Betty approached the butler and Yasmin, her face as fierce as a stinging wasp.
“Are you threatening the young miss right now?”
“Threatening? No, I merely advised the young miss to be a good child. Is there a problem with that?”
“A problem, you say? It seems you’ve forgotten, but the young miss is the owner of this house!”
“You certainly have a consistent lack of manners.”
How strange.
Yasmin’s attitude was far too composed.
The last time Betty argued with her, Yasmin was much sharper, even over trivial matters.
Yet now, even with outright provocation, her demeanor was oddly calm, almost leisurely, as if she was deliberately trying to provoke Betty.
“Even if you are employees from the main family…”
“Betty!”
When Betty gets angry, she charges forward without considering the consequences, especially if it involves me, Dietrich, or our mother.
Seeing the butler and Yasmin bringing up topics they usually used to torment me, I hurriedly covered Betty’s mouth.
“Everyone, stop. Lea, go to the nanny and receive your punishment. The nanny will decide.”
“But, young miss, I am in charge of personnel matters in this household,”
The butler replied nonchalantly. Before Betty could lash out again, I firmly grabbed her sleeve to stop her. If she reacted now, she would only get entangled in the butler’s provocations.
‘They’re intentionally provoking Betty.’
Trying to make her say something offensive about the main family.
I had endured Yasmin’s provocations several times before, avoiding alerting anyone for a reason.
‘Our household staff are all commoners.’
Even a single complaint about the main family could lead to accusations of insulting the nobility, which could result in severe punishment.
Not even Dietrich or I could prevent that.
“You are the master of this house, young miss. Therefore, they must listen to you. Now, please leave.”
Betty’s voice softened slightly as I repeatedly restrained her, but her gaze remained fierce, glaring at the butler and Yasmin as she firmly enunciated her words.
Seeing Betty’s spirit subdued, the butler and Yasmin smirked before leaving without even acknowledging me.
Moments earlier, she had boldly stepped forward to protect me, confronting the butler.
Now, her legs gave out, and she slowly sank to the floor. Next to her, Lea, on the verge of tears, thanked her for her help.
What a mess.
‘I hope Betty is okay.’
Despite all my efforts, the butler and Betty had clashed head-on today.
Realizing that they were now targeting my close maid after ousting the loyal long-term employees of our household, I sighed deeply.
“Betty.”
“Yes, young miss?”
“From now on, don’t fight with the main family’s employees. Do you understand?”
“But the butler was rude to you first!”
“Even so, don’t intervene. Understood?”
“I can’t promise that….”
Struggling to find a way to persuade Betty, I finally came up with something.
“Just wait a bit longer, and Dad will return. Then we can tell him everything.”
Even if the butler thought he could manipulate Dietrich and me, he wouldn’t dare to treat out dad the same way.
Hearing that, Betty reluctantly nodded in agreement.
Having given her such a warning, I hoped Betty would tread carefully for the time being.
If I kept her close and shielded her from the butler’s sight, he wouldn’t be able to do much.
***
Haa, I suppose it couldn’t be helped….
I closed my eyes tightly before opening them again, staring at the sight in front of me—Betty, forced to her knees, almost thrown down.
Our gazes met, the butler wearing a triumphant smirk.
“Young miss, this time, we caught her red-handed. There are many witnesses, so surely you won’t side with the criminal.”
Behind the butler stood a line of guards and servants.
Their imposing figures behind him created an oppressive atmosphere.
If I were just an ordinary three-year-old, I might have burst into tears at the terrifying sight of so many grim-faced adults crowding into the room.
I decided to ask what Betty had done to end up here.
“Betty, why are you here?”
“The maid in charge of serving you, Betty, committed a grave sin by criticizing the Duke in the staff dining hall.”
“What did she say about the Duke?”
“She claimed that he abandoned the Madam, only to later pretend to show kindness, while harassing the young master and the young miss.”
Betty, you fool!
Hadn’t I repeatedly told her to be careful with her words?
At my gesture, Betty lifted her head, revealing reddish marks as if from a scuffle.
“I’m sorry, young miss.”
“Betty, do you have nothing to say for yourself?”
“Those people insulted the late Madam first. That’s why I stepped in. Please believe me.”
Before Betty could finish her words, the butler sneered.
What was he so confident about?
“Did the servants insult the Madam? Fine, what exactly did they say to insult her? Speak in front of the young miss.”
“That…!”
Betty, about to blurt something out in anger, caught herself and glanced at me, then clamped her mouth shut.
“I’m fine, Betty.”
“The young miss says she’s fine. Go ahead and speak. What exactly did the servants say to insult the late Madam?”
No, I’m really fine!
But Betty kept her lips sealed, refusing to speak.
Even as the servants standing behind the butler sneered and chuckled maliciously, she remained silent.
It seemed that what they said was something I shouldn’t hear.
But no matter how much she was trying to protect me, if Betty remained silent, I wouldn’t be able to defend her.
For a commoner like Betty to insult a noble—especially a Duke, who bows to no one but the Emperor—that’s…
A crime punishable by immediate execution without question.
The butler openly smirked, looking down at me.
“Make your decision, young miss.”
…What a vile person.
Seeing that all the servants behind him were from the main family, it was likely they had orchestrated this to provoke the short-tempered Betty into reacting.
Knowing how much Betty adored my mother, they must have brought up insulting stories about her.
“The commoner maid insulted the Duke. She must be executed immediately.”
“I thought I could handle the punishment however I pleased.”
“Yes, of course. However, there’s no guarantee this matter won’t reach the Duke’s ears, is there?”
What a truly despicable person!
“If this does reach the Duke, who’s to say rumors won’t spread that the Master is unhappy with his deployment and planning a coup?”
Unbelievable! Now they’re even dragging my dad into this—someone who fought valiantly under Grandfather’s orders and only recently returned victorious.
“This was entirely my doing and has nothing to do with the Master, the young master, or the young miss!”
“That’s not for me to judge. The Duke must be the one to believe your words.”
Biting my lip, I couldn’t think of a way out of this.
Then, suddenly, the nanny appeared, parting the people surrounding me like a wall.
I almost burst into tears upon seeing her but bit my lip harder to hold it in.
“All of you gathering here like this… Were you trying to intimidate the young miss?”
Why did you come so late, nanny?
The nanny held me close, as if to reassure me, then turned her sharp gaze toward the butler.
It seemed she had rushed here, as the faint scent of the outdoors clung to her.
“Not at all. These people are merely witnesses here to testify about the grave sin Betty has committed.”
“Since Betty has already confessed to her crime, it seems further witnesses are unnecessary.”
The nanny’s firm words made the butler, who had been glaring at her, reluctantly shake his head. The servants standing behind him left the room like a receding tide.
Even the butler, it seemed, couldn’t afford to be rude to the nanny.
After all, she was the one who controlled the household finances.
Once the intimidating presence of the servants had disappeared, the nanny finally softened her gaze.
She looked at Betty, still kneeling on the floor, and then back at the butler.
“Mr. Gerard, I kindly ask you to overlook this incident.”
The always-confident nanny bowed her head deeply before the butler.
