A line of people stood in formation at the castle entrance, waiting to receive her.

“I am Miriam, the head maid in charge of managing the servants and handling the castle’s day-to-day affairs.”

The first to step forward and introduce herself was Head Maid Miriam.

At the sight of her, Rosé was immediately reminded of the strict nun who had been the dormitory supervisor at her convent school.

‘She might be efficient at her job but has a cold and unfeeling demeanor.’

That was Rosé’s first impression of the head maid, but she quickly corrected herself.

She had once judged based on first impressions and ended up marrying Kasiax.

Had she not learned firsthand just how dangerous such prejudices could be?

‘I shouldn’t be so quick to judge.’

Rosé smiled and greeted her with a nod.

“I’ll be in your care from now on.”

“We received word of your arrival on short notice, so I hurried to prepare your room. Allow me to show you the way.”

As Miriam took the lead, Rosé and Freddy followed her.

Freddy had already entrusted Miriam with all the room arrangements.

As an experienced head maid, she would have handled everything competently.

But—

“What is the meaning of this?”

Standing before the room at the farthest end of the west wing, Freddy’s face went pale.

‘What on earth were you thinking, doing something like this?’

He shot an enraged look at Head Maid Miriam.

Yet, despite his apparent distress, Miriam remained composed, even offering a faint smile as she turned to Rosé.

“For generations, the lady of House Lankert has used this room as her private quarters.”

“Is that so?”

While Freddy and Miriam exchanged subtle, unspoken tension, Rosé, unaware of the situation, simply looked around the room with innocent curiosity.

The space had an antique elegance, decorated in deep burgundy and gold shades.

An arched window, taking up an entire wall, gave the room an almost sacred atmosphere reminiscent of a small chapel.

The air carried a calming scent from the fine, aged furniture.

Unlike the lavish extravagance of the Solstern Imperial Palace or the Etoile estate, this room exuded the dignified weight of a noble house with centuries of history.

“It’s a refined space.”

Had her mother, Lady Audrey, seen it, she would have indeed complained, ‘What is this dreary old room? This is a monastery, not a bedroom!’

Rosé could already picture her mother sighing in exasperation, fanning herself as she lamented how it would take at least a month to redecorate.

A faint smile formed on her lips.

“I especially love the window.”

The soft sunlight streaming through the arched glass spread like a golden carpet across the floor.

As Rosé stepped closer to the window, Freddy glared at Miriam in frustration.

He was dying to voice his disapproval, but with Rosé present, he had no choice but to bite his tongue.

“This room has been unoccupied for quite some time. If you need anything, please let me know.”

Miriam’s voice was gentle.

“I will.”

“Ella. Molly!”

Two maids standing behind her stepped forward with disciplined precision at Miriam’s sharp call.

“These two will serve as your attendants. Go ahead and introduce yourselves.”

“My name is Ella.”

“My name is Molly.”

The two maids lifted their skirts slightly in a formal curtsy.

Dressed in drab black uniforms, they moved in perfect synchronization, like well-trained soldiers.

‘Ella…?’

Rosé, glancing at the maids, suddenly fixed her gaze on the one who had introduced herself as Ella.

She was thin, with a freckled face—utterly different from the Ella she had once known.

Before her return to the past, she once had a personal maid named Ella in the imperial palace—the one who had betrayed her most cruelly.

Just hearing that name again made a dull ache bloom in her chest.

She knew this was a different person, yet the mere fact that they shared a name unsettled her.

The memory of being betrayed by someone she had trusted above all else was a wound that would never fully heal.

“Thank you, but I’d prefer to choose my attendants later.”

Until now, Rosé had followed along without protest, but this time, she spoke firmly.

Miriam’s face stiffened instantly as if turned to stone.

“Do these girls not meet your standards?”

“No, that’s not it. This is my first time seeing them, so how could I judge them? Understand me.”

“Then why…?”

“They’ll be the ones by my side the most, so I want to be careful in choosing them.”

“…I see. If that’s the case…”

Miriam trailed off, her expression sour as if she had swallowed something bitter.

There was no room for argument if Rosé wished to be cautious about selecting her attendants.

“Did I offend you in any way?”

“Of course not.”

Miriam quickly schooled her expression into a forced smile, the corners of her lips lifting as if weighted down.

“In that case, we will postpone selecting your maids for now.”

“Please take care of it.”

