Chapter 58
However, there are always people who lack the ability to sense danger, either because of their lack of awareness, their excessive bravery, or their overconfidence.
'Laszlo Krejcis… I don't think there's anyone better than him, no matter what I think.'
Angela had been in high spirits since the last party. Ever since turning twenty, she had been under constant pressure to marry, but she hadn't found a man who met her expectations. Most of her suitors were second sons of counts or barons, or even if they were the eldest sons, the inheritance and wealth they would receive weren't enough.
But at the party, she found a solution to her problem.
'If I marry that man, I can become the Countess without having to wait for someone to die!'
This was the most important thing for Angela.
Although she was raised as "Miss Bliss" and received respect, her father was the second son in the family, meaning he did not have full rights to the inheritance. Because they remained in the Bliss family mansion, Angela was able to retain the title of "Miss Bliss," but upon her grandfather's death, the family would be forced to leave the mansion.
Therefore, Angela will no longer be “Miss Bliss,” and will have to live at a much lower standard of living than she did.
'I don't think my uncle will provide us with what we need to maintain a decent standard of living.'
Maintaining her elegance and prestige in high society was costly, and this was essential for her to remain one of the most beautiful ladies of noble society.
But if her grandfather died, she would become just like those simple girls she had always mocked. Angela couldn't bear to think that.
'Therefore, I must marry a rich man with a guaranteed noble title.'
Laszlo Criscis was perfectly suited to these conditions.
Although she would have to put up with Linnea's presence as a sister-in-law, she could simply marry her off and get rid of her.
Moreover, after discovering that Laszlo was extremely handsome, she no longer worried about the fact that he had been a former mercenary.
As she was retrieving information about Laszlo, she remembered that there had been news about him from the end of last year.
'Ah, right! I heard he won the Idel Lancaster as a prize.'
If Idil were his lover, she might have been worried, but according to rumors, Idil works as a maid in Crisis Palace.
The fact that Laszlo did not approach Edel and treated her with disdain only increased Angela's admiration for him.
'I'm sure he wouldn't prefer a quiet, modest woman; he'd love a strong woman like me.'
Her attractive and charming appearance was enough to confirm this assumption.
Just imagining owning Laszlo and living as "Countess Crissis" while treating Edel, the former Duchess, like a servant filled her with excitement. This was the life she had always dreamed of.
'I will win it no matter what. The title of Countess Crissis will be mine!'
She applied red lipstick to her lips with an attractive smile.
**
“Miss Linnea! A new flower powder product has finally been released! I will go early tomorrow to stand in line…”
“No, there’s no need.”
Marsha, who had rushed excitedly to Linnea to tell her about the new product, suddenly stopped upon hearing Linnea's firm refusal.
But Linnea did not just refuse; she gave Marsha a stern look.
“I was seriously considering reprimanding you before, but I was busy and forgot. If you want to pretend to know, you need to get the right information!”
"Yes…?"
“Did you know that flower powder was only popular among married women? I bet you didn’t.”
Marsha was about to protest, but then she remembered that the maids she was exchanging information with all worked for married women, so she shut her mouth.
“If Idell hadn’t told me, I would have become the subject of whispers. They would talk about me and say that I’m just a little girl trying to seduce men with her makeup.”
“Ha, but I did it for your own good…!”
“For my sake? I don’t think so. Then why did you hide the fact that the cosmetics cost only 250 ringgit and tell me it was 400?”
Upon discovering that Marsha had increased the price of cosmetics, her face paled with fear, but Linnea did not mind losing 150 ringgit per se.
'I could give her this amount as a reward for her effort! But when I think about the talk that has been going on behind my back…!'
Whenever Linnea imagined the bad things that might have been said about her, she felt an urge to strangle Marsha.
"Get out of my sight before I really do it and strangle you!"
Since Linnea was preparing to leave, she simply dismissed Marsha at that point. However, as Marsha walked slowly down the corridor back to her room, her eyes flashed with anger.
'Edil, that damned woman, is the one who's ruining my whole life!'
First impressions cannot be underestimated.
