“You really have no remorse at all.”
Any thought of trying to handle this kindly flew out of Eleanor’s mind.
She had wanted them to reflect after witnessing an example. But instead, they went after another target? What kind of twisted thinking was that?
Eleanor had only wanted to secure her place as the successor—not for the maids to bully Vanessa.
“First, go back inside.”
“Ah, I was just about to go…”
“Lisa, can you call Vanessa’s assigned maid?”
Eleanor, smiling, stopped Vanessa from leaving with the water kettle and asked Lisa for a favor.
That smile was eerily similar to the one she had worn when she chased off the four other maids.
“Yes, my lady.”
While Lisa went to summon Nancy, Eleanor gently sat Vanessa back on the bed.
But once they were face to face, an awkward silence settled in.
A strange blend of shyness and distance filled the space between them.
“How’s your shoulder?”
“It’s fine. How’s your ankle?”
“I’m okay too. I’ll be removing the bandage soon—it’s just a minor sprain.”
“…That’s a relief.”
Once the status check ended, silence returned.
They had shared deep conversations in the cave, but since they’d never been particularly close, there wasn’t much to talk about.
Eleanor looked around as she sat on the guest sofa. Vanessa’s room was smaller and more modest than hers.
It was a simple and tidy space filled only with necessities. The few expensive-looking items were probably gifts from her aunt.
“Um, my lady…”
Vanessa cautiously called out to Eleanor, who had been quietly looking around with her eyes.
“Did you call the maid to scold her?”
“Why? Would you like that?”
Vanessa shook her head.
“No, I’d prefer if you didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not in a position to want that.”
At her calm response, Eleanor frowned.
“And what position would that be?”
“…You were hurt because of me too, weren’t you? So…”
“I still brought you water. Even if I spilled it. And did you order the maids to bully me?”
“No, never.”
Vanessa widened her eyes and shook her head. She may have turned a blind eye, but she never gave them direct orders.
“Then why do you think you deserve this?”
“Because I’m an obstacle to your succession as baroness…”
“That’s for me to overcome, not for maids to resolve by bullying you.”
Eleanor’s voice was firm.
How could such cowardly attacks from behind be considered proper resistance?
Besides, this maid had been assigned by her aunt. Ignoring the lady of the castle’s orders? Unthinkable.
“And this also goes against my aunt’s wishes.”
“…”
“I can’t overlook that.”
Eleanor smiled with just the corners of her lips. Just then, Lisa returned with Nancy.
“My lady, I’ve brought her.”
“…You summoned me, my lady?”
Perhaps out of guilt, Nancy lowered her head and hunched her shoulders.
She was confused to see Eleanor in Vanessa’s room, knowing the two weren’t close.
‘Is this my chance to get on her good side?’
She had pushed Vanessa aside simply because they were both commoners, and now she was in trouble for it.
If she could win Eleanor over, maybe she too could receive those luxurious pale pink gloves.
“What’s your name?”
“Nancy, my lady.”
Nancy stepped forward from behind Lisa with a friendly smile.
“I’ve always admired you from afar. It’s such an honor to see you up close.”
Eleanor gave a slight nod, silently watching Nancy speak so smoothly it was like her tongue had been oiled.
Well, she’s got a silver tongue.
“Hearing that makes me feel good.”
She replied with equally superficial politeness, and Nancy beamed, cluelessly pleased.
“I’ve always wanted to serve you. Please command me—anything at all.”
She clasped her hands together with what looked like earnest sincerity. Eleanor chuckled.
She can’t even carry out her actual duties and now this?
“Really? Then could you fetch some water?”
“Huh? Water?”
“Yes. Go bring the water Vanessa asked for.”
Nancy flinched and her lips trembled in panic.
Eleanor maintained her smile as she pointed to the empty kettle with her chin.
“The kettle’s completely dried out from how long it’s been neglected… Didn’t my aunt assign you to serve Vanessa?”
“Well… yes, but Lady Vanessa said she was uncomfortable, so…”
“I don’t like people who lie to my face.”
Eleanor dropped her smile.
“You didn’t just ignore my aunt. You disobeyed the lord of this castle, the one who governs this land. Do you understand the gravity of what you’ve done?”
“I’m sorry, my lady. Please forgive me just this once.”
Nancy paled and begged.
But Eleanor, not smiling, looked cold and regal—void of mercy.
