“I feel wronged, Madam Elma. She was probably just unwell. I…”

“Beji. I know you’re not a bad child. But leaving your post on your own when the lady’s refreshments were set out—you know what the consequences of such behavior are as a servant of House Reynes, don’t you?”

Beji opened and closed her mouth several times. It was when Lady Panianna came, after all. What servant would refuse when she called?

But she didn’t make the mistake of mentioning Panianna’s name, which hadn’t been brought up as an excuse. She knew that would be seen as trying to frame Panianna, regardless of her intentions.

Of course, if it were true, that would be a different story, but if not, Beji’s life as a servant would be over.

“For now, I’ll confine you to a solitary room. Consider yourself fortunate that you’re not being immediately dismissed since the lady’s health isn’t compromised.”

“And then what?”

“What happens after that will be decided by the master. I’ll do my best to tell him you’re not that kind of person, but I can’t guarantee how the master will think.”

Elma sighed deeply. That sigh seemed to make Beji’s future uncertain, and she grew anxious.

Two servants formally escorted Beji by holding her arms. Beji felt like she might cry. Her lips trembled with shame and fear.

And as they were passing in front of the stairs to the third floor.

“Beji?”

A puzzled voice called from the lower floor. Janet, dressed in indoor clothes, was looking up at them.

“Ah… Hello, Madam Elma. Beji said she would bring me tea, but she hasn’t come.”

Janet glanced briefly at Beji standing behind Elma.

As she said, Beji had promised to bring the duchess tea to invigorate her day. She had felt concerned after seeing her collapse yesterday.

But Beji had no chance to answer her.

“I apologize, my lady. I’ll have it brought to your room.”

Elma answered on her behalf and bowed to Janet. She was extremely polite, but her attitude was thoroughly obligatory.

“May I ask what’s happening?”

“I apologize. The master has forbidden any mention of this matter. I cannot tell you.”

“My lady, perhaps…”

“Beji.”

Elma harshly cut off Beji as she began to speak.

Elma was resolute, and Beji ultimately couldn’t say anything, just opening and closing her mouth.

In truth, even if she had spoken, it probably wouldn’t have led to a good conclusion. After all, that woman was the very person who had caused Beji to face this situation!

“…I understand.”

Moreover, Janet immediately acquiesced to Elma’s words. She simply nodded and returned to her room.

When even the woman who had felt like a lifeline disappeared, Beji felt an intense fear.

A matter forbidden to be leaked. The weight of those words felt like it would crush her to death.

‘I might be dismissed.’

Confined in a small solitary room, Beji chewed on her lips.

‘This is all because of that witch. Maybe she pretended to collapse on purpose? To board someone else’s boat instead of the duke’s… Or perhaps she knew I didn’t like her, and deliberately…’

Beji buried her face in her knees. Cursing the witch once, twice, and again wasn’t enough to satisfy her.

‘I knew she was like that from the beginning. Her gloomy appearance didn’t give a good impression.’

‘I shouldn’t have thought she might be decent after all…’

‘Is Letsy alright? Has she received an even greater curse than me?’

‘I really won’t let this go. I’ll curse her for the rest of my life, truly…’

Beji spent her time thinking about how to resolve this situation, interspersed with curses, curses, and more curses about Janet.

And the next morning.

Head maid Elma visited again.

“Beji.”

The verdict had arrived. Beji, who hadn’t slept properly, tightly closed her hollow eyes.

‘If I’m dismissed, how will I live now?’

Tears already blurred her vision.

Yet Elma spoke without hesitation.

“Come out now. You’re on laundry duty by hand for a month.”

“What… what?”

Just laundry duty? It didn’t make sense. She had been prepared to be dismissed… How could this be?

And as if reading Beji’s mind, Elma added,

“The lady told the master that you weren’t at fault and shouldn’t be punished.”

In that moment, Beji felt as if her entire body had been stripped bare.

***

Turning back time to around noon the previous day.

After a restless night of anxiety, Panianna finally headed to the Reynes ducal residence.

According to her plan, Janet should have gone straight home yesterday. Similar to the Philodis charity event situation. But this time, the goal was to truly establish that ‘the duchess irresponsibly left on her own’!

