Done by “Freya”
Chapter 21
Aira picked up the medicine bottle she had taken from Jessie earlier and read out the information on the label.
Hearing her voice, Jessie’s mind was filled with deep confusion. Her lips trembled and moved unconsciously.
“T-That… That can’t be….”
Jessie clearly remembered what Lady Luna had told her. She had said that if a person took this medicine, they might have an upset stomach for about a week.
As far as Jessie knew, Lady Luna was very knowledgeable. When she first came to the Count’s household, she couldn’t read, but the Count had immediately assigned her a tutor to teach her reading and etiquette.
“……?”
Aira tilted her head slightly as she looked at Jessie as if asking why she had this medicine in the first place.
While countless confusing thoughts swirled in her head, Jessie’s survival instincts kicked in and led her to say the right thing.
“Y-Yes… Work is hard, and… just… supporting my family is tough….”
Thump, thump, thump.
Even as she lowered her head to avoid Aira’s gaze, her heart pounded loudly as if it would burst out of her chest.
‘Poison? If I had given this to Lady Aira as planned… she would have….’
Afraid that Aira would notice her trembling hands, Jessie clenched them tightly together. But she couldn’t stop her shoulders from shrinking.
Just thinking about what could have happened made her feel like her head was going to explode.
If Aira had taken the medicine and died, there would have been a strict investigation. Poisoning a noble was a serious crime… The terrifying royal guards would come for her, and not only would she be executed, but her family would suffer too.
If Aira hadn’t taken the bottle from her, she would have ended up in hell.
‘Why would Lady Luna…?!’
Why did she say that this would only cause an upset stomach for a week?
An upset stomach wasn’t a big deal. It was common, and since people eat many meals, it would be hard to pinpoint what caused it.
‘Why did she lie?! W-Was it a mistake? Or… did she use me on purpose…?’
Watching Jessie trembling with hunched shoulders, Aira’s lips briefly curled into a cold smile before returning to normal.
Then, she spoke again.
“Your inner struggles are something you must overcome on your own, but if you need time, your working conditions will improve.”
Jessie flinched. Aira continued in a calm voice.
“Starting next month, my father will be using the west annex, so we need more staff to clean it. It’s true that you’re overworked.”
Aira stood up, the fabric of her dress making a rustling sound.
Click, click.
The sound of her heels echoed as she walked towards the window. Jessie slowly lifted her head to watch her.
Bathed in the bright morning sunlight, Aira looked like a shining jewel.
Even though she wasn’t wearing any fancy accessories, and her dress was simpler than Lady Luna’s, she was still shining.
“The… The Count is moving to the west annex?”
“Yes. Didn’t Luna tell you? I thought she would, since she spends most of the time with you. Father needs to use the documents in the study there, so he decided to move his office closer for a while.”
Jessie had thought the maids were cleaning the west annex just because of Aira’s strict demands.
But if the Count was actually moving there, then it was truly important. If the cleaning wasn’t done properly, it would be a serious problem.
Her heart was still pounding. Everything she had just heard was overwhelming.
“So….”
Aira rested her hand on the window frame and continued speaking.
“I submitted a hiring plan to my father to recruit more maids.”
Jessie’s hands trembled.
As she stared blankly at Aira, she gave her a gentle smile.
“New maids will be joining soon, Jessie. Your workload will get lighter. Though, at first, you’ll have to teach them a lot.”
Jessie’s dull brown eyes wavered.
Aira had indeed submitted a hiring plan, but from what she was saying, she had no intention of firing the current maids.
She was simply hiring more staff to help with the workload.
Everything Jessie had believed in was crumbling like shattered rocks.
“Jessie.”
Aira called her name again.
Could Lady Aira always smile like that?
Jessie’s lips parted slightly in a daze.
“Yes, my lady.”
After gazing outside for a moment, Aira stepped away from the window and walked gracefully toward Jessie.
Then, she lowered herself slightly to meet Jessie’s eyes.
There was no arrogance and malice in Aira’s eyes Jessie once thought Aira had. Instead, her eyes were filled with kindness and understanding.
“Go home and rest today. And don’t ever think of doing something bad again.”
After Jessie left, Aira stretched her arms high and let out a deep sigh.
At this point, Aira had made many holes in the enemy’s plain, and now it was only a matter of time before the rain would pour in. The day after Luna sent the maid outside early in the morning, Aira tracked the maid’s destination and discovered a drugstore.
She hadn’t expected her to play such a dangerous card so soon, but she was happy.
The sky was heavy with dark clouds, as if a storm was about to break.
“……”
On Aira’s desk, three letters were placed.
The first letter was addressed to a railroad company that would soon rise to success in a few months.
Marceline had a blackstone mine, and the early preparations were crucial for the estate’s revival.
Once the railroad was established, she wanted to invest in the railroad business, and with the successful transport of quality grapes, she built closer ties with Count Chesswig’s family, expanding Marceline’s influence.
Since Aira had already seen the future, she had no doubts about what businesses would rise or fall.
There would be no second downfall for Marceline.
The second letter was a love letter from Xavier.
He had filled it with passionate words about how deeply he loved her.
“Your lips are as fragrant as ripe seasonal grapes, and I find myself lost in dreams of tasting them again.”
Although Xavier was affectionate and devoted in romance, he wasn’t clever enough to come up with such poetic words.
‘He must have asked someone to write it for him.’
With an indifferent expression, Aira skimmed through the letter and tossed it into the trash.
It wasn’t worth keeping it.
The last letter…
It had arrived early in the morning, along with a wine delivery from Reina.
Aira recalled something Reina had once said during their conversation.
“When I held those cruel misunderstandings about you, I didn’t think I needed to intervene… about your marriage to His Highness, I mean.”
In her past life, Aira had believed she was a Cinderella until the very moment she got married.
She had thought she was the luckiest among all noble ladies and believed Luna’s words that every noblewoman was jealous of her were true.
Well, Xavier was the perfect groom in terms of appearance.
Handsome, tall, of noble blood with the sacred lineage of the imperial family, and holding a high status—he had all the qualities women admired.
“Of course, if you love status, jewels, and luxury, he’s the best groom you could ask for. But… if what you truly want is love…”
Reina had trailed off, her eyes flickering with hesitation.
As a lady at the center of high society, Reina was well aware of all the rumors that spread in whispers.
“Sorry, that was out of line.”
As Reina tried to change the subject, Aira gave her a deep smile and shook her head.
She then admitted that she already knew Xavier wasn’t a good man and asked if Reina could send her any information about him.
Reina’s eyes widened in surprise, but after a moment, she nodded.
The letter contained details of Xavier’s dark past.
An incident where he killed three people at a gambling den while he was drugged.
As a boy, he and his friends had burned down a shop for fun.
The entire shopkeeper’s family had died in their sleep.
He had used a low-ranking noblewoman as a plaything and discarded her, leaving her family in ruins.
There were even records of him pushing a pregnant prostitute off a bridge, causing her to drown.
Of course, all these crimes had been covered up by Julienne’s influence, and with everyone keeping silent, only a few knew the truth.
“Meeting you has finally changed me into a better man.”
Aira’s lips curled into a smirk of pure disdain.
