“Episode 10”
“Lady Yuliana!”
“Are you alright?”
“Shall I bring some medicine?!”
“Ugh… my head hurts.”
Yuliana muttered as she shook her head.
“You, you can all leave now.”
“What?! M-me?!”
The youngest maid trembled with confusion, her forehead clearly displaying her status as a new maid.
Among the maids who were exchanging glances, the most courageous senior maid opened her mouth.
“Um, Lady Yuliana. I’m just an inexperienced maid who’s still learning. I’ll attend to you.”
‘Is she the head maid?’
She was a middle-aged woman with a wrinkled face and a somewhat authoritative demeanor.
Under normal circumstances, Yuliana would have replied, “Very well, then.” After all, Yuliana von Obein, or Ishyan, as she was known in her past life in a Confucian country, was accustomed to respecting elders.
However, she ignored her instinctive deference towards elders and firmly responded:
“Having everyone gather around me doesn’t seem to be helping. You can go out and assist with changing wet clothes and fetching water.”
“Lady Yuliana…”
“What’s wrong?”
Yuliana opened her eyes wide.
Her trembling pupils, although they might have seemed like a final act of defiance, were a terrifying sight for those born and raised in a society where social status was paramount.
Faced with the behavior of a feeble sparrow puffing up its chest and trying to appear threatening, the head maid and the other maids had no choice but to withdraw, leaving only the youngest maid behind.
“Um, Head Maid Jen!”
With the sentiment of leaving behind an abandoned child, the other senior maids disappeared through the crack in the door.
The youngest maid trembled in confusion, not knowing what to do. Ignoring her, Yuliana spoke assertively:
“What’s your name?”
“I-it’s Anna.”
“Good. Anna, you’ll have to be my ears and mouth for a while.”
“What?!”
“Well, maybe that’s not the right way to put it. Should I say you’ll be my servant?”
Didn’t powerful figures in dramas do this? Did they bribe people to boss them around like this? Yuliana pondered deeply.
Anna trembled nervously, sensing that she had fallen into some sort of trap.
“Um, Lady… Lady Yuliana.”
“Yes?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“Hmm? Oh, right. I need to give you a bribe.”
“What?”
Yuliana walked briskly and rummaged through a jewelry box. Then, she suddenly handed a diamond necklace to Anna.
“Take this.”
“Lady Yuliana! I-I can’t accept something like this. I already receive a salary, and… And Head Maid said we must never desire such things.”
“Oh. Can’t I give it to you directly?”
“W-well, um… That’s…”
Anna, overwhelmed with dilemma, rolled her eyes. Sensing her hesitation, Yuliana casually placed the necklace into Anna’s apron pocket.
“Lady Yuliana!”
“It’s nothing much, really.”
Yuliana murmured, “Just take it… Just take it…” Anna jumped up and down in confusion, unsure of what to do.
“T-this is really awkward!”
“Anna.”
“Yes?”
As Anna hesitantly attempted to retrieve the necklace, she suddenly stopped. Yuliana, with a compassionate gaze, encased her flushed cheeks.
“L-Lady Yuliana…?”
Who could resist the gaze of their mistress? Despite her robust physique, Yuliana’s stunning appearance as a flamemage, coupled with her dazzling beauty as a Lady, was enough to create rumors.
And the Lady before Anna surpassed those rumors with her beauty. The term “beauty that transcends gender” referred to the Lady before her.
In the presence of the protagonist of those rumors, Anna blushed furiously.
And inside, Yuliana, who had used her appearance throughout her life to exploit people’s weaknesses, chuckled inwardly.
Then she deliberately coughed.
“Cough cough!”
It was a forced cough, but Anna was startled nonetheless. She rushed to fetch water, pat her back, or open the window, in a flurry of commotion.
Yuliana finally managed to calm her down.
“Anna.”
“Yes!”
Yuliana looked at Anna, who was kneeling with shining eyes, and spoke gently.
“If the Duke tries to enter my room, can you come up with some excuses to prevent him from entering?”
It was essentially telling her to disregard her employer who paid her salary.
Anna was taken aback.
“T-That’s…”
“Cough cough!”
“Lady Yuliana! We should call for a healer…”
“It’s fine. I’ve always been sick since I was a child. I hate seeing healers.”
