ITMWG 125

Chapter 125…

I wanted to show off.

The position of head maid was usually held by an older, middle-aged woman.

That’s why it was often filled by an experienced maid who knew the master and the mansion well.

Compared to male servants, she held a powerful position, comparable to a butler.

Marie was still in her twenties, so she was actually quite young to be the head maid.

That’s probably why she’s surprised.

“I know it’s a burdensome offer. But there’s no one I trust as much as Marie, and no one know the Maquis well like Marie. Since there’s no one else I can trust to be the butler, Marie’s role as head maid will be incredibly important.”

Nadia held her hand and made a serious request, but Marie seemed to have mixed feelings and couldn’t respond right away.

Still, she calmly waited for Marie.

And soon after, her mouth opened cautiously.

“…If I become head maid, will I not be able to serve the Marchioness personally?”

“Huh?”

Nadia tilted her head at the unexpected question, and Marie, with a very serious expression, asked again.

“Working for the Marchioness is my duty, and serving you is my joy. If you ask me to work as the head maid, of course I will, but if I can’t serve you…”

A melancholy expression swept through Marie’s face.

Being promoted to head maid at such a young age was a tremendous opportunity, yet somehow she seemed depressed rather than happy. At that, Nadia burst out laughing.

She wasn’t depressed about the increased workload, but worried about not being able to serve her.

“I guess I’m lucky. I have so many people around who care for me.”

“How can you smile when I’m so depressed…”

“But what can I do? I’m so happy that I cannot help it.”

Nadia cleared her throat, trying to contain her laughter.

“I understand Marie’s affection for me, but stepping down from your position as maid-in-waiting doesn’t mean you are distancing yourself from me. You’ll just support me even more.”

“Then, the position of maid-in-waiting…”

“First of all, since Anna is here, I think I’ll leave it to her.”

“Anna?”

Marie’s eyes widened, as if she found this even more surprising.

“Anna is certainly trustworthy, but there’s still much to learn to become a maid-in-waiting. I need to train her thoroughly before handing her over to you so you won’t feel uncomfortable.”

“Are you doing me a favour?”

“A favour? Just give me an order, and I’ll do anything. I’ve been your servant for life.”

Marie’s smile put her mind at ease.

“I was worried I might be asking too much.”

“Too much? Becoming the youngest head maid of a noble family in the capital is actually an honour. I’ll work hard to ensure the Marchioness, who trusted me, won’t be disappointed.”

“I don’t think there would be anything I have to worry about when it comes to Marie.”

Marie, especially, was well-versed in the capital’s affairs, so she should be able to manage the mansion without difficulty.

Just as Nadia felt relieved, she saw Anna hurrying towards them from the end of the hallway.

For a noble lady’s maid… she truly had many shortcomings.

At that, Marie and Nadia exchanged knowing glances.

Even though they didn’t say anything, they both could tell what the other was thinking,

Thorough training!

Anna, completely oblivious to their thoughts, stopped in front of them, panting.

“Madame! No, Marchioness!”

“What’s going on? Why are you making such a fuss…”

Marie asked, observing the knights who were watching Anna’s commotion as if they were used to it. Anna raised her voice.

“We have a guest!”

“A guest?”

Having just inherited the title, the mansion was still in disarray, making it difficult for guests to visit.

Of course, several letters had arrived, asking for visits, hoping to foster friendship, but Nadia had declined them all.

Before she could even think about who would be so unconcerned with the world around them even after being rejected, Anna gave her the answer.

“It’s the Prince! The Third Prince has visited!”

“Of course, if it’s him, he wouldn’t be worried about what others think.”

What business does he have with Aylesford that makes him visit like this?

Nadia thought they were keeping a reasonable distance.

“Why does he want to meet Altair? Altair is currently training.”

To be precise, he wasn’t training himself, but rather training her uncle’s spy, whom Cain had captured.

Seeing Altair’s fervent enthusiasm, even Cain prayed for the spy boy’s soul.

“Well… he’s not here to see the lord, but you.”

“Huh? Me?”

Nadia naturally assumed he was here to see Altair, but it seemed otherwise.

It was even more suspicious. It felt ominous, and she didn’t feel good about it.

But I can’t just kick the prince out now that we are staying in the middle of the capital.

If it were Aylesford, she might have considered making excuses and sending him away, but this was a capital city with strong imperial influence, so she had no choice but to give in and treat him well.

Besides, if he’s looking for her instead of Altair, it might actually be a good thing.

If the two of them meet, things might take a dark turn, just like in the novel.

“…First, take him to the parlour.”

Nadia sighed deeply.

❈❈❈

“Marchioness.”

As Nadia entered the parlour, Prince Orca waved warmly and greeted her.

He had been reasonably polite at first, but at some point, he seemed to have felt a sense of closeness to her, and his demeanour had changed significantly.

But of course, I have no intention of being friendly!

“Your Highness.”

