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Chapter 37
“Isn’t it up to me whether I’m sharing a room with someone or not? I don’t think it’s the duty of an etiquette teacher to step in.”
“I am entitled to meddle in matters that may undermine the honor and status of the Duke.”
Mrs. Janet’s voice was firm. As if it wasn’t once that she was challenged like this.
If she worked as a headmaid for a long time, there must’ve been many maids who have not listened to her and tried to climb above her. Especially those who follow Kalcion. They definitely would’ve dreamt of becoming ‘a Duchess riding in a flowery carriage’.
But there was no way people who were different in status would fall in love in this world. A story in which a lower class woman’s life was changed by a man’s love alone.
One might think it’s a life they need, but on the contrary, it would also mean that the only way a woman’s life would be full of devotion, would be by a ‘man’s love’.
Thus, being a maid was one of the few pathways in the world where women could rise in status, despite the rate of competition. One might tell them to go away and get another job at a larger establishment. It wouldn’t be a public recruitment season, but a place where one could enter only when there’s an opening.
Then again, many other outstanding specifications would have to be pushed in. Their ability might have been basic. If they needed recommended connections, they’d have to have a high nose among the commoners.
But, what if all those people come together and work hard to compete and stand out from each other?
Some might work for a good salary it’d give. If anyone joined for another purpose, every day would feel like a disaster. They’d fight among themselves, grow their dreams of becoming the Duchess every night, and then turn out to be arrogant and lazy.
The servants of the Duchy of Renbird were well-trained like machines. It couldn’t have been like that from the beginning. This must’ve been the outcome under Mrs. Janet’s watch.
She might’ve kept picking out the ones who seemed useful, teaching them until the job was done right, and if anyone tried to do anything wrong, she’d have them kicked out. If she repeated it dozens and hundreds of times, it was understandable that one naturally got sick.
However, Selena was not in a position to bow her head before her.
“I thought Mrs. Janet was only the ‘Head Maid’, but she seems to have become the Duchy’s ‘Master of Wisdom’.”
“I am a servant of the Duke of Renbird, and I only think of his honor.”
“You’re not thinking right now, you’re only acting as per your will, aren’t you?”
Selena thought this might waver her.
There was still no change in Mrs. Janet’s calm tone, but Selena could feel the bubbling heat inside of her.
Selena had also often fallen at odds with Mrs. Janet. It’d be only fair if she won this time.
It wouldn’t matter if we became irreparable because she had to be hateful anyway.
The easiest time to pop someone was when they got swollen in shame and anger. Selena noted that Mrs. Janet was now super angry although it was not visible.
From the beginning of the journey to last night, everything must have gone against Mrs. Janet’s calculations.
She tried to get Selena into a separate carriage, but Selena’s wild behavior smashed it. A separate dinner table was also arranged for Selena, but she jumped onto Kalcion’s lap. The arrangement of the bathroom being poor was an exceptional mistake, and Mrs. Janet definitely separated their rooms, but it failed again.
She had gotten herself into a situation where one couldn’t escape from getting sick because of continued failure. Everything in her agenda didn’t work out as planned, but also kept going in the opposite direction.
However, Mrs. Janet did not tremble at once nor seem provoked.
“As I’ve said before, I can do as much as I can if need be.”
“What are you going to do?”
“It depends on Miss Selena’s behavior.”
Like a complete worthless little rat. Well, yes, Selena was doing it on purpose, but Mrs. Janet didn’t have the right to treat her like that.
“For what exactly?”
“I am also a tutor who has been taking care of Miss Selena’s etiquette.”
“That doesn’t mean you’ll have to follow me around and interfere in everything I do.”
“If you don’t apply what you’ve learned, I will have to teach until you can.”
Suddenly, the footsteps of servants in the hallway became faster. Embarrassed, the gaze of the maids waiting slowly flickered away from their backs.
They did not go anywhere else, but they stayed as far as the voices of the two arguing were heard across the hallway.
It would have been scary if only Mrs. Janet was left alone, but Selena seemed invincible in the eye of the beholder.
“Ahahaha!”
Selena burst out laughing, slightly exaggeratingly, stooping forward.
“How far are you going to teach me?”
