Chapter 24
Chapter 24
And the same went for Josephine. She trembled. In fact, aside from Mrs. Collin, she was the one who had bullied and tormented Chloe the most.
Josephine, too, had sensed that Chloe had changed recently. The old Chloe became even more servile the more she was tormented. But the current Chloe had a different kind of energy. If they behaved even slightly out of line, she would sharply point it out or scold them.
Moreover, the old Chloe, even while being bullied, was desperate to be acknowledged and to get along with them. Even Josephine had found her pitiful.
But the new Chloe was not like that. On the contrary, she treated them as if they were no better than chipped teacups. It even seemed like she had made enough new acquaintances that she no longer needed to cling to them.
Josephine was afraid of this change in Chloe’s demeanor. If she ever regained her full power as a duchess, Josephine and her group would be discarded like broken teacups.
If they didn’t want that to happen… Josephine swallowed hard. Her father, Baron Randel, who had gained his title and position solely through clever maneuvering, had taught her that life was all about lines.
In simple terms: know which line to stand in.
Having made her decision, Josephine finally spoke.
“Let’s go ask for the lady’s forgiveness. They say she’s kind to her subordinates, so I’m sure she’ll accept us.”
“W-What? Are you serious?”
Marie and Nina turned to her in unison. Josephine nodded resolutely.
“Yes. It’s time for us to switch lines.”
“L-Lines?”
Marie and Nina didn’t completely understand Josephine’s words but pretended to.
And so, Josephine, Marie, and Nina decided to go and apologize to Chloe.
***
Chloe was reading a book alone in her bedroom when someone knocked. Upon her permission to enter, the visitors revealed themselves.
“Josephine, Marie, Nina. What’s the matter?”
Chloe spoke without closing her book. Her tone and expression were cold, completely different from how she acted with Lady Elina Fortnum.
Josephine swallowed hard. She folded her hands neatly and stepped forward.
“We’ve come to apologize to you, my lady.”
“Apologize?”
“Yes.”
Josephine, Marie, and Nina all knelt and bowed their heads.
“We deeply apologize for the insolent and vile attitudes we have shown you. If you would bestow upon us even a single act of mercy, we will dedicate our entire bodies and souls to serving you from now on.”
“Please forgive us,” said Josephine and Marie.
Nina seemed to hesitate, then added:
“My lady, you needn’t forgive me. I have committed a sin worthy of death against you. I am endlessly sorry, and I don’t think I can repay this sin even in death.”
Hearing this, Josephine and Marie were dumbfounded.
‘What’s she doing?’
‘If she says that, what does that make us?’
But they couldn’t voice such thoughts aloud and remained silent with their heads bowed.
Chloe looked down at them coldly.
Her personal maids and servants had abused their positions to torment the former Chloe in many ways. Although she was now a different person, Chloe could not forgive them.
She wanted to fire them all and hire new staff, but she couldn’t. She didn’t have the authority to make personnel decisions.
So, she had no choice but to keep them close.
‘Fine. If I can’t get rid of them, I’ll use them in a way that benefits me. At least they’re showing willingness to follow me now by offering a formal apology.’
Chloe decided not to forgive them just yet, but to observe how they acted going forward.
“You said you’d follow me with your whole body and soul?”
Chloe’s words made Josephine and Marie’s faces light up. They responded in unison:
“Of course, my lady!”
“Good. Then there is something I want you to do.”
“Anything you ask!”
But Chloe observing them didn’t mean she wouldn’t punish them.
“Tell me the wrongs you committed against me.”
“Pardon?”
Josephine and Marie looked up at her in surprise. Nina seemed to understand Chloe’s intention.
But Chloe’s expression remained cold.
“Every single one. Leave nothing out.”
The perpetrator may forget, but the victim remembers everything. In the memories Chloe inherited from the former Chloe, every act of torment was perfectly preserved.
Chloe wondered if they remembered as much as she did. If not, she would make them recall. She wanted them to regret each and every sin they had committed.
That day, the three of them had to confess every wrong they had done while kneeling. If they forgot something, they were told they lacked sincerity and made to sit there until they remembered.
In the end, the time it took each person to list their sins varied, but for the one who took the longest, it took two full days and six additional hours.
Meanwhile, Chloe noticed that Lady Coleen had not apologized at all. She began to keep a close eye on her.
Of course, there was no way Lady Coleen was unaware of the fact that Josephine, Marie, and Nina had apologized—and been punished.
Lady Coleen had watched the entire scene from behind a wall, seeing them kneel and confess everything to Chloe.
Grinding her teeth, Lady Coleen clenched her trembling fists.
Even the personal maids and servants had chosen Chloe over her. Her position was clearly weakening.
Chloe was trying to take away her seat and power entirely.
At this rate, her downfall was inevitable. As a countess who had dared to defy and insult the duchess, she would fall into a pit with no hope of salvation.
That must not happen. It couldn’t happen.
Lady Coleen thought about Chloe’s recent surge in reputation.
In the end, it was all about how others treated Chloe, in other words, her reputation.
So what if Lady Coleen dragged Chloe’s reputation down? If she could prove to everyone that Chloe hadn’t changed at all and was still a hopeless person, everything would return to how it was.
Yes, that was the only way she could survive. Lady Coleen clenched her teeth.
A vile and despicable scheme began to coil itself in the depths of the Battenberg ducal estate.
***
Seeing Chloe not only host the tea party successfully but also handle more complex matters like business affairs, Kiel felt there was no longer any need for him to hold on to the budget management authority.
In truth, he hadn’t welcomed taking on the mistress’s duties in addition to his own. If Chloe could handle her original responsibilities with above-average competence, it would be a blessing for Kiel as well.
Still… he hesitated to hand over budgetary control so easily. It was that important a duty.
And so, Kiel reached a conclusion: to test Chloe. To see whether she could manage the budget properly.
“My lady, might I have a word? I apologize for the imposition, but I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it, Kiel?”
It was just after lunch, and Chloe had been enjoying a piece of opera cake for dessert. She turned toward Kiel, the butler, with a friendly look.
“I’d like to show you last year’s budget and financial reports. If it’s not too much trouble, would you be able to draft the budget plan for the second half of this year? I need a reference as I work on it myself.”
Though he offered various excuses, Chloe immediately grasped Kiel’s true intention. After all, she had experience navigating social circles, it wasn’t hard to read between the lines.
Kiel was laying the groundwork to return budgetary control to her!
And for Chloe, that was more than welcome.
This request was likely a kind of test. A test to see if she was fit to manage the household’s budget.
