Chapter 15 – Part 4

From afternoon until nightfall, the Edith mansion was surprisingly quiet.

Kristin wandered through Vernon’s room and her stepmother’s room, reminiscing about past events in the mansion.

Finally, she looked into Elena’s room.

On a normal day, she wouldn’t have had a reason to inspect these rooms.

But now that they were all gone, she could finally take her time to look around their rooms. She had been in her father’s room during their conversations, so she had seen the inside, but she had hardly ever seen inside the rooms of her stepmother, Rose, and Elena.Whenever Kristin peeked into their rooms, they would always mock her and quickly shoo her away. Even though it was her own home, Kristin always felt like an outsider, living as if she were a guest, constantly walking on eggshells and following their every word.

As Kristin looked around Rose and Elena’s rooms, memories of the past began to flood back, making it impossible for her to stay in those rooms any longer.

She ordered the maids to completely clear out Elena and Rose’s rooms.

Then, while in her father’s room, she suddenly remembered the old family photo that was no longer visible and began searching for it.

It was a photo of a 10-year-old Kristin with her mother and father.

Kristin wanted to see that happy moment when the three of them were together, but she couldn’t find the photo in any of the desk drawers.

Just as she was about to give up on finding the family photo, her eyes landed on an Imperial history book. The book had been sitting there for over ten years, covered in a thick layer of dust.

It was so dusty that the cover was almost dirty, but Kristin, feeling a sudden urge, wiped the dust off the cover and began turning the pages.

It didn’t take long before she found the family photo tucked haphazardly between the pages. Kristin could only shed silent tears, unable to say a word.

The photo was already worn and tattered, with the edges turned a deep brown. Though her mother and Kristin were smiling in the photo, time had worn it down, making their faces blurry.

Kristin placed the book on the desk, took out the photo, and brought it back to her room. She took out her most cherished frame, placed the photo inside, and set it on her desk.

Just then, she heard someone knocking on the door.

“My Lady.”

It was a low voice, but Kristin recognized it as Cindy’s.

“Cindy?”

“Yes, My Lady. May I come in?”

After Cindy finished speaking, Kristin opened the door and looked at her.

Cindy brought in a tray with a warm glass of milk and a glass of water, offering them to Kristin.

“I thought you might have trouble sleeping tonight, so I brought you some warm milk and water, thinking it might help.”

Kristin took the tray and looked at Cindy, who gave an awkward smile and hesitated, her lips trembling as if she were struggling to speak.

Finally, as if making a difficult decision, Cindy cautiously began to speak.

“I’ve done many bad things, My Lady.”

“Cindy.”

“I just wanted a better life. Seeing Lady Elena become a noblewoman, I wished countless times that I could be like her. Even though I couldn’t achieve that, I still wanted more than a maid’s life…”

Kristin understood what Cindy was trying to say.

Even without more words, she could sense it.

Kristin realized that Cindy didn’t truly want the humble life of a commoner.

She had merely been captivated by the allure of the nobility’s life, but Kristin knew that with a bit of guidance, Cindy could have ambitions for a better life.

“Yes. There’s something I want to ask you.”

Cindy, suddenly tense at Kristin’s words, looked at her. Kristin set the tray down next to her desk and continued speaking.

“Cindy, are you satisfied with your life right now?”

“Of course. But still… I would like to live a much better life than I do now.”

Kristin nodded as if she understood, then spoke to Cindy.

“Alright. I’ll send you to the academy with Lenci.”

Cindy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She covered her mouth with her hands and couldn’t speak for a while.

Originally, Kristin had planned to send only Lenci to the academy that commoners attended. Because Lenci was a maid who was close to Kristin, her stepmother, and Elena had tried to ruin Lenci’s brother Oliver’s flower shop.

To prevent such things from happening again, Kristin had asked Oliver to become the manager of the Levi Mine.

Since Oliver had only run a flower shop, it was clear he would reject such a proposal.

Worried that Oliver wouldn’t accept, Kristin had promised to send Lenci to the academy in exchange for his acceptance of the position.

Although Lenci was nearly of adult age, it saddened Kristin that she couldn’t even properly read and write the Empire’s language.

Kristin hoped that Lenci, who was quite clever and capable, could live a better life with just a little help from her.

Standing before her now was Cindy, two years older than Lenci, who also hadn’t had the chance to attend an academy, and Kristin felt sorry for her as well.

Kristin thought that if Cindy continued living as a maid, her longing for things she couldn’t have would only grow.

Kristin wanted to save Cindy from a life that could easily become unhappy.

Some might wonder why she would go to such lengths, but Kristin wanted to help this girl who was only a year younger than her.

Still shocked, Cindy began to speak cautiously.

“The academy? Really? But why would you do such a thing for a maid like me?”

Kristin replied in a kind, gentle tone.

“If you learn a bit more, you’ll have many more opportunities than you do now. His Majesty the Emperor also prioritizes selecting hardworking students from the commoners’ academy for public office, so I hope you can seize that chance.”

“Not just by marrying a nobleman and becoming a noblewoman. You must also understand how unfavorable that outcome could be.”

At Kristin’s words, Cindy hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. Cindy herself knew that Rose’s situation was one in a million—a rare occurrence.

