“I look forward to working with you.”

Rosana nodded. Celine smiled faintly and asked Rosana a question. Emma was thoroughly ignored.

“Wasn’t the journey exhausting? I’ve prepared a bath for you in advance. How about washing away the fatigue from your travels?”

It was quite a tempting offer. Her muscles were stiff from the long journey, and she wanted to soak in warm water.

“Show me the way.”

“M-Miss?”

Rosana agreed to Celine’s suggestion, and Emma looked at Rosana with bewildered eyes as she readily accepted. Celine asked Emma, who was glaring at her, with composure.

“Are you coming too?”

Celine had been watching Emma, who had been reacting sensitively from earlier and refusing to leave Rosana’s side even for a moment.

“Of course! Who knows what might happen?”

Rosana glanced at Emma. Then she turned away calmly.

Even if she told her not to come, she would follow anyway. Emma always defended her position next to Rosana. Emma was the same when it came to monitoring every move. 

Emma didn’t follow Rosana’s words and thought and acted however she pleased. Those actions had always strangled Rosana.

When they arrived at the bath, a steaming tub greeted Rosana.

Celine guided Rosana to the bathroom and then disappeared. Other maids came in to attend to the bath. Emma stood with her arms crossed, glaring at the maids with sharp eyes, saying she would watch what they did. The maids frowned at Emma, who stood there blankly, and asked.

“Didn’t you come in to attend to her?”

“Attend to the bath? Me?”

Emma had been the one glaring like she would devour anyone who touched even a hair on Rosana’s head. The maids thought Emma didn’t trust them and would attend to Rosana’s bath herself. 

However, Emma frowned, saying it was absurd.

The maids were speechless at her tone that said, “Why should I do it?” 

Translated, it meant they should do it. The maids glanced at Emma with distaste, watching from behind like someone in a superior position.

Rosana had absolutely no desire to be touched by Emma’s hands. She spoke as usual—in a tone that felt cold, telling them not to bother her.

“You do it.”

Rosana murmured indifferently. Habits deeply ingrained in one’s body don’t disappear easily just because the environment or situation changes. It was a tone Rosana had grown accustomed to. 

So Rosana didn’t notice the maids grimacing in displeasure. The maids were also skilled at hiding their emotions.

The maids pressed their lips together at Rosana’s tone and attended to the bath. The bath didn’t go smoothly. It was because of Emma interfering from the side.

“Can’t you be more gentle? Will you take responsibility if her skin gets damaged?”

“Don’t you have different products?”

Minor quarrels went back and forth between the maids and Emma. Rosana would step in between or end it by telling them to stop. 

The maids thought the one being told to stop was themselves, not Emma. It was because Emma was Rosana’s dedicated maid who had followed her from her family home.

What solidified the maids’ thoughts was Emma and Rosana’s attitudes. The maids shut their mouths at Rosana’s words, but Emma couldn’t lose and always added something afterward. 

Rosana didn’t stop her. Naturally, dissatisfaction arose. They thought Rosana was using Emma to suppress their spirits.

Rosana was used to Emma’s behavior and knew that stopping her had little effect. So she didn’t try to stop her. But ultimately, she unintentionally ended up taking Emma’s side.

The mistress of the palace was already unlikable. The maids showed reactions of “Well, of course.”

Problems arose even after the bath ended. The maids brought a simple chiffon dress. Since all of Rosana’s luggage had gone for inspection and hadn’t arrived yet, it was one of the pre-prepared dresses.

It wasn’t a wrong choice. Since light clothing suited bedtime, the chiffon dress was a reasonable choice. The only problem was that the person wearing it was ‘Rosana.’ 

The moment Emma saw the chiffon dress, she raised her voice, saying she knew this would happen.

“That dress…! Ha, this is why I need to be by Miss’s side.”

Emma shook her head. Her lips were full of mockery. Emma snatched the dress the maid was holding. Then she threw it down, telling them to get rid of it. 

It goes without saying that everyone’s faces hardened at the rude behavior that crossed the line. Emma spoke in a lecturing tone.

“Listen carefully. Miss hates fluttery chiffon dresses, and she especially hates pink.”

The maids murmured at her lecturing tone, like she had caught them red-handed. Rosana pressed her forehead at the throbbing headache.

“What’s going on?”

“Head maid…”

The maids watched Jane’s reaction. In the silence, Jane and Emma’s eyes met.

“Lady Rosana, I apologize.”

Jane bowed her head toward Rosana. Rosana accepted the apology halfheartedly.

“It’s fine…”

And cutting off Rosana’s words, Emma spoke triumphantly. For Emma, who had been burning with rivalry on her own, this was the perfect opportunity to humble Jane’s pride.

“Who’s the maid that brought the pink dress? My lady will not forgive that maid. If you had just asked me, this wouldn’t have happened… My lady, shall I prepare the whip?”

Emma, who had been laughing gleefully that they got what they deserved, turned to look at Rosana with a smile. Then her eyes gleamed, urging her to speak.

In the ducal family, everyone would have become one side—another maid would bring the whip, and another maid who didn’t want to get in trouble would restrain the shoulders of the maid who brought the dress.

But this was Diovaha. It was full of maids who wouldn’t listen to Emma. All the other maids except Emma were on the same side. Emma thought Rosana was on her side, but she wanted to enlighten her that it was a huge mistake.

When Jane bowed her head, the other maids bowed together, but even without seeing their faces, their expressions were obviously crumpled like crushed paper. 