Rosé’s refusal of the maids Miriam had brought made the atmosphere in the room slightly awkward.

“I’m tired, so I’d like to rest now.”

“Then, please rest well. I will take my leave.”

The moment Rosé dismissed them, Freddy took the opportunity to retreat swiftly.

“Then, I shall also take my leave.”

Miriam followed after him.

****

Freddy, who had left the room earlier, waited at the end of the hallway for Miriam to come out.

As Miriam and the maids approached, he gestured for the maids to leave first. Only after they had moved far enough away did he finally speak.

“What were you thinking, assigning her that room?!”

“Sir Freddy, you entrusted the arrangements to me.”

“I trusted you to prepare it properly! Did I really have to spell everything out for you?”

“I fail to see the problem. That room has always been used by the lady of House Lankert.”

Miriam’s nonchalance made Freddy’s neck tense with frustration.

“Do you even hear yourself? Are you pretending not to know what happened in that room?”

“I’m fully aware.”

“The maids refuse to go anywhere near it because it is cursed and terrifying! And knowing that, you still assigned her that room?”

Freddy pressed his fingers against his temple and let out a long sigh.

Just then, Natalie, who had been exploring her room, spotted Freddy standing at the far end of the hallway.

“Huh? Who’s that?”

The white-haired butler, furious and arguing with someone, piqued her curiosity.

“Wow, so even he can lose his temper.”

Natalie found it odd. She couldn’t just walk past—she needed to know what upset him.

She quickly hid behind a nearby display cabinet in the middle of the hallway, straining to catch snippets of their conversation.

“Put yourself in her shoes. Would you want to stay in a place where someone jumped to their death?”

“I’m merely a head maid, sir. It wouldn’t be appropriate to compare me to someone of such high status.”

“If you’d asked me beforehand, I would never have allowed it!”

“I’m certain Lady Katriona would have insisted on giving her that room.”

When Miriam mentioned Katriona’s name, Freddy started to retort but firmly shut his mouth.

Miriam knew that invoking Lady Katriona would silence Freddy immediately.

Everyone had long since accepted that Katriona had taken control of the household’s affairs.

“You should remember that the lady of this house has changed. Lady Katriona is not the mistress anymore.”

“Of course, I understand. I trust that the new lady will prove herself in time.”

Though she spoke politely, a condescending smirk played on Miriam’s lips, betraying her true thoughts about Rosé.

Observing their tense exchange, Natalie tilted her head in confusion.

‘Are they arguing because of my lady? And… did I just hear something about someone jumping from somewhere?’

Frustrated at how little she could make out, Natalie pressed closer to the cabinet.

Her instincts told her that their conversation had something to do with Lady Rosé.

She was so intent on eavesdropping that she failed to notice the delicate vase on the cabinet wobbling precariously.

Crash!

The vase shattered on the floor.

Freddy and Miriam turned their heads toward the noise simultaneously.

Natalie’s heart nearly stopped. She clamped a hand over her mouth and pressed herself flat against the wall.

“If she finds out later and gets angry, you’ll deal with the consequences!”

With that final remark, Freddy stormed away.

Miriam watched him go before sharply turning to glare at the cabinet.

She strode toward it at an alarming speed.

Natalie suddenly felt like a trapped rat.

She couldn’t just step out now; if she was caught hiding, it would be even more humiliating.

Just then—

“Head Maid! Lady Katriona is asking for you!”

A breathless maid came running down the hallway.

“Right now?”

“Yes! She insists on seeing you immediately.”

Miriam glanced between the broken vase and the maid’s urgent face before abruptly turning away.

“Fine. You, clean up that mess.”

Thanks to the maid’s timely interruption, Natalie seized her chance. She quickly crawled toward a nearby door and slipped inside.

Luckily, the room was empty.

‘Phew… I almost got caught.’

She let out a shaky breath, wiping away the sweat that had formed on her forehead.

“Wait a minute. Why did I hide like a stray cat? What did I do wrong? I couldn’t just plug my ears while they were arguing in the hallway!”

With that thought, Natalie raised her head high again and stepped out.

The scene in the hallway was already over.

There wasn’t a soul in sight, and all that remained where the vase had broken under the cabinet was a damp spot.

Natalie shook her head and clicked her tongue.

“This house is hiding an awful lot of sinister secrets. Our Lady Rosé should’ve married into the imperial family!”