~Chapter 21~
*Thwack!*
Ivyn sharply slapped away the maid’s hand.
“……How impudent.”
“……!”
The older maid shut her mouth and hastily hid her hands under her apron.
Her face flushed red with embarrassment.
An awkward silence began to hover around the well.
“Even if the lady of this house has been absent for a long time, have you forgotten even basic manners?”
They had always thought she was just a naïve young lady, ignorant of the world’s ways, having grown up receiving only affection from her father and brothers amidst them.
But Ivyn, issuing a stern rebuke to the ill-mannered maid, looked so intense that to anyone present, she felt like the dignified young successor of this house.
*‘I’ve read how many romance novels? Even if I’m not as knowledgeable as a head maid of the imperial palace, I probably know a fair amount about this world’s etiquette by now. Still, when I actually try to act imposing and speak firmly…’*
I’m nervous.
Really, really nervous.
But she immediately steeled herself internally.
*‘Hoo, seize the initiative, seize the initiative. Can’t waver. This is a proper class society. I have to firmly establish discipline with the servants.’*
She composed her expression as calmly as possible and walked over to the young maid who had been bullied by the other maids until just now.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh?…… Y-yes…….”
“What’s your name? I think I’m seeing you for the first time today.”
“I am…… Jane, who works in the main hall’s kitchen…… M-Miss.”
“I see, Jane.”
Ivyn repeated the young maid’s name under her breath and nodded.
“Alright, from today on, you are my personal maid.”
“……!”
“You can come with me from now on.”
Having said that, Ivyn first firmly grasped Jane’s swollen hand.
Unlike a moment ago, the atmosphere was affectionate.
“And you all.”
Ivyn turned her head toward the remaining maids and servants.
“If something like this catches my eye again in the future, I won’t let it pass with just words next time. Does everyone understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Yes…… Miss.”
On the way back to her room.
The scrawny, skinny maid Jane remained silent the whole time.
Her mind was filled entirely with worry and anxiety.
Why had she been summoned so suddenly?
Why choose a lowly maid like me as the young lady’s personal maid……?
*Click.*
At the sudden sound of a door opening, Jane’s head jerked up.
Before the door, the cute young lady with bright violet hair cascading down to her waist was looking at Jane with a gentle, exceedingly kind smile.
“Now, let’s go inside and talk.”
Once inside, Ivyn chatted casually with Jane to make the atmosphere comfortable, then naturally asked what conversation had been happening by the well.
“……They were just exchanging everyday talk. Things like the weather…….”
Ivyn smiled warmly at the frightened-looking Jane.
“Jane, the truth is, the reason I keep asking like this is that I’m worried because lately, it seems my family is hiding something. It seems the servants also know something, but I’m the only one left in the dark, and it makes me anxious.”
Jane hung her head deeply.
She seemed to be deliberating.
*‘I did receive the young miss’s favor earlier……’*
Moreover, getting away from kitchen work and becoming Ivyn’s personal maid was, for the country-born Jane, an immense honor.
Having thought this far, Jane finally slowly opened her mouth.
“I heard… rumors are spreading in the city.”
“Rumors?”
—
Meanwhile.
At the same time, Patriarch Dylan’s office was filled with a heavy atmosphere.
Gathered inside were not only Dylan’s aide and second son, Bill, but also administrators, legal experts, intelligence managers, and other key figures.
Reports were piled thickly on Dylan’s desk.
In the uncomfortably prolonged silence, Count Gerson, the intelligence manager, was the first to laboriously open his mouth.
“My Lord, rumors that the Kinzello family is the source of the plague that started in Cori Village seem to be spreading among the common people.”
“The source?”
“The content was that the Kinzello family is using the plague to secure corpses for use as soldiers.”
“They say it’s because a full-scale war with the Holy See requires mobilizing a large army.”
What followed was Dylan’s sneer.
“Ha! When has our family ever lacked troops? The entire territory has been filled with corpses buried in the ground since long ago!”
Dylan’s words were the truth.
Not just the Wig Empire, but most regions of the continent were built upon the accumulated remains of dead plants and animals.
And that’s not all?
Except for special causes like war, famine, or plague, the number of corpses buried in the ground from ordinary deaths always surpassed the number of newborns each year.
With such an absolute supply of materials secured, would they kill the living to replenish troops?
“Even a stray dog would laugh.”
Dylan, who had been clasping his hands on the table, looked at his retainers.
“What is the Emperor’s position?”
