TVDE CH 15

~Chapter 15~

“I can’t do it. I need to start acting like a villain quickly.”

Those warm eyes, as if looking at her youngest brother who was much older than her. If there was a little more age difference, it would have been like watching her granddaughter play tricks. It seemed like having Rosa, the maid-in-law, would be more helpful in her plans.

Who would have thought she would miss Rosa. Now that she thought about it, she wondered why Rosa didn’t come to scold her.

“The dinner is ready and I have come to serve you.”

With the help of two maids, Julie and Ellie, she was informed that breakfast was ready as she finished dressing.

‘A dinner is basically a dinner.’

Besides, the duchess was having dinner alone. She thought that the Duke would also be away and eating alone. She was about to ask them to bring it to her room, but the word dinner piqued her curiosity. Besides, if she were a lonely Duchess eating alone in a large dining hall, wouldn’t she be suitable for pity and ridicule? Hiding her true feelings with an innocent smile, she arrived at the restaurant, guided by her maid, and it was literally crowded.

The butler, the chef, and dozens of maids were lined up, all looking at Anthea.

“Welcome, madam.”

“It is an honor to meet you, ma’am.”

The butler gave a warm greeting, and the head chef greeted her with a dreamy look in his eyes. Rather than pretending to be innocent, she chose to imitate the Countess.

“You worked hard this morning.”

Anthea, who walked in with a nonchalant smile, was left speechless by the dishes that filled the huge dining table. The long table, which had dozens of chairs on it, was completely filled with dishes.

‘What if I make meat glistening with oil and a dessert that’s like a calorie bomb all at once?’

She was not sure if it was served as a course, but seeing all the food on the table made her feel like she was at the most cost-effective buffet. In front of the table filled with all kinds of dishes, Anthea had a feeling that if she ate just one bite, she would suffer from indigestion and die.

“I didn’t know what our lady would like, so I tried to make it as best as I could.”

“Hmm.”

She tried to avoid the expectant gaze of the chef and placed her hand on the bread right in front of her, and it was warm. The freshly baked bread was very soft and warm enough to steam when cut in half. The thickly boiled soup also warmed the inside of Anthea, who had only eaten a few pieces of fruit. Only the bowl was so large that the spoon was almost completely submerged. When she cut the nearest meat roll in half and put it in her mouth, the asparagus looked like a piece of wood, unlike the soft texture of the meat.

‘Is everyone really eating this normally?’

Was it really necessary for northern plants to grow this strong? She really liked the large cup of fruit juice, so she drank it greedily, but she put it down before she could finish half of it. When all the utensils were put down to signify that the meal was over, the chef became restless.

“Master, is the food not to your taste?”

“Harmon. Step back.”

 

The chef hesitated at the butler’s dissuasion, but Anthea answered without hesitation.

“I haven’t even touched most of it, so how can I know what it tastes like?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Then why don’t you eat it…?”

“Do I have to explain it all?”

Holding her chin up, haughtily. In order to find fault with her, Anthea used the maid, Rosa, as a role model. If Rosa had been at this scene, she would have started nagging Anthea the moment she sat down. She regretted the absence of Rosa, who would have turned her table into a battlefield, interfering with everything, from picking up a spoon to her manners. Since Rosa, who knew how to meddle in everything, was rarely seen, she found it difficult to start acting like a villain. At least in her actions she imitated Rosa, the most arrogant opponent Anthea had seen recently. Chef Hamon, who was restlessly bowing his head, desperately squeezed out an answer.

“Ma’am, then let’s increase the types of soup.”

“Are you telling me to just drink water?”

“Oh, no. I’m just saying that since you usually eat soup… sorry.”

Anthea despaired of the chef who prepared these many dishes and wanted to appear to her maids as her extravagant nobility. If she accumulated even a little bit of villain points, she would be hated no matter what she does. However, Anthea’s lovely appearance did not make her intentions any better. Far from being a villainous woman, she looked like a child with a heartache due to her hunger.

Harmon was greatly embarrassed by this. Harmon, who had been proud as the Duchess’ chef for over twenty years, created only the dishes he was confident in, without considering the tastes of the duchess who came from a different country. He saw Anne Shea, who couldn’t even eat a few apples, at the last minute, so he added and strengthened her menu, but the result was a crushing defeat that didn’t even reach the Duchess’s touch.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am. If you tell me what dish you like, I will make it right away.”

