Episode 13
‘But how am I supposed to stop it?’
After returning from the temple, Eliano sat at her vanity while the maids helped her bath and dress. She had decided to stay away from tea parties and social events for a while. News had already spread about what happened with Lady Sanders, even before the gossip about chasing out Lady Hyren had died down.
Everyone in the social world was buzzing, saying the first daughter of the House of Rosana had changed. From gentlemen’s clubs to tea parties, people wouldn’t stop talking about it. Though she received even more invitations than usual, Eliano declined them all, using poor health as an excuse.
Surprisingly, the gossip at the Crown Prince’s private gentlemen’s club quieted down quickly. A high-ranking noble who got tired of hearing the same thing every day finally shut down the conversation.
— Lady Hyren may be the daughter of a border marquis, but she’s not someone who compares to Lady Rosana. What happened was a personal matter handled according to social rules, so it’s none of our concern. As for Lady Sanders, it’s not even worth discussing.
Those words came from Duke Flint Howard — the ruler of the North, the Crown Prince’s close friend, and Bianteca’s greatest warrior who had never lost a battle. With such status and presence, people didn’t dare argue. He carried the overwhelming aura of a seasoned soldier.
Even the more timid men found it difficult to speak to him. The gentlemen who had been gossiping and picking apart Eliano and other young ladies immediately shut their mouths.
One chatty noble son spread Duke Howard’s words to the ladies’ tea circles. As soon as people heard what Duke Howard had said, no one wanted to be seen as someone who gossiped about trivial matters. And naturally, even Eliano heard about it.
‘Still the same man. I thought he’d be more hot-tempered now.’
Eliano smirked, remembering Flint Howard from her past life. It was exactly the kind of thing a man like him would say — someone who disliked gossip and stayed away from social circles. He clearly found those kinds of rumors cheap and meaningless. Though she didn’t expect him to be so blunt about it.
Either way, he understood what she meant and didn’t return the hairpin. If he had sent it back to the Rosana household, her father would’ve made things very difficult for both of them.
The Duke of Rosana often yelled at his daughter, telling her not to act like a loose woman. Eliano didn’t care if Duke Howard got in trouble, but her safety mattered. If Duke Howard sent her belongings back, her father would go crazy. Even if all he said was that she was trying to seduce a man, it would be bad enough.
It was always safest to avoid getting romantically linked to any man. Her father basically held power over her life and death.
Even so, she dropped the hairpin to create a coincidence between her and Flint. That old-fashioned, cliché move took on a clever twist with Eliano’s intent behind it. It was a tactic that only worked on a man like Flint Howard, who was too honest for his own good.
He wasn’t interested in women at all — even in the future, he never married. So how could someone like him guess whether the hairpin was dropped on purpose?
For someone like Eliano, who had survived the brutal social world of Zacador, dropping a hairpin at the perfect moment was easy. She always kept one ready just in case. Still, when she finally dropped it, it came from a sudden emotional impulse.
— I came to bring you home, My Lady. Don’t you want to stop running away? If you take my hand, you can live a peaceful life in your homeland.
In her past life, when she had desperately wanted to escape, the hand he offered had touched her frozen heart. It wasn’t love or romance — it was something more like hope. A kind of hope she thought she had already lost.
It felt like he had pulled out that hidden hope from deep inside and placed it gently in her hand. If he hadn’t mentioned Demian Rosana’s name, and if she hadn’t been pregnant back then, Eliano might have taken his hand.
She had acted cold at the time, but deep down, she was very grateful to Flint Howard. That’s why she later told him the Crown Prince had died and helped him return safely to Bianteca.
— I don’t deny where I came from. But I am the Empress of Zacador, so I am Zacadorian.
— That’s exactly your root, Your Majesty. I’ve lived in Zacador for 20 years, but I’ve never forgotten my roots. I believe you’re the same.
Eliano smiled faintly as she remembered those words. Something about the way Flint Howard spoke always touched her heart. He wasn’t the type to use fancy words or sweet talk, but he made you believe in him.
Even during their first conversation, he felt trustworthy. A man with eyes like that didn’t speak lies. At the time, Eliano trusted her own judgement more than her husband’s words.
— He plays with many women without shame. That’s why you call him Emperor instead of husband, isn’t it?
True, her past husband spoke more smoothly than Flint — maybe it was all those years of experience. He was charming, even annoyingly so.
— Think clearly. I’ll protect you not as Rosana’s daughter, but in the name of Flint Howard. Don’t you want to live in peace?
Eliano’s thoughts were suddenly cut off by a sharp pain on her scalp.
“Ow!”
