Early in the morning, as the Count and his son Gallet left the mansion with their attendants to deal with business matters, Gallet’s assigned maid, Lily, found herself with little to do other than cleaning.
Cleaning Gallet’s office and personal quarters while sneaking a peek at his documents had become second nature to her. She assumed Amanda, a low-ranking maid assigned to the Count, was likely doing the same.
Neither Gallet nor the Count suspected that their maids, mere commoners, could read, so they saw no need for caution.
With their assigned masters away, the maids enjoyed a brief reprieve. Soon, even Lady Florianne would leave to visit the Ember family, offering Lily and Amanda some additional leisure time.
As Lily exited Gallet’s room after cleaning it thoroughly, Amanda descended the stairs with a bucket and mop, having just finished cleaning the Count’s quarters.
“Done cleaning? Want to grab some cookies for a break?” Lily offered.
“Sure.”
“Let’s head to the break room.”
They put away their cleaning tools and entered the building housing the servants’ quarters. The first-floor break room was empty, as most of the staff were still on duty. It was only natural since they, too, would normally be accompanying their assigned masters.
After closing the door, Lily fetched cookies from a shelf while Amanda brewed some of the cheap tea favored by the staff. The two women didn’t exchange many words, but the air between them was one of comfortable familiarity.
“Is Lady Florianne visiting the Ember family today?” Amanda asked.
“That’s right. She’ll be spending time there for the foreseeable future.”
“Because Gallet is showing interest in the Ember lady?”
“Exactly. You know how Lady Florianne despises the men in her family.”
“Do you think she knows what they’re up to?”
“…Hard to say.”
Lily suspected that Florianne remained unaware of the depths of her family’s crimes.
Amanda, like Lily, was one of the maids driven by a shared purpose: revenge against the Count for the destruction of their families or loved ones. Originally, there had been eight of them, including Lily and Amanda. Now, only five remained.
One gave up on revenge and left. Another, Rosa, was caught while trying to smuggle out information and was executed. The third succumbed to depression and ended her life.
Although Rosa’s actions nearly jeopardized the others, her findings—a ledger documenting forced exploitation of commoners—weren’t enough to incriminate the Count and his son. The records could easily be misconstrued as a list of payments to hired workers. Even if the abuse had been proven, the laws of the empire offered little protection for commoners against the nobility.
In the beginning, the maids had sought justice. They wanted the Count and his son to face appropriate punishment for the suffering they had caused. But after Rosa’s death, their focus shifted. Now, they no longer cared about justice; they wanted blood.
“We still don’t know what that woman’s intentions are, right?” Amanda asked.
“She hasn’t visited the mansion since then.”
“It’s hard to believe that the Ember family’s daughter would hold a grudge against the Count’s family, let alone share our motives.”
“She didn’t seem like someone with a grudge.”
“But she did say something that sounded like she wanted to give us a chance.”
“She did.”
“Should we trust her?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t even know how she figured out our motives, which no one in this household knows, or what kind of opportunity she’s offering.”
“If she comes, we’ll seize the chance. If not, we stick to our own plan. Stay focused.”
The maids no longer dreamed of seeing the Count and Gallet punished by the empire’s laws. They wanted to take matters into their own hands, to kill them with their own hands. The pain they and their families had endured was real and ongoing, and no amount of legal retribution could make up for it.
Even if they knelt at the gates of the imperial palace and begged for intervention, the most the Count might face would be a modest fine. That was unacceptable. For them, the only solution was vengeance.
Lily, Amanda, and the remaining maids remained low-ranking servants. To poison a drink or commit any other act of sabotage, they would need to build deeper trust with their assigned masters. No one was willing to abandon their mission, even if it took years.
“Oh, there she goes,” Lily said, looking out the window. She spotted the Buildrander family’s carriage leaving through the main gate, a distant speck on the horizon.
The only person in the Buildrander household Lily could view without hatred was Florianne. At first, Lily had resented her as well. Unlike the powerless commoners, Florianne had noble status and influence. Lily had hoped, naively, that Florianne would do something about her father and brother’s crimes.
But after witnessing Florianne stand up to her father and receive a harsh slap in return, Lily let go of those expectations. She hadn’t forgiven Florianne, but she had come to understand that no one would risk their safety to fight someone else’s battles.
