Chapter 7
“Haah.”
A sigh escaped me from the tiresome argument.
I brushed off my shoulder as if shaking away dust and coldly stared at the fallen Antra.
“Do you still not understand, Viscountess Dien? By now, you should know that threatening me with Devon won’t work.”
I threw the box I had been holding at Antra as if discarding it.
“Take it. These are the burned remains of your son’s affair evidence.”
Antra, caught off guard, grabbed the distorted box with a dazed expression.
“What?”
“Oh my, why do you look so surprised? You already knew, didn’t you? That Devon was cheating on me.”
As if confirming my claim, Antra only glared at me with a furious expression, veins popping on her neck.
As expected. There was no way they wouldn’t know about each other’s private lives.
With my hands behind my back, I leaned forward and whispered softly into Antra’s ear.
“Soon, your precious son will be stripped of everything and thrown out with nothing. He won’t even have spare change in his pockets, so you should start saving up now. Take it as a piece of advice and don’t be too offended. And there’s something I’ve been meaning to say for a while…”
Lowering my gaze, I blew strongly on the fox stole covered over Antra’s shoulders.
Antra flinched in surprise at my small action, and I smiled brightly as if offering charity.
“It stinks.”
Why kill an innocent fox? She should’ve taken care of her own son instead.
Throwing my last words like a dagger, I turned away with a light step.
As I glanced back while walking away, Antra was staring at me with her mouth open like a goldfish, watching me disappear.
Aaaaargh—!
By the time I left the mansion, a delayed scream rang out behind me, making me cover my ears.
‘Oh, so noisy.’
At this rate, her blood pressure might shoot up and kill her.
As I leisurely descended the steps of the mansion entrance with Lilien, I noticed the butler anxiously waiting at the main gate.
‘Ah, I almost forgot about him.’
Upon spotting me, the butler quickly ran over.
“Madam, have you finished your conversation?”
I raised an eyebrow in distaste.
‘Madam? Since when did he become so formal?’
This bat-like butler must have overheard on my conversation with Antra and figured out which way the wind was blowing.
Seeing my displeased expression, the butler anxiously licked his lips before speaking hesitantly.
“A-Actually, Viscountess Antra ordered the mansion to be burned down. I tried so hard to oppose it, but…”
“Oh, really?”
The butler, who had been trying to slip away behind Antra, started sweating freely at my indifferent response.
I inwardly sneered and playfully tapped my chin, rolling my eyes exaggeratedly.
“But, Butler, what should we do? The mansion has burned down, so the servants have lost their living quarters.”
“We will manage somehow.”
“No, it wouldn’t be right for the mistress to let her household sleep outside. Especially you—you’ve worked so hard all these years supporting my shortcomings.”
As I spoke in a warm tone with a gentle smile, the butler’s lips curled into a relieved smile.
Even if I had fallen out with Antra, he was reassured that I wouldn’t abandon him.
“No, Madam, it was only my duty as a butler—”
“So take this opportunity to rest well.”
“Thank you very mu—… Excuse me?”
Our eyes met as the butler, his chin raised, looked at me blankly.
Wiping the smile from my face, I gave him an icy stare.
“How slow-witted. You won’t be bowing elegantly anymore. If you don’t want to starve, find another job. That applies to all the servants of the count’s mansion, including you.”
I glanced at the butler indifferently before walking past the main gate.
The butler, as if struck by lightning, gasped and ran after me.
“W-Wait, Madam…! Madam…!”
“Oh, right.”
I twirled my finger in the air and looked back at him.
“If you don’t want to meet me in court, send all the intact belongings to the Mipedian family by tomorrow.”
“Madam…! P-Please forgive me just this once, Madam…!”
Butlers in this world had job security comparable to civil servants.
Even though the tuition and academic difficulty were extreme, people still lined up to enroll.
Because of the strict procedures, being dishonorably discharged meant losing all privileges.
‘Guess you should consider farming.’
I smirked cynically and ignored the butler, boarding the carriage with Lilien.
On the outskirts of the capital, on the way to the Mipedian estate.
The ride quality was incomparable to the rental carriage from the city, yet I felt extremely uncomfortable.
‘I followed along impulsively out of spite for Antra, but…’
I shifted my gaze from the window and glanced at Lilien.
Catching my gaze, Lilien smiled awkwardly and lowered her eyes.
The carriage was silent.
‘Awkward…’
One saving grace was that I wouldn’t be seeing her younger brother.
He wasn’t due to return until five days after Lilien’s death.
As I furrowed my brows, lost in thought, I sensed a persistent gaze and slowly opened my eyes. Lilien was watching me with curiosity.
“Countess, what are you thinking so deeply about?”
“I was just thinking that I’m fortunate you decided to help me.”
Feigning innocence, I smiled, and Lilien blushed, pressing her hands to her cheeks.
“Oh… I didn’t do much, really…”
Just then, the carriage stopped.
Grateful for the escape, I quickly stepped out and took a deep breath of fresh air.
After confirming that Lilien had also disembarked, I was momentarily stunned by the sight before me.
‘What kind of mansion is this huge?’
Of course, the burned-down Buell estate in the capital was massive, but not to this extent.
Passing the rows of trees, a crystal-clear fountain gushed water, an arched bridge stretched across it, and a charming flower garden adorned the landscape.
Admiring the fairytale-like scenery, I whispered in awe.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Really? I’m glad. While you’re staying here—”
Crash—!
A sudden shattering sound rang out.
Turning my head, I saw a maid standing pale-faced, having dropped her tray, staring blankly at me.
“Lilien, you brought a guest…”
“P-Please, come this way, Countess Buell!”
Lilien quickly blocked the maid from view and hurriedly guided me away.
Seeing everyone else react similarly—gardeners, carpenters, head maids, and attendants—was intriguing.
Their faces were a mix of shock and deep emotion.
Lilien led me upstairs, forbidding anyone to follow.
‘…She really had no friends, huh.’
Not that my social circle was any better.
Feeling a strange sense of kinship, I decided to pretend not to notice her ears turning red through her silver hair.
