Chapter 4…………………………………
Noticing that Trisha’s expression had turned serious, Jane forced a bright smile.
“Still, I wasn’t treated as badly as you were, Your Grace.”
That couldn’t be true.
She’s just saying that to put my mind at ease.
Trisha gently patted Jane’s head.
From now on, I’ll treat you better.
“More importantly, I heard you were summoned by Marchioness Devon?”
Jane’s eyes were filled with concern.
That makes sense. Around this time in the past, whenever I was called by Aunt, something bad usually happened.
In severe cases, she’d even been struck with a vase and temporarily lost sight in one eye.
But—
“Don’t worry.”
Jane clearly didn’t believe her.
So Trisha decided to show her instead.
“This is…?”
“It’s an invitation from the imperial palace.”
“What?!”
“Aunt asked me to attend the princess’s banquet in her stead.”
Considering how she’d previously been barred from even small tea parties—let alone balls—because her aunt was ashamed of having a foreign niece-in-law, it was shocking.
“A banquet hosted by Her Highness the Princess… It seems the marchioness is finally acknowledging you as the duchess.”
That’s not it.
This invitation is actually a trap Aunt set.
Trisha knew that—but she had a use for it, which was why she’d accepted.
Instead of explaining everything in detail, she gave Jane a task.
“Could you send a letter to the imperial palace for me?”
After sending Jane on her errand, Trisha was just about to head back to her room to rest.
“Perfect timing, Trisha.”
Instead, Edwin—standing with Lizaina—stopped her.
“Give Lizzy a tour of the ducal residence. That’s the lady of the house’s job, isn’t it?”
It wasn’t something someone who refused to treat her as the lady of the house should say—dumping obligations on her while denying her status.
Still, I did punch him in the face today, so I suppose I can endure this much.
In truth, Trisha had grown skilled at fistfights as a child, having been constantly pointed at and mocked for being a foreigner.
Edwin was probably too embarrassed to mention it, but it must have hurt quite a bit.
It’d be nice if I got another chance.
Unlikely.
Setting aside her regret, she began the tour.
“It would be best for the princess to stay in the guest room on the second floor—the one you saw earlier.”
After giving a brief tour, Trisha spoke with a faint smile.
She was just about to instruct the servants to move Lizaina’s luggage when—
“That would be difficult, Your Grace.”
Lizaina spoke with a troubled expression.
“I’m Eddie’s business partner. We’ll be discussing many important matters. For security reasons, it would make more sense for me to use the room next to his.”
“Lizzy’s right. Butler, give Lizzy the room next to mine.”
Edwin readily agreed and then looked straight at Trisha.
“You don’t mind, do you?”
Trisha blinked once, then nodded.
“Of course.”
It wasn’t that she had no objections—it just wasn’t the time to step in.
Even if I protest, Edwin’s decision won’t change.
She knew that from experience.
And she also knew there was someone who absolutely wouldn’t stand for this.
“…M-My lord. That room was used by the late Duke and Duchess.”
The butler stepped forward cautiously, his face full of worry. As he said, the room next to Edwin’s had been the previous duke couple’s bedroom.
Edwin used that room, while Trisha was given a bedroom on the lower floor—and that was because of Marchioness Devon.
“Share my dead sister’s room with your wife, who carries foreign blood? As long as I live, I will never allow such a thing.”
At first, Edwin had protested, but unwilling to openly clash with an elder, he eventually compromised and took the adjacent room.
Even then, the marchioness despised the idea of Trisha using a room beside the late duke’s chambers, harassing her relentlessly until Trisha herself volunteered to move to a downstairs bedroom.
Yes… that’s how it was.
While Trisha finished recalling the past, the butler continued trying to persuade them.
“There are many valuable jewels and difficult-to-manage treasures there. It would be better to leave that room vacant and prepare another room for the princess—”
“Oh my, if it’s a room full of such treasures, wouldn’t it be safer to have someone staying there and keeping watch?”
Lizaina cut in, her eyes gleaming.
“Don’t you think so, Eddie?”
“Of course.”
At Edwin’s reply, not only the butler but even the head maid nearby stiffened.
Edwin and Lizaina, however, paid no attention.
“Make sure the room is prepared so Lizzy won’t be uncomfortable.”
“…Understood, my lord.”
In the end, the butler bowed.
Edwin and Lizaina left with satisfied expressions, while the remaining servants looked as though they were attending a funeral.