From the first meeting, Marsha was not comfortable with Idyll, and she felt that the latter was gradually disrupting her comfortable life.
Although Edel was only in her twenties, she became the center of attention for the younger maids, causing the other servants to complain about Marsha's dictatorial style.
Marsha was also forced to share her communication channels with Linnea and Laszlo with Edel, and in the end, Edel took Linnea's position as her personal maid.
'Miss Linnea knew that I had overcharged for the flower powder. And Idil may have discovered that I was embezzling some money from this family.'
Doubts began to turn into anxiety that completely overwhelmed Marsha.
Since she had to pay off the house debts and settle the cost of the numerous purchases she had taken on credit, it was necessary for her to stay in this house.
So, Marsha summoned the maid Mina to discuss her plan.
"We must expel that damned Idil. By any means necessary!"
Since Idyll was a gift from the Emperor, they could not kill or harm her directly, but a way could be found to expel her from the house.
Mina, who was also not comfortable with Edel, thought long and hard, then suggested an idea that she considered clever.
“The best way to fire a maid is to accuse her of theft.”
"Theft?"
“Yes, like a necklace or earrings, things like that.”
Marsha was about to explode with anger at Mina's suggestion, but she suddenly changed her facial expression.
“Yes… this might be effective.”
"Is that right? But how will you get Miss Linnea's jewelry to accuse Edel?"
“That’s not a problem. But the most important thing is…”
Marsha paused and thought deeply. When the incident occurred, it was likely that the maids close to Idyll would defend her, and if one of them turned against Idyll, this would greatly serve Marsha's interests.
'Selena and Lila have become clever enough to take advantage of me, but Daisy is still young and innocent.'
Marsha decided to recruit Daisy, one of Idyll's close maids, so she summoned her to her room to test whether she could influence her.
When Daisy entered the room, her large eyes were darting nervously around. Marsha enjoyed watching her anxious expression before smiling friendlyly.
“Daisy, it’s been three years now that you’ve been working in this house, right?”
"Yes…"
“Mr. Marco is truly lucky to have such a kind and beautiful daughter as you.”
“H… haha… thank you…”
Daisy didn't know why Marsha had suddenly been acting so nice to her, which only increased her anxiety.
Marsha then began making some strange statements about the importance of maids understanding each other, and about the need to know who among the important people in the house really should be obeyed, before pausing briefly and getting to the main point.
“What I mean is that Idil is not someone who can treat you honestly. She is noble to the core, so how can she understand a girl like you, who has only lived with her father and suffered hardships?”
Daisy frowned, but Marsha kept talking.
“As you know, nobles treat servants like tools to be used and then thrown away. Even when Idil smiles at you or treats you kindly, she does it to exploit you someday.”
Daisy, unable to bear it any longer, clenched her fists tightly and asked angrily, "So, what exactly do you want to say, Head Maid?"
Marsha smiled condescendingly, as if she were compassionate, and replied, “Daisy, you’d better listen to me. After all, you’re a maid working here and one day you’ll need a job elsewhere, and I can help you find one. As for Edel… well, she’ll end up as the mistress of some old gentleman.”
Ever since Edel entered this house, Marsha has been looking at her with contempt and insulting her, and this has enraged Daisy.
“Stop talking about my sister Edel like that! And you, aren’t you exploiting the maids here for your own benefit?”
"What? What are you saying?"
“Aren’t you taking money from us while claiming to understand our situation? If someone pays you, they get comfortable jobs and can shirk their responsibilities, while those who don’t pay get the hard work and you find fault with them!”
Marsha's hand began to tremble with anger at Daisy's criticism.
"You shameless woman!"
Marsha stood up angrily and slapped Daisy on the head, and almost slapped her in the face, but restrained herself to avoid arousing any suspicion.
Despite this, Daisy continued to stare at Marsha with her defiant eyes, unlike before Edel's arrival, when she could not look Marsha directly in the eyes.
"Well, you've brought trouble upon yourself! You'll see, you damned girl!"
Marsha removed Daisy from the room and decided to proceed with her original plan.