Chapter 25
Claire smirked and stepped closer to Jane. Unconsciously, Jane retreated.
She had heard Claire was only a half-noble, tainted with commoner blood.
Yet, she couldn’t understand why she felt as if she was standing before someone who had been born a noble.
“I don’t see why the Ravello Marquisate needs to employ a maid who lacks basic etiquette.”
“…”
“Be gone by the end of the day. I’ll inform Maggie myself.”
Claire brushed past Jane. Her flowing hair carried a floral fragrance, light and pleasant.
Her beauty, upright posture, and refined manner of speaking.
Claire was nothing like the half-noble Jane had envisioned. Jane clenched her fists in frustration.
“Someone like you, who’s just a lowborn…”
Even Becca was shocked at the audacious remark.
However, Claire wasn’t particularly surprised. Among the information she’d received, she had learned Jane had a short temper and had been dismissed from her previous job because of it.
Jane ran toward Claire and raised her voice.
“I was sent here by the Marchioness! You can’t treat me like this—”
“Say that again.”
Claire’s calm, low voice echoed heavily.
Jane, who had been yelling in frustration, froze. Despite her slender frame, Claire was rather tall.
Looking up at her fair, expressionless face from below, Jane felt an overwhelming pressure.
“W-what…?”
“I said, say it again.”
Jane stammered, struggling to open her mouth.
“You can’t treat me like…”
“Not that.”
“T-the Marchioness sent me…”
“Not that either.”
Jane bit her lip, realizing what Claire wanted her to say.
Lowborn.
That was the word she couldn’t utter. After all, Claire was legally registered as Franz Ravello’s daughter, making her a noble by law.
But…
‘A disgrace to the Ravello name, letting someone of such lowly blood enter our family!’
Jane had become so immersed in the Marchioness’s gossip that she had let her tongue slip.
“Why would you say something you can’t repeat?”
Claire smiled faintly, as if mocking Jane’s sudden silence.
“Did you think saying that would leave me frozen?”
“…T-the Marchioness wouldn’t punish me…”
“Think whatever you like. I can always just leave.”
The days when Claire had nowhere else to go were long over.
Staying at the Ravello Marquisate was only one of many ways to achieve her goals. Even without staying, there were plenty of ways to claim the title.
Resting her pale cheek lightly on her hand, Claire tilted her head and muttered softly.
“But if I leave because of you… what will happen?”
Becca and Jane’s faces turned pale simultaneously.
‘I can’t stand her, but she’s useful, so we need to keep her here.’
They vividly recalled the Marchioness saying those exact words. If Claire left because of them…
“The Marchioness would be furious, wouldn’t she? After all, she practically begged her granddaughter to live here.”
“Ugh…”
Claire’s refreshing smile starkly contrasted with the grim expressions of the two maids.
The Marchioness was known for her vindictive and cruel nature. She would never forgive anyone who ruined her plans.
Even if they quit, the Marchioness would relentlessly hound them, sabotaging any future employment opportunities and making their lives miserable.
No, before that, she would likely start by punishing them severely.
“I-I’m sorry, my lady. I was wrong. I’ll leave immediately, so please don’t tell the Marchioness.”
Realizing the consequences too late, Jane pleaded desperately.
Claire didn’t answer. Instead, she turned her gaze sharply toward Becca.
“Why are you just standing there?”
“Huh…? Oh, yes.”
Seeing her colleague get dismissed, Becca quickly picked up the luggage.
“My lady! Lady Claire! My ladyyyy—!”
No matter how loudly Jane cried out behind her, Claire didn’t look back.
Her elegantly tall figure climbed the stairs leisurely, heading toward the corner room on the third floor.
It had been over a decade since she last returned.
‘Hmm, now that I’m back…’
Her green eyes scanned the narrow, desolate, and shabby room, unchanged from when she had last seen it.
‘Still a dump.’
At least at the Muton Ducal Castle, she had been given a proper room fitting for the lady of the house.
This chaotic household had relegated her, the eldest daughter of the family, to this miserable room.
To be precise, it had been this way since her father remarried.
The room Claire had used when her mother was alive had become the Marchioness’s dressing room, and Franz’s room had been given to Alex.
‘It’s time to take everything back.’
The room, the family, and everything else that had been stolen from her.
Sitting on the bed, Claire calmly went over her plans.
‘I’ll start with the maids, then target Alex among the family. As for the Crown Prince…’
That decision would depend on the report she received from Teddy.
***
Ravello Marquisate Dining Hall
The family gathered for dinner in the dining hall. Claire sat quietly at the very end of the table, observing them.
None of the three paid her any attention. She was treated as a complete outsider.
All too familiar.
“Alex, how are things going with Lady Merison?”
The Marquis, who had been chatting cheerfully with his family, suddenly asked his son.
Alex’s face momentarily showed discomfort as he chewed his meat. Claire didn’t miss it.
“Y-yeah, don’t worry about it.”
“You mustn’t lose her. Don’t forget that Earl Merison is the Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
“I know, which is why I’m putting up with that kid.”
Alex grumbled.
His fiancée was seven years younger than him. Despite the age gap, the fact that he hadn’t secured the upper hand frustrated him.
The Marchioness looked at her son affectionately.
“Oh, my poor thing. Is Lady Merison being too headstrong? Tsk tsk, how does she expect to become a proper noblewoman like that?”
“She’s definitely not charming. She’s boring, annoying, and insufferable.”
“Still, endure it. Marrying into that family benefits not just us but you too, Alex. Didn’t you say you wanted to start a business? Earl Merison is renowned for his connections both inside and outside the empire.”
After coaxing and comforting his son, the Marquis finally turned to Claire for a token inquiry.
“Ah, Claire, how do you feel about moving into our home?”
“I like it, Grandfather. The room feels so cozy. It reminds me of the little fort I made as a child by draping fabric over my desk.”
Her subtly sarcastic comment made the Marchioness’s eyebrow twitch.
Before the Marchioness could say anything, Claire spoke again.
“Oh, and I have something to inform you. Father felt bad about leaving me here alone, so he’ll be sending me a monthly allowance.”
“What…?”
At the mention of money, the Marquis and Marchioness’s faces brightened.
Naturally, this was something Claire had arranged with Franz beforehand. It was a strategy to ensure the Marquisate wouldn’t mistreat her.
‘You should be the ones scrambling to keep me here, not the other way around.’
While Claire could take or leave living here, the Marquisate needed her for her father’s contributions to the household.
“My, how thoughtful of Franz. Becoming a father has matured him, hasn’t it? Hohoho.”
“When will he start sending it? And how much?”
“Starting tomorrow—100,000 gold every month.”
The substantial amount brought broad smiles to the couple’s faces.
Since she planned to reclaim all the money later anyway, Claire smiled sweetly as well.
“I also have another request.”
“Go on, let’s hear it.”
The Marquis, now uncharacteristically generous, nodded in a gentle tone.
“There aren’t enough maids. Please assign me two more.”
“What do you mean? I already sent you two,” the Marchioness said, frowning slightly.
Claire replied calmly.
“At least three are necessary. Besides, I dismissed one of them. She was rude and mean-spirited. I felt she tarnished the name of the Ravello Marquisate, so I sent her away.”
She abruptly turned her head to look at the head maid standing behind her.
“You heard that, Maggie? Make sure her dismissal is processed.”
The flustered head maid opened her mouth in shock. The Marchioness stared at Claire in disbelief.
Managing the staff was solely the domain of the household’s mistress.
It wasn’t something a mere illegitimate child who had just moved in should be meddling with.
—
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