ITMWG 124

Chapter 124…

Sweeping trash.

How dare a servant act so arrogantly in front of her master!

It would be an absurd situation for a master-servant relationship.

But the servant was confident.

The Nadia he’d seen so far would have shrunk her shoulders, unable to utter a word, even if he’d been this arrogant, it would be fine.

Even though she was the Marchioness of Vine, she was still a timid and weak woman, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Marie, who had always been her loyal companion, and a knight seemingly borrowed from her husband stood proudly on either side, but they weren’t threatening.

This was the Marquis of Vine. In the Marquis of Vine, the rules of the Marquis of Vine must be followed. But the one who enforced those rules wasn’t Nadia Vine, who had returned from a long marriage, but themselves, who had served here their entire lives.

Looking around, the other servants seemed to share his sentiments, and the servant gained even more confidence, lifting his chin.

“How can you be so ignorant? It’s not like you lack common sense. I suppose you wanted to at least be greeted now that you’ve become a Marchioness, but we’re busy, so we’ll be heading our way. Unlike you, the idle young lady, we’re busy people.”

The servant sighed, as if fed up, and gestured to the gathered servants.

“Come on! Let’s go!”

He strode confidently toward the entrance, and the others followed.

Even when other servants were murmuring, those who had been solemnly holding their tongues hesitated, watching Nadia’s reaction, but ultimately chose to follow the group’s procession.

Nadia didn’t stop them, but simply watched them quietly, while Mary and Cain remained calmly beside her.

The servant snickered inwardly at this sight.

“See? She was just bluffing. What on earth can she do?”

The former Marquis’ sudden fall from power had thrown him (the servant) into disarray, but now that an easy master had taken over the mansion, the situation was actually better.

If he could secure a firm foothold early on, things would be much easier in the future.

I might be able to smuggle money or valuables one way or another…

That was the servant’s small pleasure.

The former Marquis was extremely sensitive to his wealth, so he couldn’t dare touch it, but with such a yielding master, the side income seemed quite lucrative.

I should make a plan with the butler.

As he pondered this, he realised he had not seen it from some point.

Since the former Marquis’ imprisonment, He’d been the one to strut around the mansion like he owned it. Just as he was starting to suspect something was off, a clicking sound was heard from the entrance.

It was the sound of the door opening.

I haven’t even touched the doorknob, though?

As the servant blinked in bewilderment, a swarm of people poured through the wide-open door.

“Ughh!”

“Agghhh!”

Those who hadn’t come to the Great Hall despite the summons were being thrown in by the hands of sturdy, rough-looking knights.

Some rolled on the floor, groaning, while others flew over the servants trying to leave, pummeling the gathered crowd.

In an instant, the Great Hall was in chaos.

“Oh my…”

“Ugh… My butt…”

The room was filled with groans and screams.

The knights, having thrown everyone in, seemed oblivious to the situation and firmly closed the door to the Great Hall.

Among those rolling on the floor was the butler.

What had happened? His appearance was even more disfigured than the other servants.

“S-Sir?”

The servant approached the butler in a panic.

But the butler couldn’t respond. He just looked around anxiously, his face trembling with fear.

Things were going in a different direction than he’d expected.

The servant tugged desperately at the doorknob, but it remained firmly shut, refusing to open.

(Rattle rattle).

He tried shaking the doorknob several times, but to no avail.

“What the heck…!”

The servant, who had turned anxiously, swallowed his words when he noticed Cain’s cold face, who had been huddled close behind them.

The man who looked absent-minded before was expressionless, and it sent shivers down his spine.

The servant, trying to keep his panic from showing, raised his voice.

“Wh-wha-what?!”

Of course, his stammering made his efforts seem worthless.

“If you had come politely when she called, you wouldn’t have ended up in such a mess.”

Cain chuckled, finding his attempt at strength amusing, and reached forward.

The servant flinched, eyes tightly shut, at the hand that seemed poised to grab him by the collar. But what Cain actually grabbed was the butler sprawled beside him.

The servant’s face flushed with embarrassment at being so intimidated by a threat that wasn’t even directed at him.

Even so, his legs trembled, adding to his embarrassment.

But Cain paid no attention to the lowly servant.

He dragged the butler to his knees before Nadia.

Nadia watched him quietly, then smiled gracefully at him.

“Butler, now that I’m the marchioness, I’m no longer a guest. And you’re not the one holding the highest position in the mansion either. Do I have the right to do anything now?”

She tilted his head, seemingly unsure, and the butler nodded.

“Y-your right.”

“Your attitude has suddenly changed so much, I’m confused. Where has the spirit you used to block my path gone?”

“T-that’s… I’m sorry, … forgive me…”

The butler trembled and fell flat on his face.

He couldn’t even make eye contact and was sweating profusely, so he must have been thoroughly educated.

Nadia looked at Cain as if to ask what he had done, and he shrugged.

“I thought the servants of the noble families in the capital were well-mannered, unlike me, a slacker from the countryside, but I found out they were completely out of their minds. So I personally taught them the meaning of manners.”