After soothing them appropriately, Trisha returned to her room.
Foolish Edwin.
In a ducal household, even servants who do menial work take pride in the family they serve.
Handing over a room that held the family’s treasures to a strange woman—especially a princess from a weak country—was bound to shock them.
Moreover, Ephelberno was strict about adultery.
Keeping a mistress discreetly might be tolerated, but openly flaunting one was deeply frowned upon.
But since no one can openly criticize Edwin, all the resentment will be directed at Lizaina.
There would be those who welcomed Lizaina more than Trisha—after all, she was royalty—but that was fine.
Trisha was confident she could turn the situation around.
So she decided to keep a close eye on the malice that would soon take root against Lizaina.
It would surely be of great help to her plans.
One week later.
“Marchioness Devon has invited Your Grace to tea.”
So it’s finally come.
At the words of Chloe—the maid sent by the marchioness—Trisha rose from her seat.
She had expected this from the moment Edwin announced he’d be staying at a southern villa for several days to discuss business with Lizaina.
I’ve been openly getting under Aunt’s skin lately.
The third and final concession she’d extracted from the marchioness had been money.
With the ban on outings lifted, she’d spent some of it under the pretense of buying clothes for the princess’s tea party.
I even had several new outfits made for Jane.
Considering how much Jane had suffered in the laundry because of her, it still wasn’t enough.
Anyway—
She invited me to tea in the past too, so I can roughly guess what’s coming.
To put it simply: she was both Edwin’s aunt and the emperor’s mistress.
And Edwin was the emperor’s illegitimate son.
It sounded absurd—but the current emperor had made this sordid situation possible.
While married to the empress, the emperor had taken the then–Duchess of Mason—his own younger brother’s wife—as a lover and fathered Edwin.
The former Duke of Mason, who had believed Edwin to be his son his entire life, later learned the truth and died of illness from the shock.
Marchioness Devon was the younger sister of the duchess who died giving birth to Edwin—and she had approached the emperor and secured a position as his mistress.
Given that history, neither the emperor nor Marchioness Devon was someone to be taken lightly.
Because of that, in my past life, I never once spoke back to Aunt.
As the daughter of a foreigner who’d brought no dowry, Trisha had no one on her side.
Even without that, the marchioness was known for her cruelty—enough to make one shudder—so Trisha couldn’t confront her recklessly.
“Hurry up. Do you dare keep Marchioness Devon waiting?”
Compared to the head maid, Chloe’s attitude was almost mild.
Trisha remained silent for now.
It wasn’t time yet.
“By the way, where’s Jane? Why did you come instead?”
At that, Chloe—who had been walking ahead—stopped and sighed.
“She’s a rootless girl with sticky fingers. Probably slacking off somewhere.”
Trisha paused.
Thinking she’d won, Chloe smiled smugly and urged her on.
“So stop with the pointless talk and get to the sitting room—”
“Is this because of Princess Lizaina?”
“What?”
“The reason Aunt is calling for me.”
“I wouldn’t really know—”
As Chloe trailed off, Trisha clicked her tongue.
“It seems you don’t receive much favor from Aunt. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be this ignorant.”
“…What?”
“I’ll go to the sitting room alone. You should go read a book or two.”
She added that ignorance wasn’t a sin—you could always learn.
Chloe’s face flushed crimson.
To be called ignorant by the timid duchess she’d always looked down on—it was unbelievable.
But Trisha hadn’t been trying to insult Chloe’s intelligence in the first place, so she remained calm.
Around this time, Aunt would always explode with anger because I didn’t respond quickly enough to her summons.
Knowing that, there was no reason to let it happen again.
With her thoughts settled, Trisha hurried on.
Smack!
A sharp sound split the air as Jane’s head snapped to the side.
Brutal kicks followed, along with furious shouting that rang in her ears.
“You thieving bitch! How dare you look at me like that!”
“I’m not a thief! I’ve never stolen anything!”
“You say you’re not? Things go missing every time you clean alone!”
“And then what about that necklace that just came out of your room?!”
The maids, suspecting Jane of theft, forcibly searched her room.
There, they found an expensive-looking necklace.
“Just look at it—there’s no way a maid’s wages could buy something like this!”
At the accusation, Jane was momentarily struck speechless.
She had no idea why the necklace was in her room either.
Is this a trap?
Someone might have deliberately set her up.
Just then—