She greeted him with courtesy. Prince Orca burst into laughter, as if he found something amusing. He then proceeded to study her face.

As Nadia blinked with confusion, he nodded slightly, as if he had grasped the situation.

“It seems the Marchioness has no idea.”

“Of what?”

“Well, but I do understand the Baron’s position. The Marchioness needs stability, so he must have tried to handle it on his own.”

“…Isn’t it rude to say something so incomprehensible in front of someone?”

Nadia protested timidly, and the Prince shrugged.

“Let’s not be so harsh. I’ve come to help. Melissa Vine is scheduled to be released this evening, and I’ve thought of a way to make her go away easily.”

“…And why would Your Highness do that?”

“Why would I? I want to stay in touch with the Marchioness and Baron. I’m quite good at that, you see.”

Orca grinned and placed an envelope on the table.

Nadia looked at him, wondering what it was, and he nodded slightly, as if suggesting her to open it.

And to that, she also didn’t hesitate and examined the envelope’s contents.

Inside was a document detailing a man’s personal information.

As if he had confirmed she had read through the entire contents, Prince Orca spoke.

“He’s a potential husband for Melissa Vine. He looks quite impressive, doesn’t he? She’ll be tempted. Of course, I’ll look into him later, but I don’t think rumours alone could do too much damage. Your family has very tight control over information.”

Nadia couldn’t understand Prince Orca’s sudden match-making.

But he does look quite impressive.

“Does that mean he’s not actually a very good groom?”

“Yes. He’s such a womaniser, they say he has three hidden children. Furthermore, the North has a very male-dominated culture, so if one marries there, they’ll have a hard time speaking up. They won’t even be able to leave the house without their husband’s permission. Of course, those unfamiliar with the local culture don’t realise how serious it is.”

But Prince Orca has personally travelled the empire, witnessing everything with his own eyes. His account was likely more accurate than the rumours circulating in the capital.

“Also, while his estate appears quite wealthy, it’s actually quite empty. For years, his expenses have exceeded his income. At least his face is acceptable… well, portraits are often heavily embellished, aren’t they? Some even say he’s a pervert with somewhat peculiar tastes.”

The more Nadia heard about him, the more she realised he was the worst possible match of a husband. She could not help but wonder where he found such a man.

“So I think he’d be a perfect match for Melissa Vine. It’s only when two similar people meet that happiness is created. I’m sure she won’t be able to find a better match. He will be satisfied if you tell the Baron.”

The way I see it, it seems you already had a deal with Altair though…

“Why didn’t you go straight to Altair and give this to me?”

“Because I wanted to show off.”

“Huh?”

“I thought the Baron wouldn’t mention the deal with me. And the Marchioness is still  uncomfortable with me.”

She didn’t bother to hide his discomfort, so it wasn’t surprising that Orca noticed.

Still, having it pointed out in front of her made her cough a little, feeling a little embarrassed.

“I did deal with the Baron, but if he found a more profitable path than keeping the promise, he’d definitely choose that path. I wanted to let someone more trustworthy know that I helped him. The Marchioness is a little different from the Baron. To you, trust is important, right?”

The reason Altair was so certain of that was probably that he thought she would make that choice too. And that thought didn’t seem entirely wrong.

“If you don’t want to repay me in the future, you don’t have to accept this. You don’t have to go this far to drag your cousin down, either.”

Prince Orca smiled, as if curious about her choice, his gaze directed at the document in her hands.

“Will you accept it, Marchioness?”

❈❈❈

At that same time, Melissa Vine was released from Balstead, completely unaware that Prince Orca and Nadia were about to make a decision regarding her future.

“Ah! How annoying!”

Melissa glared at the guard as he roughly shoved her out of Balstead.

But the door was already firmly shut.

Melissa stomped her feet in anger and spun around.

People whispered and frowned at Melissa, who had just emerged from Balstead and was in a state of disarray.

Every time she passed, a foul odour wafted out, causing some to pinch their noses and gag.

Melissa glared, her eyes contracted in anger at the cold-hearted attitude of those she’d never encountered when she strutted down the street in her old elaborate attire.

“What are you looking at? What is so amusing? Can’t you all just leave?!”

Normally, Melissa’s shouting would have caused the onlookers, unwilling to offend the noble, to disperse in a stampede, but now they felt no intimidation at all.

“You are telling us to leave?”

“You filthy, stinking brat, get lost!”

Instead, the onlookers, enraged, began throwing all sorts of foreign objects at Melissa.

“Ah! Ah!”

It was only a matter of time before her already tattered appearance transformed into something much more unsightly – it was as if she’d been covered in trash.

Melissa screamed and ran forward.

The more rudely people behaved, the more the anger within her grew.

“It’s all that girl’s fault! Why do I have to suffer like this?”

As Melissa stomped towards the Marquis of Vine, the plan her father had laid out for her played vividly in her mind.