Chapter 6 (Part 4)

After seating Sellakia on the plush sofa, Marguerite knelt on the cold floor herself.  

“Please don’t misunderstand. The Duke doesn’t know about this, Madam. I can swear it to the sea god.”  

“Lies. How could he not know? The one who holds real power in the mansion is Tenus, not Aldrich.”  

“The Duke has deep trust in Thomas and me, who served the previous Duke. He entrusts all management of the servants to us. …I wanted to repay that trust with loyalty.”  

“……”  

“As someone who went through hardships at a young age and is now striving to lead the mansion alone, I know the Duke well. I didn’t want to burden his shoulders with even a minor load.”  

Marguerite confessed without a hint of guilt. In short, she meant she hadn’t informed Tenus of Aldrich’s heinous crimes.  

“I see. Such a moving loyalty, Marguerite.”  

Marguerite flinched and cautiously lifted her bowed head. She seemed to doubt her ears at the tone that didn’t match the praise.  

“……Is that what you want to hear?”

Sellakia looked at her with a gaze as sharp as broken glass.  

“To me, it just seems like a treacherous heart, Marguerite.”

“Tr-treachery? That’s not true. I did it for the Duke…….”

“No. You simply betrayed Tenus’s trust. It’s deceit, and overstepping. You disrupted the judgment he should have made based on your standards. Did you forget that Tenus is your master?”

“It’s unfair, Madam! How could I dare deceive the Duke? If you misunderstand my sincerity like that, even if you’re the Madam…….”

“Even if I’m the Madam?”

When Sellakia tilted her head and asked back, Marguerite bit her lip with a regretful face.  

“It was a slip of the tongue. Please forgive me.”  

“I understand how you usually think of me. But do you know this?”

“……”  

“Not acknowledging me means you’re defying Tenus’s will. It was Tenus who put me in this position. This confirms it. Your loyalty is mere words.”

“Madam!”  

Marguerite’s face twisted. Sellakia realized her slip of the tongue and pressed her lips tightly.  

She only intended to discuss the hiring of servants, but she didn’t know how the conversation had taken such a turn.  

What could be more futile in the world than questioning past events? Moreover, she was planning to cover up the past and leave. There was no reason or meaning to say these things to Marguerite.  

She should stop now. This was enough. She had grasped all the circumstances, and there was no need to say more.  

She just needed to inform Tenus of the horrific truth and leave the disposal of Aldrich and Marguerite to him.  

That was her only role, she had already crossed the line, she should remain silent as she always had.

Sellakia repeatedly told herself this internally, but she couldn’t suppress the words that surged out.  

“If you were truly loyal, you should have gone to Tenus and advised him instead of disregarding and ignoring me. You should have told him to expel that unqualified woman from Seidon.”

“But, but that’s…”  

“If Tenus didn’t heed your earnest request, then as the Head Maid of the mansion, you should have awakened and assisted the lacking me. Not neglecting. Isn’t that what true loyalty is?”

“……”  

Sellakia’s lethargic and irresponsible attitude certainly could have aroused resentment among the servants. Even she thought her attitude was unworthy of a master.  

It was only natural that Marguerite, who had worked here for over 30 years and served an excellent master, would find her lacking.  

But there cannot be a master whom no one acknowledges. It was they who took away Sellakia’s qualifications and duties.  

Sellakia, a stranger in the mansion, couldn’t create a place for herself that no one had provided.  

She wondered if it would have been the same if she were a child of a reputable noble family with good standing.

Even knowing it was a pointless inferiority complex, Sellakia couldn’t help but wonder.  

At least she might not have been served subpar food. She wouldn’t have known what it was like to be looked down upon, nor would she have moved around as if she were invisible. Perhaps she might have had someone to converse with in the mansion.

If that were the case, she wouldn’t have been lonely or sorrowful, and Aldrich and Amy wouldn’t have looked down on her.  

If that were the case, perhaps everything would have been different from now. 

