Episode 35
“Damn it…”
Adele muttered a curse and covered her face with both hands.
I told you to watch your mouth. Keep a cool head. The voices of Heriath and her lord echoed in her mind.
Adele carefully checked Eliano’s expression. But Eliano’s face remained calm, like nothing had happened. Adele stared at her hard, but even Eliano’s green eyes stayed calm and steady. She couldn’t read a single emotion—and it was frustrating.
“You’re just like my lord. I can’t read him either. The two of you are a perfect match.”
Adele clenched her teeth. Eliano answered with a soft smile and twinkling eyes.
“I don’t mind hearing that.”
Unlike her lord, who was a rock, Eliano gave Adele a different kind of headache. Adele let out a long sigh.
“Countess, I think it’s you who needs to cool your head. The one with strong feelings for His Grace isn’t me—it’s you. Must be your loyalty.”
A shiver ran down Adele’s back. She was shocked—it was the exact same thing her lord had once said to her!
“You really are… so different from the rumors. Everyone talks like you’re some kind of fool.”
That rumor had started with Heriath. But Eliano, still perfectly composed, replied gracefully.
“Gossip can be useful, but it rarely holds any truth.”
Eliano didn’t bother asking about the seal. She already knew what it was—the Howard seal the current emperor had taken the moment his nephew died. She had assumed it would be returned to the rightful heir once Flint came back to the Empire. The fact that the emperor still held onto it made him seem a little cruel.
“Do you really have no interest in our lord at all?”
Adele asked, sounding completely defeated. Maybe this noble lady had just toyed with a northern man for fun. Sigh… poor His Grace, Adele thought as she stood up to leave the room.
She didn’t expect an answer, but Eliano gave one anyway.
“If I had no interest, I wouldn’t have given you my time, would I?”
Adele’s eyes went wide. Eliano gave a light smile and added,
“Next time, I won’t be so polite. Goodbye.”
Her meaning was clear.
After visiting Brillante, Eliano went to a social club gathering. She chatted with many nobles and then returned home. Now, deep in thought, she sat in her room.
His Majesty still hasn’t returned the Howard seal. He’s keeping it. The condition for its return… is marriage.
That seal had been granted by the former emperor when he took away the name Bianteka from the fatherless Maximilian and gave him a new title—Duke Howard.
It carried deep history and strong symbolism. The seal marked the true beginning of House Howard and secured their rule over the North. Naturally, it belonged to Flint Howard.
It’s also a keepsake.
He had mentioned his mother loved flower arranging and often used garden shears—something he clearly remembered with emotion. He must’ve carried his parents’ grief in his heart. And that made sense. Eliano thought that if she had something left from her real mother, she would want to find it too.
Now, she could guess why Flint had first rejected a political marriage but later changed his mind—because he remembered the keepsake.
The seal stirred something in his heart. And with Adele around, it seemed Flint had more than one loyal follower pressuring him to marry. Even the crown prince, Heriath, was doing everything he could to set Flint up with someone.
Suddenly, Eliano felt embarrassed about what she’d once shouted at him in Asta’s greenhouse:
— I want a man who can kiss the daughter of Duke Rosana without lowering his head.
She had acted like he liked her and gotten all excited. It had been a huge misunderstanding. In her past life too, she had lived thinking her husband’s love would last forever. She’d even convinced herself it was true.
Then she remembered—Duke Howard had still been unmarried more than ten years later. But he would’ve needed the seal, right? Maybe he married just anyone, got the seal, and divorced right away?
But no—he had no divorce history in her previous life.
Then, a sharp idea struck her.
The crown prince. Heriath must have given the seal to him. That’s why Flint didn’t need to get married. Either Heriath had spent years convincing the emperor, or he gave it to Flint himself after becoming emperor. That would explain Flint’s lack of interest in marriage.
No matter how mighty the emperor was, time was on Flint Howard’s side. He only needed to wait. One day, the seal would come to him.
So Eliano decided to rethink her plan to push for marriage using the seal as bait. Maybe she couldn’t force it—but she could shake his heart. Waiting was hard, after all.
