Chapter: 17
For Seria to cast her bait, she first needed to identify those who served as Ivan’s eyes and ears.
The most obvious candidate was Kelson, but to him, Seria was little more than a thorn in his side.
If anything, he would prefer to drive her out rather than help her.
What’s the fastest and most reliable way…?
As Seria stood with her arms crossed, lost in thought, Theodore walked up to her.
“By now, your room should be ready.”
As he said that, there was a knock at the door from outside.
“Young Duke, this is Kelson. The room preparations are complete.”
When Theodore opened the door, Kelson appeared, bowing politely.
Compared to before, his blatant hostility toward an Argentaine seemed to have eased—if only slightly.
Guided by Kelson, Seria arrived at her room. It was far more orderly than the one Theodore had used in the past.
The well-maintained furniture and sunlit windows made it clear that she’d been given a fairly decent room.
Most likely, this was because Ivan—the one holding real power—had remained silent, and the staff had simply followed his wishes.
“Seria, do you like the room?”
“Yes. It gets plenty of sunlight, and the view is nice. I like it.”
Seria answered with a bright smile.
It was time to resume the tedious act of playing siblings. Unconsciously, she clenched the hem of her skirt.
“Young Duke, a moment…”
Kelson, who had been standing at a distance, approached Theodore and spoke in a low voice. Whatever he said, Theodore’s expression darkened.
“Seria, something’s come up that I need to deal with. I’ll be back shortly, so take your time looking around.”
“Okay. Go ahead.”
“Your personal maids will be arriving soon. I’ll take my leave.”
Once Theodore left the room, the look on Kelson’s face as he turned to Seria became subtle—yet unmistakably unpleasant.
He scrutinized her closely, as if appraising merchandise. It was rude beyond measure.
“Ahem. Allow me to introduce myself properly once more, Lady Seria. I am Head Butler Kelson Barnes, and my family has served House Belvart faithfully for generations.”
Despite his courteous words, Kelson’s chin remained stiffly raised.
And that title—Lady Seria.
It clearly implied that calling her a Ducal Lady would be far too generous for someone like her.
With Theodore gone, there was no one left to restrain him.
“I know.”
Seria replied without even looking at him.
“House Belvart has taken in many adopted sons and daughters over the years. All of them fulfilled their duties through outstanding talent and effort.”
“So?” Seria asked flatly.
“Not only the Duke, but all of Belvart holds great expectations for you, Lady Seria. Given your… origins, the Young Duke must have had his reasons for bringing you here.”
In other words: Since you’re an Argentaine adopted into Belvart, you’d better know your place.
His extreme loyalty was almost laughable.
Seria looked at Kelson with a faint smile.
“…Of course. I wouldn’t want to disappoint Theo.”
“That’s a relief.”
Knock. Knock.
A heavy knocking sound echoed.
“This is Tilda. I’ve brought the maids.”
“Ah, come in.”
At Kelson’s permission, a sharp-featured woman entered, followed by two very young girls.
The three lined up in front of Seria and bowed.
“I am Tilda Hudson, the head maid. These sisters will be your personal attendants, Lady Seria.”
Tilda shoved the two girls forward.
Despite it being mid-winter, they wore clothes whose sleeves didn’t even reach their wrists.
Their hands were red and swollen—it was obvious they had been doing hard labor up until now.
“Go on, introduce yourselves.”
“I—I’m Erica Bell…”
“I’m Amy Bell…”
Their voices trembled as they spoke, heads bowed deeply. As expected, Kelson glared at them with bulging eyes.
Deliberately, Seria stepped closer and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Seria Belvart.”
Startled by how close she was, the sisters flinched, then squeezed their eyes shut.
If they reacted like this to such a gentle touch, it wasn’t hard to imagine what they’d endured until now.
And judging by appearances, the two weren’t Antithesians.
The wave-shaped mark beneath the left eye—
That was a defining trait of people from Taras Island.
Just like Argentaines, Taras islanders were clearly subject to discrimination.
Seria clicked her tongue inwardly.
“Tilda, provide Erica and Amy with new clothes. It’s still winter—this isn’t season-appropriate.”
“These clothes were distributed just a few days ago. It seems the girls failed to manage their belongings properly. If you wish, I can have them expelled from the estate immediately.”
As she spoke, Tilda grabbed the sisters by the backs of their necks.
Kelson remained silent, clearly in agreement.
What kind of thinking leads to a conclusion like that?
The response was so unreasonable it left Seria speechless.
“No. I like them. Bring them new clothes.”
“They can’t even take care of something so trivial. There’s no way they can properly attend to you, Lady Seria.”
