Chapter 117
Adapting to her new home wasn’t as easy as Raylenne had expected. Although she thought she wouldn’t mind being stranded on a deserted island as long as Aiden was with her, there were practical difficulties in reality.
For instance, there were the household staff. At first, they regarded Raylenne with extreme caution, as if she were an alien from another world. Raylenne understood their behavior. The sudden change in mistress must have been both frightening and unfamiliar to them.
Initially, she tried to appease them. She approached them warmly, improved their working conditions, and even raised their wages. However, this kindness transformed them in unexpected ways.
“My Lady!” Janie stormed into the room, her footsteps so heavy that the red tea in the lavender teacup vibrated slightly. Raylenne sighed and set down her cup.
“What is it?”
Janie approached briskly, her nostrils flaring. “Do you know what I heard from the maids’ mouths today?”
Raylenne could easily guess it was more gossip about herself, but she feigned ignorance and asked, “What did you hear?”
“Well, these good-for-nothings were gathered in the kitchen, not working, but badmouthing you, Lady Raylenne. Saying you’re too extravagant, too picky, and whatnot.”
Raylenne lowered her gaze and rubbed her forehead. It had been two weeks since Janie started relaying such stories to her. Not only were the maids wary of her, but they also severely bullied the staff she had brought with her.
‘They must have gotten worse because I haven’t said anything,’ she thought. Regrettably, Janie and the maids she had brought were being treated poorly.
Janie claimed she was fine, but whenever she heard her mistress being insulted, she would become as angry as an enraged rhinoceros.
Of course, there was a reason why Raylenne couldn’t intervene recklessly. That reason was Aiden.
Aiden was unaware of what was happening inside the castle, especially regarding household matters. Having inherited his title, he was spending most of his time managing the estate.
Even so, he asked her every evening if she had any difficulties, but Raylenne couldn’t bring herself to disclose this issue. She didn’t want to whine about such matters.
She wanted to handle it appropriately at her level, achieving a result that would satisfy everyone without causing any distress. The moment she revealed the conflict with the staff, Aiden would try to intervene. That wasn’t what she wanted. Aiden already had enough to worry about.
However, as a result, the household wasn’t running smoothly. While she didn’t mind being talked about behind her back, the staff’s negligence in their duties was a problem.
The maids’ dereliction of duty, in particular, was glaringly obvious. In such a large castle, even a slight lack of attention quickly led to dust accumulation.
“My Lady, are you going to remain silent again?” Janie asked, rolling up her sleeves.
“If you stay quiet this time too, I’ll give them a piece of my mind instead. I’ve been holding back because you told me to, but… My Lady?”
Raylenne, who had been quietly watching the maids chattering and gathering laundry below the window, slowly rose from her seat. Janie’s head followed her movement.
Raylenne parted her red lips. “I think it’s time to take away the carrot.”
“What? Take away what?”
Looking at Janie, who blinked in confusion, Raylenne replied, “The carrot. It seems useless for ungrateful horses who don’t appreciate it.”
* * *
The maids were chattering away as they hung out bed sheets. The sight of white fabric fluttering against the blue sky was quite pleasant to behold. A stark contrast to what was about to unfold.
Raylenne approached the maids hanging the bed sheets. They were still engrossed in gossip, oblivious to her approach.
“Did you see that maid’s face earlier? Red as a tomato!”
“Not that it matters. All she can do is tattle to the mistress.”
“I know, right? At first, the mistress seemed so haughty I was scared, but turns out she’s just a pushover.”
“Hahaha, exactly!”
Raylenne advanced with graceful steps as she listened to their conversation.
The maids quickly fell silent when they noticed her between the sheets. A fleeting look of dismay crossed their faces, but they quickly composed themselves as if nothing had happened.
Then, a red-haired maid stepped forward and greeted Raylenne.
“Good day, my lady!”
Despite the maid’s brazen greeting, Raylenne responded with a slight smile and asked, “I see you did the laundry this morning. You’re hanging the bed sheets now.”
“Yes, the water was still cold, so it was quite a task.”
The red-haired maid replied with a smile.
