Chapter 6

Lia left the parlor and returned to the second-floor room with Rafaella to pack their belongings.  

There wasn’t much to pack anyway, as she had only brought a few essential items.  

Just as she finished packing and was taking a brief moment to catch her breath—  

Knock, knock, knock.  

A quick, indifferent knock sounded at the door.  

Without even announcing who it was, the door was flung open.  

‘…Who is it?’  

Lia was startled by the sudden appearance of someone, but the person entered so confidently that she stood up in surprise.  

“Hello, I am Daria, the head maid of the ducal residence.”  

The person who had entered rudely was none other than the head maid of this mansion.  

“Oh, yes.”  

Standing at the door, the head maid quickly scanned Lia and Rafaella with her eyes.  

Her attitude carried a slight air of hostility and disregard, which made Lia want to say something in response.  

“You’ve heard from His Grace, haven’t you? I’ll guide you to your new room.”  

Without giving Lia a chance to speak, the head maid said what she wanted and left the room.  

‘This is definitely disrespectful, isn’t it?’  

Lia felt upset as she watched the head maid, who seemed to lack any courtesy not only toward her but also toward Rafaella.  

The head maid, whether intentionally or not, walked ahead at a pace too fast for young Rafaella to follow.  

Lia had no choice but to pick up Rafaella midway and follow the head maid.  

‘She doesn’t even bother to hide her displeasure. Even before my regression, the head maid was….’  

“This is the place.”  

The head maid stopped in front of a door that appeared to be made of very luxurious wood.  

After glancing at them briefly, she opened the door.  

“…Wow.”  

As the door opened, both Lia and Rafaella let out exclamations of admiration.  

The room assigned to Rafaella was incomparable to the guest room they had stayed in earlier.  

“This room originally belonged to His Grace’s younger sister, Lady Penelope, who resides on the fourth floor.”  

After a brief pause, she added,  

“…The third-floor rooms like this are typically reserved for the ‘Ducal daughter’ of the Blumhart family.”  

The head maid entered the room and began explaining as she walked ahead.  

There was a parlor, a bedroom, a small study, a bathroom, a dressing room, and finally—  

“This is usually where the governess or personal maid of the Duke’s daughter resides.”  

Lia’s eyes were drawn to a small, shabby-looking side door that stood out from the rest of the luxurious surroundings.  

The head maid’s gaze seemed to silently convey, ‘Your daughter might belong here, but your place is over there.’  

Lia didn’t feel the need to argue back against that look.  

‘I’m just someone who’s staying here temporarily anyway.’  

Even if she were to spend most of her days in Rafaella’s opulently decorated room.  

“…For now, I’ve placed the dresses and pajamas Lady Penelope wore as a child in the dressing room.”  

When the head maid asked if Lia had any spare clothes, Lia, feeling embarrassed, admitted she didn’t. The head maid then said she would send over some extra clothes.  

“Since this room was prepared in a hurry, there might be some things missing.”  

The room seemed perfect, so she wondered what could possibly be lacking.  

“If you need anything while staying here, ring the bell or shake the servant’s cord to call a maid.”  

Having said everything she wanted to, the head maid gave a half-hearted nod to Rafaella, who was now officially the Duke’s daughter, and left.  

She left without a second glance.  

‘Even though she’s the head maid of a grand noble’s mansion, she doesn’t bother hiding her disdain….’  

Lia couldn’t tell if the head maid lacked a sense of responsibility or if this was her true nature.  

Although the head maid had introduced Rafaella’s room, she had done very little in reality.  

Apart from showing them the new room, she hadn’t provided any detailed explanations about the spaces or instructions on how to use the items in the room.  

For someone responsible for managing a grand noble’s residence, her attitude was shockingly indifferent. However, Lia, unfamiliar with noble households, couldn’t recognize this.  

Before her regression, she hadn’t even had the chance to see Rafaella’s room.  

After the head maid left, Lia began exploring the room with Rafaella.  

The parlor was charmingly and adorably decorated, befitting a Duke’s daughter.  

A beautiful chandelier, crafted from gold, sparkled dazzlingly on the ceiling. The floral-patterned sofa was so plush that it elicited exclamations of admiration.  

The table legs in front of the sofa were entirely made of gold, with the lower parts shaped like wolf paws.  

‘…It’s truly magnificent.’  

The fireplace, which warmed the room, also appeared anything but ordinary.  

“Mom, this is amazing! The ashes in the fireplace disappear instantly!”  

“Wow, you’re right. Is it powered by a magic stone?”  

The fact that noble mansions even used magic stones for their fireplaces was astonishing.  

