Chapter 9
Instead of the meticulous washing that requires warm water and does not require much physical effort, the clothes of the Master's brothers were not Edel's responsibility.
In front of her was a pile of bed sheets, thin blankets, tablecloths, towels, dishcloths, napkins, various covers, and even rags used in the palace.
'At least it's convenient that the servants are wearing their own clothes and underwear.'
Idil sat on the wooden chair in front of the large sink, just as Celia had instructed, and began washing the pile of rags.
It was late autumn, and although the water was cold, she couldn't start complaining now, because she knew it would get even colder.
“Since it’s your first day, I’m going to give you the easiest task, which is washing the rags and dish towels… All you have to do is beat them with the washing board until they turn white, so it shouldn’t be too difficult… right?”
Edel wondered if this was really the easiest task, but she nodded without saying much.
The water in the basin turned black after a few squeezes of the rag.
"Where were these breaches used?"
Unpleasant thoughts kept popping into her mind, but she tried to push them away and continued doing the laundry, trying not to think about anything at all.
The laundry room was soon filled with the sounds of Celia and Lila's chatter and the sounds of washing, as Lila joined them.
The room suddenly became quiet about an hour after the laundry started.
"important!"
Celia and Lila immediately stopped chatting and focused solely on washing up at the sudden sound of Marsha clearing her throat.
Marsha walked around, pretending to check the condition of the laundry, and stopped in front of Idil, as expected.
"What is this?"
Edel felt her body stiffen because of Marsha's confrontational tone of voice.
Marsha picked up a piece of cloth that Edel had already washed, shook it lightly with her fingertips, and dropped it to the ground.
“Hello, Duchess. Has the Duchy of Lancaster cleaned the banisters with such filthy rags? In this house, Miss Linnea will grab you by the hair for this.”
But the piece of cloth that Marsha dropped was almost clean, with only faint old stains that could not be removed no matter how much it was washed.
Naturally, protesting will only bring more rebuke and ridicule.
'That maid is flaunting her power by belittling a former duchess.'
How beautiful it is for her to reverse the power dynamics, and treat the nobleman as a servant.
Idel suppressed the rising nausea inside her once again.
“I’m sorry. I’m new to this and inexperienced. I’ll wash it again.”
“You certainly know how to talk. Your delicate hands were handling things very gently, and that’s why it turned out this way! What would you do with the delicate hands of a laundry maid?”
Marsha was picking someone who had just started working because he had sensitive hands.
However, Idil lowered her head.
"I will try harder."
“This is the least you can do. Celia! Keep an eye on this woman and don’t let her get away with it! She’s a traitor. Who knows what dangerous plans she might be hatching?”
The term used to refer to Idil has finally been reduced to “this woman”.
Her forehead almost creased for a moment, but Idil gritted her teeth and maintained her facial expression.
What people like her wanted was for Idil to rebel. This would give them a clearer excuse to suppress her.
'There's no need for that… I just want to spend the rest of my life quietly doing laundry.'
Idil felt sorry for herself, as life had worn her down at the age of twenty-four, but she knew very well that nothing beautiful was coming into her life.
Therefore, she was only hoping that she could live with this standard of living, begging that she could at least do that.
While she continued to bow and apologize repeatedly, Marsha left dissatisfied but without further argument.
After Marsha left, Celia and Lila whispered to each other and looked at Idil.
What will happen to me now?
A gloomy feeling spreads like a dark cloud. But all she can do now is wash the rags more thoroughly.
**
The failed rebellion of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Duchy of Lancaster's attempt at independence ended in a crushing defeat, and the families involved were unable to escape the resulting predicament.
Count Canyon, who went so far as to offer his young daughter to be the old duke's second wife for the engagement, nearly faced the destruction of his home.
However, Dustin Canyon once again managed to escape the crisis with his clever calculations and silver tongue.
“Please believe me, Your Majesty! How can I refuse the coercive orders issued by the Duke of Lancaster? He took my daughter Edel by force, and he is still not satisfied, so he threatened me to help in this scheme.”
Everyone in the community knew that he had done everything he could to ally with one of the “Four Great Duchies,” yet he insisted that it had been “seized.”
Naturally, his confession was only accepted because of his trading in confidential information and the huge bribes he paid.
'damn it…'
Dustin cursed as he checked the status of his assets, which were down to half.
“This foolish old man has finally become delusional…”
The plan for the duchy's independence, which had been proceeding in secret, was discovered before it could be completed. The Duke of Lancaster, who believed he would soon become king, let his guard down.
He knew that Emperor Demarcus, who had inherited the throne from his incompetent father, was desperate to consolidate imperial power!
“I thought he would succeed, but the emperor decided to make an example of them.”
Although the Duchy of Lancaster was powerful enough to rival the Imperial Family, that same power made them an ideal target to be an example for them.
A few years ago, it would have been impossible for the Emperor to overthrow the Duchy of Lancaster.
The person who made all of this possible was “the mercenary king” Laszlo Crises, who led the mercenaries and allied himself with the emperor.
“Some lowly scoundrels call themselves Counts…! Damn you! Damn you!”
What angered him most was that the emperor had given Edel, who had once been the Duchess of Lancaster, to Laszlo as a war trophy.
Not because he pitied his daughter's suffering, but because it seemed like a warning to the anti-nobles, especially Count Canyon. For this reason, he could not contain his anger.
"Dad, what should we do now?"
He cautiously asked his eldest son, William, who was watching his father's anger.
The sons, who had saved their lives thanks to their father, became more concerned about his mood.
Dustin ground his teeth and spoke in a low voice.
“We must keep low for now. The Emperor’s ferocious blade can strike anywhere, anytime. And with his well-trained hounds, he has nothing to fear.”
“Edel was given to Laszlo as a prize. Won’t that affect our family?”
Dustin was upset by the words of his second son, Jeffrey.
“She should have committed suicide before she suffered this humiliation. I can’t understand why Idil is clinging to life. She’s a disgrace to our family!”
This is absolutely true.
Not only had she fallen from her high position as a duchess, but she was now a slave to a filthy mercenary. Idil should have committed suicide to preserve her honor and the honor of her family.
Dustin clicked his tongue in annoyance and shook his head.
Only his two sons and two daughters remained by his side.
"I definitely don't have any luck with girls."
Idil, who had shown promise and followed his teachings well, ended up greatly disappointing him. His youngest daughter, who died prematurely, was an even greater disappointment.
In any case, Idyll was doing just fine as if she were isolated with the Duchy of Lancaster, so there was no need to worry about her anymore.
"Your daughter is the Duchess of Lancaster. You won't be biased, will you?"
“No, Your Majesty! The married daughter is a stranger! She has no connection to our family anymore. Please believe me!”
"Is that true? Then you will have nothing to say about the fate of Edel Lancaster, will you?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
This is how Dustin barely managed to protect his family.
DeMarcus's sinister smile was ultimately unsettling. He might have already decided to throw Edel to Laszlo at that moment.
It would be difficult to avoid gossip in social circles, but at the moment he was unable to show his face, so it didn't matter.
But Dustin Canyon wasn't someone who would just quietly hide and survive.
"Just wait and see. I'll make sure no one ever dares to look at the Canyon family again. I swear!"
He gritted his teeth and began instructing his two sons on what to do next.