Having seen the girl nodding off in her seat and Beji running to call for a carriage, Panianna had lost interest in the scene.

‘But what? She managed to board a boat despite my efforts?’

That she could move despite being in such a hazy state—she had to admit the girl was no ordinary person.

And not only that, she even boarded someone else’s boat instead of Rihanel’s. The situation had grown larger than expected.

While drowsiness could be attributed to seasickness, boarding someone else’s boat! Surely Rihanel would have noticed something was wrong with her condition!

With his suspicious nature, he must have ordered not only an examination of Janet but also an investigation of everything she had eaten.

‘Well… there’s nothing to be caught!’

Panianna, or rather, the person who had received her instructions, had sprinkled a transparent powder not in the tea leaf container itself, but in the teacup. It wasn’t even harmful to the body! It was made from herbs used as medicine, with the effect of inducing sleep.

‘What’s wrong with putting to sleep a girl who collapses at the slightest fatigue?’

While justifying herself as her feet grew numb, Panianna arrived at the Reynes ducal residence. Despite being an urgent visit without prior notice, Janet naturally came down to the reception room.

“Oh my, Janet! How’s your health?”

Panianna greeted Janet with exaggerated concern.

“I heard you collapsed yesterday. Come to think of it, you also collapsed at Philodis Cathedral last time… I was really worried, you know that?”

Panianna put on a sad expression and grabbed Janet’s hand. Though it had been a month ago, she had the talent to make it seem as if she were consoling someone for something that had happened just yesterday.

She was secretly worried that Janet might not receive her greeting because of that incident. If the host doesn’t receive a greeting, the guest must remain standing without sitting down.

“Yes, I’m fine thanks to your concern. Please sit down.”

But fortunately, that didn’t happen. Well, what right did she have to act so high and mighty?

“Mmm, yes, yes. How is married life? I’ve lived in this Reynes mansion before, so I can tell you, there’s no place like it. It’s also a place with many of my memories buried… So, I was wondering, could I come here occasionally when I have time? Don’t think of me as a guest, but as family.”

Her words carried two meanings, that she would enter the ducal residence without hesitation, and that since she wasn’t a guest, she wouldn’t even greet Janet when she came.

She had subtly broached this subject with Rihanel before, but was flatly refused.

⟨After marriage, there will be many things to consider from my wife’s position. I also don’t want you to visit and leave without being properly received.⟩

In reality, Rihanel had refused with an appropriate excuse because he feared Panianna would notice that things weren’t good between him and Janet if she kept coming and going, but Panianna, unaware of this, had ground her teeth, saying Rihanel had changed.

So she decided to approach Janet.

Looking at how this girl foolishly clung to the company her father had run, she seemed weak to the keyword ‘family home’!

But Janet’s response was different from what she expected.

“Hmm, you should ask my husband about that.”

She must be saying this knowing that Panianna couldn’t ask Rihanel! How petty.

Janet had genuinely thought she didn’t have the authority to decide this and suggested asking Rihanel, but Panianna, not knowing this, ground her teeth inwardly.

“Hmph, fine.”

She took a sip of the tea placed in front of her to hide her trembling lips.

Oh right, this is what she came to talk about!

“By the way, Janet, are things alright with Rihanel? You were a bit… off at the boat ride yesterday. Did you mistake the boats?”

“What? What do you mean…?”

Janet’s voice trailed off, but then something seemed to dawn on her as she opened her eyes wide and asked with a serious face.

“Could it be that I boarded someone else’s boat instead of Rihanel’s?”

Huh… she doesn’t know what happened?

So she doesn’t remember boarding another boat, and Rihanel didn’t tell her the truth.

Was it because his pride was hurt that his wife had boarded another man’s boat? Or was he afraid Janet would be shocked to realize she had insulted him?

Whatever the reason, one thing was clear.

For Panianna, this was a very advantageous situation.

“Don’t you remember, Janet? You boarded another man’s boat with your own two feet. That Sir Randipel.”

Janet was momentarily speechless with confusion. Rihanel had clearly told her she had boarded his boat…

“It seems Rihanel didn’t tell you. Well, he has his pride too.”

“I… I didn’t intend to do that on purpose…”