The method proposed by Diane was very simple and efficient.
‘If Diane, wearing a ring, accidentally injures my palm, I’ll throw a fit and demand that they all hand over their accessories.’
Naturally, this included Veronica as well.
Veronica had been closely attending to Idel since receiving orders from Sylvia.
Of course, Diane, who suggested this idea, was fidgeting, saying, “I can’t actually injure Miss Idel’s hand…”
‘What a pointless worry.’
After modifying the plan, perhaps because she showed a somewhat softened demeanor in front of Diane? It seemed Diane quickly forgot the nature of the ‘second daughter’ from the rumors.
“…Ouch!”
“M-Miss Idel, are you okay?”
“Am I okay? You see my palm turning red, and you still ask that? Do I have to say I’m in pain for you to understand?”
In the rumors circulating around the duke’s residence, Idel was someone who could fly into a rage over even the smallest scratch.
Idel raised an eyebrow as she looked at Diane, whose eyes were wide with surprise, forgetting the situation.
Diane, barely catching on to the unspoken hint she was giving, gasped and quickly knelt.
“P-Please forgive me, Miss Idel! It was my fault!”
“Forgive? Ha, enough! Whether you apologize or not, the injury has already happened!”
Idel seemed even more angry at Diane’s words, stomping her feet. Then, with a furrowed brow, she approached Diane and swiftly grabbed her hand.
On Diane’s hand was the thin silver ring they had discussed earlier.
“Ha! So this ring is the reason my hand got hurt, huh? Because of this worthless trinket?”
“S-Sorry…”
“You couldn’t even do what you were supposed to… So that’s why it happened?”
With a sharp tone, Idel pressed Diane, twisting her lips as she scanned the room.
Behind the silent Veronica, the maids were seen with their hands clasped and heads bowed.
Even though they were plotting to get back at her later, they wouldn’t dare harm her in front of the duke’s daughter and their direct superior.
Idel, clearly remembering this, placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head defiantly.
“Hey, you all come over here and stand.”
“W-What? Miss Idel, why do we…?”
“I figured you’d be no different from her. If you’re going to wear useless things on your hands like her and end up hurting me again, what will you do? Hand them over.”
“Hand them over? You mean the accessories we’re wearing?”
“Are you deaf? Hurry up and take them off!”
At Idel’s loud shout, the servants hesitantly began to remove their accessories.
Of course, they didn’t hand them over immediately. Unlike when they couldn’t even make a peep to Idel before, now they had Veronica backing them up.
“What’s going on? Are you all ignoring me right now?”
“Miss Idel.”
“What!”
“You can’t just yell at the maids like that, no matter who you are. This behavior is not fitting for a member of the Clementine family.”
“What, not fitting for the Clementine family?”
Veronica stood tall, hands clasped, looking every bit the exemplary maid.
What she said was also the truth.
As a member of the high nobility, the House of Clementine had to maintain its dignity at all times.
Though it was true that she was countering Idel’s words, no one would reprimand Veronica for pointing it out.
Not even Sylvia or the Duchess.
‘But, that should be done with consideration for the situation and the opponent.’
The ‘second daughter’ in the rumors, ‘Idel Clementine,’ had already been holding back her anger several times.
She had endured the doll from the atelier, the inconvenience of her missing belongings, and all the other petty annoyances in her daily life.
‘But, to be honest, it wasn’t like I was patiently enduring it; rather, I had no choice but to put up with it.’
No one listened to the words of ‘Idel Clementine,’ who had rejected the Duchess’s hand.
Protesting against Idel today over the injury to her palm was part of that.
‘In other words, I should be at the point of being thoroughly irritated right now.’
Whether the other party was saying something right or not, if it rubbed her the wrong way, she would bite back.
‘But thinking about it, it’s ridiculous. It’s true that I’m the one who set this up, but isn’t it wrong to harass a child like this?’
It was like threatening an animal and then getting angry when it bore its claws.
Do they think they can just get away with it because they speak politely?
Regardless of how satisfying the situation in front of her was, the display of strength and weakness was quite unpleasant.
Could that be why?
“Is there anyone here who treats me as a Clementine?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“The nonsense is you all daring to ignore the orders I’ve given. If words don’t work, fine. I’ll show you how a ‘Clementine’ acts through actions. Hand it over quickly!”
“Ah! Miss Idel!”
Idel was able to lunge at Veronica with a bit of genuine anger.
While the servants’ eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected scuffle they thought they would never see among nobles, Idel’s hand reached for Veronica’s ring.
The winner between Idel, who clung desperately to Veronica, trying to shake her off, was, as expected, Idel.
-Clang!
“……What is this ring?”
Originally, Idel’s goal wasn’t to take her ring but simply to create a small opening.
Watching Veronica’s expression turn pale, Idel slowly picked up the ring.
Somehow, it felt like she could hear Veronica urgently gasping for breath.
Regardless, just as Idel was about to examine the ring slowly, Veronica shouted at her in a sharp voice.
“Miss Idel! Please return my property, immediately!”
Was it because what she held in her hand was her greatest secret?
Veronica seemed completely flustered, daring to use an authoritative tone with her mistress.
Hearing the brief gasps of shock from those around her, Idel raised an eyebrow and slowly opened her mouth.
“Immediately? You dare to give me orders, a mere maid? So… Veronica Wands…?”
“……That is….”
Upon hearing Idel’s words, Veronica, with her face now completely pale, hurriedly knelt down.
The ‘Idel Clementine’ she served had never remembered her name even once.
In other words, the fact that she called her by name now meant…
‘She saw it! Miss Idel saw the inscription inside the ring!’
Idel Clementine, the person who had never shown any interest in her, had discovered her secret.
Realizing the situation, Veronica quickly scanned her surroundings. There were only six servants present.
All of them knew that she and Demaric were cousins.
‘If Miss Idel were to read the contents of the ring in front of them…!’
No. That absolutely cannot happen.
Feeling as if all the blood was draining from her body, Veronica immediately knelt before Idel, right next to Diane.
“Miss Idel, I—I was wrong. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“Miss Veronica?”
“…Oh my, Miss Veronica…”
The murmurs of the bewildered maids around her could be heard, but to Veronica, that was of no concern.
Looking up at Idel in a hurry, Veronica was about to apologize again when Idel, with a strange expression, moved her lips first.
“That’s strange. Until now, you were saying that my behavior wasn’t fitting for a Clementine and that I should return the ring immediately… Why are you suddenly saying that you were wrong?”
“Th-that is… that is because I…”
“Why? Do you perhaps feel guilty about something?”
“Ah!”
Idel, having struck at her weak point, confidently took a step forward.
Veronica knelt down, bringing their eye levels closer.
Idel faced her and gave a bright smile.
A innocent, childlike smile spread across her face, but it only made her look more mischievous.
“Veronica, I have one question.”
“Yes?”
Her hurried response was met with a voice so quiet that only the two of them could hear, yet it echoed unusually loudly.
“Are you and Sylvia both marrying Demaric? Because when I visited Sylvia recently, Demaric said he was her fiancé.”
“……”
“Or is one of you lying to me? What do you think?”
