SOWD Chapter 92

Chapter 92

“Come in, everyone. Today’s refreshments are limited edition desserts from Bluebird Bakery. Marsha, could you prepare the tea?”

“Yes, Madam.”

Marsha obediently answered and pushed a cart that another maid had prepared in advance. Carefully, she began setting teacups in front of the guests.

Just as she was about to finish pouring the hot tea, the Baroness began to speak in her usual tone.

“Marsha, the guests have some questions for you today.”

“Pardon? What could someone like me possibly have to say?”

Marsha shrank back, feigning timidity.

One of the ladies, who had been observing Marsha, smiled kindly and asked, “I heard you know a lot about the Count of Chrysos?”

“Oh, the Count of Chrysos… Yes, well, I worked as the head maid there since the family was first established.”

“Do you know that their butler is Idel Lancaster—or just ‘Idel’ now?”

“I’ve heard rumors. Ah, goodness, what an extraordinary person.”

Marsha shook her head dramatically, as if the mere thought disgusted her, prompting the visiting ladies to exchange knowing glances.

The woman who had started the conversation spoke again in a gentle voice, “What do you mean by ‘extraordinary’?”

“Oh, she does things that someone like me could never dare to attempt. She’s different from the noble ladies I’ve known.”

“In what way?”

“I’m terrified of saying the wrong thing and losing my head to the Count. He must truly treasure her for such things to happen.”

“That does seem to be the case. I’ve heard he trusts her deeply.”

Marsha began to feel grateful toward Idel and Laszlo for unwittingly adding credibility to her story.

“They must really be entangled by now. Hmph, I knew this would happen.”

As Marsha quietly smirked to herself, Baroness Owen steered the conversation forward again.

“You’re just sharing what you’ve seen and felt. Who could fault you for that? If the Count of Chrysos were to take offense at such a thing, it would be laughable.”

“Do you think so…?”

“The guests are curious, so why don’t you share a bit more?”

Exchanging a glance with the Baroness, Marsha reluctantly nodded, pretending to give in.

“From the moment the Count brought that woman into the house, he seemed completely smitten. She seems to be quite skilled at enchanting men.”

The woman who had first posed the question narrowed her eyes. “Is that so? What makes you think that?”

“Well, when she arrived at the mansion, she was wearing the Count’s cloak. Her clothing looked a bit disheveled, too. It wasn’t proper for me to look closely, but…”

The women furrowed their brows at this revelation, and Marsha eagerly pressed on with her lies.

“This is just something I’ve heard, but apparently that woman suffered unspeakable things on the way from the duchy to the capital. But seeing how she still managed to seduce the Count, who knows whether she was a victim of those events or an instigator.”

“Was there such a rumor? I haven’t heard of it.”

“Would such vulgar rumors ever reach the ears of refined noblewomen like yourselves? It likely spread among the soldiers who escorted her, and we servants only caught wind of it from them.”

For a moment, the ladies silently sipped their tea, as though contemplating something.

After a pause, Marsha spoke again. “Ah, I wonder if Lady Rinia is doing alright. That woman quickly settled in and became her personal maid. I worry that such a naive young lady might feel intimidated or overwhelmed by her.”

“Did Lady Rinia dislike her?”

“She seemed to dislike her quite a lot at first—a kind of instinctive aversion, you might say. But once that woman gained power in the household, it seemed like Lady Rinia started echoing whatever she told her to say.”

Marsha bit her lip, recalling how Rinia, who used to be pliant and obedient, had turned against her. Rinia had once been a reliable source of money for Marsha, and losing her had been a heavy blow. She should have dealt with Idel the moment she lost control.

“I was too soft, and now I’m paying the price.”

While Marsha wallowed in self-pity, another woman spoke in an odd tone. “So you’re saying Idel doesn’t act as a butler but is merely the Count’s mistress?”

Failing to catch the probing tone, Marsha scoffed and nodded. “Of course! As you all know, how could a sheltered duchess possibly act as a butler? It’s absurd. She’ll probably play the role of mistress for a while and then be discarded elsewhere.”

“That doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“Pardon?”

Suddenly, Marsha noticed that the guests were looking at her with icy expressions.

“All of us here have heard you speak before. Lady Angela and I recently attended Lady Rinia’s tea party.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Idel is highly trusted in that household. Lady Rinia holds her in high regard, and Idel herself carries herself with such humility that it’s hard to believe she was once a duchess.”

“She’s manipulating Lady Rinia! As I said, Lady Rinia only speaks as that woman directs her!”

This time, another woman responded sharply, “Don’t be ridiculous! Do you know what humiliation I endured because of you?”

“What do you mean?”

“At another party, I was accused of spreading nonsense because of what you said! Everyone knows Idel isn’t the Count’s mistress. They called me reckless for repeating such dangerous gossip!”

Another woman added with a displeased expression, “The Emperor strictly ordered that no harm should come to the prisoners during their transport. Count Chrysos personally oversaw the operation. Who told you these supposed ‘unspeakable’ things happened?”

“Exactly. Where did you hear that? The Count is well-known for severely punishing soldiers who mistreat female prisoners.”

The first woman and others chimed in. “You said Idel was greedy and ruthless, but we found her to be nothing of the sort. She even lends her special butler’s allowance interest-free to struggling servants. Her modesty is so extreme that even Lady Rinia finds it troublesome.”

“And from what my head maid told me, you were caught embezzling a significant sum from the Chrysos estate and were dismissed. You even bought yourself a fine house with the stolen money, didn’t you?”

“For embezzlement of that scale, you should’ve been executed by the Count. And yet, you dare to spread such malicious rumors?”

Bombarded by accusations, Marsha was too overwhelmed to respond. Still, the mention of her vanished house filled her with rage.

“Em-embezzlement? No! The house was bought with my wages, gifts from Lady Rinia, and all my savings!”

“If you’re so innocent, I can report it to the authorities for you. They’ll investigate whether a noble has wrongfully seized a commoner’s property.”

“N-no! I could never win against Count Chrysos!”

“The judiciary is impartial under the Emperor’s reign. My uncle is the Chief Magistrate, so I can help.”

Marsha’s face turned pale, and she began trembling.

Baroness Owen, startled by the escalating confrontation, tried to intervene. “L-ladies! There seems to have been some misunderstanding…”

“Misunderstanding? Baroness, you’d better take a clear stance. The Count of Chrysos has vowed to crack down on false rumors.”

“I-I merely took Marsha in as a favor to an acquaintance…!”

But she stopped mid-sentence, remembering the threat from the second son of the Milton family, who controlled the Owen family’s finances. His soft smile and veiled warning replayed in her mind:
“Do not, under any circumstances, let it be known that you planted her there. Absolutely not.”

“Well, in any case, it seems today’s tea time must end here. I’ll look into the matter further.”

“Yes, you should.”

The Baroness’s face flushed red with embarrassment.

 

The ladies, having come specifically to refute Marsha’s lies, left without protest. Their feelings toward both Marsha and the Baroness were far from favorable. Having suffered humiliation or nearly so due to Marsha’s fabrications, their resentment was palpable.

 

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