Chapter 114
[▶ The number of people sympathizing with the rumor about the villainess who misbehaves has disappeared!]
[▶ Villainess who misbehaves (Rumor removed / ▼2 people decrease)]
[▶ The number of people sympathizing with the rumor about the selfish purifier has decreased! (12 → 11)]
[Your current bad reputation:
▶ Villainess who misbehaves (0 / ▼32 decrease)
▶ Selfish purifier (11 / ▼4 decrease)
▶ Arrogant socialite (8 / ▼18 decrease)
▶ Empty-headed young lady]
It seemed Karin had been working hard in the salon.
Though a little infamy remained… this was planned to be erased on another day.
According to what Karin had told me, Dolly and Rudolph would soon move together.
When the salon ended, someone knocked on my door.
Dolly, who had been spacing out since returning to my room, jumped at the knock.
I smirked at her reaction. I had a good idea who it might be.
“Who is it? Come in.”
As expected, it was a group of maids who came in. They had been gossiping about Dolly and eagerly reporting it to their mistress.
“Hello, Lady Albrecht. I came because I need to speak with Dolly for a moment.”
“I’m truly sorry, but if Lady Albrecht permits, I’d like to have a brief conversation with Dolly. It will be in the garden just outside, so it won’t take long.”
They clearly looked beaten down after being scolded post-salon for spreading false rumors.
Look at their grim expressions—“conversation” clearly meant a physical one.
“Oh, it’s inconvenient because I have to look after her.”
And absurdly, Dolly dared to use me as an excuse.
Shameless. I spoke in the calm, generous tone of a mistress:
“I am not so cruel as to deny my friends a chance to talk. It doesn’t matter if it takes long; go ahead and speak as much as you like. Dolly, take care.”
Dolly froze at my words.
“Thank you, Lady Albrecht.”
The maids bowed politely and promptly dragged Dolly away.
The moment the door closed and I was left alone in my room, a white bird flew through the window.
It fluttered in front of me and, when I extended my finger, perched on it.
‘At my ankle… what’s this?’
A note was tied to its ankle. I immediately opened it.
“Mrs. Becker asked my father to buy the ‘Ancient Gladiator’s Choker,’ so I’m letting you know. It might be related to Lady Odette’s safety. Selling it could cause trouble for Lady Odette. If you need to make a request, tie a note to the ankle. I hope this information is enough in exchange for the handkerchief and comfort.”
It was a letter from Karin.
‘Ah. So the maid leading the others was Karin’s.’
Apparently, she had intentionally drawn Dolly out to make space to send the messenger bird, placing her own maid at the forefront.
Through the door, I saw the maids heading to the garden, and the maid bowed politely in my direction.
Karin’s maids clearly already understood Lady Karin’s intentions. The act at the salon had been a performance for Dolly’s benefit.
I tossed the note into the fireplace, twisting the corners of my mouth.
‘Gladiator’s Choker? Well, well.’
I had assumed Mrs. Becker’s recent defiance was simple caution.
‘She was pushing back because she had a secure ally. She thought the count would destroy me soon.’
The Gladiator’s Choker was a small time bomb. When a timer and target were set, the designated target had to be killed within the time limit, or the magical device would not deactivate.
It had been used on gladiators in ancient coliseum battles in this world.
If both gladiators were doomed to die anyway, they would fight with all their might to finish the match within the time limit.
And the purpose of purchasing it was obvious:
‘She teamed up with the count. They plan to put this on my neck and force me to kill Karl with my own hands.’
Knowing the count’s personality, I had anticipated he would try to use me to kill Karl.
As long as Karl lived, the count was restricted by the magical bracelet. No one could endure being controlled.
Moreover, he must have been displeased with my improved reputation.
‘I wondered what method they would use, and Mrs. Becker is helping them?’
They had the audacity to pull such a stunt behind my back? I had been generous for nothing.
I gave a cold smile.
‘Yes, Mrs. Becker. I must admit, you endured quite well.’
I took a fresh piece of paper and wrote a note.
“It’s okay to sell the ‘Ancient Gladiator’s Choker’ to Mrs. Becker. No, I hope you do. But be sure to sell two. Absolutely. Thank you for telling me, Karin.”
I tied the note to the white messenger bird’s ankle and sent it off. The bird immediately flew to Lady Karin’s room.
A few hours later, Dolly returned, clearly having received a harsh lesson from the maids, her hair pulled and face scratched. She glared at me in a huff.
‘Good. That actually works in my favor.’
If I didn’t need to be lenient with Mrs. Becker, my plan became even easier.
I could fully use her in my scheme to catch Dolly.
The sea at dawn.
The sunlight sparkled on the beach, the waves relaxing, the foam breaking beautifully.
On this stunning beach, a man and a woman were having a secret meeting—Rudolph Kaspar and Dolly.
“Odette humiliated me! I was the only fool. How is that fair?”
Dolly wailed to her fiancé. Rudolph clicked his tongue.
At the Albrecht estate, the chief maid’s main duty was the mental training of the maids, ensuring the indoctrination that Odette was a villainess.
Hence, Dolly excelled at political manipulation and propaganda. She was an outstanding chief maid.
This humiliation was the first of its kind in her life. She usually chose the target of insults, not be the target herself.
“That insignificant wretch dared to touch our little one?! No wonder our baby was angry.”
Yet Rudolph was just like Dolly. He created rumors, observed how they spread, and derived satisfaction and influence from them.
When someone faltered because of a rumor he started, Rudolph felt a sense of greatness.
“I just can’t understand it. How did a woman who can’t even read pull this off?”
“Maybe she could read and lied all along?”
“It’s creepy. How can someone act so brazenly?”
Dolly shivered as if she couldn’t remember her own scheme.
“Exactly. Disgusting human. Which knight should I use to teach her a lesson? What about the story we talked about, about a maid who was beaten to death?”
Rudolph was the only outsider who knew Odette’s secret.
The count had tried to silence him, but after reading the gossip paper, he changed his mind.
Rudolph’s existence was very helpful in ruining Odette’s reputation.
Since then, he had flourished under the count’s support. Being Dolly’s lover, he could even be used as a hostage if needed.
“Fine. Is that enough? What’s so different from usual?”
Dolly was still sulking.
“Rudolph, you didn’t see their eyes. All the salon guests looked at me as if I were pathetic and stupid… and the maids completely despised me too.”
Dolly sank further into gloom.
“Now the maids won’t even let me join the conversations. The knight teaching her a lesson has to be new and fresh to calm me down.”
“Hmmm.”
Rudolph pondered for a moment, then burst into a hearty laugh.
“Sweetheart, want to hear my idea? I’ve come up with a brilliant article.”
“What is it?”
“Karl’s romantic loyalty to Odette has already become a hot topic in the empire. If we spin it right, we’ll get rich. Got it?”
The story of Karl catching assassins during the hunting competition had already spread across the empire.
Especially after his photo was in the newspapers, it caused even more commotion.
A handsome slave, who single-handedly caught four assassins, willingly giving the glory to his mistress, and with a tragic backstory as a crown prince of a fallen kingdom?
And this man pledged eternal loyalty to a villainess? Pure romance!
Because of this, the empire’s bards were already turning it into songs.
Rudolph chuckled. The idea that just crossed his mind was guaranteed to ignite an already popular story, making it prime material for the news.
“So, what exactly is this article? Stop stalling and tell me.”
