Chapter 20: A New Household
When noblewomen marry, they typically bring their personal maids from their family estate.
But Aracila did not.
Since a divorce was highly likely within a few years, she didn’t want the hassle of dragging her people back and forth.
“Aracila, how many personal servants you have matters greatly as the new lady of the house.”
Despite her mother’s concerned advice, Aracila brought only Audrey with her to the Vandermir estate.
Damian respected her decision.
The head maid of the estate took care of assigning her attendants, selecting half from the existing staff and half newly hired maids.
At first, the Vandermir family seemed inclined to complain about it, but their interest quickly faded, and they stopped interfering.
The head maid gathered the newly assigned servants to introduce them to Aracila.
Soon, dressed in a black gown embroidered with intricate lace, Aracila entered the hall with Audrey trailing behind her.
“Good morning, my lady.”
The head maid greeted her with a bow, and the young maids quickly followed suit.
Aracila gave a slight nod and gracefully took her seat, her posture impeccably straight.
“These will be your maids from now on, my lady. The new hires have already been trained, so there is nothing to worry about.”
“Thank you, Head Maid.”
Aracila slowly scanned the maids.
Most of them were unremarkable, blending into the background.
Except for one—a blonde girl who kept sneaking glances at her with her head slightly bowed.
“You there—do you have something to say to me?”
“H-Huh? N-No, my lady!”
The startled blonde maid quickly lowered her head further.
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Rosaline, my lady.”
“Rosaline. Are you sure you don’t have anything to say? You’ve been staring at me since I walked in.”
Rosaline flinched and shook her head.
Sensing the tension, the head maid quickly intervened.
“Rosaline is one of the new hires. She is still getting used to her duties and may have made a mistake. I apologize, my lady.”
“No need to apologize. I was just curious because she was staring so intently.”
Still, the atmosphere remained a bit awkward—until Audrey, standing behind Aracila, decided to lighten the mood with a joke.
“She was probably just mesmerized by my lady’s beauty. It is quite a sight to behold for a first-time encounter.”
“Audrey, you really can’t help but speak the truth, can you?”
As the two laughed, the tension eased, and the other maids relaxed as well.
Finally, Aracila addressed them properly.
“I’m not a demanding mistress, so it won’t be difficult to serve me. I’m busy with my work at the Magic Tower, so you won’t have much to do either. I look forward to working with you all.”
“Yes, my lady!”
The maids responded in unison, bowing deeply.
Aracila rose from her seat and placed a hand on Audrey’s shoulder.
“This is Audrey, my most trusted maid. I expect you all to get along. If you ever have anything to report, you can go through her.”
She was simply offering a considerate alternative for those who might hesitate to approach her directly.
It was a kindness.
But later on, Aracila would come to realize that kindness can sometimes be exploited.
A New Household, But the Same Routine
Despite being married, Aracila’s life hadn’t changed much.
The only real difference was that she returned to a different house after work.
But even then, she continued living exactly as she had before.
Her days were spent at the Magic Tower, tirelessly completing her final research on floating stones.
She still left early and returned late—just as she always had.
And even on the rare occasions when she finished early, she chose to have dinner at the Hugo estate, just like before.
“Sis!”
The person happiest about this arrangement was Adrian.
He had assumed his sister would disappear into some far-off land after marriage, but she still visited once a week to have dinner with the family.
“Adrian, have you been listening to Mother and Sister while I was away?”
“Of course! Look at this! My tutor sent a letter praising me!”
“Really? Let me see.”
Aracila took the letter, which contained his academic progress report, and read it with satisfaction.
Though…
“Huh. You’re better at swordsmanship than magic?”
For a moment, she wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
But before she could dwell on it, Iris called out to her.
“Aracila, you’re here?”
“Yeah. Where are Mother and Father?”
“They’re waiting in the dining hall.”
The three siblings walked together to the dining hall, where the Marquess and Marchioness greeted them.
The atmosphere was unchanged, just like before her marriage.
“Aracila, you have a new household now. Is it alright for you to visit so often?”
The Marchioness asked, sounding somewhat concerned.
Aracila simply shrugged.
“My husband isn’t home anyway.”
She wasn’t neglecting him while he waited for her at the estate.
Damian was just as busy as she was.
Even though they were newlyweds, they had barely spent any time together.
She couldn’t even recall the last time they had dinner together.
So naturally, she just went where her parents were whenever Damian was out.
“Did you two already have a fight?”
“No, we get along fine.”
“Then why isn’t your husband home? He’s not out drinking every night, is he?”
“You’re overthinking it, Mother. Damian’s just busy. He’s always working, even when he’s home.”
Even on the rare occasions when he returned early, Damian locked himself in his office and buried himself in paperwork.
It made sense—after all, he was leading an entire knightly order at a young age.
“Yes, working hard like that will help him inherit the duchy sooner.”
Since Aracila was eager to divorce, she wholeheartedly supported Damian’s long work hours.
As a bonus, she got to keep their bedroom all to herself after the wedding night.
