Chapter 9
“The Duchess will personally choose her exclusive maid today,” the head maid quickly answered to the Duke.
“No! Not that. Why is my wife speaking so formally to you?” the Duke asked.
“Uh, yes?”
“Why? Why is my wife using formal language with her servants?” he questioned.
“We just… followed the Duchess’s instructions,” the head maid said, trailing off, seeming a bit flustered.
“Duke! Iām fine with it. I actually prefer it,” Rena quickly added, trying to alleviate the tension.
“You prefer it?” The Duke, who had been descending a few steps, slowly processed her words.
Looking at his expression, Rena realized she had probably said something wrong.
āCanāt I do things the way I want?ā she thought.
“Is it not okay?” she asked hesitantly, holding back her frustration.
She didnāt want to make trouble, especially when she had to get along with him for six months to receive the compensation.
“I didnāt realize my wife was this much of a pragmatist. But I prefer order over comfort,” the Duke said, reaching her with a neutral expression.
Rena suddenly realized she had forgotten that the Duke was a stickler for principles.
āOhā¦ so they never suggested I speak informally to him either,ā Rena thought. The head maid and butler should have known about the Dukeās rigid nature.
She quickly realized that the house didnāt want to acknowledge her as the lady of the house. They had assumed she wouldnāt last long enough to be treated as the mistress.
“The butler and head maid must have thought I would speak informally, since they didn’t suggest it to me,” Rena said. “I didnāt realize this was how it worked here.” She explained it with a fake innocent tone.
“No, thatās not the case. We just followed the Duchessās lead,” the head maid responded hurriedly.
Seeing that, Rena smirked to herself.
“Actually, I prefer following my husbandās rules. He seems to care a lot about order, so Iāll follow that from now on,” Rena continued.
“Yes! You should!” the butler quickly agreed.
The Duke silently nodded before giving another order.
“Bart, make sure the carriage for the Duchess is ready as soon as possible.”
Rena could see that the Duke was intentionally trying to show control.
“Okay!” the butler responded as he hastily gathered the servants.
Now Rena looked around, looking for the maid she had chosen ā “Luce.” She asked the other maids one by one, and eventually, she found her standing at the end of the line.
“Iāll take this one,” Rena said, making a decision.
“Ah, but this one is a newcomer to the Dukeās household, so she might not be very efficient. Perhaps itās better to take Solah,” the head maid suggested, pointing to another maid.
Rena frowned. āThey think they can challenge me like that?ā she thought.
“Iām new to this house too, and I think someone like me, who just joined, might be more useful than someone whoās been here a long time. For example, like someone who immediately contradicts the masterās choice and recommends another maid.” Rena smiled sarcastically.
“What?” the head maid replied, shocked.
Rena noticed the head maid had a similar look to Solah. āThey must be allies,ā Rena thought, irritated.
“Iām sticking with Luce, so Iāll take her,” Rena concluded firmly.
The head maid gave in reluctantly. “Yes.”
Luce, who had been looking confused, finally spoke up, “Iām Luce. What should I do now?”
Rena smiled at her, feeling relieved. āLuce has a lot of knowledge about herbs, which could be useful,ā she thought. Luce had learned a lot from her father, who was an herbalist, and could be a great help to her.
“Iāll take you to my room, Luce,” Rena said, satisfied with her choice.
Later that day, Rena decided to go out again. She had written an anonymous letter the previous evening and wanted to send it. She also needed to look into some information guilds. She planned to gather information to expose the Duke’s potential affair, which she could use to her advantage in the future.
As soon as she told the servants she was leaving, a carriage was ready.
“Hello, Duchess! Iām Jess, the new coachman assigned to you today.”
Rena was surprised. “Why a new coachman?” she asked, puzzled.
“On the Duke’s orders, a coachman was hired just for you, to make sure you are always taken care of,” the butler explained.
āWhy is the Duke doing all this?ā Rena thought. “Why is he suddenly being so nice to me?”
“Thank you,” she said politely to Jess, though she was still confused by the Dukeās unexpected kindness.
Jess gave her a polite bow, although his sharp demeanor made it seem like he could be a detective rather than a coachman.
“Where to?” Jess asked.
“Iām just going to the city for a bit,” Rena said, not wanting to tell him her exact plans.
She didnāt want to reveal that she was going to the post office or anything else that might hint at her secret plans. After all, she needed to stay cautious as she pursued the 200 million talan compensation.
After arriving in the city, Rena went directly to the post office. But as she was about to send her letter, she was suddenly bumped into by a man.
“Oops! Iām so sorry!” The man apologized, but in the process, Rena dropped the envelope containing her letter.
