Chapter 4.17

Solnia walked down the remaining stairs and stood before the maids.  

The maids stood with their hands clasped and heads bowed, like criminals awaiting their sentences.  

Dismissal was practically a foregone conclusion. The Young Madam they had experienced was kind and gentle, but she was also someone who had dismissed maids without reason at Melfir.  

Moreover, they had insulted the master and lady of the house, so the outcome was obvious.  

Tears were already welling up in Angie’s eyes. Her thoughts were consumed by her younger siblings.  

Angie was the eldest daughter of a family with nothing but a string of children. Her parents’ income was far from sufficient to raise her siblings and pay rent. Things had only improved when she joined the duchy’s employ, but now…  

“I was wondering what to say.”

Solnia’s calm voice echoed through the hall, which was so silent that even the sound of swallowing could be heard.  

“But I realized how foolish I was to struggle. I’m the one who was wronged; why should I have to worry about what to say?”  

“……”  

At her words, sniffles and sobs grew louder here and there.  

“I’m disappointed in all of you. I truly cared for and liked you, yet you stabbed me in the back like this.”  

“……”  

“I never imagined that you saw my husband and me as such a strange couple.”  

Lady Gwen closed her eyes in resignation. She had worked for the family for over twenty years. While she had always thought she might leave the family someday, she never imagined it would be under such circumstances.  

“You all deserve to be dismissed, but I won’t dismiss anyone.”  

Madame Gibson, who had been silently standing beside Solnia, cast her a puzzled look.  

“But Young Madam, this is—”  

“This is my home. These maids are under my jurisdiction, aren’t they?”  

“……Yes, that’s correct.”  

Although the maids had been sent by the duchy, they were, strictly speaking, employed by the Countess of Melfir. Madame Gibson closed her mouth and stepped back.  

Solnia turned back to the maids and spoke.  

“Continue working for me. I don’t want to hear any more empty apologies from you, so show me through your actions.”  

“……”  

“Let me make this clear: I’ll be watching you. If I hear any rumors about my husband and me, I’ll suspect you first.”  

Her calm yet firm voice made the maids flinch.  

“If anyone feels they can’t endure this, leave now. Firing you later would just be more work for me.”  

Of course, no one moved. Even though she had openly declared that she would watch and suspect them, they didn’t budge. The reason was simple: they needed to survive.  

“It seems no one is leaving. Madame Gibson, please report today’s events to the Duchess.”  

“Yes, Young Madam.”  

Solnia left the hall. No one moved until she climbed the stairs and entered her bedroom.  

Click.  

Once she was inside and had closed the door, Solnia let out the breath she had been holding. Her heart was still racing. She wondered if she had been too harsh…  

“No, this was the best choice.”  

Solnia shook her head, as if to steady herself.  

She didn’t want to dismiss anyone. They were all good people and competent workers.  

As the lady of the house, she had to address the issue without letting it slide, yet she didn’t want to send anyone away.  

If she had to keep them in her home while ensuring their loyalty, she had to play the role of the villain.  

‘I’ll keep you in my home and monitor whether you remain loyal to me.’  

She had deliberately spoken harshly because Madame Gibson was present. Whether the Duchess had sent Madame Gibson to help her or to test her, Solnia needed to show strength.  

As expected, Madame Gibson nodded approvingly at Solnia’s resolute decision.  

It wasn’t something anyone would feel good about. The maids would have no choice but to work hard.  

‘Of course, they won’t feel the same about me as before.’  

But that couldn’t be helped. It was a position she would relinquish in two months anyway. It didn’t matter if the maids resented her. They would continue working for the duchy even after two months.  

However, just a few hours later, the maids defied her expectations.  

***

A knock was heard around 5 PM.  

She had been holed up in her bedroom, unable to face the maids’ gazes, even though she thought she had done well. While rereading the same unreadable text over and over, a soft voice called out.  

“Young Madam, aren’t you hungry?”  

It was Lady Gwen. Perhaps she had decided to personally attend to Solnia today, replacing the frozen maids. Lady Gwen had already knocked earlier, using snacks as an excuse.  

“No, I’m fine.”  

