Chapter 27 : The Coming Weekend
After the maids withdrew without achieving anything, Aracila organized the related documents and went to find Demian.
“All individuals even slightly connected to Rosalyn and the head maid have been listed for dismissal. I will proceed with the arrangements accordingly.”
“Yes, do as you see fit.”
Demian briefly scanned the names on the paper and nodded. More than half of the maids who had worked in the mansion for years were being dismissed, yet he showed no sign of concern.
Aracila, who had been quietly observing his sharp features—so finely chiseled as if sculpted with a well-honed blade—finally asked,
“Are you alright?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The head maid worked under you for quite a long time. Since she betrayed you, I thought you might be feeling a deep sense of betrayal and loss.”
At those words, Demian’s fingers twitched slightly. The unexpected remark stirred something ambiguous within him.
It was ironic. The head maid, who had been by his side for years, had turned her back on him, yet Aracila, whom he had only recently met, was trying to empathize with his feelings.
This contradiction didn’t make him feel sorrowful or touched, but rather left him with an odd, indescribable sensation.
However, he did not let such emotions surface. Instead, he looked at Aracila with a calm expression and said,
“I didn’t expect you to have such a delicate side, Madam.”
“Don’t I look like a kind, good-hearted person with great empathy?”
“You look just like me.”
“…If that sounded like an insult, then I suppose my empathy is lacking.”
Seeing the subtle frown on Aracila’s face, Demian chuckled softly. Leaning against the windowsill with his arms crossed, he spoke.
“The head maid was never someone I particularly cherished in the first place.”
“Even so, the betrayal must have been shocking.”
“I’m used to it. It doesn’t bother me.”
Used to it?
That strangely unsettling word made Aracila want to question him further, but before she could, Demian spoke again.
“By the way, Madam, you seem quite fond of that maid, Audrey.”
“I treasure her immensely.”
“Is there a special reason for that?”
Although it was common for nobles to have a deep attachment to their personal maids, Demian couldn’t comprehend such feelings.
After all, every maid he had ever known had always been a traitor.
“Audrey was the first person to recognize my true worth.”
Aracila explained calmly.
“When I was young, everyone just thought I was strange. No one understood me.”
For example, when she was a child, Aracila once attended a charity event hosted by a noblewoman with her older sister.
After a typical fairy tale reading session, the noblewoman asked each child about their dreams for the future.
“I’m going to be a great knight!”
“I want to be a princess!”
“I want to be someone like my father!”
“I’ll be a virtuous wife and mother like my mom!”
While the other children shared their typical aspirations, Aracila’s answer was different.
“I want to be the greatest wizard in the world.”
At the time, she hadn’t yet dreamed of becoming the Master of the Magic Tower—she had simply wanted to be a powerful wizard.
But no one understood a little girl who spoke of a specific profession with such certainty.
Instead, they simply said,
“Oh, Aracila, you’re quite unique. It’s alright, you’ll grow out of it as you mature.”
Her dream was dismissed as nothing more than the naive ramblings of a child. Even the children her age treated her no differently, leaving Aracila without any friends.
She often fought with the kids who mocked her for being strange.
Concerned that her younger daughter would grow up isolated, the Marchioness introduced a maid of similar age—Audrey—into her life as a playmate. That was the first time they met.
“Audrey, when I grow up, I’m going to be an incredibly strong wizard and take over the world.”
“Really? That sounds amazing, my lady!”
Unlike everyone else, Audrey’s eyes sparkled with admiration. She didn’t call her strange or dismiss her ambitions.
“Having such a clear goal at a young age is truly impressive.”
“Hmph, really?”
“Of course! My lady is bound to grow into a wonderful adult. And you’ll definitely become an incredibly strong wizard!”
“Thank you. When that happens, I’ll share a bit of the world with you.”
“Thank you. That actually fits perfectly because my childhood dream was to become the Demon King and rule the world.”
From the very first day they met, Audrey’s attitude never once wavered.
“My lady always accomplishes whatever she sets her mind to. You must always have confidence.”
That’s why Audrey was special to Aracila.
“Audrey was the only one who consistently supported my dream. Even my sister had trouble fully understanding me when we were younger.”
In truth, Iris had grown up as the perfect noble lady, embodying the opposite of Aracila’s nature.
Even though Aracila cherished her sister more than her own dream, some things simply couldn’t be helped.
“Regardless of the master-servant relationship, having someone like that by your side is a blessing. No amount of money can buy it.”
“…You are right.”
Demian agreed, his gaze turning distant.
Aracila suddenly found herself wondering—did he have someone like that in his life?
Someone who would stand by him unconditionally, never wavering, never giving up on him.
‘Well, he’s an exceptional knight. He must have had at least one person like that. Just look at how many members there are in the Red Hawk Knights.’
With her business concluded, Aracila gathered the documents and prepared to leave the office.
“I’ll be going now. Take care.”
“Yes, you too, Madam.”
* * *
Before the week was over, more than half of the maids were dismissed without even a letter of recommendation. They would likely never work as maids again.
The day after the mass dismissal, Aracila brought in a large number of maids from the Hugo Marquisate to the Vandermeer estate.
Of course, it wasn’t as if she had brought them easily—she had to endure her mother’s nagging, “See? That’s why you should have listened to your mother from the start!” along with a few smacks on the back before she could take them.
With the instigators of the hostile atmosphere gone, the remaining maids became much more obedient.
Now, no one dared to challenge the authority of the mistress. The incident among the maids had spread throughout the entire estate, making the other servants more cautious as well.
“This is Emma, the new head maid. I hope you all get along well.”
