On the day Cordelia returned to the outskirts of Hell’s Realm, the sunlight felt heavier than usual on her shoulders. Lucas wasn’t with her this time. Ever since they had a sharp disagreement during their last visit, Cordelia had been deliberately avoiding him.

However, avoiding him didn’t mean she could turn away from what she had done while with him. What had happened had been done solely to humiliate her and had been so cruelly intentional.

If she had been ignorant, that would have been one thing. But knowing and doing nothing? That was impossible.

This was particularly the case after she had dreamed of Luke again.

She returned to the spot where the carriage wheels had splashed water onto people. If it was a job placement office, there was a good chance the same people would return.

The office manager was flustered and unsure how to act around such a prominent figure in high society.

“Oh dear, to have a lady like you visit such a shabby place…! My apologies—since you’re from the Old Continent, would you prefer tea?”

“There’s no need to trouble yourself. I like coffee as well.”

Cordelia tilted her head slightly to the side and offered a gentle smile. The manager, in awe of the noblewoman’s grace up close for the first time, clasped his hands repeatedly in admiration.

“For you to come personally to make amends over a little water—what an honorable gesture, madam.”

“I’m sure everyone ruined their clothes because of my visit. So, have I missed anyone?”

Cordelia received a list from the manager and reviewed it, going over the people who had already been accounted for.

Those seeking temporary work were offered employment at the Duquesne estate, while those without suitable skills were given enough money to at least cover laundry costs.

Lucas would’ve scoffed and called it hypocrisy—but this was what Cordelia needed to do to find peace.

As they reviewed the list together, the manager clapped his hands lightly.

“Hmm… Ah, there’s one more. She’s actually in the waiting room right now.”

“If it’s all right to give it to her directly, could you call her for me, sir?”

“Of course. Chiara! Come out here!”

At the man’s call, the waiting room door creaked open. Cordelia’s breath caught for a moment when she saw the person stepping out.

A young girl, perhaps in her early to mid-teens. Her cheeks and apron were stained all over.

Girls like her weren’t rare in Empire City, so it wasn’t surprising—yet Cordelia still felt a pang in her chest.

She gave the frozen, wide-eyed child a soft smile.

“Hello?”

“H-Hello, madam.”

“Did you come alone? What about your family?”
“Well, um… I’m an orphan, ma’am.”

“……”

“A-ah! But I—I have a work record! I’ve worked in textile factories before, and they always praised me for being diligent and never slacking off.”

Cordelia raised an eyebrow silently. Oh dear! She had come to offer compensation, but it seemed the girl thought she was there to recruit a maid.

The office manager joined the conversation.

“Chiara’s a quick and hardworking girl, Madam Duquesne. She’s had a fine reputation at several factories.”

“But she’s still looking for work?”

“She’s fifteen now, so she has to be paid a full wage. Employers prefer younger kids—it’s cheaper for them. That’s why she keeps getting rejected.”

Cordelia turned her gaze back to the girl. Red hair, a pale white face, cheeks sunken from hunger, green eyes filled with desperate longing for a better life.

‘Even if I cover her laundry costs, nothing about this child’s life is going to get better.’

More than anything, something about her reminded Cordelia of Luke—who had been appearing in her dreams more and more frequently these days.

Hiding the ache in her heart, Cordelia spoke in a soft, gentle whisper.

“Would you like to come with me?”

“…!”

“I need someone to attend to me. Someone quick and diligent, if possible.”

“Yes, ma’am! At the factory, I was always praised for being the fastest!”

“And reading? Writing? Do you know how?”

“Yes!”

The girl’s eyes widened as if she were looking at a saviour. Everyone knew that being a maid for a noblewoman was a far better job than working in a factory, even for a child.

“All right then. So your name is Chiara… do you have a surname?”

“Chiara Obrien, ma’am!”

***

At sunset, in the home of the Duquesne heir and his wife.

Lucas glanced coldly up and down at the girl Cordelia had brought back, then let out a dry scoff.

