IVHMH 20

Leticia felt sick to her stomach—not only had she failed to shop, but she’d ended up losing money instead.

The humiliation she had suffered at Mignon was so intense it still made her jolt awake at night.

“It’s because the Duchess can’t keep her in check that Elysia keeps getting stranger! I can’t let this continue.”

Since she couldn’t directly touch Elysia, she decided to target her exclusive maid, Mervel.

Even after Calix’s death, Aida continued to regularly clean his room.

Today happened to be one of those cleaning days, so Leticia went looking for the maid in charge.

“You were looking for me, Lady Leticia?”

“Yes. I need you to run an urgent errand. The butler has some business on Dreze Street today. Go with him and pick up the items the Duchess ordered.”

“Pardon? But today I’m supposed to clean Young Master Calix’s room…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll assign someone else to that. Just go.”

“But…”

“Are you questioning an errand from the Duchess?”

Faced with Leticia’s threatening tone, the maid shut her mouth tight.

She wanted to confirm whether this errand had truly been ordered by Aida, but the coachman’s impatient voice called out from outside.

Reluctantly, the maid left, still unable to shake off her uneasy feeling.

“Lari! Lari!”

At Aida’s angry voice, the maids who had been resting during their break rushed out of the quarters.

“Where is Lari? Is she lazing around in the dorms?”

“No, Madam. We haven’t seen her since this morning.”

“Where on earth did she go? Did she forget what today is?”

Because the person Aida was looking for wasn’t present, the other maids bore the brunt of her frustration.

Cleaning Calix’s room was a ritual for Aida—almost sacred.

She couldn’t calm down unless she found the maid who had neglected such an important duty.

As Aida stormed down the corridor, Leticia approached her with a sweet smile.

“Lari went out with the butler to pick up the items the Duchess ordered.”

“Why would she go when any other maid could have?”

“Maybe she just wanted some fresh air.”

“Just wait till she gets back. I’ll make sure she regrets it! But what about cleaning Calix’s room?”

Aida, who wanted to preserve her son’s room exactly as it had been, had carefully chosen the most suitable maid for the task.

She couldn’t think of anyone else meticulous enough to clean without disturbing a single trace of Calix.

Still, she didn’t want to postpone the cleaning, which left her troubled.

“How about asking Mervel? She’s careful and good at her job. Other than tending to Elysia, she doesn’t have much to do, so she should have time.”

“That’s a good idea! Find her and send her to my room.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Once Aida turned the corner, Leticia called over a maid.

“Go tell Mervel the Duchess is looking for her.”

“You mean Lady Elysia isn’t?”

“No. The Duchess has an urgent matter, so go quickly.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

After sending the maid off, Leticia scanned the area, then swiftly slipped into Calix’s room.

Leticia, who had been close to Calix, had shared a key to his room with him when he was alive.

No one knew she still had a copy, which made it all the more convenient now.

Inside, she looked at the crystal parrot figurine on his desk, her eyes gleaming.

“This statue is just breathtaking. How could anyone make something so lifelike?”

She gently touched the figurine, enjoying the cold, smooth texture of the crystal.

It had been a gift from Duke Mares on Calix’s coming-of-age day.

Because it was both a memento and a rare, expensive item, Aida treasured it deeply.

“Every time I came here, I enjoyed looking at this. What a shame.”

With a malicious smile, Leticia grabbed the parrot’s tail and forcefully snapped it.

The delicate part of the sculpture broke off easily.

She placed the broken piece back on the desk and hurried out of the room.

The breeze was cool and the sun warm—Elysia had been enjoying a walk in the garden when the head maid, Beada, rushed up to her.

“Lady Elysia! You must come inside immediately.”

Beada, pale as a sheet, spoke urgently.

“What happened?”

“It’s Mervel, she…”

Without hearing more, Elysia darted back inside the mansion.

There, Mervel was kneeling in front of Aida, who held a cane, surrounded by maids.

Leticia stood next to Aida.

“It was already broken when I entered the room.”

“How does a fragile ornament break on its own when no one touches it? If you think you can escape punishment with such a lie, you’re very foolish!”

“I swear I didn’t touch it.”

Mervel protested, her voice heavy with injustice.

Elysia quickly stepped forward and stood between Aida and Mervel.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“I’m disciplining a rude maid—it’s none of your concern!”