Tilda was acting arbitrarily under the guise of concern.
It was obvious—she was trying to assert dominance early on.
Seria couldn’t let herself get dragged into that.
She bit her lip.
“That’s for me to decide.”
“I’m merely offering advice for your own good.”
The tension between them was sharp—like a clash of spear and shield.
Tilda was just as persistent as Kelson.
This wouldn’t end if it continued.
“How many times do I have to say it?”
Seria wiped all traces of her smile from her face.
“No matter that I’m adopted, I’m a member of House Belvart. You should know I’m not in a position to be interfered with.”
Silence fell over the room.
Both Kelson and Tilda wore displeased expressions.
It was clear they didn’t like her standing her ground beyond her station.
But pushing further would amount to insulting House Belvart itself, so they had no choice but to back down.
“If that is your wish, then very well. I’ll have them change and send them back.”
Tilda pushed Erica and Amy out of the room.
Seria watched with a stiff expression.
This kind of confrontation didn’t suit her at all. She’d never intentionally tried to overpower someone before—nor wanted to.
If only to put an end to these pointless power struggles, she needed to earn the Duke of Belvart’s recognition as soon as possible.
“You two may leave as well. I want to be alone.”
Waving her hand tiredly, Seria dismissed Kelson and Tilda.
They bowed reluctantly and exited the room.
Once the door closed, Seria collapsed onto the sofa, deep in thought.
To lure the Duke of Belvart into the open, she needed allies before identifying his confidants.
But the vast majority of the estate staff harbored hostility toward Argentaines—there was no way they’d help her.
The only possible candidates were the Bell sisters, now assigned as her personal maids.
They’d likely been treated as little more than punching bags until now. Unlike the others, they probably held not even a shred of loyalty toward House Belvart.
That meant they could become her only allies—free from the Duke’s influence.
“First, I need to earn their trust…”
Remembering how helplessly the sisters had been dragged around by Tilda reignited her anger.
They looked so young—no more than fifteen or sixteen at most.
The mistreatment of children made her furious. She needed some way to vent.
Seria sprang to her feet and looked around.
That was when she noticed a thick pillow resting on the bed.
She walked over slowly, lifted it with one hand, and clenched the other into a fist.
“You look busy, Seria.”
At some point, Theodore had entered the room, arms crossed, looking perfectly at ease.
“Ha…”
Why now, of all times?!
The boiling anger instantly cooled into embarrassment. Seria hurled the pillow back onto the bed.
“You can keep going, you know.”
“Be quiet.”
Theodore sat on the sofa with a disappointed expression.
“Did those two really get under your skin?”
“You already know the answer.”
“You handled it in your own way, I’m sure.”
Seria clenched her fist and glared at him.
Listening to Theodore deliberately provoke her made her irritation bubble up again.
“What did you leave for earlier?”
“The Imperial Palace contacted me.”
“…Don’t tell me.”
The Crown Prince?
Seria waited tensely.
She hadn’t even dealt with the Duke of Belvart yet—meeting the Crown Prince now would be a problem.
“His Majesty sent a letter saying you don’t need to attend court for the time being. He asked me to take good care of my new ‘little sister.’”
“Oh.”
Seria slumped into the seat across from him, utterly deflated.
She’d only been at the Belvart estate for half a day, yet word had already reached the Emperor’s ears.
It had to be the Duke of Belvart’s doing.
For someone who never left his room, he moved surprisingly fast.
A quiet groan escaped Seria.
“That aside—you’ll be starting etiquette lessons the day after tomorrow.”
“What?”
“You’ll need at least the basics before entering high society.”
“I already know Antithesia’s history and politics. Probably better than you imagine.”
“I know. This is just for appearances.”
Theodore was well aware that Seria’s knowledge surpassed that of most noble heirs in Antithesia.
The lessons were merely a device to avoid Ivan’s and the Emperor’s suspicion.
A way to show that Seria was being ‘trained’ as a tool for the imperial family.
“You don’t need to pretend to be ignorant on purpose.”
“I never planned to.”
Seria frowned.
She despised being treated as incompetent. Being underestimated for being Argentaine was already more than enough.
Why was hatred of foreigners so normalized in Antithesia?
At this point, it wasn’t even anger—it was genuine bewilderment.
Knock. Knock.
“E-excuse me…”
A thin, fragile voice came from outside the door—Erica’s. Seria jumped up and hurried over.
“Who is it?” Theodore asked, looking at her.
It felt oddly strange to be asked, considering he usually knew everything already.
Seria blinked slowly, then spoke.
“My personal maids—and the only allies I have.”
And the ones I need to protect.
Seria’s expression brightened.