Moreover, marrying a nobleman of a rank higher than a baron or a viscount, especially an earl, required not only significant effort but also a lot of luck.

Cindy had believed that Rose had simply met Vernon, fallen in love, and easily become a Viscountess because the former Viscountess of Elesia had passed away.

But after learning that Rose had committed a crime to secure her position, Cindy’s admiration for her shattered.

Although Cindy had always known that Rose was no ordinary person, she had never imagined that she could be so ruthless.

She had simply thought that they were greedy people who wanted more for themselves.

“Why are you giving a chance to a maid like me, who has done such terrible things?” Cindy asked.

“I’ve heard that even the academy for commoners is very expensive. I’ve heard that it’s difficult for commoners to afford.”

Cindy was genuinely curious.

She couldn’t understand why Kristin was extending such kindness to her.

“If my stepmother and Elena hadn’t come to our estate, would you have committed such bad deeds in the first place?”

“Well, that’s…”

“Cindy, I think the reason you said you no longer want to live as a maid is partly because of Elena’s influence. She was also a commoner, but she quickly became a viscount’s daughter. Seeing that, you must have thought that commoners could become noblewomen too. Also, there’s no way you could have liked me, born a noble from the start.”

Kristin’s words were so accurate that Cindy couldn’t even respond properly and just hung her head in silence.

As her face turned red with shame, Kristin continued speaking.

“You were just grabbing at any lifeline you could find. At the time, my stepmother and Elena must have seemed like golden opportunities, but I don’t think you could ever get what you wanted from them.”

“But… I’m sorry to say this, but even though Lady Elena mistreated me, she also took good care of me, and I learned a lot at the debutante ball… I’m not trying to take her side, but as a maid who served Lady Elena, I hope you won’t misunderstand.”

“Alright, Cindy. So, did you get closer to the life you wanted?”

When Kristin asked this with a gentle smile, Cindy shook her head.

In the end, all Cindy gained was vanity and jealousy, and she never truly got closer to a better life.

The more she followed Elena around, the more it drove her crazy with envy.

There were many times when she resented Kristin even more because of Elena’s words, knowing that both Raphael and Winston favored Kristin.

Cindy had chosen Elena and Rose, thinking she would become happier than she had been as a lower-class citizen.

But now?

They had crossed a river they could never return from.

“Yes, what I wanted wasn’t that. I just wanted to be a little happier. And I was so jealous of Lenci, who was under your care, My Lady.”

Cindy could no longer hold back her tears. She sat down, wiping her tears from her maid’s uniform, and continued speaking.

“I’m the eldest daughter in my family, and if I didn’t work, we would have struggled. My mother always said that I had to do well so that my younger siblings could do well too. She said that if I didn’t succeed, our family would have a hard time making ends meet.”

Kristin patted Cindy’s shoulder comfortingly.

Kristin wasn’t particularly fond of Cindy, but this was the first time she had heard Cindy’s story, so she continued to listen attentively.

“But when I saw Lenci receiving flowers from her brother and heard from the butler that Lenci’s brother ran a flower shop, hoping for Lenci’s success, I felt so envious. Lenci was a commoner like me, but it felt like I was the only one who was unhappy. That’s why I acted the way I did.”

Cindy could no longer continue her words.

“Alright. Then you need to find happiness. Don’t carry around unnecessary jealousy anymore. Live for yourself. Don’t live to impress someone else or to get ahead of others. Live the life you truly want, Cindy.”

After Kristin finished speaking, Cindy lifted her head and gave a bright smile as she replied.

“Thank you, My Lady. No one has ever said such things to me. I never expected to hear such words from the person I’ve wronged the most. I’ll repay your kindness somehow.”

“I didn’t forgive you because I expected anything in return. Just getting your life back on the right track is enough for me.”

As Kristin spoke, Cindy wiped away the tears that had streamed down her cheeks and smiled.

* * *

After the storm had passed, Kristin was finally able to enjoy a peaceful meal in the mansion.

Even as she descended from her room on the second floor to the first floor, she no longer had to be cautious of anyone. Everything was quiet and peaceful, allowing her to feel a sense of calm and stability.

However, there were still many tasks ahead of her.

Soon, around ten o’clock, she expected to receive a letter from the Imperial Palace informing her of the verdict regarding Vernon and Rose.

So after finishing her breakfast, Kristin decided to take a slow walk around the garden and wait by the front gate for any news.

She might still have to be investigated as a witness.

If that were the case, it was certain that Beatrice Charlotte would send her a letter when she found out.

As she waited with that premonition in mind, she heard the sound of a carriage approaching and stopping in front of the Edith mansion.

Kristin couldn’t shake off the feeling of tension the entire time.

The Emperor was someone who liked to dig into past events, but Kristin had no idea whether he would apply guilt for something that happened six years ago.

Even with numerous precedents, this was one of the rare cases, and she was worried that the sentence for her father and Rose would not be light.

As she anxiously watched the man step out of the carriage, Kristin instinctively clasped her hands and asked him,

“Are you from the Imperial Executive Office?”

Then the man, with a sympathetic expression toward Kristin, finally opened his mouth.