The Duchess Is Looking for Her Husband
Chapter 3
People often whispered behind Artia’s back because she had such pale coloring.
“What kind of Duke’s daughter looks so plain? Even if she got angry with that face, I don’t think she could scare even an ant.”
They were wrong.
True dignity did not come from appearance. It came from the presence and confidence a person gave off.
A moment later, Lirika stepped backward with a nervous, twisted expression.
Artia smiled slightly.
‘At least this little baby bird has a good instinct for sensing danger.’
But Artia had no intention of letting her leave so easily.
She gently curved her eyes into a smile and said,
“You may leave the room. But this time, leave properly and show me the respect I deserve.”
In the end, Lirika had to bow politely before she was allowed to leave.
Artia remembered Lirika’s face just before she left.
“She looked like someone who had been slapped by a weed that had been sitting quietly.”
It made sense.
Artia had never said anything harsh to anyone.
Not even to the commoner mistress who had taken her husband’s place beside him.
“You shouldn’t do that, Artia. There’s only a tiny difference between being a good person and being someone people can easily take advantage of.”
When you have a reason to be angry, you should be angry.
Properly and clearly.
Instead of pulling the bell rope again to call a maid, Artia got out of bed herself.
She felt a little dizzy because she had been lying down for so long, but she was not so weak that she couldn’t walk.
As Artia walked down the hallway, the maids whispered among themselves.
“Why did Madam come out of her room? Ever since Lady Lirika came to the mansion, she always stayed in her room, saying she was sick.”
“She fell into the lake and was unconscious for several days. Maybe she’s still not in her right mind.”
“Hehe. Then maybe it would be better if she stayed crazy. Usually, she can’t even lift her head and just stares at the floor.”
They spoke quietly, but Artia’s hearing was much sharper than most people’s, so she heard every word clearly.
Then a blunt voice interrupted their mocking conversation.
“That’s enough. You shouldn’t talk about the person you serve like that.”
“……!”
Artia turned toward the owner of the voice.
Among the ordinary-looking maids stood a tall woman with a long scar across her cheek.
The other maids frowned at her.
“We’re just talking among ourselves. Do you really feel better when you pretend to be so good?”
“I’m not pretending to be good. I’m simply telling you how a maid should behave.”
“You really…”
The maids’ angry voices grew louder, but the scarred maid simply started sweeping again without saying anything.
Artia watched her for a moment.
Then she raised the corners of her lips and continued walking.
A little later, Artia arrived at her destination and opened the door.
Inside was a strict-looking maid with her hair tied up perfectly, without a single strand out of place.
It was Elma, the head maid.
Elma asked with an annoyed expression,
“What brings you here?”
Her tone made it sound as though Artia had come all the way here just to bother someone who had been resting comfortably.
In the past, Artia would have been frightened and run away.
But the current Artia simply curved her eyes gently.
“I have something to say.”
“Then you should have called me through another maid. What noblewoman comes all the way to a maid’s room herself?”
“I tried to do that, but no maid came no matter how many times I pulled the bell rope. You must have trained the maids very well.”
“……”
Elma made the exact same expression Lirika had made earlier.
The face of someone who had just been slapped by a weed that had been standing quietly.
‘It’s too early for you to be making that face too.’
Artia immediately got to the point.
“How long have you worked at the Edenberg mansion?”
“……Since our master became the Duke. It has been three years.”
“Then you must have saved quite a lot of money during those three years.”
Why was she suddenly talking about money?
Was this some kind of attempt to brag about how the Edenberg household paid her more than other noble families?
From a foolish Duchess who had handed all household authority over to the head maid?
Elma’s nose wrinkled slightly as if she were having disrespectful thoughts.
Artia continued,
“I’m sure you got a good price no matter who you sold the things you stole from the Edenberg mansion to. Didn’t you?”
“……!”
Elma’s eyes widened.
Her expression clearly said,
How did she know?!
Artia was almost speechless.
‘Of course I would know.’
