Chapter 10
“Still… when someone is sick, it’s only natural for them to become more sensitive. Even a kind young lady like Bianca can’t help it.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Barkhan’s expression darkened.
But becoming Bianca’s maid…
Recently, it seemed as though Bianca had entered a late rebellious phase. She no longer replied to her family’s letters and frequently quarreled with her friends.
At this point, there was hardly a single noble lady left in the North who could still be called her friend.
On top of that, the household maids kept resigning one after another because of her.
Barkhan firmly shook his head.
“If that’s the situation, then I think it’s even more impossible.”
Just as he was about to object, Diena suddenly shot her hand into the air.
“I want to do it!”
Barkhan shook his head.
“It won’t be as easy as you think.”
“I still want to.”
“It’s going to be very difficult.”
“How difficult?”
“Well… I’m not sure myself. I haven’t been able to see her for a long time.”
A bitter smile appeared on Barkhan’s lips.
Because Bianca was suffering from Dark Corrosion, he couldn’t approach her. Doing so might only worsen her condition.
It was almost laughable that he couldn’t even see for himself what state his own little sister was in.
“I still want to do it!”
Seeing how stubborn Diena was, Barkhan hesitated.
Even before she fell ill, Bianca had never been easy to deal with. Recently, he had heard that her behavior had become even more extreme.
Still…
If Diena’s determination was this strong, perhaps she would get along with his sister. Besides, this was a girl strong enough to speak openly about taking revenge on Duke Rothwell.
For the first time, he felt a spark of hope.
In the end, he could only nod.
“Fine. If that’s truly what you want, then do as you wish. But if it becomes too difficult, report it to the head maid immediately.”
Barkhan turned as though to leave.
The Emperor had ordered him to escort Malakar to the Imperial Palace.
But Diena’s next words stopped him in his tracks.
“You have to come back quickly, Lord Barkhan.”
“…Come back quickly?”
“Yes. You absolutely mustn’t be late. Promise me.”
Barkhan looked at her with confusion.
No matter how mature she tried to act, she was still a child. She was probably afraid of being left alone.
After all, there wasn’t a single person she knew here.
“Well… all right.”
Diena was about the same age as his younger sister.
If he were being honest, he wanted to stay and see whether she adapted well, but he couldn’t remain here any longer.
I’m leaving soon anyway.
Even as he thought that, he found himself strangely concerned about her.
“We’ll depart immediately. Prepare everything.”
Malakar also looked at Diena with concern.
“I shall return soon. Until then, take care of yourself.”
After Barkhan and Malakar left, the butler turned toward the head maid.
“Matilda, you heard Lord Barkhan’s instructions.”
“Please don’t worry. I’ll teach her properly and take good care of her.”
The butler smiled with satisfaction.
“Good. You’ve served Lady Bianca faithfully all these years. I trust you’ll do well.”
Leaving those words behind, the butler departed.
The moment he disappeared, Matilda’s attitude changed completely.
The respectful and disciplined demeanor she had displayed only moments ago vanished. Her face turned cold and expressionless.
In a chilly voice, she said,
“You. Follow me.”
They arrived at a somewhat shabby maid’s room.
“What? Disappointed? Were you expecting a better room and not a maid’s quarters?”
With her arms crossed, Matilda looked down at Diena from the doorway.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’ve served this Cardian family for a very long time. I’ve met countless people like you.”
Diena silently looked at her.
Contempt was evident on Matilda’s face.
“The sort who try to squeeze benefits out of the young master and young lady. Every one of them uses the same tricks. Let me give you a piece of advice. Know your place. Otherwise, you won’t last long in this house.”
“Wow…”
“What?”
“No, it’s just… surprising.”
Listening to her, Diena couldn’t help but admire the irony.
What an incredible self-introduction.
Since Diena knew Matilda’s true identity, her words were utterly ridiculous.
Caught off guard by Diena’s reaction, Matilda cleared her throat.
Then she curled one corner of her lips upward.
She assumed the child simply didn’t understand the situation.
With a rough motion, she tossed a black dress onto Diena’s bed.
“Stop talking nonsense and put this on. It’s the uniform worn by the maids of this estate.”
Diena carefully picked up the dress.
Even so, it was in far better condition than the clothes she had worn in the Rothwell household.
Watching her, Matilda clicked her tongue before leaving the room.
How petty. She didn’t even give me anything to eat.
Diena clutched her empty stomach.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t been hungry in a while, but I can barely endure it.
During the journey to the Cardian family estate, she had eaten many delicious meals.
Barkhan had constantly fed her.
“Why are you so skinny? If you want to survive in our family, you’d better eat a lot more.”
Just because she had eaten well for a few days, she could no longer tolerate hunger like she used to.
Fortunately, there was some water beside the table.
Closing her eyes, Diena slowly drank it.
Truthfully, if she hadn’t volunteered to become a maid, Barkhan would have treated her as an honored guest.
But then she wouldn’t be able to accomplish what she wanted.
The reason she had insisted on becoming a maid was because she already knew what kind of things Matilda would do while staying by Bianca’s side.
Because Matilda was someone sent by the Rothwell family.
In her previous life, after Bianca’s death, Diena had accidentally read one of the reports Matilda sent to the Rothwell family.
That was how she learned everything Matilda had done here.
Even now, she’s probably subtly brainwashing Lady Bianca.
The report contained detailed descriptions of Bianca’s preferences and habits.
It also documented everything Matilda had done to her and how she had shaped Bianca into the person she became.
There had even been moments when Diena imagined telling Barkhan the entire truth.
Lord Barkhan, I know what is happening to your sister right now. So trust me and dismiss that head maid immediately. And while I don’t know whether I can cure Dark Corrosion, I think I might be able to. So let me stay by Lady Bianca’s side and find out.
If she had actually said that, she would probably have been thrown out before Matilda.
Compared to a head maid who had served the family for years, she was merely someone from the Rothwell family.
Besides, Bianca trusted Matilda and didn’t even realize what was being done to her.
There was no witness she could rely on.
Therefore—
I’ll get rid of that head maid myself.
During her years performing purification work for the Rothwell ducal house, she had encountered villains far worse than Matilda.
Dealing with a petty head maid would be easy.
And after that…
She planned to become Bianca’s most trusted maid and cure her Dark Corrosion.
