# 59
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Shortly after, the Marquise was reborn with a solemn yet antique appearance.
The Marquise straightened her back and stepped through the door leading to the drawing room. As soon as she crossed the door, dozens of anxious pairs of eyes poured down upon her. The Marquise softened her gaze as much as possible and benevolently opened her arms.
Oh, Flora.
As Flora approached her in response to her warm hospitality, the Marquise affectionately put her arm around her shoulders.
"Good heavens, your face looks quite worn out."
The Marquise stroked Flora's hair and personally led her to sit beside her. Then, looking around at the ladies, she spoke.
“Everyone, I had a very difficult night. It was because I was seized by the fear that I might lose my old friend—who is warm-hearted, just, and incorruptible.”
Her eyes turned red in an instant.
All of you and I know how much Lewen has worked for Richmond during the past ten years or so that Your Excellency and the Godmother were absent.
The Marquise remained silent for a moment, as if lost in thought, before finally speaking after quite some time.
They were not people who deserved to be kicked out like that.
She stared at Flora.
"Adopting Flora was not an easy task, even for us. However, Rinko never treats a long-standing bond carelessly."
“…Marquise.”
"Oh dear, Flora. To think you're a Marquise. I've always cherished you like a daughter. Now that we are truly family, just call me Mother."
“Would you mind, …Mother?”
The Marquise hugged Flora tightly, and a voice filled with emotion flowed from among the noble ladies.
You are truly benevolent.
The Lewen couple must have been able to leave with peace of mind as well.
The Marquise glared fiercely at the ladies' expressions with her curved eyes, then made eye contact with each of them one by one and whispered.
"From now on, perhaps quite difficult times may follow. But don't worry. Rinko is doing well."
As she confidently finished speaking, the ladies also smiled as if relieved.
However, there was something that got on the Marquise's nerves.
“I instructed the maids to prepare tea time. Is it not yet?”
Since it was the day of Rwen's downfall, I had ordered refreshments that were somewhat solemn rather than extravagant. If I decorated the tea time with the black Oriental porcelain and fermented tea that I had procured at a high price a few months ago, I would be able to express my sorrow for Rwen while also showing that Rinko was still alive and well.
I will go myself.
Sensing the Marquise's discomfort, the lady-in-waiting hurriedly headed to the dining room.
It was dim even in the middle of the day, so the servants carried torches and lit candles fixed to long racks. The long, burning flames swayed back and forth, casting uneasy shadows.
It’s a bad day.
The maid clutched the shawl she was wearing a little tighter and hurried down the stairs. Even so, quite a few servants and maids passed by her. Displeasure grew on the maid's face moment by moment.
Then, the moment a group of maids swarmed past her on the landing, the lady-in-waiting stopped abruptly. She then shouted at the maids climbing the stairs in a line.
“You! Can’t you see me?!”
At her shout, the maids stopped in unison and stealthily turned to look behind them.
“What are you just standing there staring at?!”
When the maid suddenly lost her temper, they hesitated for a moment with subtle expressions, then eventually turned around and knelt.
There is more than just one or two things to teach!
I glared at him and deliberately acted angry, but my heart was pounding hard.
It had been over ten years since she served as the Marquise's lady-in-waiting. In the inner sanctuary of the Duke of Richmond, her power was no less than that of the Marquise. Power was something as sweet as honey and as delicate as downy feathers.
Something like a certain current changed, which is difficult to pinpoint exactly.
The lady-in-waiting practically ran down the stairs and across the hallway. And when she finally flung open the dining room door, the maids, who should have been preparing the Marquise's tea time, were making food.
The maids did not appear impatient or anxious. They looked at ease, as if they were simply carrying out their duties. Among them, there was a woman with a particularly striking figure.
“Mince the meat even more than this. The person who has recovered from their illness will eat it.”
Dressed in a form-fitting gray dress, Mrs. Isaac gave instructions on minor details while looking over at the food the maids were preparing. The large pearls hanging from her ears and neck gleamed elegantly.
The Marquise's lady-in-waiting slowly composed herself and walked toward the senior maid who had been ordered to prepare tea. As the maid who had been seasoning the soup stood facing the lady-in-waiting with a stern expression, the lady-in-waiting rebuked her in an authoritative voice.