They were currently in a state where they had requested the palace to mediate after the personnel they sent to the site were rebuffed by the Holy See’s soldiers.
“A letter just arrived, actually.”
Bill Kinzello handed the letter to the patriarch.
It was a splendid paper adorned with gold leaf symbolizing the imperial family on high-quality parchment.
Written inside was the following:
—
*—In Our judgment, there appears to be no organization more suitable than the Holy See to investigate the cause and find countermeasures for the plague in Cori Village in the eastern region. Accordingly, We delegate the overall management and control authority of the infected area to the Holy See…… (omitted).*
*While expressing Our sincere regret for the Kinzello family’s difficult situation, caught up in baseless rumors, We hope you understand that should disputes with the Holy See arise during the investigation process as before, We cannot but hold Duke Kinzello responsible…… (omitted).*
—
*Crinkle.*
The parchment crumpled weakly in Dylan’s hand.
His face had hardened stiffly.
Disappointment, anger, and powerlessness flashed alternately in his blue eyes, so similar to Ivyn’s.
“What does His Majesty say?”
Bill, the second son, asked cautiously, stealing a glance at his father’s disappointed expression.
“He says he will delegate full authority over the investigation of the plague-stricken area in Cori Village to the Holy See.”
“…….”
Neutrality and mediation.
That was the Emperor’s decision regarding this incident.
“Ah…….”
A look of dismay also appeared on the faces of the retainers one after another.
They exchanged glances, about to say something, but then firmly closed their mouths.
“How could he turn his back like this…….”
For the past several hundred years.
They had always, among the nobles, taken on the role of protectors and shields guarding the imperial family while maintaining neutrality.
Blind loyalty and trust.
That was precisely the longstanding foundation of trust and resolve that had been passed down through generations between the imperial family and the Kinzello family.
But…….
Since the young Emperor Rociniel succeeded to the throne and the regency rule began, the trust that had been solid for centuries began to crack bit by bit.
And the result was manifesting in the series of events unfolding today.
From the Emperor’s ambiguous stance regarding Ivyn’s kidnapping incident to his bystander-like attitude in this eastern region matter.
With this, the imperial palace clearly revealed its intention not to intervene, no matter what discord arose between the two factions.
As an onlooker, not a watcher.
Balancing the subtle equilibrium between the two forces.
“We cannot defy an imperial decree, but we must proceed with our own separate investigation, uncover the truth to the end, and restore the family’s honor.”
Bill said, looking at his father and the retainers.
“How is the investigation progressing, Bill?”
“We are conducting water quality tests by collecting samples from the water sources flowing into Cori Village. We will deliver the results as soon as the components are identified.”
Next, the administrator chimed in.
“Additionally, we are proceeding with examinations of the flora and fauna around the village and analyzing the symptoms of infected citizens. We will report as soon as preliminary results are available.”
“What news from our agents?”
“They say the nature of the pathogen spreading the plague is not widely known. It seems the research priests are also having quite a hard time.”
“Hmm…….”
Dylan furrowed his brow.
“Anyway, everyone, please move quickly. Even if the Empire and the Holy See do not cooperate, we must do our best in our own way. The family’s reputation is important, but above all, we must save people.”
Dylan’s decision was that people’s lives were more important and urgent than tracking down the origin and spreaders of the fabricated rumors and restoring the family’s honor.
“As lives are at stake, I hope everyone takes this seriously and moves quickly.”
At Dylan’s words, all the retainers gathered in the room nodded heavily.
—
* * *
—
“Whaaat? Go back there again?”
That evening.
John, Hon, Don, and Ron, gathered in Ivyn’s bedroom, looked at their youngest sister with somewhat startled faces.
“Did you leave something behind there?”
“That’s not why.”
Ivyn quickly responded to Hon’s question.
“I heard it all too. The rumors spreading outside. People are whispering that the plague spreading in Cori Village was deliberately spread by our family.”
“Wh-when did you…….”
“Don’t tell me, you guys?!”
At Ivyn’s words, Ron’s eyes widened tiger-like as he sharply turned to glare at the triplets.
He seemed to suspect his loose-lipped brothers had been flapping their mouths carelessly in front of their little sister again.
Surely Bill-hyung must have strictly ordered them to keep quiet!
“Hey, it wasn’t us!”
“Really, it wasn’t! We kept our mouths completely shut?!”
“Look, look at that glare, I’m really going to hit you, I’ll hit you.”
“Then how did Vinnie find out about the rumors?!”
As the wronged triplets and Ron faced off, growling at each other, Ivyn hastily intervened between them.
