“Come in.”
Meli quickly opened the door and greeted me. She hurried over to me.
“Lady Revril, did you sleep well?”
I nodded vaguely. It wasn’t that I didn’t sleep at all. I just hadn’t gotten enough rest. But when Meli saw my face, she asked with concern,
“Did you not sleep well? You look really tired.”
“I think I’ll feel better if I sleep just a little more.”
Then I lay back down. Meli stepped closer to the bed and asked carefully,
“Lady Revril, are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
I forced a smile, pretending to be fine. Meli seemed a little relieved and stepped back. In the quiet room, I finally got some of the sleep I missed yesterday.
When I opened my eyes, my throat was very dry. I checked the time—it was already almost 3 p.m. I had slept for a long time, and my head hurt. My throat felt parched. I looked at the table, but the water was already gone.
I put on a robe and stepped out of the room. This place didn’t even have a bell to call a servant. Not that I was in a position to call one anyway.
When I reached the kitchen after going down the stairs, I heard a voice.
“Don’t you think the master will give her the engagement ring soon?”
I looked over and saw some maids chatting near the kitchen. I was curious about what rumors were going around the mansion, so I stayed still.
“I’m telling you, I saw it. The diamond was huge.”
“But why Lady Selena, of all people? I’m already scared. Didn’t she punish someone harshly before?”
“Exactly! If she’s in a bad mood, she picks someone to take it out on. Then she acts all sweet in front of the master like nothing happened.”
One of the maids shook her head as if she was sick of it. Then, one of them looked around. Luckily, they couldn’t see me from where I was standing. The maid whispered,
“Lady Selena’s family is really powerful. Of course, the master’s family is strong too, but lately, her family has been especially loyal to him.”
I stood there quietly for a while, then slowly walked forward. The maids scattered in shock as soon as they saw me.
‘I thought Selena was just making things up…’
It seemed Cedric really had bought something from a jewelry shop. I gripped the glass bottle tightly. Judging by what the maids said, if Cedric didn’t end up marrying Selena, it would cause a lot of gossip.
I got some water from the kitchen and went back upstairs. I heard laughter near the drawing room. I must have wandered toward the grand staircase without thinking.
‘I’ve been avoiding her on purpose so we wouldn’t run into each other…’
I tried to go up the stairs quickly. Just then, a voice rang sharply in my ears.
“Lady Selena, you’re really going through a lot. I’ve suffered so much because of Revril too. I don’t know what Revril told you, but ever since I invited her to a social gathering, we’ve barely been able to live in peace.”
That high-pitched voice stood out. Lady Jenkins. I had almost forgotten about her, but the memory came back suddenly, meaning she must have left a strong impression.
I turned and looked into the drawing room. Lady Jenkins was practically bowing as she held Selena’s hand. She looked pathetic at a glance.
Selena smirked and said,
“My father helped out quite a bit, didn’t he?”
“Yes, Count Verdin has been so thoughtful. I don’t know how to repay him.”
“I heard you’re good at spreading rumors.”
“Rumors?”
“You’re talented at reviving old gossip and getting people to talk about it again, right?”
“That’s true, but as you know, I’m not really involved in society anymore. Even if I start rumors now, I don’t think anyone would pay attention.”
“I’ll spread the rumor. You just tell me how to make sure it spreads well.”
Lady Jenkins stared at her with wide eyes. Selena calmly looked back at her, her gaze full of arrogance. Lady Jenkins hesitated and said,
“But if this goes wrong, it could backfire on you, Lady Selena.”
“I don’t care, as long as Revril disappears from here forever.”
“Still, this might affect the Verdin family too…”
“So someone with nothing can walk around holding their head high, and I’m supposed to do nothing?”
“That’s not what I meant, but…”
“Then show me something equal to what my father has done. If not, I’ll cut off all investment in that family.”
“I’m sorry, Lady Selena. Please don’t do that…”
Lady Jenkins had lost all her dignity. She used to be influential enough to lead social gatherings.
‘For her to go this far…’
I suddenly thought of how I had treated Cedric. Was I seen the same way by others? I stared at them blankly, then stepped into the drawing room. Lady Jenkins opened her eyes wide when she saw me, as if she’d seen a ghost.
Selena looked at me, dumbfounded.
“Revril, are you eavesdropping now?”
“What kind of rumor were you planning to spread about me?”
Selena’s face stiffened in an instant. I held the glass bottle tightly and said,
“Even if you spread rumors about me, no one will care. I come from a humble family—society doesn’t care about someone like me.”
Lady Jenkins glanced nervously at Selena. Selena looked furious, her eyes sharp and her face red as if she might scream. I hoped she understood me now. The social world that always looked down on me wouldn’t care enough to say more.
I turned around and left the drawing room. I could hear someone calling my name behind me, but I ignored it.
Back in my room, I put the glass bottle on the table and looked at the calendar. There were only two weeks left until the trial. It wasn’t long now.
‘Two weeks from now…’
I might have to leave this mansion forever. The thought made my chest ache.
‘If only I had listened to Cedric a little more back then…’
But it was too late now. I wanted to stay by Cedric’s side, but maybe that was just my selfish wish. My family had nothing, and I wasn’t any help to him.
If only Selena would leave this mansion—that was all I wanted now.
That evening, no matter how long I waited, Meli didn’t come. Wondering what was going on, I stepped outside the room. The atmosphere in the mansion was heavy. No maid would even meet my eyes—they all quickly avoided me.
I managed to stop one maid walking past me and asked,
“Have you seen Meli?”
As soon as I finished speaking, the maid flinched in surprise and stepped back. Then she quickly walked away like she was running from me. I didn’t understand why the maids were suddenly acting so strange. And then I noticed something even more odd—the cheerful sound of singing echoed around the hallway. Just then, I heard glass shattering and a sharp voice shouting,
“Can’t you clean properly? It’s because of people like you that everyone here gets insulted!”
Worried, I hurried down the stairs and entered the drawing room, where the music was playing. Someone was kneeling on the floor, picking up broken glass. I recognized her even from a distance.
“Meli!”
I ran toward her in a panic. Selena looked at me.
“Revril, what are you doing?”
“What are you doing to Meli?”
“She wasn’t doing her job properly, so I was teaching her a lesson. That’s how our family trains our maids.”
“There’s no need to train Meli like that.”
I reached out to take Meli’s arm.
“Revril, you seem confused. She’s a maid our family sent here.”
I paused and let go of Meli’s arm. I looked at her, wondering what Selena meant. But Meli didn’t look at me—she just bowed her head.
“I placed a maid from our family here to get closer to Cedric. I told her to report anything that happened to him.”
“…”
“And if someone like you showed up, I told her to make sure you worked under them, no matter what.”
I couldn’t believe it. I looked at Meli, but she still couldn’t raise her head. Tears fell from her eyes.
‘So she only pretended to be kind to me…?’
My mind went blank, like everything inside me had emptied out. Then a mocking voice rang in my ear.
“Revril, how does it feel to be betrayed by the maid you trusted most?”
