Chapter 16
'Wouldn't it have been better to call the head maid to give orders and reprimands instead of interfering personally…!'
Idel, who was suddenly annoyed by Linnea's behavior, remembered that their situations were completely different.
Idel was born noble, and without anyone teaching her, she naturally learned how to manage her subordinates by observing her superiors.
But Laszlo and Lenia were different.
For them, it must have been an unusual and difficult thing to manage servants as “nobles”.
Edel sighed softly and asked:
“So did the maids resign because of that? But if they did, they wouldn’t get a letter of recommendation, and it would be difficult for them to get another job…”
“No. Count Crisis knows that Lady Linnea is the problem, so he writes good letters of recommendation. He sounds scary, but he’s a good person.”
Edel agreed. Surprisingly, László Krács was a respectable person, although he certainly seemed intimidating.
Suddenly, Daisy listened towards the door to check for any signs of movement, and whispered quietly,
“In fact, many of the maids resigned because of Mrs. Bohen. But if they say it’s because of her, they might not get a letter of recommendation, so they leave the blame to Mrs. Linnea.”
"Doesn't the Count know that Mrs. Bohin is like this?"
“Most likely he doesn’t know. She pretends to be nice and competent in front of him. She always says, ‘A veteran like me…’”
Daisy laughed as she imitated Marsha.
Edel laughed, but inwardly she thought the Crisis family was very strange.
'The head of the household seems unconcerned with how the house is run, and the only young woman ignores the hierarchy and makes a fuss about the maids' affairs. On the contrary, the head maid acts as an authority figure, and there are factions among the few servants.'
If it had been about another family, Idil would have considered that family to be on the verge of collapse without hesitation.
But László Kríčis was not a simple nobleman on the verge of collapse.
As long as the current emperor, Demarcus Tobrin, retained his position and authority, László Crises would continue to prosper. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that László helped consolidate Demarcus's position.
'If the Count wants to prosper in the noble society of the Empire, he needs to quickly find a suitable wife to set his household in order. Otherwise, it will not be easy for him to integrate among the nobility.'
The aristocratic society was not a place where someone was accepted into the upper class by order of the emperor.
Even high-ranking nobles can be ostracized if their reputation is bad, and even low-ranking nobles can become famous if they are well received.
Currently, Laszlo Criscis is not part of the social circle at all, and has not even tried to be.
But for the sake of the emperor, Laszlo would soon have to change.
“I hope the new lady will be someone who sympathizes with me.”
Edel desperately wished that her life would continue peacefully as it had been.
But just two days after she declared that desire, Linnea Crisis suddenly called her.
* * *
“Hmm… Are you Edel Lancaster?”
Unlike her brother, who had black hair and very light brown eyes, Linnea had reddish-brown hair and turquoise eyes.
'They don't look very alike. Or perhaps their foreheads are somewhat similar?'
Linnea sat crookedly, her legs crossed, her chin resting on her hand, looking up at Idil with supposed arrogance.
But she did not possess the charisma or intimidation that her brother did.
From what I heard, Linnea looked to be in her mid-twenties, but her face, with some freckles on her smooth cheeks, looked only late teens.
A child pretending to be an adult. That was Idel's first impression of Linnea.
Idil maintained her decorum as much as possible.
“Now, I’m just Edel. The Lancaster family no longer exists.”
"i know that."
Linnea responded irritably even before Idel had finished speaking.
Linnea seems very upset about something.
But for Idil, she could not understand why Linnea was angry, as she continued to direct sarcastic and insulting words at her.
“I heard that the Duke of Lancaster was an old man of sixty years old. Were you that excited to become a duchess?”
There was a word, “disgusting,” that Linnea muttered at the end of her speech, but Idel ignored it as if she hadn’t heard it.
“Unfortunately, my marriage was not a choice for me; I had to do what my father ordered me to do.”
"How awful! How can this be a father?"
Idell resisted the urge to reply with “indeed” and smiled quietly.
'Something even a young, ordinary girl could think about, why didn't my father realize it?'