The pleasant memory vanished. Eliano’s eyes snapped up fiercely. But the maid who had pulled her hair by mistake just continued brushing slowly. Eliano was known for being angelic and rarely scolded the maids, so the girl didn’t even flinch.
“Stop.”
Even after Eliano’s cold command, the maid kept brushing. Eliano frowned and knocked the brush out of the maid’s hand. It clattered to the floor. The maid stared at her in shock.
“A maid who doesn’t follow orders has no place here. Leave.”
“Wh-what? My Lady?”
“What are you waiting for? Drag her out.”
Eliano had never told anyone to remove a maid before. The others were clearly shaken by her unexpected tone. They stood frozen in confusion.
Eliano gave them a look of disbelief.
“Nanny!”
Pamela, the head maid and her old nanny, peeked her head out from the bathroom.
“My lady, I’m busy in here, please just wait a litt—”
“Don’t make me say it twice, Nanny.”
Her sharp voice made Pamela rush over. This wasn’t like her gentle little lady. What had happened? Pamela looked down and saw the brush on the floor. She spoke gently.
“What’s made our sweet girl so upset? Oh no, was the brushing painful? You! Why aren’t you apologizing?”
Pamela scolded the maid, and the girl quickly knelt.
“I’m sorry, My Lady. My hand has been hurting lately… I made a mistake. Please forgive me.”
“Eliano will understand your situation, don’t worry too—”
“I said get her out of here and never let her into my room again.”
Pamela blinked in surprise.
“My Lady, did something bad happen at tonight’s party?”
“Why aren’t you doing what I said?”
Eliano’s voice was strong and filled with clear emotion. But Pamela didn’t seem bothered.
Lately, her lady had been trying hard to act more grown-up. Her changes were surprising at times, but Pamela had raised her since she was a baby. To Pamela, Eliano was pretty and elegant on the outside, but still simple-minded inside — almost like a child.
“Alright, My Lady. You, get out for now.”
At last, the maid bowed and left quickly. Eliano’s face flushed red with anger.
In the past, Eliano’s presence had been weak — like a child. That made her easy for the maids to control. They listened to Pamela, the real power in the house, more than they listened to Eliano.
‘How dare they.’
She was no longer kind enough to let others steal her authority. Eliano closed her eyes and took a breath.
Then, without looking at Pamela, she said,
“Don’t ever bring an unskilled maid into my room again.”
“My Lady?”
Eliano pointed to one of the other maids standing nearby.
“You. Do the brushing.”
“Y-yes, My Lady…”
“Wait, My Lady. It’s not about who brushes your hair…”
The maid hesitated, glancing between Eliano and Pamela. She clearly didn’t know who to follow. Seeing that, Eliano let out a cold laugh.
“Who is your master?”
The maids tensed. They were experienced, sharper than the ones doing chores. They had taken advantage of Eliano’s innocence and gotten cozy with Pamela, the real authority.
But Eliano was no longer that naïve girl.
She looked more like a duchess — maybe even more dignified than one. The quick-thinking maids lowered their heads and answered first.
“You, My Lady!”
One after another, the others quickly followed, shouting the same answer. Though the voices were messy, Eliano’s expression finally softened. It was only in Zacador that she had truly become a noble.
Being kind to your servants was a virtue. But letting them climb over your head made you a foolish master.
It was a painful truth — one she learned from her horrible ex-husband. She clenched her teeth.
Even in her past life, her husband had said Pamela was the one ruining the order of the palace, ignoring the mistress’s words and acting like the real master. He even questioned whether Duke Rosana truly loved his daughter. Eliano had cried then, and though her husband comforted her, he had still clicked his tongue at her for not controlling her own nanny.
That was during their newlywed days.
‘This time, I’ll handle her myself. Why shouldn’t I, when even a powerless prince could do it in the past?’
Her husband had once tried to kill Pamela — and Eliano had stopped him. She’d even helped Pamela escape. After that…
Eliano cut off the memory and spoke coldly.
“You say I’m the master, yet you listen to the nanny.”
The maids stayed silent. Eliano noticed a flicker in Pamela’s face. As expected, she said something sly.
“My Lady, the real master of the servants is Duke Rosana.”
“I’m not here to argue with you, Nanny.”
“I only spoke the truth.”
Eliano didn’t argue. She had learned how pointless and exhausting that was in her past life.
“You there. Go and bring me the chief butler.”
“M-me?”
The maid she pointed at froze. When Pamela glared at her, the maid began to tremble.
‘Nothing gets done unless I say it twice.’
Eliano stood up, no longer hiding her frustration.
“No one here listens to orders.”
That evening, a storm broke out in the House of Rosana.
