Chapter 5 (Part 4)

Despite being told that strawberry cake would be served at the tea party, Meryl’s statement that she didn’t like it made the maid feel frustrated, though she couldn’t show it.

She just smiled and said she would bring something else.

“I’ll bring something else.”

Meryl’s gaze landed on Agnita, who was serving at the end of the table.

“Agnita, bring it.”

Agnita, a maid who showed blind loyalty to Meia, was not favored by Meryl.

Hiding a mischievous smile, Meryl spoke to the young nobles with a delicate expression.

“I feel sorry for my younger cousin. I should have taken better care of her.”

At the mention of Meia, Agnita’s hand momentarily paused.

“No, Lady Meryl. We are moved by your kindness in forgiving Lady Meia’s faults.”

“That’s right.”

“Lady Meryl, you must have suffered a lot.”

“It’s fortunate that Lady Meia went to the Mage Tower.”

Meryl wiped her eyes as she spoke.

“But Meia ended up like that because I didn’t take care of her. Her immature, extravagant, and arrogant behavior should have been corrected… I should have taken responsibility as her cousin…”

“You did your best, Lady Meryl.”

“It’s no wonder she was expelled from the position of the Crown Prince’s fiancée! Tsk tsk, although the young ladies and noblewomen say she was unjustly expelled, honestly, she was expelled because she deserved it.”

“That’s right.”

“I knew this would happen when she arrogantly paraded around as the flower of the social circle.”

The anger in Agnita’s usually expressionless eyes was visible to Meryl.

Since Meia left for the Mage Tower, Meryl often slapped Agnita.

After all, the servants couldn’t say a word even if they were beaten by a noble lady. Some servants quit, but Meryl knew Agnita had to endure because of Meia, so she couldn’t stop tormenting and using her as a punching bag.

While other maids would tremble and kneel after being hit once, Agnita remained indifferent, never shedding a tear. This made Meryl even more irritated.

“Agnita.”

“Yes.”

“You must have had a hard time because of Meia, right? Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you.”

Agnita bit the inside of her mouth hard enough to taste blood but had to endure it.

The young nobles, unaware of Agnita’s circumstances, continued to speak ill of Meia.

“The duchy feels brighter and better without Lady Meia.”

The young noble who said this was visiting the duchy for the first time.

“Meia lacked a bit of tact. I should have helped her develop herself. It’s my fault.”

Agnita tried to hide her trembling hands and quietly leave, but Meryl didn’t let her go.

“Agnita, stay by my side.”

“…Yes.”

Agnita answered with a trembling voice, swallowing her anger.

“That maid is slow to respond to her master’s words.”

“That’s because I’m not Meia. She was Meia’s personal maid. Even if she responds slowly to me or doesn’t smile at me, I understand. She probably thinks I took the position of the Crown Prince’s fiancée.”

Although there were no tears in Meryl’s eyes, her sobbing voice made Thomas glare at Agnita.

“If it were me, I would have slapped and kicked her out immediately.”

“No! Meia cherishes that maid a lot. I should take care of her too. I believe she will open her heart to me someday.”

Thomas and the young nobles continued to speak ill of Meia, and Agnita had to endure listening to it.

The tender flesh inside her mouth tore, and blood pooled.

After the young nobles left, Meryl called Agnita to her room.

“Your expression was very displeasing in front of the guests, Agnita.”

“Yes.”

“Were you sad and angry seeing Meia treated poorly?”

“…”

“Not answering again?”

“Yes.”

Slap!

As soon as Agnita answered, Meryl raised her hand and slapped her hard on the cheek. The maids who saw Meryl slapping Agnita from behind trembled in fear.

“You should have said no!”

Agnita didn’t turn her head in the direction of the slap, as it would show weakness. Instead, she kept her head straight and looked forward with strength in her neck.

“You’re stubborn.”

“Yes.”

“You’re rotten.”

“Yes.”

“You should disappear.”

“Yes.”

Slap.

“Disgusting.”

With the continuous slaps, Agnita tasted blood in her mouth. She looked at Meryl’s hand, which had turned red from hitting her.

“You’re hurting your hand, Lady Meryl. If you want to hit me, please throw something instead. At least if I feel the pain, I’ll make a pained expression. This isn’t a face massage.”

“What?”

Slap.

Agnita’s left cheek swelled up, but she didn’t change her expression.

“Can I go now if you’re done hitting me? If you want to hit me more, go ahead. I’ll take it all and leave.”

Meryl, even more enraged by Agnita’s behavior, stomped her feet on the ground in anger.

“Ah, Lady Meryl, it’s not proper for a noble lady to stomp her feet. If Lady Meia were here, she would have said so.”

Meryl, provoked by Agnita’s words, began throwing things at her.

Agnita, who didn’t dodge the flying objects, eventually got hit on the head and started bleeding.

