SBMF 13

Chapter 13

“…….”

Wendy lowered her head instead of replying.

It was taboo for a servant to speak ill of her master to outsiders.

Cecilia bit her lip.

I knew the treatment wasn’t good, but…

It wasn’t this bad when she herself was there. Cecilia had always stepped in and taken the brunt of it.

Wendy, however, forced a smile.

“I’m fine, Miss! I’m doing better than you might think. I’m embarrassed to meet you like this, of all times. Ahahaha…”

“……”

But Cecilia didn’t miss the sad emotion hidden behind that smile. She let out a deep sigh.

“You don’t have to try so hard, Wendy. I already know everything about that household.”

If she had known, she would have brought Wendy out earlier. She felt guilty for being so focused on her own matters that she hadn’t looked after Wendy.

Cecilia grasped Wendy’s hand firmly.

“Wendy, come with me. You can work at the House of Duke Hayes.”

“Huh? The House… of Duke Hayes?”

Wendy’s eyes went wide.

Cecilia nodded.

“Yes, I married Rainer Hayes.”

“Whaaaat? Then right now—”

“Shh.”

As Wendy’s voice rose in surprise, Cecilia quickly covered her mouth.

Across Brisen, many were curious about Cecilia’s identity, but now was not the time to reveal herself. That was why she had gone out in a robe—to survey the surroundings.

At the House of Duke Hayes, she still didn’t have anyone she could trust with important tasks. Meeting Wendy now was like rain after a long drought.

Yes, I can trust Wendy.

Even if a knife were held to her throat, Wendy would never reveal Cecilia’s secret.

Cecilia slowly removed her hand from Wendy’s mouth.

“We’ll talk about the details later. For now, let’s go to the Duke’s house. You don’t need to stay in that place anymore.”

Wendy stared at Cecilia for a moment in blank astonishment. Then she slowly spoke.

“I’m really glad you’re safe, Miss. But…”

Wendy lowered her head deeply.

“If I suddenly disappear, the master and mistress will vent their anger on others. They already asked me about your whereabouts, after all.”

Her expression turned gloomy.

The mercilessly beating Marchioness, the indifferent Marquis, and Rozena, who kicked her with her toe. Thinking of them made her hands tremble with fear.

Yet, knowing her companions would suffer, she couldn’t run away alone.

“I can manage on my own. Just knowing that you’re safe is enough. I’ll never tell anyone about you, Miss.”

Wendy raised one hand in a solemn vow.

Cecilia looked at her with mixed emotions.

“Yes, I know you’re not the type to escape alone.”

But bringing the other servants along wasn’t feasible. The Duke’s household already had enough staff, and legally, the Osburn Marquis had authority over the servants. Without proper introductions, no other noble house would hire them.

Still, she couldn’t leave Wendy in that hellish place.

…Frustrating, but this isn’t something I can solve on my own right now.

Cecilia knew she needed a more meticulous plan to safely extract Wendy. She gripped Wendy’s hand again with a determined expression.

“Wendy, wait just a little. I’ll make sure to get you out of that house.”

The next day.

“The Duke is coming.”

Rainer was on his way back from the Hayes estate. Since they were married, this visit was at least a formality to inform Elise.

Hearing that her husband had arrived, Cecilia went straight to the main gate.

Rainer was stepping out of his recently arrived carriage. His long legs touched the ground, and his black hair shone like obsidian in the sunlight.

When his blue eyes spotted Cecilia, a slight smile tugged at his lips.

“Your ladyship came to greet me personally?”

His words sounded joking, but carried a subtle undertone of ‘we’re not really on those terms yet, are we?’

Cecilia replied calmly.

“Of course I came. My husband has returned.”

His eyes widened slightly at her bold answer, but he soon smirked and extended his hand. He was clearly conscious of the other servants’ gaze—they didn’t know that he and Cecilia were a contractually married couple; only his aide, Harry, knew.

“Ahem, I’ll go to the study first.”

“Fine, disappear immediately.”

Harry shook his head as if ignoring his superior’s act, and went into the mansion first.

“Thank you.”

Cecilia played the part of a shy, newlywed lady, holding his hand. Then she paused.

The gloves…?

Rainer’s hand was bare. The removed gloves were held in his other hand. When their skin touched, warmth subtly transferred between them.

“So,”

Cecilia looked up at Rainer’s voice, having been momentarily distracted by the gloves. There was a faint mischievous glint in his eyes.

“You didn’t wait for the Marchioness’s message, did you?”

“Hmmm…”

Hearing Elise’s message alone was horrifying. Cecilia frowned, and Rainer let out a low chuckle.

“Seems like you have something to say. Let’s walk in the garden together.”

Cecilia and Rainer strolled through the Duke’s garden. From afar, they appeared to be enjoying a private moment as newlyweds.

But their conversation was more like a strategic meeting.

“You want to take the Osburn servants out of that house?”

“Yes.”

Cecilia nodded and calmly explained the plan she had spent the night pondering.

The key was the letters of introduction. For noble household servants, these letters were lifelines. Nobles only wanted to hire those with verified identities, so to find work elsewhere, a letter from a respected noble was essential.

Because of this, the Osburn servants couldn’t easily speak out against their mistreatment. The Osburns exploited this fact to control and intimidate them.

“So I want to write letters of introduction in the Duke’s name. This way, they won’t be tied to the Osburns anymore. Once they all leave at once, that household will collapse completely.”

Cecilia looked at Rainer with earnest eyes.

“Would it be alright if I did this in the name of the Duchess of Hayes?”

“What could it be?”

Rainer looked down at her, her gaze like that of a timid deer, and chuckled.

“Do whatever you want. As far as the contract is concerned, all powers of the Duchess belong to you.”

Cecilia’s face brightened at his words.

“However…”

Rainer’s expression turned serious. Listening to her story, one question lingered in his mind.

“Just one question. Did they abuse you at the Osburn house too?”

“That is…”

Caught off guard, Cecilia lowered her head. She needed a moment before speaking. After taking a deep breath, she nodded reluctantly.

“Yes… I was beaten countless times. Face, shoulders, arms, legs—there was no part that wasn’t struck.”

The reasons for her punishments were absurd and varied. The most ridiculous day was when she was beaten simply because her face looked fine when she woke up.

“Your face looks good; you must have stolen something last night! Tell me the truth!”

Back then, I thought it was all my fault…

Now she understood just how unfairly they had treated her. All the more reason to save Wendy and the others.

“……”

Rainer looked at Cecilia with a firm expression. His gaze traveled slowly across her delicate shoulders and wrists. He had been beaten growing up by Elise too, but he was still a man.

How could they treat such a fragile woman like that…

He unconsciously gripped her hand tighter. If she wanted, he could write dozens of letters of introduction. But he didn’t want to stop there.

“……My lady.”

Rainer looked at her quietly. His blue eyes were rippling with emotion.

“You don’t intend to stop at just that, do you?”

“……Huh?”

Startled, Cecilia widened her eyes. Rainer still held her hand as he looked at her silently.

“The servants who left can be rehired later.”

“That’s… true.”

Cecilia pouted at his pointed remark. Indeed, if competent servants were rehired, the Osburn household could recover.

“So, let’s make sure this time it’s final.”

Rainer’s tone hardened.