Chapter 119
A chilling silence fell. Everyone seemed frozen in place.
Anna was the first to regain her composure.
“This is absurd! Fired over mere laundry?”
“Why should I pay you when you can’t even properly clean something as ‘mere’ as laundry?”
Anna hesitated for a moment at the sharp question but quickly retorted with wide eyes.
“I admit I didn’t clean it properly the first time. But this time, there really wasn’t a single stain.”
“That’s the second reason you’re being fired.”
“What…?”
Anna’s expression turned bewildered, the fight leaving her eyes.
“I said you’re being dismissed because you think you’re being fired over ‘mere’ laundry.”
“What do you mean…?”
“I don’t mind if you’re not great at your job, but I really can’t stand people who don’t know their place.”
Forgetting her manners, Anna grabbed Raylenne’s shoulders.
“Are you doing this because I didn’t meekly obey your every word?”
“I never expected meek obedience. I just wanted you to know your position and work accordingly.”
Unlike the consistently indifferent Raylenne, Anna was becoming increasingly agitated.
“Do you know how many years we’ve worked in this duke’s mansion? The master would be shocked if he knew.”
“I wonder about that…”
Raylenne muttered, her gaze shifting behind Anna.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
At the low voice, Anna turned around. To her disbelief, Aiden was standing there.
Before she could wonder why the master was here at this hour, Aiden strode forward and removed Anna’s hands from Raylenne’s shoulders.
Anna looked at Aiden in shock. The master she knew wasn’t someone who would act so roughly…
“Who taught you to lay hands on the mistress?”
Anna flinched at the low voice but quickly explained what had happened.
“I apologize, master. But I couldn’t help it because it was so unfair.”
Anna glanced at Raylenne.
“The mistress fired all of us on the spot.”
Anna then recounted everything that had transpired. Despite the biased account, Raylenne didn’t interrupt.
As if daring Anna to continue.
When the story ended, Anna looked at Aiden with expectant eyes.
However, his voice was icily cold.
“That’s enough listening. Pack your things and leave immediately.”
Anna looked at Aiden in disbelief, like a betrayed lover.
“How… how could you…”
“If you don’t leave now, you’ll be forcibly removed.”
Anna blinked rapidly.
“I know what you’ve been up to all this time.”
“What… what do you mean…”
“I know you’re the one who put adhesive on the bedsheets.”
Raylenne’s eyes widened at Aiden’s words.
‘What…?’
The reason Raylenne had remained silent throughout Anna’s outburst was her trust in Aiden. She knew he would understand that she wouldn’t fire half the maids without reason.
Even if there was no reason, she knew Aiden would support her decision.
That’s why she stayed quiet, but suddenly this talk of adhesive…?
Anna fidgeted with a hangnail, lowering her gaze.
“Adhesive… I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you’re referring to adhesive that might have fallen during ceiling repairs…”
“I heard the top floor wasn’t included in the construction area.”
“Ah…”
Anna’s mouth gaped. Then, clenching her fists, she spoke.
“Do you have any evidence that I put adhesive on the bedsheets?”
“Your hair.”
Aiden continued with a cold gaze.
“I found a red hair on the bedsheet that day. None of our employees have red hair like yours. I’ve also confirmed you’re the one who changes the sheets in that room.”
Raylenne, who had been quietly assessing the situation, let out a sigh.
‘So in the end… the adhesive on my bedsheet wasn’t from construction, but Anna deliberately put it there?’
Anna’s flustered face was as red as her hair. Raylenne approached her.
“Why did you do it?”
Anna bit her lip, hard enough to turn the red flesh beneath white.
She never spoke, but later, through another maid, Raylenne learned the whole story.
Anna had long harbored feelings for Aiden and was jealous of Raylenne.
That was why she put adhesive on the sheets. If Raylenne unknowingly lay on the adhesive-coated sheets, it would stick to her hair, possibly forcing her to cut her long locks.
Anna thought that if Raylenne had to cut her hair in such a ridiculous way, Aiden might become cold towards her.
It was a malicious act born of blind jealousy, but the method was quite meticulous. She even made it look like the adhesive had dripped from the ceiling to avoid suspicion.