If he gets the seal right after marrying… how easy is that? People naturally want the easy way. If I push that button…
“My lady, Head Maid says everything is ready. She said you’d understand if I told you that…”
Jane’s voice brought Eliano back to the present. Jane was glancing around nervously. Eliano smirked on one side.
Now wasn’t the time to wonder about Flint Howard’s heart. First, she had to deal with the spy in front of her.
“The mail is here, my lady. Will you check it? It took a little longer to sort this time… I’ll try to be quicker next time.”
Jane chattered as she placed the bundle of letters on the table. Eliano untied it with smooth fingers and began checking them one by one. Her face turned cold.
Some letters were missing.
She checked again, but the result was the same.
Eliano gathered the letters into one pile and took a slow breath. Jane tilted her head, sensing something was wrong. Then Eliano spoke in a flat voice, without emotion, and gave an order.
Jane bowed politely and left the room.
“My lady! Please forgive me! Sob… I was wrong…”
A maid with brown hair knelt and begged with all her might. Her face was full of tears, and both her cheeks were red and bruised. Nearby, a strong-looking maid was flexing her wrists.
The lady they served was calmly soaking in a bathtub. The bathroom door was open, so all the sounds were clearly heard, but Eliano’s expression stayed calm. Instead, the maids helping her bathe looked pale and terrified. One maid’s hands trembled so much she dropped a bathing item. Miller quickly dragged her out of the bathroom.
The girl thought she might be next, but thankfully, she was only ordered to stand still. The other maids, already standing, watched nervously as the first lady’s personal maid was punished. Anyone who looked away or avoided eye contact got scolded.
And that maid was… Lavender.
What had Lavender done to deserve such harsh punishment? The others were terrified.
They glanced around with trembling eyes. Lavender’s sobs and screams filled the room, and fear spread to the others. Under Miller’s cold command, they were also ordered to take part in the punishment. No one doubted it was all under Eliano’s orders.
“You, pull that wicked girl’s hair tight. If you let go again, you’ll join Lavender.”
“S-Sorry, Head Maid…”
The maid in charge of holding Lavender’s head kept a firm grip. Two others grabbed her arms tightly. None of them wanted to be slapped like Lavender.
The sound of slaps returned. Lavender screamed and cried, even as she begged. The maid doing the hitting didn’t stop. When Lavender tried to escape, she was punched in the side. The maid almost lost her grip, but threatened Lavender to behave.
Even if they only slapped her, people’s hands weren’t always accurate. So Lavender’s lip was split, and blood dripped from her nose. If one maid’s hand grew weak, Miller replaced her with another. One maid who tried to go easy had gotten slapped several times by Miller—after that, everyone hit with full force.
“Miller.”
At Eliano’s voice, the slapping stopped. Miller nodded, and the maids let go of Lavender. Eliano stirred the bathwater with one white hand and spoke.
“Lavender, why are you apologizing? What did you do wrong?”
Lavender looked heartbroken. She honestly didn’t know.
Jane had told her the lady was calling, so she came running. Then she had been forced to kneel, beaten, and had no idea why. She shouted, asking why this was happening. That’s when Eliano, who she hadn’t even seen, stepped out and said:
— I gave the order.
She was dragged, slapped, and burned with humiliation. At first, she thought maybe this was just stress relief. Some nobles did take out their anger on servants.
A few slaps? I can take that…
But it wasn’t just a few. The slaps didn’t stop. Sometimes Eliano would comment—Too slow. Too fast. If a maid’s strength faded, Miller switched her out.
Lavender felt like she was in hell. Her face hurt so much she couldn’t stop crying. But what terrified her most was Eliano’s calm face.
Lavender had served Eliano closely and thought she knew her character. She had never been the violent type.
That’s when Lavender realized this wasn’t for fun—it was punishment. And there was only one way out: to beg. So she did. She cried and begged for forgiveness. But Eliano had only said she needed a bath and walked away.
Lavender felt she would do anything to make it stop. But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t figure out what she had done wrong.
“M-My lady… I’m sorry… I was foolish… I don’t know what I did… If you tell me, I’ll fix it… sob… Please… just give me one more chance…”
When the slapping paused, Lavender pleaded for an answer. She even begged the head maid to tell the lady for her. But Miller scolded her coldly.
“You idiot! Do you need it spelled out? Think harder and figure it out!”
