Let’s Just Make a Child, Your Grace - Chapter 9 Part 4

“Betty, when you enjoyed someone else’s pain, you should have been prepared for your own suffering.”

The strength drained from Betty’s hand that was holding onto Arne’s skirt.

Arne looked down at Betty coldly and whispered in her ear.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t know, foolish Betty? Do you truly want to live? Then take this and run away. The Duchess truly intends to kill you for speaking the truth. You should know that well.”

Arne placed the pearl necklace in Betty’s hand. The cold touch met her trembling fingers.

Arne’s chin slowly turned towards the window as she lifted her lips languidly.

Thump, thump, Betty’s heart pounded as the head maid’s footsteps drew closer. Betty, tightly clutching the pearl necklace Arne had given her, dashed towards the window.

“Oh, no! Catch her!”

Though she had been dragging her feet, Betty somehow found the strength to run vigorously. Watching Betty’s retreating figure, Arne slowly raised her lips.

‘Run far away. No matter how far you run, your sins will follow you. Keep running, holding tight to that pearl necklace, foolish Betty.’

Arne subtly tripped the head maid who was trying to catch Betty. It was amusing to see the head maid flailing and tumbling down.

“Mother, Betty really did steal the pearl necklace. It’s truly regrettable, isn’t it?”

The Duchess’s face contorted severely. She intended to punish Penny, Arne’s dedicated maid, to ask about the antidote from Arne.

And to break that gaze that looked straight at her. But now it became utterly ridiculous.

“Head maid!”

The fallen head maid scrambled to her feet.

“Search for Betty.”

“Yes, Madam.”

As the Duchess left without looking back, as if fleeing, Bianca followed suit.

It was a first. The first time Arne had not begged as the Duchess wanted, but counterattacked, and that counterattack had succeeded properly. Arne felt strange. Is this how one takes small steps forward?

‘Duchess, no matter how much you try to stop me, I will go to the Renigrad banquet. And I will stop my engagement with Kale.’

Arne turned her body. Looking around at the group of maids, she spoke as if warning them.

“Remember this. I now have many valuables too. If you don’t want to end up like Betty, it would be best to do well from now on.”

It meant that if they tried to frame Penny, she would repay them just like today.

As Arne turned gracefully, she came face to face with the maid Agatha, who had just returned. Arne’s eyes narrowed.

‘Agatha, come to think of it, I hadn’t seen her. I wonder why.’

Agatha, upon seeing Arne, politely bowed and held out a letter.

‘A letter?’

At this late hour, sending a letter to a young lady was not proper etiquette.

Usually, it would be a love letter, unless it was an urgent secret message that needed to be delivered immediately. Suddenly, all the maids’ eyes turned to Arne. Even Arne seemed caught off guard by this unexpected event, staring blankly at the letter.

‘Could it be from Duke Xenon?’

Arne’s face filled with confusion as she hurriedly took the letter she had been looking at quizzically.

The sender was Cedric Schopendha de Renigrad.

[Cedric Schopendha de Renigrad.]

Arne’s eyes slowly read that name. No matter how she thought about it, he had no reason to urgently inform Arne of anything.

‘Besides, didn’t he already give the banquet invitation this afternoon? So it’s not an urgent secret message.’

It was hard to believe, even seeing it with her own eyes, that Cedric, that overly polite and formal northern man, had sent Arne a love letter, and at this late hour no less.

Arne finally closed her mouth after opening it slightly. Whether it was a secret message or a love letter, it was inappropriate to open it in front of everyone.

Though they didn’t dare ask Arne directly, the maids’ gazes were filled with curiosity and a strange tension.

While Arne said nothing and just looked at the letter, a flurry of silent communication passed between the maids through their eyes. The intensity of their thoughts was almost palpable.

‘At this late hour, and even though he saw Lady Arne this afternoon, he sent another love letter?’

‘It’s really unusual, I’m telling you.’

‘So what? There was talk of engagement with the Wayne family today too.’

‘It hasn’t happened yet. How many times do engagements fall through right before they’re finalized? Nothing’s certain until the ceremony.’