“This is our burden to bear,” Lily thought. “No one else will fight it for us.”
“Amelie seems down lately. Keep an eye on her since you share a room,” Amanda said as they wrapped up their break.
“Got it. See you later.”
As Amanda and Lily parted ways, Florianne sat inside the carriage, heading toward the Ember household. Perhaps it was Beatrice’s warning to stay wary of Gallet, but instead of visiting the Count’s residence again, Beatrice had sent an invitation to the ducal estate.
Florianne had immediately responded, agreeing to meet Beatrice. She had decided it was far better for her to visit than risk her brother encountering Beatrice. Sitting across from her in the carriage was her maid, Emilia, holding a box wrapped in fine fabric on her lap.
“Do you think the Duke or the second son will be at the estate when we arrive?” Emilia asked.
“Unlikely. Calrex is busy with imperial duties, and Felix is part of the imperial knights. They’re probably working right now.”
“I was hoping to see them again after such a long time.”
“We used to see them all the time when we were young. Aren’t you sick of them by now?”
“Are they really the kind of faces one could get sick of?” Emilia teased.
“Maybe not,” Florianne replied with a faint smile.
One of the main reasons Florianne is considered a potential fiancée for Duke Calrex Ember is the frequent interactions between their families since childhood.
The Buildrander family is one of the vassal families of the Ember duchy. Since Gallet, being of similar age to Calrex, was assigned as his playmate, Florianne, who often followed her brother around, naturally grew closer to Calrex. Over time, she continued to interact with him even without Gallet’s involvement.
Calrex and Gallet were neither particularly close nor distant, their relationship hovering in a neutral zone.
“Neither Calrex nor Felix harbors feelings for me. And yet, just because we’ve been close since childhood, I’m suddenly a candidate for fiancée,” Florianne remarked.
“Well, isn’t it better than marrying a complete stranger?” her maid Emilia replied.
“I’d honestly prefer a stranger. We’ve been friends for too long.”
“My, wouldn’t the Duke be hurt to hear that?”
“As if. Calrex should hurry up and marry someone, anyone. Honestly, how is he still without a fiancée at his age?”
When they were younger, Florianne couldn’t stand Felix’s teasing, though his easygoing personality eventually won her over. Calrex, on the other hand, was always polite yet maintained a subtle distance, which made her uncomfortable at first. The fact that he was an older boy who drew a clear boundary made him even harder to approach.
If Felix hadn’t constantly dragged her along to bother Calrex, she doubted they would have become as close as they were.
Gallet, on the other hand, struggled to forge a strong bond with Calrex, likely because of Felix’s dislike for him. Felix often dismissed Gallet, calling him insufferable for his outward charm.
As Florianne chatted with Emilia, the carriage arrived at the Ember duchy. With the escort’s assistance, Florianne stepped down and looked toward the estate gates, where Beatrice stood with a maid. Her black hair framed her pale face as she waited in the shade.
“Welcome, Lady Buildrander,” Beatrice greeted.
“Thank you for inviting me, Lady Ember,” Florianne replied with a gentle smile.
Beatrice watched Florianne, her golden hair gleaming like threads of sunlight, and smiled faintly before leading her inside.
“It’s a bit less chilly today, so I had the garden greenhouse prepared for us.”
“Oh, the greenhouse. I remember visiting it once in summer—it was filled with red flowers back then. Is it still the same now?”
“It seems there were red flowers before. Now there are yellow ones. With spring approaching, the colors have shifted to something warmer and softer.”
Florianne hesitated for a moment, realizing she might have been careless with her question. Beatrice’s treatment had only recently improved, and it hadn’t occurred to her that Beatrice might not have had easy access to the greenhouse in the past. She glanced at Beatrice’s expression, worried she might have overstepped.
Beatrice, however, appeared completely unbothered, walking forward without looking back. Florianne let out a quiet sigh of relief but still felt an uncomfortable pang of guilt. She wondered how Beatrice could remain so indifferent. As her glance lingered, Emilia, walking behind her, discreetly nudged her in the back.
“Do you have a favorite flower?” Florianne asked, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere.
“I don’t know enough about flowers to say,” Beatrice replied.
“Would it be alright if I taught you a little? I enjoy gardening, so I know a bit more than most.”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
Their conversation continued like this, with Florianne initiating topics and Beatrice responding in kind.