“I have no intention of saying anything.”

“Yes?”

Looking at Harmon’s shocked face, Anthea imitated Rosa’s strict and vicious expression.

“Cooking is the chef’s prerogative.”

With those words, Anthea left the dining hall. She was followed by her two maids, and those who remained hurriedly put away the dishes. Except for a few people who thought they were going to eat well today, the Duchess was shocked and distressed by her poor meal. There was no sign of shrinkage in the bowl of soup that was only about a finger’s width, the fruit juice that was not even half drunk, and the bread that was piled high.

“I starved my lady.”

Before he knew it, he was even using the friendly term “we,” and Harmon was in despair. The maids who had seen Anthea nibbling on an apple in the early morning approached and comforted Harmon.

“Chef, we’ll come up with an idea too.”

“I’ll do my best so that you can eat at least one more meal next time.”

“Thank you everyone.”

The chef and her maids, who usually did not get along very well, came together for the first time and exchanged ideas to ensure that the Duchess had a satisfying meal. Anne Shea had no idea in her dreams that an unexpectedly friendly atmosphere had been created. Under the illusion that she had a smooth start as a villainess, she continued with her plans for her next evil deed.

“Julie, Ellie. Get ready to go out.”

“Shouldn’t you rest today?”

“No. I’m not weak enough to lie down all day just because I had a nosebleed.”

While she was staying at the countess’s house, she mistakenly believed that she had carriage phobia, so she lived only in the countess’s mansion, in keeping with the countess’s illusion. Even though she traveled for a long month, she never stopped by the village unless she was sleeping, so she couldn’t get a chance to see her. Now that she was at the Duke’s house, she planned to put on a show and spend some money.

“Is there any allowance for me?”

“If it is your money, let me tell the head maid and she will be able to use it.”

“To Rosa?”

It was a chance to meet Rosa legally. Ann Shea turned back from her room and asked her maid to guide her to a place where she could be. Fortunately, she said, by this time the head maid would be briefed on her routine in her manager’s private room. What was an administrator-only room and what was the point of receiving reports? The count’s maid, Anthea, had been busy managing her mansion all day. She did so and gave her report on the operation and management of the mansion to the Countess. Rosa has a private office. This was clearly her attitude towards herself as a hostess. There was not just one or two things she had to point out and skip over, but there were enough conditions to argue about. Plus, she says she’ll be getting reports by now, so she’ll have a lot of witnesses.

“This is the head maid’s office.”

Two maids stopped in front of a door that, at first glance, was too fancy for the maid to take to her room. Anthea nodded her head as if she was okay as the two looked around worriedly. She opened the door and she looked inside. The sight made her think she was the CEO of some big company. The walls were filled with furniture that looked so flashy and expensive that it would be difficult for anyone but a nobleman to afford it, as if showing off. There was a black desk in the middle of the room with not a speck of dust visible. As expected, the owner of the desk was Rosamail, the head maid. No matter how you look at it, this was not on a scale that a maid would have. She didn’t bother to correct it. Instead she snorted and pointed out her shortcomings as a Duchess.

Anthea, who was trying to point out Rosa’s mistake by asking how she was supposed to carry around her dedicated maid who she didn’t even give away, decided to let Rosa complain about herself. Therefore, Anthea pretended not to understand Rosa’s words and walked inside with a smile on her face.

“I came to collect my money.”

“Ha. As a duchess, the first thing you do is look for money, like a debtor.”

In a vulgar way. Even though Rosa didn’t say it out loud, Anthea seemed to hear it clearly. Rosa stood up gracefully, placing her fingertips on the desk. It was a move that seemed to show off.

“Of course I have to give it to you. However, you should know that there is a procedure for everything.”

“I’m going out to play now. You just need to give me enough money to buy a few dresses.”

Of course, there was no need to fill the gold coin bag heavily. It was enough for the Duchess to give her name to buy something at the ducal estate. Anthea also knew, but she boldly came to Rosa to challenge her.

“Oh my god. From the first day you became the duke’s mistress, you’ve been stealing the duke’s funds and devising them. If the previous Duchess had seen her, she would have been very angry.”