“Throw it harder. It doesn’t hurt.”

“You’re really stubborn… Where did Meia pick up something like you?”

“Lady Meia is beautiful and intelligent.”

“What?”

“She always treated the servants like family and never hit them. Lady Meryl, you should stop hitting the servants.”

“You, you!”

“Build up your arm strength.”

Agnita, smiling and speaking while blood flowed from her head, continued to irritate Meryl.

“Someone, come in!”

At Meryl’s scream-like call, two maids entered the room and were shocked to see Agnita standing there, bleeding, and took a step back in fear.

“Lock this wretched girl in the solitary cell immediately and do not give her any food or water for a week!”

At the mention of the solitary cell, Agnita’s mind grew hazy. But she couldn’t plead to be fired.

She thought she should have endured a bit more, but she did not regret it. If she didn’t speak up like this, she might have died from pent-up anger. If she had to die, she would kill Meryl by cutting her throat like a chicken’s head before dying. While others carried resignation letters in their hearts, Agnita carried a knife.

Rejecting the hands that tried to support her, Agnita walked out of the room briskly.

“It doesn’t hurt. But was there a solitary cell in the duchy?”

“Lady Meryl created it. Here, wipe your face with this towel.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you alright?”

“No, I’m not alright. Honestly, I want to be fired… It’s hard.”

The maid who heard Agnita’s words was so shocked that her eyes widened.

“But you have to wait for the lady.”

Agnita pondered how to give Meryl a taste of her own medicine and throw trash at her.

‘A solitary cell… I wish she would just fire me…’

Agnita’s steps towards the solitary cell were heavy.

***

It was shortly before Agnita was locked in the solitary cell.

Juan had come to see Agnita. As soon as she saw him, Agnita had only one thing to say.

<Is our Lady Meia well?>

<Aren’t you curious about your one and only brother?>

<Are you asking because you don’t know that the lady is more important than you? Even if you die, I can live, but if the lady gets a scratch on her finger, I might die of heartache!>

<So, it’s okay if I die?>

When Juan showed a disappointed look, Agnita smiled bashfully.

<You can die instead of the lady, but don’t get hurt or die otherwise.>

The siblings, meeting after a long time, looked at each other and laughed lightly.

<By the way, Agnita, are you training properly?>

<Don’t ask obvious things. Even if I don’t sleep, I train hard.>

Juan, with a nonchalant expression, picked up a strawberry cookie from the table and ate it.

Crunch, crunch.

<Brother, that’s my snack. I didn’t tell you to eat it.>

<What’s yours and what’s mine? It’s whoever eats it first.>

The once delicate and weak little sister had long disappeared.

Look at her glaring at her brother as if she would devour him for eating a snack!

<Why don’t you ask why your brother came to see you at this hour?>

Agnita crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders.

<Isn’t it to deliver a message from the lady? If not, there’s no reason for you to come see me.>

<Yes, you’re right. The lady asked me to bring you.>

Agnita’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

<The lady? I miss our lady so much! Should I pack my bags right away?>

<But she told you not to come out just like that. She said to come after being fired from the duchy.>

Agnita, who had taken out a large bag and started packing, stopped briefly and asked worriedly at Juan’s words.

<But if I get fired…>

Getting fired was very easy. All she had to do was irritate Meryl. But… those who got fired from the duchy could never be rehired. Agnita was worried about that part.

<The lady told you not to worry.>

Hearing Juan’s words, Agnita resumed packing her bag.

<And after getting fired, secretly dye your hair dark red, dress as a man, and go to the Mage Tower to meet Grand Mage Puring.>

<Got it.>

<Why are you so happy about getting fired?>

<I’m happy thinking about irritating Meryl.>

Juan whispered to Agnita, who was happily packing her bag.

<And there’s a fly buzzing around the lady.>

The fly Juan referred to was a man. A man who had fallen for Meia.

<This fly is not an ordinary one.>

Agnita’s hands stopped packing again. Her face twisted severely at Juan’s words. She was happily packing her bag after hearing the lady’s call, but suddenly felt strange.

<Where is the lady?>

Juan closed his mouth.

Wondering about his silence, Agnita approached Juan.

<She’s not at the Mage Tower, is she? If she were at the Mage Tower, she would have just told me to come there. Why did she tell me to meet Puring after dressing as a man? And who is this fly?>

Agnita clenched her fists and frowned deeply.

<Tell me.>

Juan briefly and simply explained to Agnita what had happened to Meia.

<That bastard Demian… to our lady.>

<Anyway, the lady is currently safe at the fly’s house… so get fired and come. Don’t mention the fly to Lady Yudy or Lady Helena, just tell them you’ll get fired because the lady called you.>

<Got it.>

<If you go to the lady this time, you can stick by her side except when sleeping.>

<Really? I’ll really try hard to get fired!>