Raylenne looked at Aiden.
‘This man, burdened with so much sin.’
Aiden was indeed quite popular. From Countess Shablin’s daughter Macphin to this maid…
There were probably more employees secretly in love with Aiden.
This incident should serve as a strong warning, preventing anything like Anna’s actions from happening again.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Aiden asked, unconsciously rubbing his chin.
“You should cover your face or something. You’re too handsome, it’s not working.”
Raylenne said with a serious expression, causing Aiden to slightly furrow his brow.
“…That’s an unnecessary worry.”
“Unnecessary? It’s not!”
Aiden closed the book he was holding.
“…If anything, I’m worried about Raylenne attracting too much attention from others.”
Raylenne thought it had been a while since Aiden had expressed his insecurity in this way.
He usually didn’t often tell her she was pretty or beautiful.
Of course, she knew it didn’t mean much coming from him.
Aiden was the type of person who would look at her with the eyes of one beholding a descending angel even if she hadn’t bathed for days.
He didn’t compliment her appearance, perhaps for a similar reason. Something like, “How dare I evaluate her?” even though they were no longer captor and captive but equals as a married couple. Aiden was always very polite, sometimes acting as if he were serving her.
Still, there were moments when Raylenne wished to hear his honest feelings. It was rare for Aiden to express his true thoughts.
After a moment of hesitation, Aiden lowered his gaze and spoke in a quiet voice. “Raylenne, you’re always beautiful… to the point where my heart races uncontrollably.”
Raylenne was at a loss for words in response to Aiden’s sincere confession. The room’s atmosphere grew warmer instantly.
After a brief silence, Raylenne forced a change of subject. “…Speaking of which, how is the knight order these days?”
Lately, Aiden’s attention had been focused on the knight order due to a band of thieves secretly boarding ships along the eastern coast and attacking villages. This notorious band of thieves had been a problem for the duchy for some time, but the previous Duke Bedeusian hadn’t paid them much attention, allowing them to grow in size.
Aiden had recently discovered this while inspecting the villages and had been reorganizing the knight order within the duchy for the past few days. He planned to form a subjugation force to attack the thieves once preparations were complete.
“Since we don’t have many knights, we’re making thorough preparations,” Aiden said, concern evident in his eyes.
Raylenne’s expression darkened, knowing the reason behind his words. She felt guilty about it.
“The reason we don’t have many knights is because of the Ergen family…” she thought.
The large-scale territorial war had resulted in numerous casualties on both sides. Thus, the current number of knights and soldiers in the Bedeusian Duchy was only half of what it used to be. Although many people applied to fill the vacancies, Aiden was cautious in selecting new recruits, so the positions weren’t filled immediately.
Seeing Raylenne’s sullen face, Aiden hastily spoke up. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like this…”
“…”
“The war was instigated by the previous dukes. They’re already gone now.”
Aiden gently lifted Raylenne’s hair and kissed it softly. “Everything will be alright.”
Raylenne wasn’t worried that Aiden and the Bedeusian knights would lose to the band of thieves. Despite the lack of knights, Aiden was an exceptionally strong awakened one. The band of thieves would be no match for him.
However, Aiden’s concern was likely about minimizing casualties. It was impossible to fight without any losses, and he wanted to protect his knights.
Raylenne nodded. “Yes, everything will be alright.”
She then looked up at Aiden. “If there’s anything I can do to help with the knight order, please let me know.”
“…It’s alright.”
Aiden preferred to handle all matters related to the knight order alone. She understood, as she knew nothing about swords and combat. Still, as the lady of the castle, she sometimes wanted to treat the knights to good food or reward them for their hard work, but Aiden didn’t even allow her near the training grounds, citing the danger of flying swords.
However, Raylenne suspected another reason why Aiden kept her away from the knight order: the knights didn’t like her. Many of their comrades had been killed or injured by her brother. It was only natural for them to dislike her.
The problem was that these knights were people Raylenne would have to see for the rest of her life.
She sighed, resting her chin on her arm on the sofa armrest. “How can I get closer to them…”
