Chapter 13
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Drury’s maid fell to her knees as soon as the door opened.
And with a face stained with fear and tears, he kept spitting out apologies.
“What on earth is going on, Marquis Soro?”
“Young lady, you have nothing to do with it! I, I did it all on my own!”
The maid was lying almost face down on the floor, her shoulders shaking pitifully.
She looked to be about two years older than Damia.
“Ha, is that maid’s fault for everything?”
“No, Master Cassian. It’s largely my fault for failing to properly discipline my subordinates.”
Drury hung his head sadly.
“her…….”
“I’m so sorry, Miss Damia. She must have been so surprised.”
At Damia’s laughter, Drury blinked his eyes exaggeratedly.
“Even though I didn’t know anything.”
Drury seemed acutely aware of the Duchess of Sarkis looking over his shoulder.
Even though it was clear that they were trying to frame the maid, Drury felt no guilt at all.
“This child, perhaps because of his origins, was ill-mannered and greedy. It’s my fault for not being able to kick him out because of my difficult circumstances.”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t even know the subject and I was jealous of the Duke’s fiancée… Ugh, I was jealous!”
As Drury nudged the maid with his foot, a prepared apology flowed out.
“I hid the snake in a handkerchief and put it in the basket! I thought it wouldn’t cause any trouble since it wasn’t poisonous.”
“Whew, even though she was my maid… I never dreamed she would do something like this.”
“You dare to injure the body of a noble lady. You are a mortal sin!”
The maid stared at Damia’s massive bandages in horror.
“How did you rescue a snake that disappeared from the empire long ago?”
Suspicion flashed in Cassian’s eyes.
“That, that’s… umm…….”
Drury stamped his foot at the maid’s sidelong glance.
“I… ah! I smuggled… US on the black market!”
The poor maid began to exaggerate the price of her sins more and more.
“What? You’re really out of your mind!”
Drury shook his head exaggeratedly.
“This child will be expelled from our household immediately. She will probably not be able to leave in good health, and she will never be able to work as a maid again.”
“Hee, heek!”
I don’t know what the deal was, but the maid trembled and didn’t tell the truth.
Or perhaps he firmly believes that disobeying Drury’s words will result in a more terrible punishment.
“Do you wish for a more severe punishment, Miss Damia?”
Instead of answering, Damia approached the maid.
Seeing him trembling in fear, I was reminded of my past life when I was always being bullied by Count Fabron.
I didn’t want to be fooled by Drury’s obvious tricks.
“It’s okay, raise your head.”
“yes yes….”
While the maid hesitated, Damia quickly gathered her thoughts.
‘Even if everything goes according to Drury’s will, this maid’s ending won’t be good anyway.’
It seemed unlikely that Drury would be lenient towards a servant who knew his own shortcomings.
Even if a price commensurate with the false accusation was promised, there was a high possibility that the maid would take care of it before she could enjoy the reward.
It was the same with Count Fabron in his previous life.
‘I’m starting to feel overwhelmed managing the herb garden alone anyway.’
I was in need of someone to run errands for me. Taking this maid in wasn’t a bad idea.
Since you saved me from Drury’s clutches, it would be ideal if you would become my loyal maid in return.
As Damia rationalized her good intentions, the maid slowly raised her head.
“My child, there is no need to be overly tolerant of the faults of those below you.”
Elena Sarkis, who had been silent, offered some concerned advice.
‘uh……?’
The moment I looked closely at the maid, I couldn’t hear anything.
Damia had seen this face before. In her past life, to be exact.
“…What’s your name?”
“My name? Why is that…?”
As Cassian sighed in displeasure, the maid quickly lay down, her bewildered expression disappearing.
“Hey, it’s Romi.”
Damia barely managed to swallow her exclamation. It wasn’t just the face that was familiar. Even the name was exactly as she remembered it.
“Please leave this maid behind.”
And those words came out of my mouth without me knowing.
The few excuses I had been trying to come up with to avoid arousing Drury’s suspicions suddenly became useless.
“…yes?”
“Come to think of it, I think it would be better if I punished him myself.”
Damia answered, barely able to suppress her pounding heart.
“I must punish a noble person like Marquis Youngae Soro with a punishment so terrible that she could not even imagine.”
“Damia? Why are you suddenly like this?”
“…baby?”
A hint of confusion was evident in the Sarkis family’s voices.
But for now, securing a maid was the priority.
Because soon he will be famous enough to be plastered all over the news.
“I think that would make me feel a little better. If the boat had capsized, you would have been in danger too, wouldn’t you?”
“I think Cassian would have found his balance himself, so it would have been okay….”
“Haa, I don’t think I can maintain my composure like Marquis Young-ae when it comes to the Duke’s affairs.”
“…yes?”
“As your fiancée, I can’t just let this go. How dare you almost put the Duke in danger!”
Drury flinched at Damia’s exaggerated shout.
“I guess I’ll have to keep that maid by my side and continue to harass her!”
Drury’s eyes trembled. He seemed conflicted, unwilling to leave a trace.
“Yeah, I think it would be best to do as Saeaga says.”
“…If Miss Damia says so… Well, I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
Drury hesitated for a while, but reluctantly agreed to Elena’s words.
“Thank you, Marquis of Soro. I’ll have to ask that maid where she got that snake.”
“…He confessed to smuggling it, so is there any reason to dig further?”
“We need to uncover the black market smuggling routes and punish them severely. This snake skin is quite useful in my herb garden.”
Drury’s pretty face twisted as she unexpectedly became helpful.
“and….”
Damia took the snake out of the basket and slowly approached Drury.
“What, what are you trying to do now?”
The snake was quietly rubbing its face against Damia’s finger.
But the moment I got close to Drury.
To be precise, the moment when Drury twisted his body and a thick perfume smell filled the room.
Kyaaaaak-!
“I guess I’ll have to find out why this gentle guy reacts so hostilely to Young-ae’s scent.”
* * *
“Ahhhhh!”
Drury burst into the Marquis of Thoreau’s office, his eyes wide.
“Drury Thoreau!”
Drury stamped his feet and passed his father, who was blocking him.
Drury went straight to the tank and pulled out the bright red snake with his bare hands.
The snake writhed in fear, but did not dare to bite the girl.
“Put it down now!”
Drury paid no attention to the Marquis’s shouts. He even threw the snake to the ground as if to show it off.
“What else is wrong?”
The red snake convulsed a few times and then fell limp. The strange glow that had enveloped its crimson scales faded as if it were a lie.
It was a guy he’d managed to smuggle with great difficulty, avoiding public attention. A deep wrinkle formed on the Marquis’s forehead.
“Casian kicked me out! You damned terminally ill person!”
“Drury!”
The girl groaned and trembled. She seemed unable to remain still due to the surging anger.
Despite his angelic appearance, Drury was cruel and violent. Although he kept it a secret from others, he easily lost self-control and was extremely impulsive.
If she had been an ordinary noble lady, this would have been a major flaw, but the Marquis was secretly pleased with this aspect of his daughter.
‘It’s no different from proof that you were born with a thick layer of clan blood.’
Because their ancestors were far more evil and greater beings than these worthless humans.
“How dare you!”
While the Marquis briefly glanced away, Drury’s face flushed bright red. Unable to contain her anger, the girl roughly lifted the hem of her skirt.
“You ignore the gifts I sent you, but you cherish this kind of thing!”
What the heck!
The glass bottle shattered as it hit the floor.
“Did you steal the little duke’s stuff again… Ugh!”
The Marquis, who was about to point out his daughter’s thievery, covered his nose.
He stared at the purple liquid flowing from the bottle with a menacing gaze.
