Episode 10
“What were you doing before you became head maid?”
Asterophe asked sharply.
Maria regained her calm and answered,
“I assisted Chief Steward Tama with various tasks.”
That answer made Asterophe even more curious.
A maid who worked directly under Tama.
On top of that, she was from the Wizmen family.
Maria wasn’t young, either. She was already quite mature in age, which meant she had entered this household long ago, experienced many things, and grown through them.
Why would someone so valuable be assigned to her?
Asterophe wanted to know what lay behind Tama’s decision.
“What kind of tasks?”
“I did whatever I was ordered to do.”
“I’m asking what those tasks were.”
Her voice sharpened.
Maria, as if she had expected this question someday, answered calmly.
“I checked budgets for items used by Your Grace, oversaw repairs inside the castle, and handled the training of new maids.”
Accounting. Practical operations. Training.
That meant she had been involved in many of the things Tama himself managed.
Asterophe stopped questioning and looked at the mirror.
There was still time before dinner, so the preparations were moving slowly.
Then she spoke quickly.
“Hurry the preparations.”
“Yes. We’ll make sure you’re not uncomfortable.”
“Finish quickly. I’m going to the mage tower.”
“…Pardon?”
“I need to meet Tama. Pass the message.”
She wasn’t the type to sit patiently with questions unanswered.
And she didn’t have that luxury anyway.
Tama was extremely important to Callian.
In her previous life, when Asterophe had deceived him and pushed for war, Tama had been the only person who truly made Callian hesitate.
He had insisted that war must never happen.
That betraying his lord was unacceptable.
That Serpiewood had to be protected.
Asterophe had hated him for that.
He was sharp, quick to read situations, and fast at calculating outcomes.
He had been the person she wanted dead the most—and the one she feared most in Serpiewood.
But after agonizing over it, Callian chose Asterophe.
Tama respected his decision.
And when Callian left Serpiewood for war, Tama was killed by Lunette knights who had infiltrated the castle.
The one who killed him was none other than Asterophe’s second brother, Jed.
Yet even Jed, after fighting Tama, learned so much from him that he built a grave for his enemy.
Tama could have survived if he had surrendered—but he fought to the end to protect Serpiewood.
“He was a true man of Serpiewood. And a real knight.”
Drunk, Jed Lunette always muttered those words.
After that, he avoided Crown Prince Billish for quite some time.
Berlo said Jed seemed deeply conflicted about the war.
Back then, Asterophe had laughed along with Berlo, calling Jed weak.
They hadn’t known what future awaited them.
‘Tama assigning Maria to me is goodwill.
She knows Serpiewood and this castle well, and she can answer the things I’m curious about.’
Strictly speaking, this wasn’t aligned with Callian’s intentions.
Callian had clearly been wary of her learning more about Serpiewood.
The servants had also been ordered to be sensitive to her changes.
And yet, Maria was assigned to her.
That meant this wasn’t a simple favor.
‘I need to understand why Tama made this choice.
And no matter the reason, I have to make him my ally.’
As an enemy, Tama had been the first person who needed to die.
As an ally, it was the opposite—he was someone who had to live, no matter what.
And that wasn’t all.
Through Tama, she might even be able to persuade Jed.
He had been deeply moved by Tama’s character before—so there was a good chance it could happen again.
Asterophe wanted to tear off all the jewelry and run straight to Tama.
A few words with him mattered more to her survival than all this decoration.
But she couldn’t do that right now.
So she endured it.
Thankfully, quick-handed Maria and the maids worked efficiently, matching her urgency.
When the preparations were done, Asterophe in the mirror was breathtakingly beautiful.
The cream-beige dress suited her pale skin perfectly, and the deep red ruby jewelry shimmered brilliantly.
Her light makeup enhanced her delicate, pure charm.
This was a familiar image to everyone in Serpiewood Castle.
Except to Asterophe herself.
The elegance. The beauty. The faint scent of flowers. The expensive jewels and fur.
None of it felt natural to her.
Still, she didn’t let it show.
With the help of two maids, Asterophe stood up.
The moment she turned around, her door swung open.
Callian stood there.
The meeting must have ended while she was getting ready.
All the maids bowed at once.
“Weren’t you in a meeting?”
“I came as soon as it ended.”
His expression had softened a little.
Asterophe nodded.
“I was worried about you, Lope.”
“I’m fine. Thanks to your concern, I even gained a whole group of maids.”
“They should have always been by your side.”
Or is this surveillance?
The question stuck in her throat, unspoken.
Callian stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Your clothes are still too thin. Where were you planning to go?”
“I was going to see Tama.”
“Old man Tama?”
“They said he’s overseeing repairs at the mage tower. I’ve never been there, so I was curious. And I wanted to thank him for assigning me such a good head maid.”
She spoke without meeting his eyes.
She remembered the cold look he’d given her earlier.
Callian gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“Are you angry? Or disappointed by what I said earlier?”
She shook her head, still avoiding his gaze.
“Look at me, Lope.”
She slowly raised her long lashes and met his eyes.
Callian immediately noticed that the look in her eyes was different from earlier on the terrace.
He gently stroked her cheek.
Seeing her quiet disappointment—caused by his own harshness—left him unsure what to do.
After hesitating for a while, he spoke.
“Head maid, tell old man Tama to come see Lope.”
“I can go instead—”
“The mage tower is dangerous. There are magical devices everywhere, and the barrier spells haven’t been fully stabilized.”
“So it’s not that you don’t want me to go?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Startled, Callian dismissed the maids.
“Everyone leave. Head maid, go call old man Tama.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t go far. Stay somewhere the Grand Duchess can call you anytime.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Once Maria and the maids left, Callian’s expression darkened again as he looked at Asterophe.
“Lope, what are you saying? There’s nowhere in Serpiewood you’re forbidden to go.”
“Is that really true?”
“Lope.”
His face grew serious again.
It was clear he couldn’t stand hearing disappointment in her voice.
Asterophe knew she should step back.
She knew it would be easier to smile sweetly and gently soothe him.
But she didn’t want to.
The frustration inside her burned like fire.
She hated fire.
She wanted to spit out everything hot and suffocating inside her.
“You don’t want me to know more about Serpiewood, do you?
You want ten servants around me at all times.
Is this protection… or surveillance?”
“I swear, there is no one who can monitor you. I only want you to do what you wish.”
His tone was firm, as if there wasn’t a shred of lie in it.
But Asterophe’s expression didn’t soften.
It felt false.
She looked away and continued.
“You said yesterday’s me and today’s me are different.”
Callian nodded quietly.
He couldn’t deny the confusion her change caused him.
Asterophe gently pushed his hand away from her cheek.
“Is the Grand Duchess Asterophe Lunette Onyx—the one you love—the version from yesterday?
Do you want me to always stay like that?”
“Lope.”
“I’m asking if you hate who I am today, the version of me that wants to become the true mistress of Serpiewood.”
Her gaze was clear and unwavering.
Callian finally understood the emotion that had been stirring inside him.
And what he had truly been afraid of.
He took a slow breath and spoke calmly.
“That’s not it. I just don’t want you getting caught up in chaos again. People think Serpiewood is stable, but this place is still no different from a battlefield. Everyone is desperate to tear each other apart. I can’t push you into that war.”
“But—”
“Lope, you don’t need to become anything.”
“You’re already the mistress of Serpiewood, even without trying. You don’t need to desire it. You don’t need to prove it. Everything here is already in your hands.”
His deep, steady voice echoed.
To Asterophe, it felt like every other sound disappeared, leaving only his voice surrounding her.