“Forgiveness is reserved for those who show signs of improvement.”
“My lady, I promise, I’ll obey the baroness’s orders. I’ll never do it again, I swear!”
“How can I trust you?”
Eleanor smiled coldly.
Nancy had switched loyalties at the drop of a hat—from treating Vanessa kindly to suddenly acting against her the moment Eleanor seemed more powerful.
“Please, just once!”
Nancy’s eyes welled with tears, but Eleanor’s expression didn’t waver.
“You didn’t just disobey orders. You tormented someone who was too injured to even lift a glass of water. Who would keep someone like that around?”
“I only did it because I was thinking of you…”
“And you’re using me as an excuse?”
Could she have made a worse decision?
Lisa quietly clicked her tongue while Vanessa sighed at Nancy’s foolishness.
“You’re making it sound like I ordered you to bully Vanessa.”
“N-no! I didn’t mean that…”
“You’re blaming me for your wrongdoing and trying to smear my name?”
“No, never!”
Nancy trembled and dropped to her knees, knowing just how serious it was to falsely accuse a noble.
“My lady, please! Just this once!”
“I can’t allow a maid like you to stay here any longer.”
This went beyond something that could be brushed under the rug.
Eleanor had planned to overlook it once she took control, but she changed her mind.
Over the two years Vanessa had spent here, the staff had adopted the mindset that it was okay to use her.
Leaving them unchecked would only cause problems later. They were openly defying the baroness’s authority, even now.
“My lady, please…”
“I’ll consult with the baroness about your punishment. Now leave.”
“No, my lady. Please, no. I’ll never do it again…”
“Take her away, Lisa.”
Eleanor coldly ordered, staring at the weeping Nancy.
“Yes, my lady.”
Lisa dragged the sobbing Nancy out the door. Nancy stumbled as she was thrown out.
The door slammed shut, and only Eleanor and Vanessa remained.
“What will happen to Nancy?”
“What would you like to happen?”
Eleanor cut her off before she could respond.
“Oh, and don’t say ‘forgive her.’”
“…You don’t need to do this because of me.”
Vanessa hesitated, fidgeting nervously.
She looked so young, with her small build and gentle face.
“It’s not just because of you.”
Well, it was partly true.
Eleanor’s real goal was to remove all the maids loyal to the “Vanessa faction.”
“It’s also for my sake.”
If they stayed—even if they switched loyalties—they could cause problems later.
Vanessa didn’t fully understand. Eleanor slowly rose from the sofa and walked over to the bed.
She moved carefully so as not to strain her ankle, then sat on the edge of the bed.
“Vanessa.”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember what I said on the mountain?”
“…?”
Though caught off guard, Vanessa nodded. She remembered every word Eleanor had spoken in that tiny cave.
After her father, Eleanor was the first person to leave a mark on her soul.
“I told you not to be swayed by others. I never said you had to just take it.”
“…”
“Well, it’d be nice if you were like that for me, but… Don’t suffer for things that aren’t your fault. You won’t gain anything from it.”
Just like I didn’t.
Eleanor had endured and given in to preserve her place as Lydia’s background character, but in the end, what had she gained?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Not even an academy diploma.
She smiled bitterly.
By doing the same as Vanessa, Eleanor had become a noble without even a graduation certificate to her name.
That’s why she could confidently say Vanessa didn’t need to live like that.
She had lived it already.
Though it may be an unnecessary warning for Vanessa…
Seeing her younger self in Vanessa made it hard for Eleanor to look away.
“…Why are you being so nice to me?”
Vanessa asked with a confused gaze. Even if she had been forgiven, Eleanor didn’t have to go out of her way like this.
She had every right to treat her coldly.
Eleanor stared into her dusk-colored eyes, then let out a quiet laugh.
“Because I want to. And this doesn’t really count as being ‘nice.’ It’s just what anyone with basic morals should do.”
Punishing someone for harming the injured—Eleanor thought that was simply what any decent person would do.
And disciplining subordinates who disobey the lord’s orders was basic governance, especially for someone who planned to inherit the barony.
“I’ll be going now. Get some rest. I’ll assign you a new maid.”
With that, Eleanor stood up and called for Lisa, who rushed in to help her walk.
“I’ll be off.”
Vanessa bowed her head deeply as Eleanor waved.
