Chapter 16 – Ruby, the Marchioness’s Daughter
“L–Lady Ruby?”
Miel and Soya turned toward the door in shock.
There stood Ruby, looking proud and confident, her chin lifted high.
Her eyes swept quickly around the room—taking in every corner—before landing on me, sitting quietly on the sofa.
“Wow, I actually found you faster than I thought!”
But after taking only a few steps toward me, she stopped abruptly.
Her bright eyes narrowed as she looked around.
Compared to the rest of the mansion, this room was simple—just a few old pieces of furniture, faded wallpaper, and a worn-out rug.
It was the servants’ lounge.
Ruby wrinkled her nose, covering it with one hand.
“Ugh. It smells like… commoners.”
I stared at her, my mouth slightly open.
Like mother, like daughter, I thought dryly.
While I was thinking that, Ruby waved her fingers at me.
“You. Come here. I don’t want to walk any farther inside.”
I quickly hid my expression and stood up from the sofa, pretending to obey.
As I walked closer, a smug little smile spread across Ruby’s face.
“So you are obedient. I was worried you might act all arrogant or something.”
“Um… but, you know…”
When I spoke softly, Ruby frowned.
I hesitated, then motioned for her to lean in as if I wanted to whisper something secret.
Ruby blinked, curious, and after a moment’s hesitation, she leaned closer.
Then, right next to her ear, I said quietly—
“Are you sure that smell isn’t your sister’s?”
Ruby froze.
She stared at me like she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.
“What?”
I scratched my head, pretending to be embarrassed.
“Well, you said it smells bad here. But Ria doesn’t smell at all.”
Then I looked at her very seriously.
“So maybe that awful smell… is actually coming from you.”
Ruby’s face turned bright red from the neck up.
I smiled sweetly and added, “It’s okay, sis. You probably just forgot to brush your teeth, right? Don’t worry! I can lend you my toothpaste!”
***
“Oh—oh my goodness! Ruby!”
Marchioness Camilla whipped her head around at the sound of her daughter’s voice.
At the entrance of the sitting room stood Ruby, face red with fury.
“Ruby!”
Camilla jumped up from her seat and rushed over to her daughter, inspecting her anxiously.
She’d told Ruby to quietly explore the mansion, yet somehow the child had returned with her neatly braided hair coming undone.
“T-that girl—she—she really…!”
Ruby sputtered, too angry to speak, and finally yelled,
“That commoner! That orphan—how dare she!!”
Camilla’s eyes widened in outrage.
“What?! What did she do to you?! Did that crazy little brat hit you?!”
Ruby faltered for a second.
Then she remembered what had just happened.
***
Ruby Coel.
The one and only daughter of the Coel Marquisate.
Smart, confident, and always getting exactly what she wanted.
Her mother had always told her—
“Duke Abner? Don’t let the title fool you. That woman was nothing more than her husband’s shadow.”
Ruby had believed every word her mother said.
“Money exists to show your strength, Ruby. You must use it.”
“Use it?”
“Yes. There’s nothing in this world money can’t buy! Look at me—I even bought Sharon Abner’s affection with it.”
Sharon Abner.
The current Duchess of the Abner family—
a woman Camilla described as an aging noble too obsessed with ambition to ever give up her title.
“She’ll never hand the dukedom to that violent son of hers,” Camilla had whispered once.
“Which means she’ll soon start looking for a proper heir. And who better than you, Ruby?”
Ruby had believed it completely.
Who wouldn’t like someone as beautiful and smart as me?
She truly thought she’d one day live in the Abner mansion—
and that everything the Abners owned would eventually become hers.
But then that girl appeared…
***
“You—are you insane?!” Ruby screamed. “How dare you say that to me?!”
In a burst of fury, she shoved Annelia hard.
The smaller girl stumbled back, nearly falling over.
But even then, Annelia didn’t look away.
“You filthy commoner—how dare you talk to me like that?!”
Ruby’s eyes blazed with anger.
Unable to hold back, she raised her hand—
Only for Annelia to flinch first and fall backward on her own.
“Ah! My lady!”
The two nearby maids gasped and rushed forward, faces pale.
Ruby froze with her hand still in the air, looking bewildered.
‘Wait… did I even touch her?’
She blinked, confused.
Then she noticed something strange—tears.
Drop, drop.
Tiny droplets were falling onto Annelia’s skirt.
Ruby’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The girl was trembling and crying softly in the maid’s arms.
“S-she’s crying…” one maid whispered, her voice shaking. “Oh no… poor thing…”
“I-it’s because of me,” Annelia hiccuped.
“Annelia did something bad. Because Annelia’s just… a commoner.”
Her voice was so small and sad that even the servants looked heartbroken.
Ruby, on the other hand, was speechless. Then—
“You’re so fake.”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Fine,” Ruby sneered, mimicking her mother’s haughty tone. “Let’s say I did hit you. So what? You’re crying—what now?”
She pointed toward the terrified maids.
“If you were a real noble, they’d already be calling the guards to protect you. But look! They’re just standing there. Why? Because you’re a commoner!”
Then, with a furious glare, she shoved Annelia again.
The girl fell once more, landing hard on her backside.
“See? You can’t even fight back! What can you do?”
Ruby placed her hands proudly on her hips.
“The only reason the Abners survived their crisis was because of us! The Coel family!”
“…”
“And those mana crystal mines everyone praises? My mother helped them find those too!”
Ruby grabbed Annelia’s collar roughly and hissed,
“So you think you can act all high and mighty just because you got some charity? Do you really think Lady Sharon likes you more than me?!”
She yanked on the neckline of Annelia’s plain white dress, the seam tearing slightly.
“Look at these clothes! What are you even wearing? Did you dig this rag out of a trash heap?”
Her lips curled in scorn.
‘So this is the girl everyone’s talking about?’ she thought mockingly.
‘Pathetic. If the Duchess truly cared about her, she’d dress her better than this.’
Any trace of guilt in Ruby’s mind vanished completely.
“You clearly don’t know your place, so let me teach you,” Ruby said coldly.
She raised her hand high.
“My mother says commoners aren’t real people. That the only way to make them understand is through punishment.”
This time, her hand really came swinging down—
But it never reached Annelia.
“…What?”
Ruby blinked in confusion.
A maid had stepped in front of Annelia, arms outstretched protectively.
“What are you doing? Move.”
“I… I’ll take the hit instead, my lady.”
Ruby stared at her, shocked—then smirked cruelly.
“Fine. Have it your way.”
Behind her, Annelia watched in stunned silence as the maid braced herself—
ready to protect her at any cost.
