TEWRIT 13

Chapter 13

But how am I supposed to stop it?

After returning from the temple, Eliano sat before her vanity while the maids helped her bathe and dress.

She had decided to stay away from tea parties and social gatherings for a while.

There was already enough gossip surrounding her.

The incident with Lady Sanders had spread through high society before the rumors about Lady Hyren had even died down. Everywhere she went, people were whispering about the same thing.

The eldest daughter of House Rosana has changed.

Gentlemen’s clubs.

Tea parties.

Private gatherings.

Her name was everywhere.

Ironically, she received more invitations than ever.

Eliano rejected every one of them.

Her excuse was simple.

Poor health.

It was better to let people think she was ill than to give them more opportunities to watch her.

Surprisingly, however, the rumors at the Crown Prince’s private gentlemen’s club died down quickly.

One day, a high-ranking nobleman finally grew tired of hearing the same gossip over and over.

He slammed his glass down.

“Lady Hyren may be the daughter of a border marquis, but she isn’t someone who can be compared to Lady Rosana. Whatever happened was a personal matter handled according to the rules of high society. It has nothing to do with us.”

He paused.

“And as for Lady Sanders, there’s nothing worth discussing.”

The man who had said those words was Duke Flint Howard.

The ruler of the North.

The Crown Prince’s closest friend.

And Bianteca’s greatest warrior.

A man who had never once lost a battle.

No one dared argue with him.

Even among nobles, Duke Howard possessed an intimidating presence. His expression was usually calm, but the aura surrounding him belonged to a man who had spent years standing on battlefields.

Even the most outspoken young nobles became cautious around him.

The gentlemen who had been eagerly dissecting the actions of Eliano and other young ladies immediately fell silent.

One particularly talkative noble son later carried Flint’s words into the ladies’ tea circles.

And the moment the ladies heard that Duke Howard himself had dismissed the rumors, no one wanted to be seen gossiping about such trivial matters.

Naturally, the news eventually reached Eliano.

Still the same man.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

I thought he might have become more hot-tempered by now.

But this was exactly how she remembered Flint Howard.

He hated gossip.

He disliked social gatherings.

And he had absolutely no patience for meaningless rumors.

Still, Eliano hadn’t expected him to be so blunt.

More importantly, he had understood what she meant.

He hadn’t returned the hairpin.

If he had sent it back to the Rosana household, her father would have made things difficult for both of them.

Duke Rosana was particularly sensitive about Eliano’s reputation.

He often scolded her harshly, warning her never to behave like a loose woman.

Eliano herself didn’t care much if Duke Howard got into trouble.

But her own safety was another matter.

If Flint returned her belongings, her father would explode.

Even if he merely accused her of trying to seduce a man, the consequences would be unpleasant.

The safest thing for Eliano was to avoid being romantically connected to anyone.

Her father still held far too much power over her life.

And yet…

She had deliberately dropped the hairpin.

It had been a coincidence she created on purpose.

A cliché.

An old-fashioned trick.

But in the hands of someone like Flint Howard, it had worked perfectly.

Because Flint was far too honest for his own good.

He had never shown interest in women.

Not now.

Not even in the future.

He would never marry.

So how could a man like that possibly guess whether a lady had dropped a hairpin deliberately?

Eliano had survived the brutal social world of Zacador.

Knowing how to create a seemingly innocent coincidence was easy for her.

She always kept a spare hairpin ready for situations like that.

Still, when she finally dropped it in front of Flint, it hadn’t been part of some carefully planned scheme.

It had been an impulse.

A sudden memory.

A voice from long ago.

I came to bring you home, My Lady.

Don’t you want to stop running away?

If you take my hand, you can live a peaceful life in your homeland.

In her previous life, Eliano had desperately wanted to escape.

She had been trapped.

Lonely.

Terrified.

And when Flint had extended his hand, something frozen inside her heart had moved.

It hadn’t been love.

Nor had it been romantic attraction.

It was hope.

A kind of hope she had believed she had lost forever.

It was as if Flint had reached deep inside her and pulled out that tiny fragment of hope, then placed it gently in her hands.

If he hadn’t mentioned Demian Rosana’s name…

If Eliano hadn’t been pregnant at the time…

Perhaps she would have taken his hand.

Back then, she had acted coldly.

But deep inside, she had been grateful to him.

Very grateful.

That was why, later, when she learned that the Crown Prince had died, she had helped Flint return safely to Bianteca.

She still remembered their conversation.

I don’t deny where I came from.

But I am the Empress of Zacador.

So I am Zacadorian.

And Flint had answered her without hesitation.

That’s exactly your root, Your Majesty.

I’ve lived in Zacador for twenty years, but I’ve never forgotten my roots.

I believe you’re the same.

Eliano smiled faintly.

There was something about the way Flint Howard spoke.

He never used beautiful words.

He never flattered people.

He never tried to charm anyone.

Yet somehow, whenever he spoke, she believed him.

Even during their first conversation, she had trusted him.

A man with eyes like his simply didn’t seem capable of lying.

At the time, Eliano had trusted her own judgment more than her husband’s words.

She remembered another conversation.

He plays with many women without shame.

That’s why you call him Emperor instead of husband, isn’t it?

Her husband had always been more eloquent than Flint.

Perhaps years of experience had made him that way.

He was charming.

Far too charming.

Sometimes, annoyingly so.

Then Flint had said—

Think clearly.

I’ll protect you not as Rosana’s daughter, but in the name of Flint Howard.

Don’t you want to live in peace?

The memory was so vivid that Eliano almost forgot where she was.

Then—

“Ow!”

