The maids were chattering among themselves, not noticing Vieta’s appearance.

They only belatedly discovered her after she had passed by, but they had no choice but to continue their work.

Vieta didn’t respond enthusiastically to the maids who mocked her mother.

She believed there were many powerful enemies in the mansion, and increasing their number would be foolish.

Instead, she recalled a past she had forgotten.

“……So a banquet will be held soon.”

When the banquet was in full swing, Vieta and Leytan’s connection began in an empty study.

Thanks to Amy locking her in, she had been able to meet him.

Vieta felt a wave of tension at the thought of their imminent encounter.

‘Will I be able to act normal when I see Leytan? Of course, he won’t recognize me.’

She recalled past memories of being happy with his attention and furrowed her brow like someone who had swallowed bitter medicine.

‘Surely I’m not thinking of getting help from him? Even though I’ll just end up being used and discarded?’

Vieta sneered at her own pathetic situation.

When she entered the kitchen with her stifled feelings, the busy maids stopped what they were doing and looked behind her with tense expressions.

The maids quickly realized that she had appeared alone and hurriedly devoted themselves to finishing their tasks.

‘They must have thought I was being dragged by Winter.’

Vieta freely passed through the indifferent maids and reached the place where cups and water bottles were kept.

She placed a water bottle filled with water on the tray.

Just as she was carefully trying to pick up the tray, a large, rough hand covered the top of the water bottle.

Rana, who appeared with her large frame swaying, looked down at Vieta staring blankly at her hand and spoke.

“Miss’s water is outside. Have you forgotten?”

Despite Rana’s triumphant attitude, Vieta wasn’t intimidated at all.

“Why?”

“Why, you ask? If Miss drinks this water, we’ll be scolded by the madam.”

At the mention of being scolded, Vieta unconsciously let out a laugh.

The clear laughter that spread through the kitchen made the working maids stare at her with surprised faces.

“Getting scolded by the madam……”

In truth, the maids wouldn’t be punished even if she drank this water.

Winter had never given instructions not to give her water from the kitchen.

In the past, Vieta had mainly drunk rainwater from outside the kitchen.

She remembered Winter’s mockery that she should drink water according to her station.

At that time, Winter’s expression had contained bewilderment and surprise, and Vieta finally realized that not providing her with boiled water had been Rana’s unilateral action.

Rana was originally a maid Winter had brought from the Peckdor family and was more loyal to Winter than anyone else in the kitchen.

Her loyalty to Winter extended to bullying a child.

“Then, may I ask why Mother would scold you?”

At Vieta’s question, Rana let out a laugh with an incredulous face.

“Because you’re this family’s misfortune, aren’t you, Miss? Surely you don’t think you can drive a nail into Winter’s heart and still drink water comfortably?”

“I may be a misfortune, but I’m also a noble lady.”

“Pfft! A noble lady?”

At Vieta’s words, Rana laughed loudly as if she’d heard something amusing, and several maids who agreed with her opinion revealed light laughter filled with mockery.

“There’s only one lady in this household, Miss Vieta. If you were a real lady, you wouldn’t come to fetch water yourself looking like that.”

“You’re right, I made a mistake.”

At Vieta’s words, Rana lifted her chin with a triumphant face.

Rana had disliked Susan from the beginning, who had been beautiful enough to rival any noble lady.

In the end, when Susan, whom she had ostracized, even gave birth to the Duke’s child, Rana’s jealousy wore the shell of loyalty to Winter.

Vieta’s black hair and blue eyes resembled the Duke, but her appearance mirrored her mother’s beauty.

That alone was reason enough for Rana to hate her.

She believed she had succeeded in suppressing her spirit.

However, before she could savor the feeling of victory, Vieta’s voice reached her ears, colder than before.

“According to what you said, this water shouldn’t be something I come down to get myself, but something you should bring to me. Isn’t that right?”

“What?”

Rana’s face instantly hardened, and Vieta raised her head to look up at her.

“So choose. Will you bring it to the attic yourself? Or will you place this water bottle in my hand?”

“Miss. You haven’t eaten something wrong, have you?”

“You must know well that the atmosphere in the ducal residence is different from before.”

The kitchen became so quiet that not even the clinking of dishes could be heard.

“Especially the relationship between my father and stepmother.”

Rana could only open and close her mouth like someone who had swallowed honey.

“If he happens to become close with my mother, I’ll report you to my father.”

“Wh-what did I do wrong?”

“It wasn’t Winter who gave rainwater to my mother and me, but you.”

Rana’s pale face turned red enough to feel the heat.

“Even if the madam ordered you to do so, could you report her?”

Vieta checked Rana’s trembling hand.

Then, as if she found it too bothersome to deal with her anymore, she swatted Rana’s hand away.

The tray was held in Vieta’s hands, and she calmly left the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

It was more convenient for her to carry the water herself.

If she had ordered someone to bring it, they might have spat in it.

Despite winning the war of words with Rana, Vieta felt no joy.

It was just another moment when she realized how miserable she and her mother were to be played by their tricks.

‘Still, well done, Vieta.’

She comforted herself before carefully climbing the stairs.

By the time Vieta reached the third floor with water for her mother, the door to the Duke and Duchess’s bedroom opened.

Winter, who had come out of her room after a long time, immediately walked impatiently toward Vieta upon seeing her carrying water and slapped her cheek.

The tray and water bottle in her small hands rolled down the stairs with a loud noise, and fortunately, Vieta managed not to tumble down the stairs by grabbing the railing.

She exhaled a sigh mixed with anger and glared at Winter through her tangled hair.

This wasn’t the first time she had suffered Winter’s physical *buse, lighter than formal punishment. However, being slapped on the cheek instead of having her head pushed was such a long-forgotten humiliation that Vieta could only clench her teeth.

In this hell where everything was exactly the same as the past, she was thoroughly paying for every bit of her childhood misfortune without missing anything.

Vieta couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculous situation where humans she had killed were running around again.

Winter tried to raise her hand once more, but stopped at Vieta’s sudden strange laughter.

Winter raising her hand against her also meant she would punish Susan.

So Vieta arranged her tangled hair and revealed her reddened cheek.

“If Father sees my cheek, it would be troublesome for you, madam.”

“What?”

“If he asks why my cheek is swollen, I’ll tell him you raised your hand against me. As you know, I can’t lie.”

“You damned girl!”

Winter’s shout echoed through the corridor.

Despite her small frame, Vieta didn’t even blink.

“It’s Vieta, madam. I’m also rightfully a lady of the Lukbiche family. Please call me by my name.”

“You, a lady of the Lukbiche family? How dare someone like you mention the family’s name?”

“Is there any reason why I shouldn’t be?”

Vieta looked up at Winter as if she truly didn’t understand.

“How can you think that someone like you, who inherited such lowly and dirty blood, could be a lady of the Lukbiche family?”

“By lowly and dirty blood, do you mean my mother?”

“If you utter such nonsense one more time, I’ll make you mute for life like Susan, understand!”

At Winter’s threat, Vieta spoke with a cold expression.

“I don’t understand, madam. Amy is the daughter of a knight whose origin is unknown. Yet she’s a lady of the Lukbiche family.”

Though her voice was quieter than before, each syllable was distinct, and it was enough for Winter to hear.

At those words, Winter narrowed her brows and widened her eyes.

“Where did you hear such absurd—”

Winter hastily checked up and down the stairs and the corridor.

Then she approached as if to push her. Although one step back would make her tumble down the stairs, Vieta didn’t retreat at all.