“B-But…”
Anna teared up.
Yuliana gently tapped her cheek with frail fingers and smiled weakly.
“You’re adorable. Are you worried about me?”
“I-I’m just a maid of the Duke’s. It’s, it’s natural.”
Anna blushed furiously and stammered. Then she hesitantly clasped her hands together. Yuliana, looking sympathetic, said:
“Yeah. All the servants here belong to the Duke’s household. I don’t have any servants of my own.”
“That’s not true! The Duke belongs to the Duchess…”
The last sentence was cut off as Anna realized her mistake.
And inwardly, Yuliana, who had used her appearance throughout her life to exploit people’s weaknesses, chuckled.
Then she deliberately coughed.
“Cough cough!”
It was just a forced cough, but Anna was startled nonetheless. She rushed to fetch water, pat her back, or open the window, in a flurry of commotion.
Yuliana finally managed to calm her down.
“Anna.”
“Yes!”
Looking at Anna, who was kneeling with shining eyes, Yuliana spoke compassionately.
“If the Duke tries to enter my room, can you come up with some excuses to prevent him from entering?”
Essentially, it meant disregarding the employer who paid her salary.
Anna was taken aback.
“T-That’s…”
“Cough, cough!”
“Lady Yuliana! We should call for a healer…”
“It’s okay. I’ve always been sick since I was a child. I hate seeing healers.”
“B-But…”
Anna teared up.
Yuliana tapped her cheek with a frail finger and smiled weakly.
“You’re adorable. Are you worried about me?”
“I-I’m just a maid of the Duke’s. It’s, it’s natural.”
Anna blushed furiously and stammered. Yuliana, seeming sympathetic, said:
“Yeah. All the servants here belong to the Duke’s household. I don’t have any servants of my own.”
“That’s not true! The Duke belongs to the Duchess…”
“What are you talking about? Evan is the only one inheriting the ducal title and estate. All I’ll inherit is our father’s baron title, the castle, and the Dragon Ruins. Do you realize how smelly and damp those Dragon Ruins are? Think about it. It’s like earning money from other people’s graves.”
There was a huge uproar among the nobles who were willing to discard the mere title if they could just claim the insignificant Dragon Ruins.
Anna raised an eyebrow.
Is it really that insignificant? The Baron of Oban has been refusing it for generations, and has formed his own power base within the empire’s aristocracy and using that money.
Yuliana Oban, as the only daughter of that baron, would inherit the baron’s title and everything else once the baron passes away. Anna didn’t quite understand.
Just before Anna could voice her rational doubts, Yuliana opened her eyes wide and said,
“So, in summary, I’m in a lonely situation!”
“Are you lonely?”
“Yeah. Our father is all alone on a distant estate—”
“It’s only a 30-minute carriage ride away.”
Ignoring Anna’s words, Yuliana said coldly,
“And the Duke we meet often is so indifferent—”
“The Duke always comes to visit the Duchess. The Duchess—”
“Oh, come on! Can’t you see I’m talking here? Anna, you’re my confidante but you don’t seem to know how to listen.”
“Me?!”
‘Already a confidante!’ Anna, taken aback, widened her eyes.
Yuliana, who was about to burst with her usual temperament, regained her composure and spoke weakly again,
“Um, well. I said it because I was thinking how nice it would be if you became my confidante. Since I have nothing.”
Although she had quite a lot for someone who claimed to have nothing.
But Anna, who was only 18 years old this year, was too young to grasp her acting skills, so she immediately started suspecting ulterior motives.
Yuliana, who was clearly showing signs of frustration, lifted her head slightly behind her handkerchief.
“Don’t you see that I’m refusing the Duke’s visits?”
“Yes. He came yesterday as well.”
“I’m still intimidated by the Duke. Actually, we only lived together for a year. The following year, he went straight out on a barbarian suppression mission. I find him a bit daunting.”
Yet Yuliana Oban often displayed a demeanor that belittled the Duke.
For the maids and servants who originally worked at the ducal estate, it was natural to turn a deaf ear and let things slide, but Anna was different.
She was truly a ‘newcomer.’ Anna hesitated, unable to interfere but unable to refuse, her lips twisted in confusion.