Pain shot through her scalp.

Eliano’s eyes snapped open.

The pleasant memory vanished instantly.

A maid had pulled her hair while brushing it.

Yet instead of apologizing, the girl simply continued brushing as though nothing had happened.

Eliano stared at her.

“Stop.”

The maid didn’t.

Eliano’s brows furrowed.

She reached out and knocked the brush from the girl’s hand.

Clatter!

The brush hit the floor.

The maid froze.

“A maid who doesn’t follow orders has no place here.”

Eliano’s voice was cold.

“Leave.”

“Wh-what?”

The maid’s face went pale.

“My Lady?”

“What are you waiting for?”

Eliano didn’t raise her voice.

She didn’t need to.

“Drag her out.”

The other maids stared at her in shock.

Eliano had never ordered anyone to remove a maid before.

They didn’t know what to do.

Eliano looked at them in disbelief.

“Nanny!”

Pamela, the head maid and Eliano’s old nanny, poked her head out from the adjoining room.

“My lady, I’m busy in here. Please wait just a litt—”

“Don’t make me say it twice, Nanny.”

Pamela immediately hurried over.

This wasn’t her gentle little lady.

Something was clearly wrong.

Her eyes fell upon the brush lying on the floor.

Then she smiled softly.

“What happened to our sweet girl? Oh dear, did the brushing hurt?”

She turned toward the maid.

“You! Why aren’t you apologizing?”

The maid immediately dropped to her knees.

“I’m sorry, My Lady. My hand has been hurting lately. I made a mistake. Please forgive me.”

“Eliano will understand. Don’t worry too—”

“I said get her out.”

Pamela stopped.

“And never let her into my room again.”

The room became silent.

Pamela blinked.

“My Lady?”

“Did something bad happen at tonight’s party?”

“Why aren’t you doing what I said?”

Eliano’s voice was firm.

There was anger in it now.

Yet Pamela didn’t seem frightened.

Instead, she looked almost amused.

Lately, her lady had been trying very hard to act more mature.

Her sudden changes could be surprising.

But Pamela had raised Eliano since infancy.

To her, Eliano was still a pretty, elegant girl who was simple-minded at heart.

Almost like a child.

“Very well, My Lady.”

Pamela finally turned to the maid.

“You heard her. Get out for now.”

The maid bowed hurriedly and left.

Eliano watched her go.

Her face was flushed with anger.

In her previous life, her presence had been weak.

Childlike.

That weakness had made it easy for the maids to control her.

They listened to Pamela more than they listened to Eliano.

Because everyone knew who truly held authority inside the Rosana household.

How dare they.

Eliano closed her eyes and took a slow breath.

She wouldn’t allow it anymore.

“Don’t ever bring an unskilled maid into my room again.”

Pamela looked surprised.

“My Lady?”

Eliano pointed toward another maid.

“You.”

The girl stiffened.

“Do the brushing.”

“Y-yes, My Lady.”

“Wait, My Lady.”

The maid hesitated.

“It’s not about who brushes your hair…”

Her eyes flickered between Eliano and Pamela.

She clearly didn’t know whom she should obey.

A cold laugh escaped Eliano.

“Who is your master?”

The maids tensed.

These weren’t inexperienced girls.

They were clever.

They had learned long ago how to take advantage of Eliano’s innocence.

They had grown close to Pamela.

They knew that Pamela was the true authority.

But that girl no longer existed.

Eliano’s posture was straight.

Her gaze was cold.

For the first time, she looked less like a sheltered young lady and more like a duchess.

Perhaps even more dignified than one.

The quickest maids immediately lowered their heads.

“You, My Lady!”

One after another, the others followed.

“You, My Lady!”

“Yes, My Lady!”

Their voices overlapped.

Eliano’s expression finally softened.

Good.

She had finally made them understand.

It was only after living in Zacador that Eliano had truly learned what it meant to be a noblewoman.

Kindness toward servants was a virtue.

But allowing servants to trample over their master was foolishness.

And Eliano had learned that lesson painfully.

Her former husband had once pointed it out.

She clenched her teeth at the memory.

Even in her previous life, he had criticized Pamela.

He had said that Pamela was destroying the order of the palace by ignoring her mistress’s authority and behaving as though she were the true master.

He had even questioned whether Duke Rosana genuinely loved his daughter.

Eliano had cried.

Her husband had comforted her afterward.

But even then, he had clicked his tongue in frustration.

She had been newly married at the time.

And even then, he had seen what she refused to see.

This time, I’ll deal with her myself.

Why shouldn’t I?

Even a powerless prince managed to do it before.

Her former husband had once tried to kill Pamela.

Eliano had stopped him.

She had even helped Pamela escape.

But that was another life.

Eliano cut the memory short.

She looked directly at Pamela.

“You say I’m the master.”

Her voice was calm.

“Yet you listen to the nanny.”

The maids lowered their heads.

Pamela’s expression changed for the briefest moment.

Then she smiled.

“My Lady, the true master of the servants is Duke Rosana.”

“I didn’t ask you to argue with me.”

“I only spoke the truth.”

Eliano didn’t respond.

She had learned long ago how pointless arguments could be.

There was no need to waste words.

Instead, she turned toward the maids.

“You.”

One of them looked up.

“Go and bring me the chief butler.”

“M-me?”

The maid froze.

Pamela’s sharp gaze immediately fell upon her.

The maid began trembling.

Nothing gets done unless I say it twice.

Eliano slowly rose from her seat.

Her frustration was no longer hidden.

“No one here listens to orders.”

The room fell silent.

That evening, for the first time in years—

A storm descended upon the House of Rosana.