“I must help until Miss Selena’s words and actions do not undermine the reputation of the Duke of Renbird.”
“No, no. I’m not talking about the period, I’m asking about the extent.”
“As I said, until your words and actions–”
“How far are you going to teach me in my behavior?”
Selena cut her off, continuing.
“As far as meddling in things like sleeping, sitting in the bathroom, and in what position we should be in bed?”
At her question, wrinkles appeared in displeasure on Mrs. Janet’s forehead. She actually wanted to grab a hold of Selena’s hair, but her great patience helped in settling her displeasure with the knotting of her stomach.
“At least, I only ask you to be careful of not being viewed as a public criticism.”
“Oh, yeah? Is that a warning? If I don’t listen, you’re going to take actions. It’s a threat, right?”
“Pardon me if it sounds like it, but what you’re doing is not acceptable.”
“I know.”
Smiling broadly, she said.
“What you want is for me not to cling to the Duke in public. To walk apart, sleep separately, and eat on our own. But, haven’t Mrs. Janet dreamt of doing those?”
Mrs. Janet’s patience had finally reached its limit. Her clenched fist trembled.
“…..I can’t believe you don’t care about His Excellency’s honor.”
As Mrs. Janet shot her a cold glare, Selena smirked as if she wasn’t affected.
“How is Miss Selena finding this funny when I’m being serious here?”
“Because it is. What did I do to shake off the Duke’s reputation? The Duke is not a child. If you thought I was here to hurt the Duke, he would’ve confronted me himself. Why does the head maid have to intervene in it?”
“My role is to take care of evenly small matters that His Excellency doesn’t have time to deal with.”
“I’m not saying anything about it, but you’re in a different position. The people Mrs. Janet needs to take care of are the maids who were hired under the Duke. Not me.”
“Pardon?”
Mrs. Janet got startled.
Selena smiled at her. She might be feeling victorious from the beginning, but the beauty of gently tearing someone apart was another thing.
“That’s right. I’m just the one the Duke had brought. If I have to say, I’m the Duke’s guest. It’s the Duke who’s doing this because he’s in sync with his guest.”
“…….”
“Isn’t that right? I don’t think it’ll help the Duke’s honor to nag him when he’s with a guest just because it bothers the maid’s eyes.”
To make matters worse, Selena’s words were all over the place. She was offered to use the Duke’s goods, but she wasn’t an employee. In other people’s eyes, she was his ‘mistress’, but in her justification, she was ‘a guest’.
Selena never knocked on the gate of the castle, nor did she sneak in. She was really a guest whom the Duke himself had carried in his arms.
It was even harder to spot her as a commoner, who had nothing and had nowhere to go, and was beautiful and even acted adorable while clinging to the Duke, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t a guest. She was nothing other than a guest.
“…..I-In His Excellency’s honor, I wish to give his guest advice.”
Eventually, Mrs. Janet fixed her demeanor, but she was already reeling. If she felt she had no logic, she’d have been defeated.
“Wow. The head maid of the Duke seems to have a great sense of honor. So, have you acted the same when any other nobles arrived in Renbird?”
But, her logic was already collapsing.
“To be honest, Fionel wasn’t a very polite lady either. Damn, what did you say to bully her?”
Mrs. Janet’s lips were taut.
Selena said nothing wrong. Except for status, Selena and Fionel were not much different.
What the women next to the Duke wanted was the seat next to him. If it was so, one thought they should make themselves a suitable person for the position or run away if it was impossible. That was the way to protect the Duchy of Renbird, Mrs. Janet thought to herself.
The duchess of the family was an important position.
No matter how powerful Kalcion was, he could not escape from being a topic in social gossip. It might pass by as a light scandal, but the talk of things between a man and a woman could endlessly grow if spread through the mouths of unsympathetic individuals.
Perhaps because Kalcion was not interested in women, he had no sense of how much the relationship between a man and a woman became a hot topic for others. Therefore, it was Mrs. Janet’s job to see to those matters.
However, Mrs. Janet’s beliefs were broken down by Selena’s words.
With Mrs. Janet’s lips tightly pressed together, she couldn’t say anything in her lack of confidence.
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