?”
“I mentioned that the Duke’s meal is also prepared with salmon steak, so I’m not the only one eating it.”
Susan snorted and glared with eyes wide open.
“Stop bringing up the brother who’s absent today and yesterday.”
“Absent? Such lowly language from a Duke’s sister.”
“Lowly language?”
“And have some respect for your brother. It’s thanks to the Duke that you girls have been living comfortably.”
“What? Comfortable living?”
As Susan’s face flushed with rage, Stella, sitting beside her, intervened, trying to calm her sister down.
“Calm down, sister. Don’t get upset over words that aren’t worth responding to.”
“Oh, Miss Stella, it seems you didn’t understand me. I’ll make it simpler next time, so everyone can understand.”
Stella glared at me, but I paid no attention and picked up my knife and fork. I expected that the disgruntled sisters would retreat to their rooms after this.
So, I cut a piece of the salmon steak and took a bite. Just as I thought, ‘Has Rita not calmed down yet? Looks like she plans to have dinner separately again today,’ Rita suddenly appeared in front of me.
At the same time, the sneering smiles on the sisters’ faces seemed to confirm my suspicion.
“How dare you!”
Rita spat out a harsh curse and slapped me. Getting slapped by my mother-in-law during dinner was as shocking as a bolt from the blue.
Smack, crash.
As I fell from my chair onto the floor after the slap, the piece of salmon steak was flung out of my mouth.
“How dare you eat before the elder has even arrived? Sometimes, those who don’t know manners need to be taught with punishment.”
While she yelled at me, I stared blankly at the piece of salmon steak I had spat out. Since I hadn’t even taken a bite, the salmon still looked intact.
‘Does this give me an excuse?’
Holding my burning cheeks, I lifted my head and smiled at Rita. She seemed to shudder at my smile, as if it made her uncomfortable.
“Mother, I haven’t eaten yet. Look, I haven’t even chewed or swallowed the salmon steak.”
Rita’s face flushed red as she looked at the spot I pointed to. My words seemed to enrage her even more.
“How dare you make a joke? Do you think this mother-in-law is a fool?!”
Rita, though thin, was exceptionally strong. Her regular abuse on the servants had given her a particularly powerful grip, and when enraged, she often displayed extraordinary strength.
Especially if she saw that her intended impact on the target was failing, it would only further enrage her.
So, I decided to smile knowingly. Rita, now thoroughly enraged, was bound to try to shake me up.
“See, Mother? It’s true that I haven’t eaten.”
“Are you still not grasping the situation? Don’t you understand what you’ve done wrong? How dare you keep arguing back?!”
“I’m not arguing; I’m stating the truth.”
“How dare you, a mere daughter-in-law, try to teach your mother-in-law a lesson? It seems you grew up in the insignificant Viscounts’ house and never received proper family education. Fine, I’ll teach you a lesson today.”
She looked down at me with a menacing expression and roughly dragged me up from the floor.
As I obediently followed her, I extended my cheek again, hoping that if I got slapped there too, the effect would be doubled.
Smack, thud.
Getting slapped again, I fell back to the floor.
‘Oh, I underestimated her too much.’
My expectations were clearly off. She hit the other cheek, turning both of them a bright red.
Rita had always been better at violence, whether in the past or present. I recalled how she used to hit and pinch only the less visible parts of me in previous lives.
Today, she was adjusting the strength of her slaps, likely to avoid leaving marks on my face that could be noticed by her son.
‘So next, she’ll grab my hair.’
Anticipating her next move, I avoided having my hair grabbed by Rita. Enraged by my evasion, she moved to grab my dress instead, and I deliberately rolled to the opposite side.
With a loud rip, the sleeve of my dress was torn away. I almost wanted to compliment the thin muslin dress I was wearing.
“What kind of nonsense is this?!”
Now fully enraged, Rita charged at me like a wild animal. She seemed ready to swing at anything within reach, so I prepared to endure it calmly.
This was the perfect opportunity to show Stefan the state I was in after being relentlessly beaten.