Aracila smiled as she introduced the person her mother had recommended as the new head maid. With this, perfect peace was restored to the Vandermeer estate.
While she was reorganizing the estate’s affairs, Demian was busy interrogating the spies.
At first, both denied everything, but under severe torture, they eventually confessed.
“The Duke of Vandermeer ordered it! We were told to somehow make the master and madam divorce! If not, we were to find some flaw that could lead to a divorce. Please, please forgive us!”
Not long after Rosalyn fell, the head maid also broke down and confessed.
“The duke’s house approached me, saying they would pay off my son’s gambling debts. All I had to do was bring Rosalyn into the mansion and help her… I’m sorry, Master. Truly, I am sorry.”
So that’s why things had been so quiet after the wedding—they had been scheming in the background.
Demian ran a hand over his face and let out a sharp laugh. His slightly parted lips revealed pointed canines.
‘This only makes me want to find Grandfather’s will even faster.’
If the late duke’s will—stating that the heir to the family would be the grandson who married the Hugo Marquis’s granddaughter—was revealed, Demian would immediately secure his position as the official successor.
Then everything else would fall into place effortlessly.
The problem was that he didn’t know where the will was being kept. That was why he was currently working to track it down.
‘The sooner I move, the sooner this marriage will come to an end…’
As Demian stood by the window, looking outside, his gaze suddenly landed on Aracila strolling through the garden.
Her face was bright, her steps light. Her lavender hair swayed in the breeze, reflecting the sunlight in a brighter hue than usual.
‘You know, it won’t be easy to find a wife as smart, beautiful, and capable as me, right?’
Suddenly, he recalled what Aracila had said when she proposed to him. At the time, he had scoffed, but now… it seemed she had been right.
At this moment, there was no wife more useful to him than Aracila.
Acknowledging this, Demian spoke the moment she stepped into the office.
“Let’s go on a date, Madam.”
The words came at her before she had even fully closed the door. Aracila glanced around momentarily.
No one was around.
Which meant there was no need to put on an affectionate husband act for an audience. Then why was he acting like this?
‘Has he been pretending for so long that he’s started to believe it himself?’
Shooting him a suspicious look, Aracila firmly shut the door and sat down on the sofa. Her expression was utterly unimpressed, as if she couldn’t believe she had just received a date proposal.
“Are you going deaf already? Did you not hear what I said?”
“I’m younger than you, so at least make some sense. And why are you still playing the role of a loving husband when there’s no one around?”
Aracila narrowed her eyes and imitated his tone.
“Or have you already forgotten that this is all just an act, thanks to early-onset dementia?”
“Hah, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not like I enjoy doing this either.”
Demian, who had casually perched on the windowsill, frowned.
She never let anything slide, did she?
Still, he found this preferable to dealing with someone frustratingly passive.
“Rosalyn wrote a detailed report to the duke, claiming that there is distance between us. The family could use that as an excuse to push for a divorce.”
“Oh, so you want to show off a date in public to shut down any potential rumors before they start?”
“At last, you’re beginning to understand, Madam.”
Aracila thought it was impressive how he managed to make such a pleasant voice and affectionate words sound irritating.
“Alright, I accept your date proposal.”
“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude.”
Demian let out a dry laugh as he walked over to his desk, picking up some documents.
“Then, let’s go on our date this weekend.”
“Fine.”
Without looking up from the papers, Demian nodded slightly.
“Since that’s settled, you may leave now.”
Unbelievable.
The sheer rudeness of telling someone to leave without even sparing them a glance made Aracila shoot to her feet.
She marched to the door and slammed it shut behind her with a loud bang.
Demian scowled at the unexpected noise attack.
So determined were they to get on each other’s nerves that neither of them realized they had just set their first date.
* * *
It wasn’t until two days before the weekend that the date came to mind. That evening, Demian headed to Aracila’s bedroom.
Since their date was the next day, he needed to check her preferences before making any arrangements.
Knock, knock.
After knocking, he heard the faint rustling of movement inside. A moment later, Aracila peeked out from behind the door.
“Demian? What brings you here at this hour? Are you planning to sleep here tonight?”
“No. I have something to ask.”
“What is it?”
“I was about to book a restaurant, but…”
As he spoke, Demian’s gaze instinctively lowered, and his words trailed off awkwardly.
His eyes flickered uneasily before averting entirely. Aracila tilted her head.
“What are you looking at?”
“…”
“Demian?”
Closing his eyes momentarily, he opened his lips just slightly.
“Your robe.”
“Huh?”
“…Tighten your robe.”
At present, Aracila was wearing a thin slip beneath a loosely draped bathrobe.
Judging by the lingering scent of bath oils, she had recently bathed. The damp ends of her hair clung to her shoulders.
“Oh.”
Unbothered, she casually tightened the slightly loose robe.
Only then did Demian return his gaze to normal and let out a quiet chuckle.
“Do you have no sense of caution?”
“It’s just a bit of skin—it’s not like I’m going to die from showing it.”
She didn’t think much of it, considering she hadn’t even fully exposed herself.
Hearing her audacious remark, Demian closed his eyes briefly before sighing.
“Would it be acceptable to reserve Vesta Restaurant on 7th Avenue? After dinner, we could go for a boat ride on the nearby lake. There will be plenty of people around, so news of our date should spread quickly.”
“Sounds good. Let’s do that.”
“Understood. Have a good night.”
Demian gave a curt nod and turned to leave without a second glance.
Aracila hadn’t even had the chance to say goodnight.
Watching his tall frame disappear down the dimly lit corridor, she clicked her tongue.
Technically, she had been the one showing skin—so why did he act as if he were the one exposed and flee the scene?
What a ridiculous man.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
