SBMF 12

Chapter 12

When her daughter shot her a dagger-like glare, Trisha quickly offered an excuse.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I’m just saying… Rosena, there’s no woman more suited to be a duchess than you, right? Our daughter’s appearance isn’t lacking… what’s lacking?”

“Hmmm, that’s true.”

Rosena relaxed slightly at the flattering words and shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s a shame, but what can we do? As long as Evan’s business succeeds, that’s enough. That Hayes fellow will get his comeuppance.”

“I wish I could be as confident as you, Mother…”

Trisha clicked her tongue and shook her head.

If Evan inherited the title of Viscount Osburn, Rosena would become a viscountess, but that wasn’t enough to satisfy her.

‘She could have been a marchioness at least…’

Trisha firmly believed that if the Crown Prince hadn’t married, Rosena could have become Crown Princess.

“Ladies, the tea is served.”

At that moment, the maids brought in the tea. Among them was Wendy, who had been Cecilia’s maid.

Normally, serving tea in the Osburn household would have been Cecilia’s duty, but now that she had left, the other maids were handling it.

Trisha’s eyes narrowed as she watched Wendy steep the tea leaves.

“Wait a second, those leaves… they’re different from the usual ones?”

“Ah, th-that’s…”

Wendy stammered in panic.

“Miss Cecilia suddenly left, so I didn’t receive any instructions…”

“What did you say?”

Trisha jumped to her feet. Her face flushed red and purple.

“How dare you mention that woman’s name in this house?”

“M-Mistress! Please forgive me! I was only—”

“Quiet!”

Before Wendy could finish, Trisha’s hand shot out.

Her rough hand struck Wendy’s cheek without hesitation. A sharp crack rang out, followed by Wendy’s groan.

“How dare a mere maid answer back to her mistress?”

Trisha had already been irritated by the news of the new duchess. Now, hearing Cecilia’s name was like pouring gasoline on the fire.

She began taking out her frustration on Wendy.

“You! Come to think of it, you were always suspiciously close to that Cecilia, weren’t you? Is that why you’re mocking me now? Huh? I’ll fix that terrible habit of yours right now!”

“Ahh! I-I was wrong, Mistress!”

Wendy crouched on the floor, desperately covering her head. But Trisha didn’t stop, striking her repeatedly on the head.

The servants rushed over in a panic to intervene.

“Mistress! Please forgive her. We’ll teach Wendy properly from now on—”

“Step aside! All of you damned fools! Anyone who interferes will be thrown out immediately without a recommendation letter! Go ahead, see if you want to starve in the streets!”

Trisha growled, glaring fiercely. The servants were too intimidated to act and could only stomp their feet helplessly.

Cloud clicked his tongue in familiarity, calmly sipping his tea.

At that moment, Rosena rose from her seat, patting her belly in a showy manner.

“Mother, the baby will hear you. That’s enough now.”

“Oh, right. I wouldn’t want my precious grandchild to be startled.”

Finally, Trisha’s hand stopped. Wendy lay on the floor, silent, tears streaming down her face as she shivered.

Rosena nudged Wendy’s shoulder with her toe.

“Get up, Wendy. We’re going out, so get ready immediately.”

“Y-yes….”

Wendy staggered to her feet, her face swollen, blood dripping from her split lips. The other servants clicked their tongues in disapproval but dared not intervene.

Trisha glared at Wendy coldly.

“You fool. You think it’s over thanks to Rosena, don’t you?”

“Y-yes… thank you, Mistress, Miss….”

“Mind your words. Is this how you behave in front of a pregnant lady? Now, hurry up.”

Rosena shot a disdainful glance at Wendy before walking ahead. Wendy hurried to follow. The remaining servants watched their backs gloomily.

“What are you doing? Not working immediately! I’ll have to throw you out barehanded if you don’t wake up!”

“N-No, Mistress!”

At Trisha’s shout, the servants finally scattered hurriedly.

“Tch, Hayes here, Hayes there…”

Rosena had gone out for a change of scenery, but her face was already full of dissatisfaction. Everywhere she went, people talked only about the new Duchess Hayes. Even the newspaper stands were the same.

“Duchess Hayes draws attention at her first appearance”

The article speculated which family’s banquet the new duchess would choose as her stage. Rosena pouted in displeasure as she read it.

“When the time comes, she’ll crawl out on her own. Why make such a fuss? Being a duchess isn’t that amazing.”

Just imagining another woman capturing the attention of high society instead of her put Rosena in a foul mood.

At that moment, Wendy, trailing behind, caught her eye. Her face, though cleaned of the morning’s blood, was still a mess.

Rosena’s eyes narrowed.

‘Ugh, look at that. These were the ones who used to follow Cecilia around.’

A thought crossed her mind. According to her mother, Wendy had been Cecilia’s closest maid.

“Hey, Wendy. Tell me the truth.”

Rosena turned fully to face her.

“Do you really have no idea where Cecilia is?”

“Huh?”

Wendy’s eyes widened. She had been curious about Cecilia’s whereabouts herself.

“A-ah, no… I really don’t know.”

“Really? No hints at all? Nothing? Don’t lie, or it’ll be worse for you.”

“N-No, really, nothing! You can even search my room if you want.”

Wendy added hurriedly, terrified. She didn’t seem to be lying.

Rosena clicked her tongue, fanning herself.

“Fine. Why would I go to your dusty attic anyway?”

“Y-yes…”

“You really have no sense. Even the maid you treated like a sister, you’ve abandoned her like this.”

“……”

“If you ever find out Cecilia’s whereabouts, you must tell me immediately. Understand?”

“Yes… I understand.”

Wendy nodded fearfully, but she had no intention of doing so. Handing Cecilia over to the Osburn household would only put her in greater danger.

Rosena waved her hand lazily to dismiss her.

“Ugh, just looking at your mess of a face makes me feel worse. Go on ahead.”

“Yes…”

“On your way, buy some special chocolates from that dessert shop. The baby can have them later.”

Wendy accepted the one-crown coin, bowed her head, and left.

As Wendy headed to the dessert shop, suddenly someone grabbed her and pulled her into an alley.

“Wh-Who are you? Let me go!”

Wendy struggled, her eyes wide with fear.

‘Am I being kidnapped right now?’

Being a maid in a noble household was a relatively stable job. She had heard stories of kidnappers targeting such maids to demand ransom from their families.

Wendy braced her legs, trying not to be dragged away.

“I’ll scream if you don’t let me go!”

She counted to herself, one, two…

“Calm down, Wendy. It’s me.”

The figure removed their robe, and Wendy’s eyes went wide. Beneath the hood was the face she had longed for.

“Mi-Miss Cecilia?”

Wendy took a hesitant step forward. Cecilia, who had vanished without a trace, was right in front of her.

“Yes, it’s me. Sorry for startling you. I thought it’d be better to talk somewhere quiet.”

“Miss, this isn’t a dream, right? Where have you been all this time?”

“A lot happened. I was going to contact you soon anyway…”

Cecilia’s voice trailed off, her expression stiffening. Her gaze fell on Wendy’s swollen cheeks and split lips.

“Wendy, what happened to your face? These wounds… are they from the Osburn house?”