CH 45

“It would take time for the Duke to wash up. So, I’ll take it after I eat something here.”

“Ah…… Yes.”

The maid was taken aback by Selena’s sudden desire to sit and eat instead of asking her to take the tray right away.

“Oh, but it’s a little boring to eat all alone. Come, sit here and eat with me.”

“…..What? Me?”

“Well, yes. Who else would it be? I’m not even a noble lady. Let’s sit down together. Isn’t it late? You must be hungry.”

“No….. I’m fine……”

The maid found it quite difficult to refuse Selena.

“I told you to sit down. Or I’d be bored.”

She was talking with aegyo, but her voice was sharp. The maid, who was already losing, accepted defeat.

“Okay, then…..”

The maid hesitated and reached out to Selena’s plate.

“Huh? What are you doing? You can’t take this. This is for the Duke. Or do the maids eat the Duke’s food here?”

It seemed like a question, but it was a rebuke.

How dare they touch the Duke’s food!

The maid looked back at Selena in tears of resentment. Then, Selena’s cold stare hardened her body. Selena’s lips were curved up prettily, but it was a flower petal that hid poison.

“But you could still eat what you’ve prepared, right? It is not for the Duke. Since it’s a waste to throw away what’s been made, you should just eat it.”

The cold sensation as if she had swallowed ice the size of a fist went over the maid’s throat. Only then did she realize Selena’s intention behind asking her to eat together.

It was revenge for messing with the food.

They said Selena was a woman who always clung to Duke, so she thought she would be a greedy fool with no knowledge of the world. The experience of having fun with the noble ladies who had been in this mansion made her think that a stupid commoner had fallen in her hands.

What a huge mistake. Her head was as stiff as it would be if her neck was in the clutches of a beast. She was even unable to think of a way out.

“Ah, let’s eat together. You all must’ve worked hard to make it, so join us.”

Selena motioned to the other maid who was involved. It seemed like a light suggestion to a friend, but her eyes had such pressure that could not be disobeyed.

If they refused, it wouldn’t end with just revenge. It contained threats.

The maids stole agonizing glances at each other for a while.

If Selena had gotten sick after eating it, they could have apologized, saying it was a mistake. Or she could have just cried all alone if the Duke ignored her.

However, Selena, who was caught on fire from the start and was ready to intensify it, had no choice but to flatten herself. If things got bigger, they’d be the only ones to lose.

“Hurry up and sit down. It’s going to get cold.”

Selena’s voice smacked the two like a whip.

The maids flinched before they sat down at the table.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

When the maids sat down, Selena beamed a smile as if she’d never attacked them with a frosty voice.

As she offered food to the maids first before mashing a grape with her molars, she appeared to be the host of the dinner.

The maids picked up an aesthetic spoon and dipped it in their food.

‘Do we really have to eat this?’

The maids were on the verge of crying as they asked each other with their eyes. Selena was no longer eating as her eyes were only following the movement of their spoons.

“Why are you so slow? I don’t think you’ve made something you can’t eat.”

Her cold tone caused shivers to run down their hands.

Their hands trembled. They finally gave in. All they had to do was get away from this situation as soon as possible.

“……..um.”

The maids stuffed the food into their mouths. As soon as the food got into their mouths, the disgusting smell of vomit poked their nose. The nauseous feeling grew worse as they chewed and swallowed it.

Her pride was hurt as she chewed on the food, barely holding it in.

A maid’s job was a highly coveted job that was quite well-paid among the commoners. Simply put, it wasn’t easy to get hired as a maid because one had to look good, contain a certain personality, and have a recommendation.

The maids held a high nose among the commoners. In addition to high salaries, they had the superiority to live directly in the luxurious estate with such inadequacy. The maid of a certain family was also considered to be competitive in a way.

The Renbird was not a prestigious family in the capital society, but Kalcion himself was a very hot topic. Furthermore, after the discovery of the mine, the evaluation among the maids had increased.

The maids at the house of Renbird believed themselves to be extraordinary. Special and distinctly different from a splendidly blooming flower that might have come from nowhere.

“Oh my, I’m so glad you’re eating well. You must have been very hungry. Eat a lot.”