Solnia refused then, just as she did now. Though her stomach was already growling with hunger, the sight of Lady Gwen’s pitiful face quickly made her hunger dissipate.  

“It’s been several hours since you’ve eaten anything.”  

But Lady Gwen didn’t retreat so easily.  

“If you allow it, I’ll prepare just tea and soup and leave immediately.”  

“……”  

“Young Madam, if you go on like this, you might harm your health—”  

“Come in.”  

In the end, she gave permission. If she didn’t let her in, Lady Gwen seemed ready to knock endlessly until Luette arrived.  

The door opened, and Lady Gwen entered with a faint smile. Angie was with her.  

Both of them looked visibly tired, and Solnia quickly averted her gaze.  

Clink. Clink. Dishes were placed on the table where Solnia had been reading.  

“I’ve brought black tea and potato cream soup.” 

Lady Gwen said.  

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to wait outside in case the tea cools before you’re done eating.”  

Her voice, so cautious in seeking permission, was heartbreaking. She had always been kind. She used to say she was happy to meet her and cherished her as if she were her own daughter.  

“Young Madam.”  

“……”  

“Madam.”  

Even at the gentle call, Solnia stubbornly refused to look their way.  

At that moment, Lady Gwen came into view. She slowly knelt before Solnia and carefully held her feet.  

The warmth of her touch as she slipped on the indoor slippers, which Solnia hadn’t even realized had come off, was comforting.  

“Your feet are cold, Young Madam.”  

At those words, Solnia finally turned her head. Lady Gwen, still smiling, looked up at her and said,  

“Eat before it gets cold.”  

“……”  

“Call me if you need anything.”  

Why would they be so kind to a master who had openly declared her intent to monitor and distrust them?  

“……I’m sorry.”  

Lowering her head as if confessing a deeply buried secret, Solnia spoke.  

“I just… I just…”  

“It’s okay.”  

Lady Gwen, standing up, gently embraced Solnia.  

“You don’t have to say anything. I already know.”  

“……”  

“We all understand and are grateful to you, Young Madam.”  

Those words made something that had been stuck in her throat for so long surge as if it would spill over. As Solnia barely swallowed it back, someone else’s sobs broke the silence.  

“Sniff, thank you so much, Madam.”  

Angie, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, said through her tears,  

“To be honest, I thought we were all going to be kicked out, so I even packed my bags. Sniff. I’m practically the breadwinner of my family, so I was terrified about where we’d go next. Sniff.”  

Looking at Angie, who was just fifteen years old and crying like a child, Solnia thought,  

You’re going through hardships you wouldn’t have faced if you hadn’t met me.  

“No matter how many times you monitor me, sniff, or suspect me, I’ll stay by your side, Madam.”  

“Enough now. Your face is all red, Angie.”  

Watching Angie cry like a child and Lady Gwen skillfully console her, Solnia quickly turned away and wiped her own tears.  

*

When Luette returned home, he noticed that the atmosphere in the townhouse was strangely different.  

Indeed, the servants seemed unusually busy. Everyone’s steps were hurried, almost as if they were brimming with a sense of purpose.  

Handing his coat to the butler, Luette asked,  

“Did something happen?”  

“Madame Gibson visited earlier in the day.”  

“Ah.”  

Luette’s brows furrowed deeply. Madame Gibson was the head maid of the Trovill Ducal Household, a notoriously strict woman. Her visit likely meant that his mother intended to dismiss or replace all the maids in the townhouse.  

“Then why is everyone smiling? What’s there to be happy about?”  

“Fortunately, no maids were dismissed.”  

“No one?”  

“Young Madam insisted that everyone stay.”  

“What?”  

The butler’s words grew more incomprehensible by the second.  

“She said it would be better to keep them here under her watch and have them work hard.”  

“What?”  

What kind of nonsense was this?  

Luette’s face twisted further in confusion. The butler, still smiling, took his bag and added,  

“You might want to hear the details from the Young Madam herself.”  

Even the butler was smiling.  

Had everyone gone mad?  

With a sour expression, Luette crossed the hall. Along the way, the energized servants greeted him enthusiastically, making him increasingly uncomfortable.