Royd had no interest in managing the household.
And Artia was too afraid to even properly look a maid in the eyes, let alone manage them.
Because of those two, Elma had been able to steal things without worrying.
And she had been so careless that Artia could have easily discovered it if she had paid even a little attention.
“If I investigate properly, we’ll find out exactly how many things you’ve stolen.”
A maid stealing and profiting from a noble family’s property was not treated as simple theft.
It was also considered an insult to the noble family, so the punishment was much more severe than for an ordinary crime.
And the higher the noble family’s rank, the more severe the punishment.
“You stole from the Duke’s family, so at the very least, you could lose your hand.”
Artia smiled as if she were talking about something interesting.
“And if we check the account books you’ve been managing and discover that you also embezzled money from the Duke’s family, you might even lose your head.”
Elma’s face became stiff.
She forced an awkward smile and stammered,
“W-why would you say such frightening things? Madam, you have always been such a kind and merciful person who never gets angry over small matters.”
A kind and merciful person.
The maids often used that expression when talking about Artia.
It was never really a compliment.
‘They mean I’m a pushover and an idiot.’
Artia knew the truth too.
She had been afraid of the maids’ reactions, so she had never dared to show her anger.
She had always kept her mouth shut.
But what she really wanted to say was:
‘If you call me kind and merciful one more time, I’ll pull out that wicked tongue of yours and tie it up with a ribbon.’
“……!”
Elma suddenly covered her mouth as if someone had actually grabbed her tongue.
Artia’s lips curled upward at her stronger-than-expected reaction.
‘She’s scared. Then this will be easier.’
Artia had not come here simply to question Elma about her crimes.
She had a clear purpose.
In a gentle voice, Artia said,
“Don’t worry, Elma. From now on, if you treat me with the respect the Duchess of Edenberg deserves, your tongue and your head will both remain exactly where they belong.”
Bang!
Elma dropped to her knees so hard that it sounded like the floor might break.
There was a reason Elma had become the head maid of the Duke’s household despite being foolish enough to leave evidence of her crimes over a little money.
Elma had an excellent ability to immediately recognize who held the real power and then obey that person.
With her head lowered, Elma said,
“I deeply regret my past behavior. From now on, I will serve Madam with all my heart. Please, show me mercy.”
Artia was not foolish enough to believe those words.
She had no intention of showing mercy either.
But…
‘Even a filthy card is worth using if it can still be useful.’
There was no need to throw it away yet.
She could do that later.
Threatening Elma had been worth it.
From that day on, the attitude of the maids serving Artia changed completely.
Whenever she pulled the bell rope, a maid waiting nearby rushed into the room at lightning speed.
“Did you call for me, Madam?”
“I feel like having a snack. Bring me something.”
“Yes, Madam.”
The maid quickly brought her a snack.
Inside a clear glass was a large amount of thinly sliced carrot sticks.
Artia picked up one and put it in her mouth.
Crunch.
The fresh taste and smell of the carrot filled her mouth.
Artia’s eyes filled with tears of emotion.
“It’s delicious…!”
Surprisingly, the current Artia had many things in common with the original Artia.
For one thing, they both liked vegetables.
And carrots were their favorite!
‘People treated me like I was some strange species because I liked carrots so much. I can’t believe I had someone else who shared my taste…’
Their hobbies and preferences were also the same.
In Artia’s room, there was a secret library filled with more than a hundred books.
Every single one was a romantic love story.
Lying comfortably on her soft bed, Artia grinned and opened a book.
The title was The Hot Bedroom of the Northern Duke.
It was about a cold-hearted Northern Duke who married a bride almost as if she had been sold to him.
But after falling in love with her, he became gentle only toward her.
And not just gentle.
He became as passionate as an erupting volcano.
It was a very predictable story for this genre, but Artia’s heart still beat faster.
‘How happy would I be if I had a man like this beside me?’
But reality was far too cruel.
After all, her husband was Royd.
The bastard…
No, Royd.