However, the reality was that they were forced to swallow filth at the command of a lowly woman.

“Huup.”

Was it because it was terrible to accept reality? Eventually, the food tried to reflux the esophagus, just as the stomach rumbled when one drinks past their limits.

Unable to stand it, a maid covered her mouth and stood up. The other put down her spoon. Her face had gotten pale white.

Selena directed her cold eyes to the maid, not even surprised. Ashamed of the sudden situation, the guards approached one at a time.

“So. Is it poisonous? Or is it something weird enough to make you vomit? Anyway, I guess it’s the same food that almost went into my mouth.”

“F-Forgive me…… hup, it was my fault.”

If she pretended not to know after eating it, she would have been wrong. The only way left was to beg for forgiveness.

“Do you even know what was wrong with it? Anyway, what should I do? It’s not forgivable to mess with the food.”

Selena didn’t know much, but she did know that one had to be thorough about what they ate.

“Bring the person in charge.”

Besides the two maids, a servant guarding the hallway rushed to Selena’s frosty command.

Upon hearing the issue, the butler came up running, almost breathless.

“What may I do for you?”

“Are you the one in charge?”

“Yes, I’m the butler here. I’m responsible for all the work in this mansion. You may tell me any concerns you have.”

The butler briefly introduced himself as he quickly grasped the situation inside the dining with his eyes.

A plate containing a strange looking food was placed in front of each maid with two spoons, and there was a pale-faced maid covering her mouth. The situation was unknown, but it was clear that there was an issue related to food.

However, the butler did not flout.

“What’s the problem?”

He could clearly see the problem, yet he still asked. Selena felt her stomach tremble once again at the butler’s attitude.

“Can’t you tell by looking?”

“Pardon me, but it’d be hard to jump to conclusions just by looking at them. I’d appreciate it if you could explain.”

And so Selena calmly explained, and pointed her finger to the food.

“She served that when I came here and asked for food. I couldn’t eat anything, but since they prepared it for me, I asked them to try it themselves. Yet, they ended up like that after taking a bite?”

“Alas, there must have been a problem with the food ingredients. Would you like me to make the same dish with fresh ingredients this time?”

Selena gathered her eyebrows at the butler’s response. It seemed courteous, but it only scratched places far from the nature of the situation. What Selena meant was not only the food itself, but also the maid who prepared it is a problem.

‘You don’t know that she did it on purpose.’

Without getting carried away, she explained the situation again step by step.

“No, I don’t think it’s a matter of ingredients since this freshly-prepared tray full of delights came out right after it was made. Isn’t it obvious to hold the one who made it questionable?”

“Well, the maids aren’t usually in charge of cooking. They’re only good at the work they are assigned with. I think it’s crooked to blame them because they were only trying to prepare it with special care.”

Still, his opinion was unchangeable.

Selena stared at his face.

A smooth, middle-aged man. From the time the owner of the mansion, Kalcion, was absent, he had been in charge of this large mansion.

She could roughly figure what kind of human he was.

“Ah….. Since the butler has lived in this mansion for a long time, he would know the situation better than I do.”

“I’m sure. It must have been a mistake, so why don’t you rest assured, Lady?”

The butler was openly covering the maids. With his soft voice, he wanted to convince Selena.

“People in Renbird Castle do it because it’s their work. Is it because this mansion is smaller than the castle? It’s like you’re a family.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

Selena’s sarcastic remarks hardened the butler’s expression.

“Even if I’m a stranger, the owner of the house brought me here. Isn’t it a family thing to cover up the maid in question in front of the guest?”

“I apologize if it appeared like that. It’s only because I can’t believe they would make this mistake when they’re so skilled.”

“Alright. If you still can’t believe it even after seeing it with your own eyes, what else can I do then?”

Selena’s cold response led the butler to realize that it wasn’t time to let it slide. His smile disappeared from his face before it was going to creep up.

“No. I’d be sure to take the right measures next time.”

“What kind of measures?”

“Since it’s an internal matter…… I don’t think I’d be obliged to report it to the Lady.”

The butler was restless. Although he spoke softly, he internally put up a warning sign.

The formal smile Selena was wearing also disappeared. Her eyes sparkled as they met with his.