Cain responded nonchalantly, poking his finger into his ear.

“Having grown up in the capital, he seems a bit surprised by the rough ways of a country bumpkin. How delicate.”

The servants gathered at the entrance flinched as the gaze that scanned them one by one.

The butler, who always walked around with his head held high and proud, must have been severely punished for being so arrogant. The thought that they, too, could be subjected to such a punishment drained all the blood from their bodies.

Servants were practically their masters’ property, and punishments could be meted out at will.

Even if they were beaten to death, the master could easily excuse themselves by claiming it was a family matter.

The servants, who had been brazen, believing their new master to be timid and weak, began to waver in anxiety.

Cain’s words, barely a whisper, were the final blow.

“There are so many rude people here, too.”

“(Gasp)!”

A gasp echoed from all around.

“Ah, Miss!”

At that moment, a few servants burst out of the crowd and knelt before Nadia.

“Miss! We have been rude!”

“Tha-that’s right! I tried to come to you a while ago and ask for your forgiveness, but you didn’t see me… But I truly regret it now!”

“Me too! I, too, am reflecting on my actions!”

They were the ones who hesitated when the servant came forward to incite the servants.

When they bowed their heads and begged for forgiveness, Marie snorted.

“Miss? Which ‘Miss’ are you referring to here?”

“P-please spare us! Ma-, Machioness! Madane! Please show mercy!”

They fell onto their knees, cried out, “Madame!” and begged for mercy.

Marie felt a sudden pang of worry at the sight that was seemingly pitiful to watch. No matter how firm her resolve, she felt that the delicate Nadia might waver and change her original plan.

When Nadia remained silent, the other servants, finding hope, swarmed over and knelt.

That one servant who had been boasting proudly suddenly shifted his stance and slid into their midst.

“Marchioness!”

“Master!”

The mingling voices of those seeking forgiveness were enough to give them a headache.

Nadia gently pressed her throbbing temples with her hand and rose from her seat.

Her movement filled the eyes of those seeking forgiveness with hope.

However, the words that came out of Nadia’s mouth were far from what they had expected.

“The time to ask for forgiveness has already passed. If you only kneel reluctantly after the tide has turned, it doesn’t feel sincere. Isn’t that right?”

Nadia turned her gaze to Marie, oblivious to the despairing faces of the servants.

“I will fire all of these people. Of course, I can’t give them letters of recommendation… Instead, I will make a list of them and distribute it to all the noble families in the capital. I will tell them that they are people who make light of their master, so hiring them would be a disaster.”

They had made a living by serving noble families their entire lives.

If they weren’t even given letters of recommendation, and even had a report on them like criminals to other noble families, their future was most certainly bleak.

“T-That’s tantamount to telling us all to starve to death!”

“I won’t even ask for letters of recommendation, but at least don’t block our path completely…”

The servants begged for help, but Nadia remained firm.

“That won’t do. If a servant from Vine were hired elsewhere and caused trouble, everyone would blame me for not telling them in advance that they were problematic. Who would believe me then?”

It was common among the nobles to share the names of servants who had been fired for bad reasons. However, it was rare for such a large list to be shared at once, and it wasn’t even common for the servants to be directly informed of that.

“You all know what you have done. You must take responsibility for them, no matter what they are.”

Nadia’s firm tone filled the servants with despair.

The young lady they’d always thought was timid and weak had returned as a completely different person. They were all ruined.

In their desperate situation, the servants began to raise their voices among themselves.

“T-This is all your fault! Don’t instigate us for no reason!”

“Who agreed to this? You are the one to blame!”

“Everyone, shut up! We’re all screwed! This isn’t the time!”

The commotion was so absurd that Nadia couldn’t help but chuckle.

What was it about these people that made her so wary of them in the past?

Nadia had only changed slightly, but everything around her had changed dramatically.

It was truly astonishing.

❈❈❈

Nadia turned her back on the noisy grand ballroom and stepped outside.

The knights stood guard at the entrance, perhaps to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.

She nodded, expressing her thanks and walked down the hallway. Before long, Marie spoke in a voice filled with emotion.

“You were truly amazing! When did you become so bold!”

“Bold? Me?”

“Of course. You told them off with such commanding presence, without a trace of trepidation!”

“I see. So that’s what it seemed like…”

“Huh? It seemed like…?”

As Marie blinked and tilted her head, Nadia quietly held out her hands.

Her hands were still shaking.

“Actually, I was shaking so badly. You have no idea how hard I tried to pretend I wasn’t! It’s covered by my skirt, but my legs were shaking too.”

As Nadia clung to Marie, face tearful, Marie’s eyes widened in surprise, then burst into laughter.

“What…? I’m still timid…?”

“You know, I think you’re trying to overcome that.”

Marie smiled proudly and clasped her hands together.

“I’ll work as hard as you’ve worked, Marchioness. I’ll definitely find excellent servants and keep the Vine Manor beautiful!”

“Yes, thank you. By the way, I’d like you to be the head maid of honour for the Vine Marquis…”

“M-me?”

She asked with a rare look of bewilderment.