"Have you done everything you were supposed to do?!"
As the bowed maid hesitated and glanced sideways, the Marquise's lady-in-waiting became even angrier.
“Don’t you ask if I have done everything I was supposed to do?!”
He is doing what he has to do, so why is he getting angry?
As Mrs. Isaac approached, the lady-in-waiting glared at her fiercely. Regardless, Mrs. Isaac spoke to the hesitating maid.
“Don’t worry about it, just do your job.”
"yes."
You guys too. Don't look here, just do your work.
The maids bowed respectfully to Mrs. Isaac.
For the past ten years, the maids had no choice but to obey the Marquise's orders. But now, the Duke has returned and the Grand Madam has risen. Will the excuse that they had no choice but to follow the Marquise's orders all this time hold water? Could they lose their good jobs in an instant?
It was a time when even the lowest-ranking employees were deeply troubled in their own ways.
Mrs. Isaac gazed silently at the Marquise's lady-in-waiting. She could feel the anxiety and nervousness flickering in the lady-in-waiting's eyes.
I'm sorry, but I can't give you any more firewood.
'Can't you hand it over?! Whose castle do you think this is? How dare you…!'
"Isn't it said that Marquise Rinko is saving money on this castle's finances?"
Recalling the past, Mrs. Isaac pulled the corners of her mouth into a smile and spoke softly.
“From now on, you may not order the Duke of Richmond’s servants around for your own personal gain, so keep that in mind.”
"what?"
“This is the Grand Madam’s command, so do not question and obey.”
In the Deccan Empire, a Handmaiden is a position responsible for mediating between those in power and their servants, as well as commanding the lower-ranking servants. Therefore, Lady Isaac’s statement that she could no longer command the servants meant that she had been stripped of her authority as a Handmaiden.
"Didn't I tell you to prepare tea time?"
“…….”
I have personally set out the teacup and tea leaves, so please take them.
Mrs. Isaac gestured to one side. The maid, dazed from the shock, creaked her head as she turned. There, a very simple basic teacup set and some tea leaves lay all alone.
Teacups, tea leaves, and even a single drop of warm water are Richmond's precious finances, so use them with gratitude.
“…….”
You're getting in the way of my work, so leave immediately.
Mrs. Isaac turned elegantly after issuing a cold order to kick the guest out.
The Marquise's lady-in-waiting shuddered with a chilling sensation as if her blood were draining from her veins and fled the dining room. She had no way of knowing how she had managed to make it to the Marquise's room.
“Marquise!”
However, even if she had brought a proper teacup, the Marquise was not in the right state of mind to enjoy tea time. The Marquis, with his face flushed red, was sitting where the ladies had been.
“Damn it!!!”
The Marquis slammed his hand on the armrest of the sofa in anger, and the Marquise, who was holding her head opposite him, turned to look at the lady-in-waiting.
“What’s the matter?”
Then, the Marquise's face hardened as she realized she was empty-handed.
“Why are you empty-handed?”
The lady-in-waiting approached the Marquise and reported the truth with a somber expression.
“Your rights as a lady-in-waiting have been revoked.”
"…what?"
The world became noisy as the autumn rain, which had briefly subsided, began to pour down heavily once again. However, everyone inside the room was oblivious to the fact that the sound of the rain was deafening.
It was because the sound of the rain was not the problem.
“Arwen Isaac told me not to give orders to the servants of the Duke of Richmond Castle anymore. Even the maids no longer obey my commands.”
“…….”
“What should I do?”
Marquis Rinko and his wife held their breath at the creeping chill.
The past was being reenacted exactly as it happened. The Duke took away the regency authority from Marquis Rinco, and Eliza Richmond cut off the limbs of the Marquise Rinco.
The Marquis, rolling his eyes, hurriedly asked his wife.
"Did you pack the documents?!"
"yes?"
I mean the unofficially written documents!!
The Marquise stammered with a flustered look on her face.
“Don’t worry too much. All the important documents are in the underground archives, and Edward has the key.”
“…….”
However, the Marquise, equally overcome with fear, immediately turned to her lady-in-waiting and gave an order.
Go to the underground archives and check if there are any documents.
"All right."
The Marquise's lady-in-waiting hurriedly ran around the Duke's castle looking for Edward.