Chapter 26
‘She’ll be in tears, realizing the gravity of the situation soon enough.’
Then she would surely cling to the Elder Madam’s feet, begging for help.
It would be a good opportunity to discipline her sternly enough to make her flee.
However, the shepherdess merely bowed politely.
“Yes, Elder Madam. I will prepare carefully.”
Electra’s smile faltered.
‘What does this girl know to be saying yes so confidently?’
Perhaps the Antares family taught the bastard something.
Thus, she must be looking down on her, pretending to be polite.
‘That presumptuous little wench!’
Even after the shepherdess left, Electra’s anger didn’t subside.
How could she mar that indifferent face?
“Merope. Make sure not to assign any maids to her.”
“Would I ever, Elder Madam?”
“And the same goes for the event itself. Let her try to manage without a proper maid.”
Noblewomen needed at least lower nobility to serve them closely. Without any such attendants, the tea party attendees would only be displeased.
But that alone wasn’t enough.
“And, what fruit did Madam Merriott say causes her hives?”
***
After leaving the Elder Madam, Thea, who had exited the room with Freesia, was visibly shaken.
‘She really does resemble the duke…!’
In other words: terrifyingly intimidating.
And to top it off, she had threatened not to help this shepherdess at all.
Yet, observing Freesia’s composed expression, Thea couldn’t fathom what her superior was thinking.
Was she so calm because she didn’t grasp the severity of the situation?
As if ignorance indeed breeds bravery?
Unable to hold back any longer, Thea gently broached the subject.
“Madam, are you sure you’ll be alright? Have you ever hosted something like a tea party before…?”
“……”
To Thea’s inquiry, the superior only offered a cryptic smile. Before Thea could further probe whether she had experience, the superior posed an unexpected question.
“…Thea, you have family members working here too, right?”
“Yes? Oh, yes.”
Thea’s rank in the capital’s household had been low.
However, being a native of Arcturus, Thea had her relatives working all around the castle.
‘But did I ever mention that…?’
Thea wondered, puzzled as her shepherdess superior threw another perplexing question her way.
“Thea. Where are your close relatives assigned now?”
“Well, three are in the kitchen, and I believe my uncle might be working as a gardener…?”
“Good. Any other male relatives working as servants?”
“I think a couple of my cousins might be working as porters.”
“I see…”
The superior pondered for a moment before asking with a faint smile.
“Is there anyone working in the library right now?”
“Ah, yes, there should be a cousin of mine there. Definitely.”
“I see… Thea, I’ll be honest with you about this tea party.”
The superior stopped walking and looked directly at Thea with those deep green eyes. They were so large on her small face that it felt like being sucked in.
“We won’t be able to get help from the people here. It’ll have to be you and me, but we’re short on hands.”
“Ah… um.”
“But if we can mobilize your relatives for this tea party, I’ll make sure everyone is rewarded.”
“But, what?”
Then the shepherdess superior took off one of her rings.
It was a small sapphire ring, one of the dowry items from Antares.
Though Thea had admired its beauty, she never imagined it would be placed in her own hand.
“Would this ring suit you?”
“This precious thing for me?”
“Yes. You can keep it, or if you decide to sell it to a pawnbroker, it wouldn’t be much of a problem.”
“Ah…!”
“I’ll secretly give something to every relative who helps us, behind the Elder Madam’s back. Of course, the best goes to you.”
“Who should I tell?”
“The kitchen staff, the gardener, the porters. And your cousin in the library.”
“Even the library? Really…?”
Thea could understand bribing the kitchen staff, the gardener, and even the porters. Most of the servants here would be on the Elder Madam’s side.
But from preparing the venue of the tea party to managing the food, at least one person in each department had to be on the superior’s side.
Yet, what use could someone working in the library be?
Her shepherdess superior just smiled subtly.
“There’s a document there that we will need.”
“Ah… Yes, I understand! I’ll go meet them and come back!”
“Thank you.”
And with that, her superior moved on.
She was new to this castle, yet there was no hesitation in her steps, no sign of not knowing her way around.
Watching her, Thea was reminded of what she had felt on the first day they met.
It was a sense of dissonance felt when one underestimates someone based on their appearance.
‘Has she received divine guidance from the almighty Adamant? What’s going on?’
While Thea couldn’t guess, one thing was certain.
Her superior, whom she had initially looked down on, was no ordinary person, contrary to her appearance.
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