Chapter 23.

The Crime of Abusing the Maids

The next morning, Sella was summoned to Kallian’s office, and she arrived nervously.

Kallian Klaus, the Duke, was signing documents with his sculpted, expressionless face.

Only after some time did he raise his eyes and look at Sella.

His stiff lips parted.

“I called you here today to investigate the Duchess’s misconduct.”

“……”

Sella also knew why she was here.

The fact that Kallian himself, rather than the butler, was conducting the investigation meant that he had no intention of simply covering this matter up.

Essika had said so.

They will try to force me to submit once they decide I have become an eyesore.

Kallian continued.

“There are widespread rumors that the Duchess has been mistreating the maids. I heard that several competent maids submitted their resignations, and my mother barely managed to calm them down.”

Kallian’s brows were furrowed.

It seemed that Essika had not punished the other maids as viciously as she had Yuri, but the resignations were clear evidence of Essika’s misconduct.

Of course, the Duchess was their master, while they were merely maids, so they had no right to question her.

Even so, Kallian or the Duchess Dowager could punish Essika for causing unrest in the household and abusing her authority.

Essika would probably shamelessly pretend not to know anything again, but now that scars had been left on Yuri’s legs, denying it would only be an excuse.

“I heard that you serve the Duchess all day.”

“……Yes.”

Sella lowered her head slightly and moved her lips.

Her nervous appearance only strengthened Kallian’s conviction.

This girl has definitely been abused by Essika as well.

“Tell me how she treats you.”

Although Essika had not been extravagant, abusing maids was also misconduct on the part of a noblewoman.

Kallian picked up his quill.

“……”

But Sella did not speak.

Ten seconds passed.

Twenty seconds.

Then a full minute.

Only heavy silence filled the room.

Kallian frowned and asked Sella again.

“Whatever you say, you will not suffer any disadvantage. Just answer honestly. I will transfer you to another position.”

“Duke.”

Sella finally spoke with a stiff expression.

The threat Yuri had given her earlier came back to her mind.

“Say that Essika beats you like a dog. If you say anything foolish, your… family won’t be safe.”

Sella’s tightly clenched fist trembled faintly.

“……Before I tell you, may I ask you to promise me one thing?”

Kallian leaned closer to listen.

**

In the Imperial Palace garden, a white butterfly fluttered among the flowers in full bloom.

Lesvan was sitting on a bench, polishing his sword.

Whenever he wiped the blade with a densely woven cloth, the long sword flashed brilliantly, reflecting the world around it.

The white butterfly that had flown over landed on Lesvan’s hand.

For a moment, he thought he heard the voice of a certain girl.

A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Lesvan’s lips before disappearing.

Does the white butterfly know whose hand it has landed on?

After sitting precariously on his hand for a moment, it leisurely flew away.

Lesvan did not catch it.

“Your Highness, you summoned me.”

A moment later, his attendant approached the Crown Prince and bowed.

He was the attendant who had served Lesvan since he was a boy.

Lesvan raised the well-polished sword upright and spoke.

“Do you remember when I sent you to Friharts ten years ago?”

The attendant flinched at those words and answered while lowering his gaze.

“Yes… I remember.”

“If you had investigated properly, you would not have given me a false report.”

Lesvan’s quiet voice sent a chill down the attendant’s spine.

Lesvan was looking at the perfectly polished sword.

The moment his attention wandered to something else, his own blood would be mercilessly splattered across that blade.

“I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness.”

“So you knew after all.”

“……Your Highness…”

“Even though you knew, reporting that she had died could not have been the decision of a mere attendant alone.”

The attendant’s hands trembled violently.

That was right.

It had been the decision of someone who believed that a lowly local noble from Friharts—especially one of commoner origins—could never be allowed to stand beside the noble Crown Prince.

The attendant squeezed his eyes shut, convinced that Lesvan’s sword would come crashing down upon him at any moment.

“I am truly sorry, Your Highness…”

Sometimes silence was more terrifying than a scolding.

And today’s situation was exactly like that.

Lesvan merely stared at the polished sword and gave no answer.

Time passed.

That figure had grown within his dreams over the years.

At last, Lesvan’s lips moved.

“I do not keep people beside me who act against my will.”