Raylenne looked at the maid, then turned her gaze to the white bed sheets.
“But it seems the laundry hasn’t been cleaned properly.”
The maids were taken aback. Raylenne, who had never before criticized household chores, muttered this with an expressionless face.
“Pardon? What do you mean…”
“Come here and look. Isn’t there still dust on it?”
Raylenne pointed to a faint stain. The maid thought to herself, ‘Did we do it too carelessly?’
However, she couldn’t admit it. Conceding here might lead to trouble with other tasks as well.
The maid lifted her chin defiantly.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t see anyth— Eek!”
Before the maid could finish, Raylenne yanked the sheet off the clothesline, letting it fall to the ground.
The bed sheet quickly became soiled on the dirt.
“Now you should be able to see the stains clearly.”
“But that’s because you threw it on the ground, my lady!”
The maid shouted, her eyes wide, but then she noticed the look in Raylenne’s eyes.
Her blue eyes were as cold as ice on a winter’s day. It was starkly different from before.
“Do it again.”
The commanding voice was utterly frigid.
Raylenne inspected each bed sheet on the line, throwing them all to the ground.
The maids could only stand there, mouths agape, watching this unfold.
The red-haired maid who had confronted Raylenne was the first to regain her composure.
“Even if you’re the mistress, this is too much! Asking us to rewash clean laundry for no reason!”
“Are you the maid in charge of this laundry?”
The maid hesitated at the sharp voice.
“…Yes, I am.”
Raylenne looked down at the maid.
“What’s your name?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, the maid stammered before finally speaking.
“…Anna.”
“Anna, you should think carefully about why I said these sheets were dirty.”
Leaving this cryptic remark, Raylenne turned away.
“Rewash them by tomorrow, and you’ll be responsible for my inspection.”
After Raylenne left, Anna and the other maids erupted into chatter again.
“What was that all about?”
“We might have been a bit careless, but… honestly, they don’t need rewashing.”
“Exactly!”
One maid shook the dazed Anna’s shoulder.
“Anna, are you really going to rewash everything?”
Anna finally snapped out of it and looked at the other irritated maids.
“No. Why should we rewash? The mistress is the one who made this mess.”
“Will that be okay? She said you’d be responsible for the inspection.”
Anna briefly recalled the blue eyes she had just faced. She never knew the mistress could look like that…
But the fear quickly dissipated.
She didn’t want to go back to working diligently now that she knew how comfortable it was to slack off.
‘And I don’t like that woman…’
Anna hardened her gaze and spoke to the worried maids.
“It seems she’s trying to act like a proper mistress now, but if we give in now, we might be pushed around forever.”
“That’s true…”
“She’s alone here, even if she’s putting on airs now. Her marriage to the master is just political. If the master truly loved her, he would have intervened by now.”
The maids nodded in unison at Anna’s persuasive words.
“In a loveless marriage, she’ll end up spending more time with us anyway. Isn’t it better for everyone if we all get along?”
As confidence seeped into Anna’s voice, the shadows gradually lifted from the maids’ faces.
Anna grinned and said, “Just trust me.”
* * *
Janie, who had been observing the situation, asked with wide, rabbit-like eyes as they returned to the room:
“My lady, you really surprised me earlier. Were the bed sheets truly that dirty?”
Raylenne answered without hesitation.
“No.”
Janie hurried to keep pace and asked, “Then why did you tell them to rewash everything?”
“Because I thought their dark hearts might have stained the laundry.”
Janie nodded at Raylenne’s words. She understood the gist of it.
The stains were never the real issue. What mattered was their attitude.
But there was still something worrying her.
“Do you think the maids will actually rewash the bed sheets?”
This time, Raylenne’s answer didn’t come as quickly.
After the sound of her heels clicking about eight times down the corridor, a gentle voice finally emerged.
“They probably won’t.”
Janie tilted her head.
“Did you tell them to rewash knowing that, my lady?”
“That’s necessary for the picture I want to create.”
Raylenne paused and glanced out the window. The maids were huddled together, seemingly conspiring.
‘Well… barring any surprises, things should go as planned.’