Once Lisa and Eleanor disappeared and the door closed behind them, Vanessa whispered softly:
“…That definitely counts as being nice.”
Eleanor said it was only natural, but Vanessa knew there was no such thing in this world.
It wasn’t natural—Eleanor was being kind.
She might not see it that way, but she was a compassionate, warm-hearted young lady.
I need to repay all this somehow…
Vanessa sighed, overwhelmed by how much she owed her. She wondered if a day would come when she could return such generosity.
* * *
Back when she didn’t know Vanessa’s situation in detail, it had been hard to bring this up—but now, things were different.
The servants of the castle were disobeying the lord’s orders and were taking turns bullying the beloved sponsored child and the lady’s niece.
‘This is definitely worth reporting.’
As soon as Eleanor stepped out of Vanessa’s room, she headed straight to her aunt.
The baroness was startled to see her niece with an injured ankle. What if the wound got worse!
She hurriedly sat Eleanor down on the sofa and called for a maid to bring some tea. And then Eleanor’s proper tattling began.
“Aunt, actually… the strange mood among the maids earlier was because…”
She relayed everything that had happened with just the right touch of emotion—not exaggerating, but not holding back either.
After all, Baroness Stephanie de Pompourie was the owner of Oklama Castle, and solving this without her help would be difficult.
“Please punish all of them—maids like Nancy, and the other attendants as well.”
When Eleanor finished her sentence, having kept her emotions in check, she was finally met with her aunt’s furious face for the first time in a long while.
It was as if a black aura surrounded her; her face hardened with anger.
“I’ve clearly mismanaged my people.”
She muttered darkly, acknowledging her failure as a lord.
Letting rumors spread that Vanessa might become the heir had been a grave mistake—and essentially a sign of her incompetence.
She had already considered Eleanor to be the heir for quite some time, so she should have taken steps to prevent such rumors from arising in the first place.
Had she done so, neither Eleanor nor Vanessa would have suffered this way.
“I’m sorry, Eleanor.”
“It’s not your fault, Aunt. It’s their fault for harboring such petty ambitions.”
If they had tried to become nobles themselves, at least it would have been less ridiculous.
But instead, they tried to achieve their ambitions by using someone else.
Two years ago, Vanessa had been a mere seventeen-year-old—not even an adult. To project their greed onto a child and torment her for it…
And when Eleanor arrived, instead of realizing their place, they even dared to act petty.
“No, this is all my fault. I will make sure to punish them thoroughly, so don’t worry too much.”
Seeing her aunt smile with veins bulging on her forehead, Eleanor could tell there would be no mercy in what was to come.
Thinking there would be no more frustrating incidents, she simply nodded quietly.
After sending her injured niece away, the baroness summoned Head Maid Emma and Butler Gregory.
“You called for us, my lady…”
“Has there been a factional conflict inside the castle?”
Skipping all formalities, the baroness asked coldly.
Emma and Gregory both flinched.
They were the two who knew the castle’s internal affairs better than anyone. They couldn’t pretend they didn’t know the servants had split into Eleanor’s faction and Vanessa’s faction.
“Judging by your reactions, you knew but failed to report it to me.”
“My lady, the thing is…”
“No need for excuses. You’re both getting a six-month pay cut.”
Emma and Gregory couldn’t argue. It was true they had known and said nothing.
“You should have told me when the rumors about Vanessa started circulating.”
The baroness scolded them in a voice clearly holding back her anger.
“…We’re sorry.”
They had no room to make excuses this time either and hung their heads.
“I trusted you both, but as of today, the decades of trust we’ve built are now cracked.”
There was nothing scarier than a breakdown of trust in a master-servant relationship.
With a cold expression, the baroness looked at the pale maid and butler.
“Write down the names of every single person involved—maid, servant, stable hand, all of them. If you leave even one out again, I will never forgive you.”
“Understood.”
“Leave.”
Even as mere maid and apprentice butler, they had never heard such a cold dismissal before. The two left without strength in their steps.
The very next morning, a list of the people involved was placed before the baroness.
The more she read through it, the tighter her grip on the paper became.
Not just clueless young maids, but even people who had worked here for decades were listed.
The baroness was horrified that her people management had failed so badly.
But since she now knew the truth, she had to make it right. Tossing the list aside, she gave the order.
“Gather all of them in one place—every single one.”
That escalated quickly