Seeing Anna’s clear perplexity, Yuliana spoke to her.
“It’s not that difficult. If you just give me a few excuses and say that I’m politely refusing the visits, I’d appreciate it.”
“Ca, can’t the Duchess refuse?”
“I’m afraid of upsetting him. If I keep refusing to see him, he’ll get even angrier and treat me even more coldly. Then I’ll have nowhere to go.”
“Why not go to the Baron?”
“…Hmm. You really don’t understand anything…”
“Me?”
Anna chuckled again.
Yuliana regained her composure and buried her face in her handkerchief. Then, shaking the handkerchief without a trace of tears, she pleaded,
“As you know, I lack imagination. I hope you can give me some imagination to come up with good excuses. Why aren’t romance novels popular among the maids?”
Yuliana pulled out a romance novel hidden under her pillow.
Items sent to the Duchess’s room were inspected by strict housemaids or stewards. In other words, there was no way to sneak in anything good; only appropriate items—meaning boring items—were allowed.
The same applied even to Yuliana lying in her sickbed.
Normally, she would have ignored the people at the ducal estate and gathered various fancy items to suit her taste, but she was now making a fuss to erase her extravagant image and show a new side of herself.
Finally understanding Yuliana’s sinister intentions, Anna clapped her hands cheerfully and said.
“Ah! So all I need to do is get you some romance novels?”
“Yeah. I’d appreciate it if you could also get me a humanities book called ‘The Divorce of Nobles.'”
“What? That’s not a humanities book…”
“Oh my. Wasn’t it? I guess I’ll have another reason to reread it this time.”
Ignoring Anna’s murmurs of “It really isn’t….,” cleverly, Yuliana repeatedly cleared her throat and fake coughed to divert attention.
Becoming Yuliana’s personal attendant, Anna quickly opened the window, making the sound of a necklace jingling in her pocket as the air rushed out of the room, and Yuliana took a deep breath.
—
And so, three days passed since Yuliana Oban lay in bed.
Normally, it would have been a time for her chick-like vitality to recover, but not this time.
Upon hearing the news of Yuliana’s prolonged illness, the mansion, usually bustling with followers, was locked in an unfamiliar silence, this time not just because the Duke had returned, but also because of the Duchess’s contemptuous attitude displayed at the last party.
As a result, Yuliana’s fervent yet foolish fans began to express their love in different ways.
It’s unclear who started it first, but articles adorned with metaphors and allegories began to pile up in newspapers.
Since Yuliana Oban’s glamorous appearance was so famous, most of the articles used metaphorical descriptions of her beauty.
And today, upon hearing this news, Yuliana screamed and tore the newspaper to shreds.
“Argh! You wretches!”
“Eek!”
Startled by her scream, Anna, who was holding a teacup precariously, accidentally dropped it, shattering it into pieces.
Crash!
However, whether the teacup shattered or not, Yuliana didn’t stop wringing the newspaper. Seeing this, Anna, who had become Yuliana’s personal attendant, quickly picked up the scraps of the newspaper and asked busyly.
“Um, Duchess. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I have a headache. Why was I reincarnated into such a world? What did I do wrong in my past life?”
“What?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Yuliana buried her face in the blankets like a reed swept away by a typhoon.
As Anna finished tidying up the surroundings and glanced at the fallen Duchess’s head, she finally asked, “Have you finished reading all the books?”
“…Huh?”
Yuliana, with a puzzled expression, furrowed her brow.
“What book?” she asked. Anna, whose face was flushed from the accumulated chores of the past few days, cheerfully replied, “I got you the book. Do you know how hard it was to find it at the bookstore? Plus, when the maids go out, the housekeeper inspects their belongings—”
“Right. That’s why your favorite gardener brought it for you. But are you going to date that Thompson?”
“Oh my. I wouldn’t date such a guy. I’m only here to help you, Duchess.”
“Well, that Thompson seems to have a different idea.”
Yuliana chuckled softly.
Anna blushed and pursed her lips.
“If you appreciate my efforts, you shouldn’t dismiss them like that. But why did you suddenly look for a romance novel?”
Yuliana glanced at the book lying by her pillow and hesitated.
“Well….”
