Chapter 1.3

This command quickly spread among the estate’s servants. They talked openly about it in front of Yvonne.

“Still, Yvonne, you are favored by the master. He’s hiding you so that the great Monsieur Conrad doesn’t notice you.”

“True. If the master had ambitions or wasn’t serious about you, he would’ve handed you over to the third son without hesitation.”

“……”

“Must be nice to be loved. If you marry the master and become the Baroness of Bertrand, don’t forget us, okay?”

Yvonne pretended not to hear and silently peeled potatoes. A grand party required a lot of hands.

Under normal circumstances, Yvonne wouldn’t have been given any tasks. However, now every bit of help was needed, and Emma assigned her to kitchen duties. Of course, Yvonne understood that this was part of Emma’s arrangement.

While preparing food, she would seize the moment during the party to escape.

By evening, the kitchen was bustling with activity. Only after the final dessert was served did the kitchen staff have a moment to breathe.

However, there were still dishes to wash and the possibility of preparing late-night snacks, so the kitchen maids couldn’t leave. Yvonne might have been stuck among them, but Emma intervened.

“Yvonne.”

“Yes, Head Maid.”

“You’ve done enough. Go back to your quarters and rest.”

It was a privilege, but no one dared to complain to Emma. Among the estate’s servants, everyone knew how much Philip favored Yvonne and what plans he might have for her.

They simply assumed Emma was trying to curry favor with Yvonne, the future Baroness of Bertrand, and paid no further attention.

Politely expressing her gratitude, Yvonne hurried to her quarters. She was eager to leave the estate before Philip came looking for her and before the night grew darker and carriages stopped running altogether.

She walked quickly, her gaze fixed on the ground, afraid someone might notice her and start a conversation. As she rushed,

Thud!

Yvonne collided with someone.

Startled, she quickly bowed her head and apologized profusely.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking ahead.”

As she habitually apologized, she noticed a white handkerchief fall onto her shoes.

The path to the servants’ quarters was unlit and very dark. However, the exceptionally white handkerchief stood out even in the gloom. Picking it up, she felt the soft texture against her fingertips.

She immediately realized—it was a luxurious handkerchief that only a noble would carry.

Suddenly, Yvonne felt a chill run down her spine. Philip didn’t carry handkerchiefs. Apart from him, there was only one noble staying at Rivette Estate.

The third son of the Conrad Marquisate.

The man who should have been dining with Philip—why was he here…?

Or perhaps it was not the third son but his aide. It was said that the aides of great nobles were usually nobles themselves and lived well-off. So, an aide might also carry such a handkerchief.

Regardless, the person was likely a noble. It was her fault for not looking ahead and bumping into him. 

Yvonne offered the handkerchief back, bowing her head even more and repeatedly apologizing.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”  

“…….”  

“I’m terribly sorry……!”  

Suddenly, her chin was grabbed. The strong smell of alcohol, which she hadn’t noticed before, now assaulted her senses. Startled, she didn’t even realize she’d dropped the handkerchief she was holding.  

Their faces were now directly aligned. In the dim surroundings, all she could see was the outline of the man’s face.  

The man, seemingly unable to see Yvonne’s face clearly, reached out and touched her face for a while before lowering his hand to grab her chest. She froze, stiff with shock.  

“Not bad, really.” 

The man whispered.  

It was just a few words, yet Yvonne felt chills run down her spine.  

The man then grabbed her arm and began walking forward. Despite the strong smell of alcohol, which suggested he was heavily intoxicated, his strength was undeniable, making it hard to believe he was drunk.  

Yvonne tried to resist being dragged along, but his firm grip left her stumbling and unable to break free.  

“Why are you doing this? Please let me go!”  

“Be quiet.”  

His voice was cold. Yvonne shuddered at the sound. He continued,  

“After all, you’re the one who threw yourself into my arms. Why are you complaining now?”  

“When did I ever…….”  

Yvonne protested, but her words fell on deaf ears. The man said no more and simply continued dragging her along with his brute strength.  

No matter how much she struggled, it was futile. She considered biting his hand with all her might, thinking she might be able to escape that way.  

But he was a nobleman. Even though the boundaries between commoners and nobles were becoming blurred, there was still a distinct difference.  

As someone who had lived her entire life as a servant, Yvonne couldn’t even imagine biting a nobleman.  

In the end, all she could do was plead weakly,  

“Please, let me go……. I beg you…….”  

Before long, they entered the nearby servant quarters. The quarters were as dark as the outside since all the servants had left to attend the welcome party for the third son of the Conrad family.  

“I was wrong. It’s all my fault. Please, just let me go…….”  

“Stop acting already. You’re starting to annoy me.”  

“Acting? No, I’m not…… Ugh!”  

The man pushed Yvonne against the wall. He let out a slow laugh and muttered softly,  

“I know, I know. It’ll all show once the clothes come off anyway.”  

His words, faintly audible, seemed to imply she should shut up.  

It was the first time she’d ever heard such crude language and insults. Even though the maids she worked with and Philip occasionally made vulgar jokes, this was on an entirely different level.  

Yvonne froze in shock. She wanted to deny it until the end, but her lips, frozen in fear, refused to move.  

Meanwhile, the man focused entirely on touching her body. Starting at her slender waist, his hand moved upward to her chest.  

Through the maid’s uniform, he could feel her delicate and soft body, which exuded a sweet and appetizing scent.  

It was a new experience. Women who tried to seduce him—whether noble or maid—usually smelled of floral perfumes.  

But this woman had a different scent. It was so sweet and tempting that it seemed to invite him to indulge.  

Unable to hold back any longer, the man pulled Yvonne further inside.  

The servant quarters weren’t completely full. Especially on the first floor, where many avoided staying due to the bugs, there were quite a few empty rooms.  

The man seemed to know this well. He expertly found an empty room, opened the door, and dragged Yvonne to a dusty bed, throwing her onto it.  

His heavy body pressed down on hers.  

Yvonne trembled, biting her lip, as his breath brushed against her skin.  

‘I should have just accepted Philip.’  

Regret filled her. At least Philip had wanted to marry her.  

But this man was different. Whether he was the third son of the Conrad family or his aide, it was clear he would treat her like a toy and discard her afterward.  

She shouldn’t have tried to escape. She should have just agreed to marry Philip. If she had done so, none of this would have happened.  

At some point, the man seemed annoyed by her tears, which continued to fall. He untied the maid’s headpiece and used it to blindfold her eyes.  

From then on, every moment felt like an eternity.  

Only after she had no strength left to plead did the man finally let her go.  

“Haah…….”  

Even after the man removed himself from her body, Yvonne couldn’t pull herself together.  

She had tried several times before, only to be forced back down and made to endure.  

Her thighs were in utter disarray, and her chest, which had been squeezed with all his strength, was so sore it felt numb.  

The man dressed himself while she lay there, breathing heavily.  

He tossed a gold coin toward her.  

The coin fell short of the bed, landing on the floor with a clinking sound, spinning a few times before settling flat.  

Due to the blindfold, Yvonne couldn’t see what the man had done. She could only guess based on the clear metallic sound that echoed.  

The man’s drunken voice pierced her ears,  

“Take that, and if you get pregnant, deal with it yourself. Don’t come looking for me.”  

The sound of the door closing followed. He had left.  

Even after realizing he was gone, Yvonne couldn’t gather her thoughts or pull herself together. Exhausted, she eventually fell asleep as if fainting.