After working her to the bone all night, he’d been wondering where she’d disappeared to all morning—only to find out she’d gone back to Hell’s Realm to help a few people who’d been splashed with dirty water.

Even after marrying for money, she still showed glimpses of the girl she’d been—as the young lady of House Hastings.

How strange it was, the places her old self still emerged.

He turned his biting remark toward his wife, who stood beside the nervous girl.

“You do have quite the talent for picking up beggars, don’t you?”

Lucas had expected Cordelia to scold him for his biting remark—perhaps tell him not to speak so cruelly, or that such words were uncalled for.

But instead, Cordelia replied in a muted voice, her tone dull and even.

“I’ve accepted this situation, haven’t I, Lucas?”

“……”

“So let me at least choose one maid as I please. Call it a whim if you must.”

At her response, a faint line creased the center of Lucas’s brow. Accepted the situation, she said. True—on the way back from Hell’s Realm, she’d been unusually quiet.

Even that night, when he’d demanded their marital duties, she hadn’t resisted. He had pushed her again and again, targeting the places where she always cried so easily—yet something about it felt… hollow.

Had her spirit finally broken?

“Fine. As you wish.”

Lucas said, shaking his head. As long as she doesn’t start talking nonsense again, like saying she wishes she’d accepted a proposal from someone like Joshua Reginald, he can overlook having a single maid.

“If playing savior puts you in a better mood, I won’t stop you.”

“……”

Cordelia lowered her gaze, allowing his mockery to blow past her like the wind. The places he had touched her and the parts of her he had claimed still throbbed beneath her lavish garments like searing brands.

Her heart no longer ached. Instead, it burned numbly, like a deep bruise swelling darkly beneath the skin. Rather than lashing out, Cordelia resolved to appear as obedient as possible.

She had to wait until she had sold her jewellery and found a proper escape route. She had to watch carefully for the right moment.

But she couldn’t do it alone. She would need someone she could trust to help her.

What if something went wrong when she collected the medication from Iridescent in secret?

That’s why Cordelia needed a servant of her own.

‘But I can’t trust anyone from the Duquesne household.’

Any one of them could betray her by telling Lucas about her plans behind her back.

As she waited for Chiara to finish washing up, Cordelia became lost in thought. Perhaps this unexpected encounter with the girl would offer a glimmer of hope after all.

If Chiara proved to be of good character, Cordelia would give her a generous sum and a glowing reference before she left.

Alternatively, she would simply let her go earlier if necessary. But when Chiara returned, clean and dressed in the maid’s uniform, even Cordelia was surprised.

With just a little care, the skinny girl suddenly looked much more human.

“Thankfully it fits, Chiara. The uniform suits you well.”

“Thank you so much, ma’am…!”

Chiara clutched the ruffled edge of her white apron, tears welling up in her eyes. The situation was laughable — this maid uniform, which she wore as a lowly servant, was far finer than any of the ragged clothes she had ever owned.

“I’ll do my best. I promise I won’t disappoint you, ma’am. I’ll learn quickly and make sure I don’t make any mistakes.”

“Chiara, I don’t mind the mistakes you make while learning. They won’t disappoint me.”

Whenever Cordelia thought of her husband — or rather, of what Lucas Duquesne had done — she felt that she could treat most people with a surprising amount of generosity. Of course, there were always exceptions — Louisa and Alicia, for example.

“But there’s one thing you must never forget, Chiara—you are to obey only me.”

“…!”

“Of course, when we’re outside, you’ll have to follow my husband’s orders. That’s the proper thing to do.
But knowing how to read the room… is always important.”

At Cordelia’s subtle warning, Chiara nodded. It wasn’t hard to pick up on the tension between the master and mistress she now served.

“…Yes, ma’am. Understood.”

“Good.”

Cordelia sank deep into the sofa with a tired sigh, retreating into its cushions. The exhausting and tedious affair that was her father-in-law’s birthday party was about to begin.