After exploring the parlor, Lia took Rafaella’s hand and entered the bedroom.  

Rafaella let out a cheer and dashed toward the canopy bed, draped in heavy velvet fabric.  

“Mom, come up here too! It’s so soft!”  

Rafaella exclaimed as she jumped on the bed.  

Lia didn’t climb up but sat on the edge, watching her daughter.  

‘…Before my regression, the head maid was one of those who treated Raffy poorly.’  

Judging by her earlier attitude, it was easy to imagine how she might have behaved.  

While she probably acted respectfully in front of the Duke, she likely treated Rafaella with subtle disdain when they were alone.  

Young and unaware, Rafaella wouldn’t have even realized she was being disrespected.  

Earlier, the head maid’s tone may have been polite, but her demeanor was laced with disregard and hostility.  

‘I can tolerate being treated this way since I’m just a temporary guest, but I won’t let her treat Rafaella like that.’  

It was crucial to establish boundaries from the start.  

She had been too flustered earlier to say anything, but she couldn’t let it happen again.  

“Mom, I love this room!”  

“Do you like it?”  

“Yes! Absolutely!”  

Rafaella, who had been exploring every corner of the bedroom, exclaimed with sparkling eyes.  

“Is this really our room?”  

“Yes, it’s your room, Raffy.”  

“Hehe, let’s check out the bathroom next!”  

They went to the bathroom and were amazed by the marble bathtub. In the dressing room, they couldn’t close their mouths in astonishment.  

The place felt like another world.  

Even though the dresses were said to be old, each one was glossy and luxurious.  

The silk pajamas were so soft to the touch.  

“Raffy, let’s try this dress on.”  

Lia picked out a sky-blue dress that seemed perfect for Rafaella and helped her put it on.  

“…Wow, Raffy, you look stunning!”  

The saying “clothes make the person” was true.  

The elegant sky-blue dress, paired with a blue waist ribbon, made Rafaella look like a princess straight out of a fairy tale.  

“Hehe, really?”  

Rafaella couldn’t take her eyes off her reflection in the mirror.  

‘With a bit of tailoring, it’ll fit even better.’  

Lia gently kissed her daughter’s cheek, who was engrossed in her own image.  

“Raffy, would you like to stay here and explore the clothes while I go organize our things?”  

“Okay, Mom!”  

Lia took her bag and headed to the side room the head maid had shown earlier.  

It was the only modest space in the Duke’s daughter’s quarters.  

The room contained a plain wooden desk, chair, and bed, all of which seemed old and rough.  

After seeing Rafaella’s luxurious room, this one felt dreary and dark in comparison.  

Unlike the grand and ornate spaces of the Duke’s daughter, this room lacked any decoration or sparkle, reminding her of the home she had lived in before.  

‘I feel more at ease here than in Raffy’s room.’  

She unpacked a notebook she had written with her grandmother about magical potions and herbs, some potions and tools she had brought from the cabin, and the keepsakes her parents had left behind.  

She placed the notebook and potions in the top drawer of the desk and stared at the keepsakes.  

‘…Will Raffy forget me too?’  

She herself couldn’t remember anything about her parents, who had passed away when she was young.  

Her grandmother had comforted her, saying it was inevitable since they had died so early, but not remembering her birth parents was a sorrowful thing.  

‘I’m afraid Rafaella will forget me too.’  

Was it selfish to hope her child would remember her?  

Having lost her parents at a similar age, she wasn’t confident.  

She placed the keepsakes back in her bag and put it in the bottom drawer of the desk.  

After tidying up, Lia left the side room and walked toward the dressing room where her daughter was.  

Bang!  

At that moment, someone barged into Rafaella’s room without knocking.  

A noblewoman, dressed in an elaborate velvet gown with jet-black hair neatly pinned up and fierce blue eyes, stormed in.  

“…Who are you?”  

Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Lia instinctively asked.  

It was clear from her appearance that this person held a high position in the Duke’s household, but Lia was so surprised that she made a mistake.  

She had heard that high-ranking individuals disliked being addressed first.  

‘…Could she be my husband’s aunt? What should I do?’  

From the start, it seemed she had made a bad impression. Lia swallowed nervously.  

“…What? Who are you?”  

Her guess wasn’t wrong.  

The noblewoman’s already sharp expression twisted into an even more hostile one.  

Her fierce blue eyes glared so intensely that it sent shivers down Lia’s spine.  

Before Lia could respond, the noblewoman swiftly approached her.  

Smack!  

She slapped Lia hard across the face.  

Neither Lia nor the maid who had accompanied the noblewoman had expected such an action.  

“How dare you act so insolently!”