Emma’s eyes expected Rosana’s agreement. In the silence where only breathing could be heard, Rosana’s tightly closed mouth opened.

Could they hear her now?

Currently, Emma was the only one performing. The imperial maids didn’t seem likely to play along with Emma’s tune.

“If you’re going to be noisy, get out.”

Rosana’s words rang out quietly as she spoke to Emma. However, Emma raised her chin triumphantly.

“What are you all doing? Can’t you hear my lady telling you to leave?”

Emma thought Rosana was speaking to the maids. 

With a triumphant appearance, she lifted her chin boldly, thinking she had won. But she was wrong. Rosana snapped at her, who was deeply mistaken.

“Emma. I was talking to you.”

“…”

She pulled Emma out of her delusion. Emma looked at Rosana with an expression of disbelief. It was an expression that said she couldn’t understand at all. 

Why? Her face was full of questions. Rosana sneered.

‘Rosana Arcadi’ hated chiffon dresses, just like Emma said. It was because the person who suited chiffon dresses best was Amy Arcadi. It was also Amy who liked pink. 

So Rosana never wore chiffon dresses and didn’t even look at pink. Everyone knew that.

Even though it wasn’t true at all.

‘…Normally it wouldn’t have worked.’

At the Arcadi ducal family, nothing changed even when she said the same thing. Rather, they mistook it for ‘Rosana’ being so angry that she was taking it out on both the maid who brought the dress and Emma.

Jane looked at Rosana with peculiar eyes. Rosana let out a small sigh looking at Emma, who had no intention of moving.

‘I need to act like the Rosana you know.’

Rosana raised her eyebrow crookedly toward Emma with a threatening smile, like irritation was boiling up.

Rosana looked quietly at her well-manicured nails with an atmosphere ready to strike at any moment and said.

“Emma, you know me well, don’t you? You know I hate noise.”

Rosana was a young lady who would strike if things went wrong. Among the justifications for that violence was punishment for being noisy. 

At Rosana’s dangerous atmosphere, Emma shut her mouth tight like a mute who ate honey. Her eyes, which had been shaking with hurt earlier, were now trembling with fear.

Rosana could summarize Emma in one sentence: a person devoured by the monster called words.

‘I’ve never even hit you…’

Emma trembled with fear like she had been whipped. Emma was the one who arbitrarily brought the whip and punished the maids. 

When told not to do it, she understood the meaning in reverse and hit them more, and instead mocked the maid being beaten, asking why she was doing things Miss told her not to do.

She misunderstood that being told to stop meant the target wasn’t worth dirtying her hands on, and kicked the maid out of the mansion. So whenever she raised her voice, everyone was scared and clung to Rosana, begging not to be fired.

In a place where any words were distorted, Rosana’s words had never been conveyed properly. 

Another Rosana hiding deep in her heart whispered to herself. That the place you were in was strange. That you have no problems.

It seemed to ask why she hadn’t admitted it and left sooner. 

‘If you had abandoned your family and turned your back on the world and walked away, you could have found the real you…’

Rosana’s eyes rippled sadly. But the sadness in her eyes disappeared in an instant.

“Understand?”

Emma quietly nodded. Rosana felt exhausted and leaned back heavily against the chair. Then she spoke to the maids standing awkwardly.

“Are you going to just stand there?”

“…N-No!”

At Jane’s gesture, the maids moved busily. However, the dress Emma had thrown was never seen by Rosana’s eyes again.

The maids hurriedly brought another dress. Perhaps conscious of Emma’s words, it wasn’t a pink dress. Emma still kept her mouth shut and trembled. Her pride hurt, her eyes were slightly bloodshot red.

Rosana didn’t care. The maids finished attending to her and withdrew from the room. Emma disappeared with them at this time. The door closed with a thud, and only Rosana remained in the room.

“…I’m not particularly happy.”

She had driven Emma away. Her words had been conveyed. But it felt empty. The one who drove Emma away was a different self. The shadow of ‘Rosana’ was still thick.

* * *

The maid felt exhilarated seeing Emma turn pale after being scolded by Rosana. However, conversely, she couldn’t shake off the chilling feeling when she recalled Rosana’s appearance from earlier. 

The rumors were rampant, but witnessing it in person was a bit scary. When she murmured calmly with an icy expression, they felt intimidated for no reason.

“The rumors were true.”

“Right. She’s merciless to anyone. Isn’t she the only maid who remained by her side?”

“It means she won’t forgive anyone who displeases her.”

They chattered, recalling Rosana’s ruthless appearance, merciless even to her close aide.

“Quiet. Don’t run your mouths thoughtlessly.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Jane reprimanded the maids who were running their mouths. The maid who took a short breath immediately apologized to Jane. 

Jane, who let out a sigh, looked at Emma, who had turned pale. As long as Jade said nothing special, she was also someone who would live together in the palace.

“Show her to a room.”

The maids grimaced looking at Emma, but as fellow maids, they had to live communally. When everyone withdrew, Jane let out a deep sigh.

“She seems to be a sensitive person, so be careful with your attitude.”

“Yes. Just leave it to me.”

“I trust you.”

Celine bowed her head to Jane. Jane was satisfied seeing her eyes shining like she would never back down.

It would be good if she moved directly, but there was much to do as head maid. So she selected trustworthy people, and the person chosen was Celine. 

Her status and dignity were excellent, and above all, she liked her prudent personality. She wouldn’t displease Rosana as much as possible. 

Emma was the one who posed a problem. Since they would clash, it was obvious they would have a battle of wills.