When they entered the glass greenhouse, they were greeted by a warm atmosphere. Florianne removed her coat and handed it to Emilia. The greenhouse was filled with vibrant spring flowers, including bright yellow tulips, blooming freely without clear boundaries. Florianne found herself liking this arrangement even more than the greenhouse she remembered from before.
Glass greenhouses were rare and costly to build and maintain. Only the imperial family, ducal houses, and a single marquisate in the capital possessed them. Though smaller greenhouses were possible, nobles who loved to flaunt their wealth wouldn’t settle for anything less than grandeur.
“Those are daffodils, aren’t they?” Florianne remarked.
The soothing colors of the greenhouse complemented Florianne’s golden hair as she admired the flowers. Beatrice observed her gestures and expressions briefly before taking a seat. She instructed Laura, her temporary maid, to bring out the tea.
It wasn’t until Beatrice spoke that Florianne remembered something and signaled Emilia, who placed a box wrapped in fine fabric on the table.
“This is flower tea from our estate. I brought several kinds, including the one you liked last time,” Florianne explained.
Beatrice glanced at the box before gesturing to Laura. Laura picked it up with practiced ease.
“Let’s have this tea. Since it’s a gift, it should be fine to try it right away, yes?”
“Of course. Emilia, help with brewing it.”
“Yes, my lady.”
As Emilia and Laura went to the preparation area in the greenhouse, Florianne turned back to Beatrice.
“By the way, Lady Ember, setting aside my brother’s proposal, have you decided who you’ll attend the debutante ball with? I’m not worried since the Duchess wouldn’t assign someone unsuitable, but if you haven’t found anyone, I could help.”
“Oh, I forgot to mention it in my letter. The Duke of Marques has agreed to be my partner.”
“The Duke of Marques? You mean Carnarmon Marques?” Florianne blinked in surprise.
Beatrice nodded, and Florianne’s expression turned incredulous.
“My, what a surprise. That man?”
“I’ve heard a bit about his reputation as well. It seems the Duchess expressed some regret about the lack of recent interaction between our families. Perhaps to soothe her feelings and reestablish ties, he agreed.”
Florianne knew this was unlikely. The Duchess wasn’t the type to display such sentiments, and the Duke of Marques wasn’t one to respond to them. There had to have been some kind of deal. Still, Florianne simply smiled and replied, “I see. That’s fortunate.”
She chose not to press further. The Duchess likely hadn’t disclosed the details to Beatrice, and Florianne didn’t want to dampen the spirits of the shy, reserved young woman.
“Perhaps he feels a light affection for you, enough to ask you as his partner?” Florianne ventured.
“I doubt it,” Beatrice replied flatly, sensing Florianne was making an effort to paint the situation positively.
To Florianne, however, Beatrice’s indifferent response only seemed like a lack of confidence.
Florianne had met Carnarmon Marques a few times during her childhood visits to the Ember family. Based on her impressions, she couldn’t imagine him approaching a woman out of romantic interest. Still, she said, “Even so, attending the ball together might help you build a friendly rapport.”
“I’m not great at conversation,” Beatrice admitted.
Florianne felt a sense of déjà vu. She realized Beatrice’s lack of enthusiasm and disinterest reminded her of how her brother Gallet behaved toward people. Florianne smiled faintly, deciding to let the topic rest.
“Do you have a partner yet?” Beatrice asked unexpectedly.
“Not officially, but I’ll likely attend with the second son of Count Taleya.”
“Was it arranged?”
“Not exactly.”
“Won’t you go with the Duke?”
“With Calrex? Oh, no. Do you mean the Duke of Ember?”
“You’ve been close since childhood, haven’t you?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Beatrice watched Florianne trail off awkwardly. In her past lives, she had seen Florianne and Calrex marry multiple times. While they often faced minor difficulties, the two always ended up together. Beatrice couldn’t understand Florianne’s current hesitation.
The conversation paused as Emilia and Laura returned with the tea, placing the cups on the table. Beatrice sipped her tea calmly, her thoughts elsewhere.
“Your chosen partners will suit you well,” Beatrice remarked.
Florianne chuckled softly, unsure of how to respond. She looked at Beatrice, who seemed lost in thought. For now, their shared moment of tea and quiet companionship felt enough.
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