She felt a pang of sadness because of her father's coldness towards her and her sister, but Linnea, despite knowing that this marriage was not Idel's wish, asked her a more malicious question.
“Since you got married, you must have been in bed together, right? Did you really do that with a man old enough to be your father?”
She might have expected Idell to tremble with embarrassment, but Idell just shook her head coolly.
“I never shared my room with the Duke. He was busy, didn’t want any more children, and had an old mistress.”
"What? He had a mistress too?"
“Yes, and I believe she is dead now. She was managing the Duke of Lancaster’s funds earmarked for treason.”
Linnea's face showed a look of surprise.
"So, what is your real role there?"
This question deeply hurt Idil, as it struck at her core.
'Right, what was my role really?'
She remembered how she had strived during her marriage to prove her worth, which left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“I was just filling the void to show the world a perfect image of the Duke of Lancaster’s family. I also did some annoying things.”
Edel laughed, a genuine laugh, even though this thought wasn't new to her. But when she explained it to Linnea, she realized how absurd her past had been.
But her laughter angered Linnea, so she continued to mock her.
“Oh, you thought you were the perfect duchess? You had confidence! But unfortunately, now you are in a situation no different from slavery.”
It seems that Linnea either didn't understand the context or was deliberately feigning ignorance, as she interpreted Idil's words differently. Idil never claimed to be a perfect duchess. Linnea's mention of slavery was clearly an attempt to provoke her, but unfortunately, it didn't work with Idil, who remained completely unaffected.
“As a person in a state of slavery, Count Crisiers graciously allowed me to work as a maid in the laundry room. I am forever grateful for that.”
"to lie."
“It is the truth. I am well aware that my situation could have been much worse; it was Count Crissers who saved me.”
Despite hearing praise for her brother, Linnea's frown did not disappear.
“Don’t be complacent. If my brother gets angry, no one knows what might happen. He’s a very scary person.”
“I am only relying on the generosity of Count Crisis, and I have no right to ask for more.”
"At least you realize that, don't you?"
"Yes."
“Don’t underestimate him. You may not know what my brother might do if he gets angry. He’s a terrifying person.”
“I am only relying on the kindness of Count Crisis, and I have no right to ask for anything else.”
"So, you are aware of this?"
"Yes."
Linnea spoke in an angry tone, as if she had lost her patience, and asked:
"You despise me too, don't you?"
"Excuse me? What do you mean...?"
“You think I’m just some lowly girl sitting here pretending to be the Count’s daughter, don’t you?”
Idel could not understand the reason for Linnea's sudden anger.
“Did I say something offensive to you, miss? If you tell me what upset you, I will correct it.”
Despite her attempts to speak cautiously, Linnea's anger did not subside.
“I don’t like your looks. You’re looking down on me! Get down on your knees! How dare someone lower than you look at his mistress in that way?”
Linnea screamed as if determined to completely humiliate Idil. However, getting down on her knees was a simple matter for Idil. She knelt and quietly lowered her head.
“I apologize. I thought I should have remained standing without permission to sit down.”
This stance of hers seems to have surprised Linnea.
"What is this? Don't you have any dignity?"
“…”
“You were a duchess! How could you kneel so easily before the Count’s sister?”
It was clear that she hoped to see Idil tremble with humiliation or show resistance.
But for Idéal, there was no importance or value in taking pride in her former title as a duchess. She fully understood the futility of aristocratic pride and dignity when she stood like a war trophy at the Victory Day parade.
Edel felt a bitter taste in her mouth, but she answered honestly, as she truly felt:
“To answer your question, firstly, I am no longer a duchess; secondly, Miss Linnea is my lady; and thirdly, my knee is not of great value.”
Yes, as Linnea said, she had become a slave, so what was so difficult about kneeling? If she had been asked, she would have knelt down until her forehead touched the ground.
This is the world Idil now lives in, a world turned upside down.
She did not feel humiliated by kneeling before people who did not know her, and she saw a day of peace resulting from this as more valuable.
As for Linnea, who did not understand Idel’s sincerity, she simply continued to shout loudly.