Chapter 2.2

Dressed in a red gown that accentuated her figure, with a jewel-adorned fan in hand, Madame Green embodied the very definition of extravagance. Her sparkling golden hair and clear green eyes were a perfect match for Rowen’s features, making it evident that Rowen had inherited his striking looks from her.  

‘I should’ve realized earlier that the craziness he inherited wasn’t limited to just his looks.’  

Ariana bowed her head slightly, showing respect to her husband’s mother.  

“I heard you had arrived.”  

“You heard I had arrived?”  

Madame Green raised an eyebrow as she mimicked Ariana’s words.  

“I thought you didn’t know I was here since you didn’t come to greet me.”  

She deliberately raised her voice, clearly intending to draw the attention of the servants working nearby. Normally, Ariana would have immediately greeted her upon hearing of her arrival, but this time, she hadn’t even shown her face.  

‘And she’s been cold to Flory as well.’  

Though the servants were still treating her the same as usual, Madame Green knew that if Ariana continued to act distant, their attitudes would soon change.  

Madame Green understood very well that her authority within the Earl’s household was reinforced every time Ariana bowed her head to her. She needed to suppress Ariana completely to ensure she wouldn’t dare to rise above her station.  

The key to making Ariana bow her head was money. Madame Green constantly reminded Ariana that she had abandoned the noble pride of aristocracy to marry her son for financial security. She had to keep reinforcing the idea that Ariana was nothing more than a woman who relied on her son’s inherited wealth to sustain her family’s status.  

Madame Green opened her expensive fan dramatically and waved it slowly, casting a scrutinizing gaze over Ariana.  

“To save your family, Rowen gave away a fortune worth a hundred billion. Without Rowen, not only the servants working here but even you would’ve been out on the streets long ago. How ungrateful you are.”  

The sound of her clicking tongue, as if scolding a subordinate, made the butler Helen’s face harden.  

“Madame, please be mindful of your words. The Countess is a noblewoman who was personally granted the title by His Majesty the Emperor.”  

“Humph. If she wanted to be treated like a noblelady, she should’ve married someone other than my son. I am the mother of the Earl of Astaroth, the mother-in-law of the noblelady personally titled by the Emperor.”  

Madame Green scolded Helen before closing her fan sharply and jabbing its edge against Ariana’s chest.  

“Tell me, is it proper for this insolent servant to disrespect the Earl’s mother?”  

“Disrespect?”  

“Yes, disrespect! If you don’t properly serve your elders, how can the servants know what respect is and behave accordingly?”  

“Are you saying Helen was rude because I failed to set a proper example?”  

“Isn’t that the case?”  

“Well… from what I hear, it sounds like you’re saying that those in higher positions need to set a proper example…”  

Ariana tilted her head as she gently pushed Madame Green’s fan away with her hand.  

“Then, does the Earl’s improper behavior stem from the example set by you, his mother?”  

“Improper… what?”  

“Oh my, isn’t it obvious? You’re the mistress of Baron Alpena, after all. If the Earl’s mother sets an example of infidelity, it seems her son learned from her.”  

“What—what nonsense are you saying? Mistress? Who said that?”  

Madame Green’s face turned red, and she began stammering, which was as good as admitting Ariana’s words were true.  

“Well, at least you, as his mother, are slightly better. Baron Alpena may be a libertine, but his family is respectable. He’s discerning enough not to have children with his mistress. But the Earl? He’s involved with a mere maid…”  

Ariana sighed deeply, shaking her head as if she found the situation hopeless.  

“It seems you need to educate your son properly. I’ll make sure to educate the maid as well, Madame.”  

Ariana bowed with exaggerated politeness before leaving the room. Madame Green, who had been utterly stunned by the barrage of verbal blows, finally regained her senses and erupted in fury.  

“That—that—that girl! Come back here this instant! Do you hear me?!”  

Madame Green screamed at the retreating figure of Ariana, stomping her feet, but her voice echoed in vain. It was a complete defeat for Madame Green. The servants who had been silently watching the confrontation couldn’t help but let out suppressed laughter.  

“Hey!”  

Madame Green, trembling with rage, threw her fan to the floor. She had tried to assert her authority in front of the servants, only to end up being mocked instead.  

“Ugh!”  

Left alone on the stairs, she vented her anger by stomping on the fan repeatedly—a pathetic display of frustration from a defeated woman.  

***

Ariana returned to her room and calmly sat at her desk as if nothing had happened. Her composed demeanor made it hard to believe she had just been involved in a heated argument with her mother-in-law. Helen, who had rushed after her, was still catching her breath, her heart racing from the tension.  

“My goodness. Since your marriage, you’ve endured the Earl’s behavior without complaint, so I thought you had become a dignified noblewoman.”  

“Madame Helen, people don’t change so easily.”  

“Oh my.”  

Madame Helen had been the steward of the Astaroth household since the previous generation. She knew better than anyone how bold and spirited Ariana had been as a child. Even though Ariana had been married and titled Countess for four years, Helen still referred to her as “young lady” out of affection and nostalgia.  

“When you were young, you punched the nose of a mischievous boy who was bothering you. Everyone was shocked when the Young Master from the Principality started bleeding profusely from his nose.”  

“Did I?”  

As she tried to recall, she realized there had indeed been such an incident. The boy, a guest of her father from the Principality, had been so annoying that she silenced him with a punch to the face.  

“Yes, that was when I was about seven years old. I had completely forgotten about it, but how do you remember such things, Madame?”  

“I remember everything. After the former Countess passed away early, I became your caretaker. The wet nurse was dismissed, but aside from that…”  

The mention of the “wet nurse” slipped out naturally, causing Helen to freeze in shock and fall silent. The scandal that had rocked the Earl’s household—the affair between the Earl and the wet nurse’s daughter, Alena—was still fresh in everyone’s minds.

“It’s okay. What Alena did and how the wet nurse cared for me are separate matters.”  

“She probably thought you weren’t any different from her, having grown up under the same mother.”  

Helen let out a heavy sigh. Two pretty girls of the same age. Though their statuses were worlds apart, the late Earl, who was always generous to his subordinates, extended his benevolence to Alena as well. He appreciated the wet nurse’s dedication to Ariana and ensured Alena received an education and lifestyle far beyond what a commoner could expect. The intention was for her to remain by Ariana’s side as a lifelong companion and maid.  

“A maid occupying the guestroom is outrageous. She must be expelled from the estate immediately.”  

“Hmm… should I?”  

Helen’s eyes widened in surprise at Ariana’s lukewarm response. She had expected Ariana to react like the feisty young girl who once punched a boy, declaring Alena’s immediate expulsion.  

“You’re just going to let her stay?”  

“I think I will.”  

As Ariana pulled out a piece of paper from the drawer and began writing a letter, she shared her thoughts with Helen.  

“No noble with any sense would openly house their mistress. Even if they do all sorts of things behind closed doors, they at least maintain appearances.”  

“Well…”  

That was how nobles operated. Officially, they were all virtuous and moral. With the diminishing power of traditional status due to the rise of capital, nobles clung even more tightly to their honor. It was the only justification they had for claiming superiority over the “vulgar capital.”  

“Even the Emperor doesn’t openly keep a mistress, hiding it behind plausible justifications. Yet the Earl, oblivious to everything, is practically flaunting his disgrace. Advertising his foolishness, so let him.”  

“That makes sense.”  

Helen nodded as if she finally understood Ariana’s intentions.  

“And if it becomes known that Alena is pregnant, any plans to adopt the child into the Astaroth family as my son will become impossible. The Imperial Family would never allow a commoner-born illegitimate child to be included in the noble register.”