“Honestly, they’re a perfect match…”
The Marchioness sighed, rubbing her forehead after putting down her utensils.
She had married them off because they seemed compatible—but was it a mistake?
Watching these two identical personalities slowly dismantle their own household in real-time was frustrating.
“Don’t be too upset, May. At least we get to see our beloved daughter every week.”
The Marquess, pleased that Aracila visited regularly, tried to console his wife.
“But at this rate, when are they going to have children?”
“We’re not having any.”
Aracila finally spoke freely about what she had kept to herself before the wedding—out of fear that her parents would object.
But now?
What could they do? She was already married.
“Aracila! What do you mean you won’t have children? Do you think the Vandermir family will just let that slide?”
“Damian and I already agreed on this. If the duchy causes a fuss, that’s his problem to deal with.”
The Marchioness, who firmly believed that having children was a duty of marriage, was on the verge of fainting.
She shook off her husband’s attempt to calm her down and shouted.
“People will start saying you’re infertile!”
“Well, infertility happens. It’s those who mock others over a medical condition who are in the wrong.”
Unfazed, Aracila popped a shrimp into her mouth and added,
“And Damian could be the infertile one, for all we know.”
Silence fell over the table.
The Marquess cautiously spoke up.
“…Is he really?”
“No idea.”
They hadn’t even tried yet, and it hadn’t been that long since they got married.
How was she supposed to know?
Aracila shrugged and continued her meal as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, the Hugo family sank deeper into unexpected concerns about infertility.
“A Distant Marriage”
After working in the Vandermir estate for several weeks, Rosaline came to a conclusion.
The marriage was cold and distant.
They never dined together, never shared a bed, and barely acknowledged each other.
Aracila spent more time at her family estate than in her own marital home.
Anyone would assume there was conflict between the couple.
“Perfect. This makes things easier.”
A smirk played on Rosaline’s lips.
Because she was a spy.
Planted by the Vandermir family, her mission was to sabotage the marriage.
With the head maid bribed, Rosaline had secured a position in the estate despite having little experience.
She regularly leaked information about the couple’s relationship to the duchy, following the orders she received.
Every Tuesday, she pretended to go on an errand but secretly delivered a report to the duchy.
By Thursday, a response would arrive—hidden among the weekly grocery deliveries.
Recent Report:
“The marriage is cooling rapidly. Even when the lady is absent, the lord does not seek her. Meanwhile, she visits the Hugo estate frequently, as if longing for her family.”
Duchy’s Response:
“Keep isolating Aracila Hugo. Widen the gap between them—and seduce Damian yourself.”
Since they couldn’t stop the marriage, the Vandermir family was determined to destroy it from within.
Using Rosaline, they aimed to distance the couple, delay Damian’s succession, and ultimately nullify the entire arrangement.
“Isolating her and seducing him? Easy.”
Rosaline smiled confidently.
She had always been the prettiest girl in her village, and even as an adult, men fawned over her.
Winning their favor was child’s play.
Even the coldest, most indifferent men had fallen for her charms.
“The lady may be beautiful, but men prefer women who are sweet and playful, like me.”
From what she had observed, Aracila was stunning and talented, but she wasn’t the affectionate, doting type.
She carried herself like someone accustomed to admiration, expecting others to serve her rather than the other way around.
Maybe Rosaline was reading too much into it, but watching Aracila return home late at night, always composed and elegant, only reinforced her belief.
“No matter how high and mighty she acts, she’s nothing if her husband doesn’t love her. That’s how noblewomen live.”
Rosaline’s lips curved into a wicked grin.
Imagining herself by Damian’s side, acting as the real lady of the house, made her giddy.
She might never become a duchess, but even as his mistress, she would outrank any common woman.
“First, I need to isolate the lady.”
Rosaline began laying the groundwork to ruin Aracila’s reputation among the maids.
All she had to do was paint her as a bad mistress.
The method was simple:
Step 1: Make herself look good.
Step 2: Gather intel on Aracila.
To start, Rosaline ingratiated herself with the other maids.
She volunteered for extra tasks, acted sweet and innocent, and fabricated a tragic backstory to earn their sympathy.
“Rosaline is so kind and hardworking.”
“Your previous employers mistreated you just because you were pretty? That must have been awful.”
Once she had secured their trust, she subtly planted seeds of doubt about Aracila.
During their break, while casually chatting with the others, she brought it up.
“What do you all think about the lady?”
The unsuspecting maids shared their honest opinions.
“I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as her. She looks like a wax doll.”
“She’s elegant but surprisingly down-to-earth. I haven’t interacted with her much, but she doesn’t seem difficult.”
“At least she doesn’t nitpick. I’ve heard some noblewomen scold their maids over the smallest things.”
For someone who was rarely around, Aracila’s reputation wasn’t bad.
Rosaline was momentarily thrown off by the positive feedback.
But she quickly regained her composure and smoothly continued.
“Still… don’t you think she’s a bit too indifferent? Not being demanding is nice, but isn’t she… neglecting the estate?”
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