“……”  

Sellakia sighed softly and covered her face. These thoughts were undeniably full of regrets.  

If that were the case, if it had been different, then what?

After surviving a near-death experience, she decided to consider everything that happened in this mansion as if it never occurred. It was a decision to live a life different from before.  

Regret didn’t suit someone who had forgotten the past.  

So, as she had done before, she must overlook Aldrich and Amy this time too…  

But when she heard people had died…  

Her lips opened involuntarily in her desolate state.  

“Answer honestly. How many people died?”  

Marguerite answered in a cracking voice.  

“Not many. Four people.”  

“……I see, you had every reason to ignore me. I was so foolish I didn’t even know people were dying in the mansion.”

Sellakia’s tone, filled with self-reproach, was quite different from before. Marguerite glanced at her and answered cautiously.  

“Madam, I think you’re misunderstanding something. While you were here, even Lord Logue restrained himself. It was the same when the Duke stayed in the mansion. All those incidents occurred before you and the Duke were married.”

That fact was no consolation.  

The fact that Nancy, who entered the mansion late, knew about the ‘nine-tailed cat’ indicated that fear of it was widespread among the servants. It must have significantly influenced the decision of the servants who left the mansion despite the high wages.

The culprit causing the fear was still brazenly walking around the mansion. Although Sellakia knew he was a dangerous person, she neglected him for her own safety. It was undoubtedly an unjustifiable act.

Sellakia let out a long sigh and clenched her fist so tightly that her short nails dug into her palm.  

Marguerite seemed to share the same troubled feelings. Her resentful face, which had been glaring at the marble floor while kneeling, gradually changed and now looked merely resigned, as if she were a person who had acknowledged her wrongdoing and was quietly awaiting judgment.  

Sellakia, who staggered as she stood up, looked down at Marguerite.  

“Your disposition…… I will think about it.”

Her tightly locked voice sounded unfamiliar even to herself. She felt a deep sense of doubt about whether she had the right to speak about Marguerite’s disposition.  

Sellakia couldn’t wait for Marguerite’s response and hurriedly left the room.

* * *

Afterward, she toured the kitchen out of a sense of duty and discussed the banquet preparations with the chef, but her memory of it was vague.  

Sellakia, who had been immersed in her thoughts, came to her senses only after she got into the carriage that had been prepared in advance.  

“……Madam?”  

“……”  

“Madam!”  

Nancy, sitting opposite her, looked at Sellakia with a worried expression. Only then did Sellakia notice the jolting movement of the carriage and the gazes directed at her.  

“You’re not feeling well, are you? You don’t look good. Do you really have to go out today? Can’t we just go back?”

Roberta, who was following on horseback outside the carriage, poked her head in like a turtle through the small window and chimed in.  

“Aren’t you overexerting yourself since this morning? It’s good to spend the day diligently, but health is more important than anything, Madam.”  

“I’m fine. It’s just that I’m relaxed now. More importantly, Sir Belfona, it’s better to keep your eyes forward since it’s dangerous.”  

“This is easier than spitting… but yes, keeping my eyes forward. That’s basic riding posture. Got it.”  

Roberta, who was about to mimic spitting, pulled her head back with a playful air. Nancy seized the opportunity to ask,  

“Madam, you were nervous? When?”  

“I’ve never stood in front of the servants before. It was my first time doing something like this, so I was nervous. Didn’t you notice?”  

“Not at all. You didn’t show any signs of nervousness. To me, you seemed like a very skilled hostess. A truly excellent hostess!”  

“An excellent hostess?”  

The stiff line of her mouth finally relaxed. As she inadvertently smiled, Sellakia found it absurd that she felt proud in such a situation.  

Considering she wasn’t even aware that people were dying in the mansion.  

She had tried to emulate her mother, whom she admired as a child, but an imitation was just an imitation. She was still far from being able to disperse her tension by focusing on ceiling paintings or artworks.  

She felt she should accept the disdain of Marguerite and the other servants more humbly than being upset about it.