Arne, thinking she should go back to her room to read the letter, called for Penny. Just as she was about to leave the maid’s quarters, Arne stopped in her tracks.

‘If he intended to give the letter, why did he come to the maid’s quarters instead of my room? At this hour, Agatha’s duty is to clean my room. Moreover, she didn’t give the letter to the head maid.’

All letters in the ducal residence basically pass through the head maid’s hands. If Agatha had given this letter to the head maid in the current situation, it would never have reached Arne’s hands.

‘I should test this.’

Arne turned and ordered Agatha.

“Agatha, I’m out of quills. Bring me one like the ones the Duchess uses.”

The maids’ eyes widened. This was a task that could put one in the Duchess’s bad graces if discovered. However, the maids’ jaws dropped at Agatha’s unhesitating response.

“Understood.”

A smile spread across Arne’s lips. Agatha is a quick-witted girl. She had already anticipated today’s events and changed her allegiance. This letter was proof of that.

Arne’s mind raced quickly. The Duchess, ruminating on today’s humiliation, would never stop. To stand against the vile Duchess, Arne also needed someone she could move, like the head maid.

Someone who wouldn’t shy away from dirty work sometimes, like Betty, but not foolish enough to mess things up like Betty. Agatha was perfect.

Arne looked at Agatha with a gentle smile.

“You’ve worked hard. I always pay my dues, whatever they may be. Here’s a bonus.”

Arne ostentatiously held out a gold coin to Agatha. It was a large sum for just fetching a quill from the storage. As Agatha accepted the gold coin, the maids’ minds began to race.

Arne observed them carefully. There are always people in need of money anywhere. And having seen how the Duchess pays her maid’s loyalty, there would surely be some who would waver.

Now, there will be those who would side with Arne in the ducal residence.

“Anyone who has something useful, come to me anytime. I’m interested in many things.”

Leaving that opening, Arne gracefully walked away.

* * *

Upon returning to the room, a foul smell assaulted her nose. It was a mess. Torn dress fragments were scattered about, and filth was smeared all over the dresses and various parts of the room.

Without even frowning, Arne elegantly opened a drawer and took out bandages and ointment.

“Penny, sit here.”

Penny sat in the chair Arne indicated, looking dejected, either upset about the ruined dresses or shocked by today’s events.

“My, my lady!”

Arne applied ointment to Penny’s ankle and wrapped it with a bandage. Though Penny tried to stop Arne in embarrassment, Arne was firm in her words.

“Sit down.”

“But if you do such things, Lady Arne……”

“What do you mean ‘such things’? I’m just treating a maid who got hurt trying to protect my dress.”

“How could someone as noble as you…… Besides, I couldn’t even protect the dress. Next time, I’ll defend it even if I have to sacrifice my body!”

“Penny.”

“……Yes?”

“If the Duchess threatens you again, abandon the dress next time.”

“What?”

Arne calmly finished wrapping the bandage.

“If you get hurt, who will braid my hair and bring me sandwiches when I’m hungry? Don’t get hurt and stay by my side for a long time to serve me. That’s what’s best for me.”

Arne looked at Penny’s face, which resembled Millie’s. Penny couldn’t easily find words to say. Though Lady Arne said it was for her own sake, her eyes looked so sad.

“Don’t leave me alone, Penny. You are more important to me than any dress.”

Penny gripped her skirt tightly.

“Besides, you have a daughter, Millie, don’t you? How sad would Millie be if you got hurt?”

Arne’s eyelids fluttered slowly. Millie, who had been the only one to follow Arne to the cursed grand duchy when no one else would stay with her, and who ultimately died protecting Vivian.

‘This is all I can do for Millie right now.’

When she found out Millie was alive, she wanted to run to meet her immediately. But she held back, knowing what harm might come just from being associated with her.

With even her mana core shattered, Arne couldn’t protect Millie now.

‘Can you wait just a little longer, Millie? I’m taking small steps forward now.’

Arne pushed the last image of Millie deep into her heart. After tying the bandage firmly, Arne held out her hand to Penny.

“So don’t get hurt or sick, and stay by my side for a long time. Understand?”