Chapter 17 – Part 2

After returning to the mansion, Kristin informed the butler and the head maid that Lenci and Cindy would soon be attending the academy for commoners.

She then reviewed the contracts of the servants that had been bothering her for a while, only to find that the contracts were a complete mess.

Some maids were paid far less than they deserved based on their years of service, while others, who had barely worked but managed to stay on Rose’s good side, received much higher wages.

Kristin revised all the servants’ contracts, ensuring that they would have the option to renew them annually with a salary increase if they wished.

When her mother was alive, the mansion was peaceful, and there were hardly any complaints from the servants. However, after her mother passed away, the servants’ grievances accumulated over the years, leaving many of them feeling wronged.

The servants were afraid to express their dissatisfaction, as being caught by Vernon or their stepmother could result in them being banished from the household, making it impossible to find work elsewhere. The fear of losing their jobs forced them to remain silent, even though they weren’t being paid fairly for their work.

This situation was no different for Lenci and Cindy. Lenci, in particular, had never mentioned her salary issues to Kristin. Because she was Kristin’s maid, she had been receiving only half the pay she deserved for the work she had done.

Upon learning this, Kristin became furious and promised Lenci that she would receive the unpaid portion of her wages the following month. Cindy’s salary, which had also been woefully inadequate, was increased as well.

Moved by Kristin’s actions, Cindy and the other servants who had served under Elena and Rose expressed their gratitude to her.

“Thank you, my Lady, for thinking of us. We were too scared to do anything because of Lady Elena and Lady Rose, and yet you’ve considered even us, who did nothing but cower in fear. We’re so grateful.”

Each servant kneeled before Kristin, expressing their gratitude and confessing their wrongdoings. Kristin listened quietly to their stories and reassured them, telling them it was all right.

The butler and the head maid also expressed their thanks to Kristin, and it was only by evening that Kristin was finally able to retreat to her room to rest.

However, she had one request for the butler, Alberto.

Since the Edith mansion didn’t have knights like the Duke of Raphael or the Marquis of Winston, she usually had to rely on the butler whenever something came up.

This time, because it wasn’t a simple task, she entrusted it to the butler instead of Lenci.

“I plan to appoint Lenci’s brother, Oliver, as the manager of the Levi Mine I own. I have one request regarding that. Please accompany Oliver to the Megri Mining Specialist Training Institute and register him there. If I go, it might cause a stir and lead to strange rumors, so I think it’s better if you handle it. Oh, and just let them know that I will be sending the registration fees separately.”

Alberto agreed to her request.

The next day, the butler and head maid relieved Cindy and Lenci of their morning duties. Following Kristin’s instructions, the butler registered Cindy and Lenci at the academy for commoners, and he also registered Oliver at the Megri Mining Specialist Training Institute.

With these tasks completed, Kristin felt a sense of relief.

She had taken steps to ensure that Oliver could become the manager of the Levi Mine by registering him at the institute, and she had sent Cindy and Lenci to an academy for commoners as they wished to further their education. She had also revised all the servants’ contracts in the Edith mansion.

Kristin, who had been too preoccupied with her affairs to properly care for others before, felt grateful to have the chance to do so after coming back from the brink of death.

She no longer had to deal with Elena and Rose, who had made her life difficult, and since she hadn’t married Raphael, there were no longer any people around who could cause her harm.

Kristin sat in a garden chair, lost in thought.At that moment, she saw a figure approaching the mansion’s gate.

It was Elena.

Carrying a suitcase and looking disheveled, Elena was ringing the doorbell of the Edith mansion.

Since Kristin was seated in a spot with a clear view of the gate, she immediately recognized Elena. Elena was in such a state that she looked almost like a beggar who hadn’t bathed in a while.

Kristin was momentarily speechless and frozen in place. When the servants, who had been sweeping the leaves near the gate, looked at Kristin for guidance, she finally spoke up.

“Elena has arrived. Open the gate for her.”

“But, Lady Kristin? If Lady Elena comes into the mansion, she might trouble you again.”

The servants were visibly frightened at the sight of Elena standing at the gate. However, when Kristin nodded at them, they cautiously opened the gate.

As soon as they did, Elena collapsed at the entrance. Seeing this, Kristin immediately ordered them.

“Quickly, bring Elena inside.”

* * *

Kristin handed a glass of water to Elena, who had barely regained consciousness and was lying on the sofa in the parlor.

Elena, her throat parched, drank the water greedily and, after finishing the glass, hesitantly began to speak.

“So, are you feeling a bit better now? Are you happy to see me in this state?”

Even though she had been so weak just moments ago, Elena’s eyes were now filled with venom.

Kristin shook her head slowly before responding to her.

“Where have you been? Where is the arrogant Elena, who is always dressed in clean, fancy clothes? Do you feel better after saying that to me?”

But Elena couldn’t find the words to respond to Kristin.

Elena simply stared down at the empty glass, lost in thought and unable to speak.

In truth, Elena was now watching Kristin’s reactions, something she had never done before.

“You must have a reason for coming to the mansion, Elena. Tell me,” Kristin urged.

Slowly, Elena began to speak.

“After that day, I tried to go to the homes of the noble ladies I used to know. But do you know what they told me? Once I left Edith Mansion, I was just a filthy commoner, and they told me to get lost.”

“Elena.”

“Is it wrong for a commoner to become a noble? Is nobility something you’re born with? Why is it that I can’t be one?”

Kristin sighed softly as she looked at Elena.

Elena, who used to walk confidently and live with pride in Edith Mansion, was no longer the same person she once was.

Kristin had thought that if Elena lost everything, her greed would melt away like snow.

Instead, despite her mother being convicted of murder and Elena becoming the daughter of a criminal, Elena still looked as if she were a deeply wrong person.

If she had come here, shaken by disappointment in her mother, asking Kristin to pity her and let her stay in the mansion, Kristin might have been willing to live with her in Edith Mansion. But the Elena in front of her seemed entirely different from what Kristin had hoped for.

What Elena desperately wanted now was to return to her former luxurious life as a noblewoman—wearing fine dresses and jewelry and living as the “Viscount’s daughter.”

That was all she cared about.

Elena wasn’t feeling sorry for her mother, who was now in prison; instead, she was angry that her situation had reduced her to this state. Seeing this, Kristin spoke to her with a cold expression.

“If you’re going to show me this side of you, then leave. I have nothing more to say.”

“What?”

“You still haven’t come to your senses.”

“Who do you think made me this way? It’s you, but I hate our mother the most.”

When Elena said this, Kristin replied once more.

“Elena, leave Edith Mansion. I don’t want to see you anymore.”

Tears began to fall from Elena’s eyes. Clenching her fists, Elena spoke.

“Do you think I came here to ask for help?”

As Elena glared at Kristin, Kristin returned the cold stare.

Their gazes locked, tense in the air between them.

Finally, Kristin broke eye contact, not wanting to be in the same room with Elena any longer. She no longer felt any desire to understand Elena.

Looking at Elena, who was too proud to ask for help and who hadn’t washed or eaten properly, Kristin slowly spoke.

“You think all of this is my fault, don’t you?”

Elena, shaking with anger, didn’t answer.

Kristin took out a jewel from her pouch, which she had kept for emergencies, and handed it to Elena.

“If you thought I wouldn’t take you in and would just live well on my own, you’re mistaken. Even if you had shown up like this today, if you had sincerely apologized to me, I wouldn’t have been angry with you. Elena, take this jewel with you.”

“Do you think it’s funny to see me like this?”