“Mervel is my personal attendant. I must know what’s going on. I will not tolerate unjust punishment.”

“So this wench thought she could get away with it because she had someone to back her up! If she had any shame, she would be apologizing, not talking back! I’ll make sure she never lies again and remind her who rules this household!”

Elysia’s defense of Mervel only infuriated Aida more.

She raised her cane and swung it without hesitation.

Realizing there was no time to stop her with words, Elysia threw herself over Mervel to shield her.

A sharp pain slashed across her back with a whooshing sound.

“Hah!”

“Lady Elysia!”

The maids gasped, murmuring in shock.

Even knowing she was striking Elysia, Aida didn’t stop.

“M-My lady… Lady Elysia…”

A panicked Mervel tried to escape Elysia’s grasp, but Elysia only held her tighter.

The burning pain continued, but she gritted her teeth and endured it.

When Aida’s arm began to slow, Elysia seized the moment, stood up, and yanked the cane from her hand.

She couldn’t dodge the last strike, which grazed her face.

“Mervel is my exclusive maid. If she’s done wrong, I will punish her. Don’t you dare lay a hand on her again.”

“I am the mistress of this house. I have the right to discipline any maid who misbehaves!”

“And what kind of mistake was so grave you had to beat her?”

“She broke the parrot statue in Calix’s room! Do you still think the punishment was excessive?”

“…”

The unexpected accusation left Elysia momentarily speechless. If Mervel really had broken that statue, Aida’s anger was understandable.

“That’s a serious offense.”

“See? I’m not some wicked woman who beats innocent maids!”

“Yes, then she must be punished. But why was Mervel in Calix’s room in the first place?”

She turned her gaze to the gathered maids.

There had always been a specific maid in charge of cleaning Calix’s room. Mervel had no reason to be there.

“I went out on an errand, and Mervel filled in for me. That’s how it happened.”

A hesitant maid stepped forward.

“Your top priority was cleaning Calix’s room, yet you left it to run an errand? Who sent you?”

“I was told to go pick up an order from the Duchess.”

Before the maid could respond, Leticia interjected.

With her involvement, the situation became clearer.

She’d set the trap, but now she was the one caught in it.

“Beada.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The head maid stepped forward.

“Since when do maids abandon their duties as they please? Is it because they don’t respect their mistress, or because you’ve failed in your role?”

“I apologize, my lady. It was my mistake.”

“Fire the maid who neglected her assigned duty.”

“I didn’t abandon it! Lady Leticia ordered me to go—I’m innocent!”

The maid collapsed to her knees, pleading.

Leticia still wore a smug expression, acting as if she had done nothing wrong.

“Do you not know the difference between a master and a guest?”

“But Lady Leticia is no different from a master…”

“Elysia, that’s enough. Lari is already remorseful.”

Leticia stepped in gently, trying to play the peacemaker between Elysia and the maid.

But seeing her fall into her own trap only made Elysia smile coldly.

“This is a family matter, Leticia. As a guest in this house, it’s not your place to interfere.”

Leticia’s lips tightened, and the mood among the staff grew tense.

Though Elysia had warned Leticia in private before, this was the first time she publicly declared her status.

It was time for the household to clearly understand Leticia’s position.

“I was only helping manage things…”

“Why would someone who’s not even a maid manage the household? I told you to think about your future—and you chose cleaning over becoming a tutor?”

Even as Leticia bit her lip in humiliation and clenched her fists, Elysia felt no pity.

Compared to what she had endured, this was nothing. Leticia was only now beginning to taste misfortune.

“What kind of disgrace is this in front of guests?”

Just as the atmosphere turned icy from their exchange, Tirtzen’s stern voice shattered the tension.

They all froze at the mention of visitors—then turned and flinched in surprise.

A short distance away stood Tirtzen and Roena.

Tirtzen’s cold expression made it hard to meet his eyes, so Elysia turned to Roena instead—whose eyes seemed even wider than usual.

“Duke Verato and Lady Roena. I’m terribly sorry you had to witness such a scene. My daughter is still immature and causes trouble from time to time, ho ho ho.”

Aida shamelessly shifted all the blame to Elysia.

It wasn’t worth arguing—contesting her would only make their family look like a mess.

“Please, come inside, Your Grace. I’ll have tea prepared.”

“Very well.”

Tirtzen followed his adoptive father inside.

But Roena didn’t follow them—she simply stood there in place.