Episode 42

The dark head quickly disappeared around the corner.

I tilted my head in curiosity.

‘Why is Edwin going that way?’

That area only had the living quarters for the servants and a few small storage rooms.

There was no reason for the family members to go there.

After hesitating for a moment, I quietly headed in that direction.

‘Edwin wouldn’t go there without a reason.’

My intuition told me something was up.

Sneaking quietly, I soon reached the corner where Edwin had vanished.

Peeking around the edge, I saw Edwin.

A butler and a couple of servants were also there.

They were standing in front of a door.

“She locked herself inside and isn’t responding. She even stole the master key for the servants’ quarters…”

The butler said, looking distressed, appealing to Edwin.

‘Something’s definitely happening!’

I marveled at my keen instincts.

“What’s there to think about? Break it.”

Edwin said coldly.

The butler’s face turned ashen.

“But since the craftsman who made the door died, replacements are hard to come by. Perhaps we could find a way to minimize the damage…”

“You said she locked all the windows too. Are we going to stand here all night because of a door?”

“A door, young master! Every door, wall, and pillar in this mansion is part of Kallios’s history and culture…!”

“Hey. Go get an axe.”

Edwin ignored the butler’s protests and gave a command.

“Yes!”

Two servants standing nearby quickly ran off.

The storage room wasn’t far, so they soon returned with an axe.

“Try to minimize the damage. If you just break the doorknob area, we might manage…”

Smash―! Crack!

With the butler’s urgent advice, the two servants raised the axe and began chopping at the door.

Bang! Whack!

Crack! Crack!

When the two strong men struck the door with axes, it broke easily.

“Aah! What are you doing?!”

A woman’s scream echoed from the half-broken door.

Click.

One of the servants reached through the large gap in the door and unlocked it.

Creak.

As the door opened, the butler muttered helplessly,

“I told you to just break the doorknob, you fools…”

But none of the servants rushing into the room paid any attention to his muttering.

A moment later,

“Let go of me! You brutes! Do you think you’ll get away with this?!”

A familiar woman was roughly dragged out of the room.

Dressed in an elegant green dress that didn’t match her status, the woman with brown hair was Emma.

“Young master!”

Seeing Edwin, she brightened up and called out to him.

But,

“Take her away.”

Edwin ordered coldly, with a jerk of his chin.

The servants, who had paused momentarily, resumed dragging the woman out roughly.

“Young master! Wait…!”

“…”

“At least let me take my belongings! My things are inside! Butler!”

Emma pleaded with the butler after Edwin ignored her.

“You should have left on your own when you had the chance.”

The butler shook his head solemnly.

In the end, Emma couldn’t take her belongings and was dragged out like a beast through the back door at the end of the hallway.

Hearing the commotion, other servants started coming out of their rooms one by one.

I quickly slipped into the crowd of people who had gathered to watch.

“Oh my!”

“Miss Belze?”

As I maneuvered between their legs, the maids were startled and lifted their skirts.

“Shh!”

I put my finger to my lips, and they quickly fell silent, glancing around nervously.

‘Let’s watch the show together.’

Once I found a suitable spot, I peeked out from behind one of the maid’s skirts again.

Through the wide-open doors, I could see Edwin’s back and Emma, who was thrown to the ground.

She quickly got up with an indignant look on her face.

“Young Master! You can’t do this to me! I’ve been so dedicated to the Duchess!”

“…”

“When the Duchess was pregnant with the young masters, she relied on me so much!”

“…”

“Are you really going to kick me out because of that wretched girl?!”

“That wretched girl?”

Edwin, who had been silent despite Emma’s ranting, suddenly responded coldly.

“Do you find the Saintess candidate personally chosen by Father to be a joke?”

“She’s just a lowly common orphan! And there are rumors that she’s far less capable than the other candidates…!”

“…”

“You’re kicking me out for suspecting that orphan girl? After all my years of dedication?! Both the Duke and you are being too harsh!”

Emma looked around, seemingly seeking support from the gathered crowd.

However, the previously gossiping servants were now silent, not wanting to risk being thrown out like Emma.

Edwin let out a dry laugh.

“And you.”

“…”

“What grand status do you have to have been meddling with Joshua’s jewelry box?”

“T-That’s…!”

Emma flinched.

