Chapter 14
“Under the laws of Ristea, anyone who assaults or abuses another person by abusing their social status is subject to a heavy fine or forced labor.”
Of course, it was a law that existed mostly in name.
In noble society, it was rarely enforced.
More often than not, the victims stayed silent out of fear for their future livelihoods.
But this time was different.
Cecilia, catching on to Rainer’s intent, lifted her head sharply.
“If we help them, then there won’t be any obstacles to them filing charges against the Osborne count’s household, right?”
Rainer nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Tell them this. They’re free to say whatever they want and act however they choose. In the name of Duke Hayes, their next jobs will be guaranteed.”
“Wendy! You wretch! Where did you go?!”
Several days after Cecilia reunited with Wendy—
Trisha Osborne had been storming through the mansion since early morning.
Cooking, cleaning, laundry.
Ransacking every corner of the house while tormenting the servants was both her daily routine and her greatest pleasure.
Watching people tremble before her gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.
But today, something was off.
“Hey! You there! Come here at once!”
“……”
Normally, servants would have come running immediately, bowing their heads low.
But not a single one appeared.
The hallway—once filled with the hurried footsteps of maids—was eerily silent.
“Where on earth did everyone go?”
Growing impatient, Trisha rang the bell nonstop.
Even as the sharp jingle jingle echoed, no one came.
“Have these fools started ignoring me now?!”
Grinding her teeth, Trisha marched down the stairs.
She intended to beat whoever she found first without mercy.
That was when Rosena’s urgent voice rang out from the first-floor sitting room.
“Mother! Come here quickly! Hurry! Something terrible has happened!”
“Rosie, what is it? You’re not hurt, are you?”
Fearing something might have happened to her pregnant daughter, Trisha rushed in.
But Rosena was standing perfectly fine on her own two feet.
Trisha blinked in confusion.
“Rosie?”
“Mother, look at this!”
Rosena pointed at the table with a panicked expression.
A pile of white papers lay scattered across it.
“These are…”
Trisha picked one up.
As she read, her face gradually twisted.
“…Resignation letters? You’re telling me they all quit?”
“Yes! Head maid Mariel, chef Joanna, even Ivy from laundry—Mother, they all left!”
“What?!”
Trisha was too shocked to continue.
How could this many servants leave all at once?
And with nothing but a resignation letter left behind?!
“What is the meaning of this? Someone must have put them up to it! This makes no sense!”
“What do we do, Mother? I’m supposed to meet Evan today! Who’s going to get me ready?!”
Rosena stomped her foot in frustration.
Faced with this unprecedented situation, Trisha felt her vision blur.
“What’s all this noise so early in the morning?”
At that moment, Count Cloud Osborne entered in his nightclothes.
The commotion must have reached the second-floor bedrooms.
Dropping onto the sofa with an annoyed click of his tongue, he frowned.
“There wasn’t even water prepared for washing. Just how did you train the servants?”
“Hah—that’s what you’re worried about right now?!”
“What do you mean, that? No matter what you say—”
“There isn’t a single servant left to fetch that water!”
Trisha snapped irritably.
In a situation like this, all her husband could do was lose his temper—utterly useless otherwise.
Cloud stared at her dumbly, mouth agape.
“They all quit? Why?”
“How should I know?!”
“If you don’t know, then who does?! And why are you yelling at me?!”
Cloud’s temper flared as well.
“Mother, I have to go out today! Just bring one maid—anyone—to brush my hair!”
“They all left, so where exactly do you expect me to find one?!”
“There has to be someone somewhere!”
“Stubborn as ever!”
Add Rosena—who had inherited both their worst traits—and the Osborne family of three began hurling their irritation and rage at one another.
“Alright, calm down. Let’s at least have breakfast first.”
Cloud sighed, calling for a temporary truce.
But no one moved.
The count jabbed Trisha in the side with his elbow.
“Well? Aren’t you going to prepare the meal?”
“What did you say? Me?”
Trisha stared at him in disbelief.
She, too, was born into a baronial family.
She knew how to scold servants, not how to cook—she had never once prepared a meal herself.
But Cloud didn’t care in the slightest.
“Then should I do it? I’m a man, you know.”
“Unbelievable! What does that have to—”
His shameless attitude left Trisha speechless.
Just then—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A loud knocking echoed through the mansion doors.
Trisha instinctively went to call for a maid, then remembered they had all quit.
“Damn it. Which bastard is this, showing up so early in the morning?!”
Grumbling, Trisha marched toward the entrance.
Cloud and Rosena followed behind her.
A faint hope flickered across their faces—maybe the servants had come back.
But…
“Good morning.”
Standing outside was a short man in a neat suit.
He held a leather briefcase filled with documents.
“Countess Osborne, Count Osborne, and young lady.”
He greeted each of them with a polite nod, then broke into a broad smile.
But the smile never reached his eyes.
Trisha eyed him suspiciously and snapped,
“And who are you?”
“Oh dear, my apologies for the late introduction. My name is Abraham Rockwell. I’m from the Brissen Central Court, dispatched directly by His Majesty the Emperor.”
“R-Rockwell? As in the Marquis Rockwell family?”
Both Trisha and Cloud stiffened instantly.
The Rockwell marquisate had served the emperor through the Central Court for generations.
They were especially notorious for handling the punishment of noble families—making them the most feared visitors among the aristocracy.
Cloud was no exception.
“T-Then what brings you here…?”
His attitude turned noticeably deferential.
Abraham shrugged, as though accustomed to such reactions.
“A report has been filed regarding the abuse of servants in this household. An investigation is underway, so please appear in court and cooperate.”
“W-What? Abuse?!”
The faces of the count, countess, and Rosena turned pale.
“T-That can’t be true…!”
“That’s right! We’re innocent! This is slander!”
Despite their protests, Abraham calmly shook his head.
“You may present your defense in court. I’m merely the messenger.”
He rummaged through his briefcase and handed them a document.
It listed the charges brought against the Osborne household.
“If the charges are upheld, you will be required to compensate the victims. Based on my experience… I suggest preparing in advance. You’re likely to lose. And the sum will be considerable.”
“W-What? Compensation?!”
“Yes. Otherwise, you may serve time in prison and perform forced labor.”
“A-Are you serious right now?! Forced labor?! How could we possibly—!”
Trisha looked ready to faint.
“Well, the court doesn’t typically take personal circumstances into account.”
Abraham replied indifferently, snapping his briefcase shut.
He clearly had no interest in the despair now facing the family.
“If you believe this to be unjust, hire a lawyer and appeal. And do make sure you arrive on time for the scheduled investigation.”
Despite following Marquis Rockwell’s advice and hiring a lawyer—
Everything that followed went against the Osborne household.
Public opinion had already turned sour against Rosena due to the incident involving Evan.
When allegations of servant abuse surfaced on top of that, people clicked their tongues, saying, “Just how bad must it have been?”
And thanks to Rainer’s prior maneuvering, the imperial court also took a notably sympathetic stance toward the victims.
In the end, all charges against the Osborne household were upheld.
“The Osborne household is ordered to compensate the victims a total of three thousand crowns.”
“What?! Th-That’s impossible!”