The attendant immediately fell to his knees and slammed his forehead against the floor.

“Your Highness, please forgive me…”

Two knights who had been standing some distance away approached.

The attendant trembled and struggled, but he had no choice but to stand when the two strong men forcibly pulled him up.

“Your Highness! Please, have mercy!……”

The knights grabbed both of the attendant’s arms and began dragging him away.

Only his meaningless cries and struggles to avoid being taken could be heard.

A moment later, the attendant disappeared with the knights.

He would probably never show his face in the Imperial Palace again.

Lesvan slowly lowered his sword and placed it into its scabbard.

The familiar sound of the blade scraping against the solid sheath rang out.

The wind was blowing.

The scent of flowers was strong, but the white butterfly did not return.

Thinking about how he could catch the escaped butterfly, Lesvan closed his eyes.

**

After receiving word from a servant that Kallian had summoned her, Essika headed toward his office.

It was around sunset, and the setting sunlight must have been pouring through the long windows of the office.

Kallian normally did not work this late.

But if he had summoned her at this hour, he must have had something important prepared.

When Essika arrived at the office, Butler Hans, who had been lingering outside the door, gave her a cautious nod before reporting in a low voice.

“Duke. The Duchess has… arrived.”

“Open the door.”

The door soon opened with a creak, and Essika entered his office.

It was a scene she had seen many times before.

And sitting at the desk was Kallian, leaning forward slightly.

But Kallian was not alone.

Yuri and Sella were standing side by side against the wall.

Yuri had lowered the corners of her eyebrows to make herself look pitiful, but she could not hide the smile at the corners of her lips.

And Sella…

She stood silently with her head lowered deeply.

“What is this about?”

Essika stood calmly before Kallian.

Kallian’s gaze turned toward her.

He stared at Essika for a long time without saying a word.

His expression was confident, as though he had seen straight through her intentions.

After a while, Kallian pushed himself away from the desk and stood.

Because he had been sitting, the difference in their eye levels suddenly became much more pronounced.

“I called you here to warn you.”

As Kallian spoke, his cold voice filled the room.

Essika stood there without even moving an eyebrow.

“I had no intention of involving myself in women’s affairs, but if all the maids quit, rumors could spread that would tarnish the name of House Klaus.”

“……”

Yuri lowered her head even further.

Perhaps because she could no longer hide her smile.

“I heard that you have been brutally abusing the maids of the ducal residence, including your friend, Yuri Anesis.”

“……Ah, I have?”

Essika gave a small laugh and asked.

At her confident attitude, Kallian narrowed one eye.

Essika Klaus. Is she pretending not to know?

But Kallian had no intention of playing along with Essika’s transparent act any longer.

“Especially Yuri’s legs… The sight of them leaves one speechless.”

Essika secretly agreed with him.

Riona had beaten Yuri with the cane so brutally that several rows of scars had been left behind.

And because Essika had even poured salt water over them, the scars would certainly remain.

“So?”

“Essika.”

Kallian distorted his brows as he called her name, displeased by her continued lack of seriousness.

Then, in a low and threatening voice, he said,

“Enough. Your misconduct has gone too far.”

Essika stared at him silently for a moment.

Then she turned her gaze toward the window, where the red glow of sunset poured in.

When was it?

There had been days when she secretly opened the door to his office and watched Kallian for a long time.

His profile surrounded by the sunset had looked so wonderful, almost like a dream.

Back then, she had truly thought so.

After briefly recalling those memories, Essika looked back at Kallian.

“If rumors spread that the maids of House Klaus were so brutally abused that they had to submit their resignations, then it would certainly have a negative impact on House Klaus.”

Her lips continued moving.

Essika’s eyes, fixed on Kallian, shone with an eerie intensity.

“But is there any evidence that I am the one who committed this misconduct?”

At her words, Kallian hesitated for a moment.

But soon, a hollow laugh escaped him.

Who else in House Klaus would abuse commoner maids besides Essika?

“I expected you to deny everything until the very end… but you disappoint me once again today.”

Even at Kallian’s cold words, Essika did not move an eyebrow.

Kallian called out to Sella in a rough voice.

“Sella. Did you bring it?”

Sella flinched at Kallian’s words and slowly raised her head.

“Yes, Duke.”

Her expression looked frightened.