“It’s a misunderstanding! I did organize the jewelry box, but I didn’t steal anything, Young Master!”

“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or the truth. That doesn’t matter much, Emma.”

Edwin tilted his head slightly.

“The fate of a servant who falls out of favor is always the same. Even if you didn’t actually steal the ring, nobles aren’t particularly interested in the truth.”

“…”

“They’ll just be curious about why you were kicked out of the mansion.”

“W-What do you mean…?”

“What do you think? It means you’ll have a hard time finding a new job.”

“H-Huuh!”

Emma’s eyes widened in shock, and she froze.

Unconcerned, Edwin elegantly extended his hand to the butler.

“Anderson.”

“Yes. Here it is, young master.”

The butler took out a rolled-up piece of paper and handed it to Edwin.

Unfolding it, Edwin grabbed both ends and tore it in half.

Riiip!

Edwin discarded the torn paper without hesitation.

The pieces fluttered in the air before landing at Emma’s feet.

She looked down at the torn paper with a stony expression.

Unfortunately, from my position, I couldn’t see what was written on it.

But I had a good idea of what Edwin had torn.

‘A recommendation letter.’

Without a recommendation from her previous employer, it would be extremely difficult for her to find a position in another household.

“Father was willing to give you a chance if you left quietly.”

“This can’t be…”

“But you threw away even that chance, Emma.”

Edwin shrugged as if regretting her decision.

Emma’s face turned pale.

With a twisted expression, she shouted,

“This is unfair treatment!”

“Unfair treatment?”

“Yes! This recommendation was written by the Duchess before she passed, considering my dedication as her personal maid! Young master, you have no right to tear it up you are overstepping your authority!”

“Overstepping my authority…”

Edwin repeated her words, laughing softly.

Though I couldn’t see his face, his voice sounded eerily cold.

‘Oh no. Edwin seems really angry…’

My heart pounded.

As I watched the situation anxiously, I wished Emma would just keep quiet and leave.

But Emma, as usual, didn’t know her place.

“You seem to have forgotten, but I am also a semi-noble! If word gets out that the Duke’s household mistreated and unfairly dismissed a maid, it won’t be good for your reputation…!”

“Ah, a semi-noble.”

Edwin turned to the butler as if recalling a forgotten fact.

“Butler, can a woman who sold her only title and is left with debts from her dead husband still be considered a noble?”

“No, unfortunately, according to imperial law, the family of a semi-baron doesn’t even make it onto the noble register.”

In other words, Emma had never been considered a noble.

There were gasps of astonishment from the servants around me.

“My goodness! And she’s been parading around claiming she’s a baroness?”

“She even bragged about her husband leaving a substantial inheritance!”

“So it was all lies?”

“Ugh…!”

Emma’s face turned red as she heard the murmurs.

‘The longer this drags on, the more her true colors are revealed.’

It seemed that the Duke’s offer to leave quietly was very generous.

But Emma, pushed to the edge, continued to shout desperately.

“Still, many noble ladies adored me while the Duchess was alive!”

“…”

“The Countess of Harris, a close friend of the Duchess, would certainly take me in if she hears my side…!”

“Well, who would want to hire a nanny who steals from her master?”

“What…!”

“Spread the word subtly, butler.”

“Yes.”

Edwin added coldly,

“This is Father’s order, Emma. If you refuse to leave quietly and start spreading lies, you’ll be blacklisted from all noble households.”

“Young master!”

Finally, it seemed Emma realized the gravity of the situation, her expression changing abruptly.

She lunged at Edwin like an enraged bull.

“Let go!”

“Whoa!”

“Young master!”

The servants hurried to restrain her, but Emma, with surprising strength, shrugged off the two strong men and finally.

Thud!

She collapsed at Edwin’s feet, clutching his pant leg.

“Young master Edwin! It’s me, Emma! The one who practically raised you!”

Changing her address from “young master” to “young lord,” Emma pleaded tearfully.

“Though I neglected you a bit after Joshua was born… I took such good care of you when the Duchess was alive! We have so many memories together!”

“Get off.”

Edwin snarled fiercely.

The butler stepped forward hesitantly.

“Mrs. Caston, please don’t do this. This is disgraceful…”

“Is it because I focused too much on young master Joshua? Are you doing this out of resentment towards me?”

Emma’s next words were shockingly audacious.