~Chapter 73~
“Look at that loyalty. The head maid is as sharp as a knight of the duke’s house.”
“We all serve the duke’s family in different ways, but with the same devotion,”
Rosa dipped her head slightly, glanced over at Arthur who was studying the map, and casually offered:
“If you’re looking for a vacant building in the central area, I know of a property. Should I tell you?”
“You know a good place?”
“How would a head maid know that?”
The two men asked at the same time. Rosa replied calmly:
“Everything that happens in the territory eventually reaches my ears.”
This was a stark contrast to how she’d stayed silently like a shadow during the earlier meeting.
The aide looked at her with admiration.
“Wow~ she’s like a second duchess. The Gwinted family is truly blessed.”
It was the kind of comment that could be taken as a slight to the actual duchess. Arthur frowned in irritation, but Rosa only smiled politely.
“Thank you.”
There wasn’t even a trace of humility in her response.
While the nobles were busy with meetings in the duke’s conference room, the servants gathered in the main hall looked around, confused.
“Do you know why we’re all here?”
“No idea. They just suddenly told me to come.”
Ancia had called together all available staff, excluding those with urgent duties.
It was her first time summoning the staff, so many dropped everything and ran over. Some were even trainee knights who had left training to attend.
As she stood watching the growing crowd filling the large hall, Ancia regretted calling so many people.
She’d just made a light request through the head butler, but now she realized how little she actually knew about how the duke’s estate worked.
“At this rate, the hall’s going to be packed…”
She looked around, half expecting head maid Rosa to interfere — but Rosa was nowhere in sight.
That made it the perfect moment. Since Rosa could disrupt what Ancia was about to do, it was better to act while she was gone.
Ancia stepped up onto the platform in the center of the hall. The buzzing conversations slowly quieted.
A few familiar faces looked at her kindly, but most people didn’t know her well and remained expressionless.
With so many watching, she naturally grew nervous.
She took a deep breath and slowly looked around from those closest to those furthest away. Then, she bowed slightly.
Startled by the duchess’s unexpected action, the staff quickly and awkwardly bowed back.
“I’m sorry for everything.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but like during the wedding ceremony, it carried across the entire room.
The servants looked around in confusion, not sure what she meant.
Ancia straightened up and calmly spoke from the heart.
“I know I’ve been a terrible lady of the house. I made too many mistakes to apologize individually, so I called you all here.”
She wanted to start fresh, and a sincere apology was the first step.
“It must’ve been hard with someone like me in charge. Things are going to get busier soon — but it won’t be out of spite this time. It’ll be necessary work, so I hope there won’t be any misunderstandings.”
This wasn’t just about apologizing for her past “villainess” behavior — it was also a heads-up that things were going to get hectic.
“I was mean on purpose before, but from now on, I’ll still be busy — just not in a bad way.”
It was the kind of speech that could feel like half apology, half warning. Still, she wanted to speak her truth, even if it didn’t mean much.
Some murmurs started among the silent crowd. Then one maid near the front carefully spoke up:
“My lady… I don’t really understand what you mean.”
If Ancia had behaved like a typical noble, no one would’ve dared say such a thing. But because her past cruelty had been relatively harmless, some had actually benefited from it.
The question caught her off guard. She quickly tried to think of what she’d done that might’ve upset a maid.
“Like… taking your snacks, or breaking your jars…”
“Thanks to your suggestion to improve snack quality, we now get delicious treats every day. I look forward to snack time.”
“And the jars were replaced with trendier ones. The hallway looks so much nicer now.”
The compliments came in rapid-fire.
“Well… I also didn’t eat the food the chef made…”
“My lady, I—Hamon, the head chef—admit I was overconfident. Finding recipes that satisfy you has become my new passion. Please don’t dismiss me.”
“Thanks to you, we’re all eating so well we need to start dieting.”
The kitchen staff had been working hard to please Ancia, and the rest of the staff enjoyed the results.
She turned to the trainee knights next.
“Um… I once rearranged the knights’ posts without permission…”
“The townspeople aren’t scared of us anymore — they rely on us now. Your insight was amazing.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“Thanks to your love for fruit, a new fruit shop opened in town.”
“The local dress shop is now full of cute children’s clothes. It’s much livelier.”
What was meant to be a moment of apology had somehow become a parade of praise.
Blushing, Ancia watched as a maid she didn’t even recognize came forward with hands clasped and eyes full of emotion.
“My lady, I’d like to thank you.”
She was a maid Ancia had never even seen while acting like a villainess. Yet the girl looked at her as if deeply moved.
“Wait, what… why are you looking at me like that?”
Ancia couldn’t escape, so she just stared at the girl as the maid spoke again — warmly.
“No one else cared about the little children, but you did.”
“What? No, I barely have the strength to care for myself…”
She had such a weak body that even small tasks were difficult — so she was able to speak with confidence.
She denied it, but other staff nodded.
“My parents were busy with the harvest, and I work late nights. My youngest sibling was a mess… but one day, they came home clean, wearing new clothes. They said a princess with silver hair bought them toys and gave them good food.”
“That was the assigned maids! I just let them do it!”
The maids wouldn’t have acted without Ancia’s permission — but no one believed her.
The staff began expressing all their bottled-up gratitude.
“My grandma fell while hiking, but the knights helped us. I heard it was because you ordered extra patrols.”
“My kids also benefited from your kindness. I’m sorry it took me this long to thank you.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
“No, no — I didn’t do it for thanks, and I just ordered the patrols randomly…”
“I was trying to act like a villain…”
But her awkward excuses only made more people smile fondly, their cheeks puffing up with joy.
This was supposed to be a time for reflection — how had it turned into a shower of compliments?
Ancia’s face turned redder and redder, her ears and neck heating up too. The staff looked at her more fondly than ever.
She’s so adorable.
What a lovely person.
I just want to pinch her cheeks.
How dare you think such thoughts about the duchess?!
Even the whispered gossip held nothing but warmth.
Overwhelmed by the unexpected reactions, Ancia finally said what she had meant to all along.
“The reason I’m apologizing is to let you know that things will get tougher — but it’s not on purpose. We’re all going to be really busy, so please be prepared.”
It was like giving medicine after candy — a step back before a big move.
But looking at the warmth in their eyes, she felt like maybe this had all been unnecessary.
“That’s all I wanted to say. Before you go, I’d like you to take a quick survey.”
Today had two goals:
Apologize for her past villainous behavior.
Gather feedback about the Monster Hunt Festival idea.
Since she had gathered everyone anyway, she might as well collect their opinions.
