TEWRIT 37

Episode 37

“Th-The Duke…! It was… the Duke…! The Duke… he…”

As soon as Eliano heard the answer she wanted, she smiled brightly.

“The Duke…”

Lavender tried to say more, but broke into coughing fits. The fear of being dunked into the water again overwhelmed her, and tears flowed down her face. She had to say something more valuable to the lady. Maybe then, she’d be forgiven and allowed to stay.

But Eliano, knowing exactly what Lavender was thinking, said coldly:

“That’s enough.”

She let go of Lavender’s hair like it was something filthy. Taking a towel from Miller, Eliano began drying her wet hands with a lazy look.

“You should’ve said that earlier. Now my clothes are ruined. What a ridiculous way to spend the early morning.”

Her indoor clothes were soaked—felt more like they were stained with blood than just water. When Miller asked if she’d like to change, Eliano shook her head.

Lavender lay there, focusing only on breathing in and out. Eliano glanced around the room and gave a quiet order.

“Miller, leave only Jane. Everyone else, out.”

The other maids rushed out like they were escaping. Just then, Lavender reached out and touched the hem of Eliano’s dress. Barely touched it, really.

Eliano turned her green eyes toward her. Lavender’s brown eyes—once thought innocent—were filled with desperation. Now, they didn’t look so innocent after all. Eliano scoffed. She could practically hear Lavender’s scheming thoughts.

“Lavender, you’re a clever girl. If you were afraid of my father, you should’ve feared his daughter too.”

“Hic… My lady…”

“I have the same blood as my father. Did you really not think I’d kill you before he did?”

Maybe that’s why her father had raised her to be foolish—so she wouldn’t grow into someone like this maid, who measured her masters and did sneaky things behind their backs. These thoughts disgusted her.

“Did you think I didn’t notice? How you always insisted I bathe after I went out… How you watched me during those baths, staring at my body. It was so obvious, I felt embarrassed.”

“Hic… I-I’m sorry… P-Please… one more chance…”

“That’s when I decided.”

Eliano spoke like the words were escaping between clenched teeth.

“I’d drown you in this water one day and stop your breathing for good.”

Lavender wept and begged to be spared. Now that everyone else had left, she thought she was really going to die. Eliano smirked.

“If I’d even held a man’s hand, you would’ve rushed off to tell my father in excitement, wouldn’t you?”

Lavender shook her head, crying harder. Eliano clicked her tongue. In some ways, it was pitiful. She’d only obeyed the house’s master. But Lavender should’ve known who really held her leash.

If she’d just confessed earlier, Eliano would’ve even told her exactly what to say to her father. She would’ve protected her—because she’d planned to take all her personal maids with her when she left the Rosana estate.

“I suggest you don’t tell my father. The man I know would strangle you to death without blinking. He’s the kind of man who beats his own daughter—do you think he sees you as human?”

Lavender trembled violently, but still whispered something—probably begging again for mercy. Eliano remained cold.

“Lavender, I don’t believe in fixing people.”

And with that, Miller dragged Lavender out of the room. Her desperate cries of “My lady! My lady!” echoed behind her, but Eliano didn’t look back.

“Tell Miller I don’t need a personal maid for now. Let her assign the rest as she sees fit.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Eliano’s voice was filled with exhaustion. Once Jane was gone too, Eliano collapsed into bed and pulled the blanket over her head.

Peace will never exist in the Rosana estate…

Whether it was the wet indoor clothes or the stress, Eliano fell ill for several days. Even though Jane woke her up to change clothes later that night, her fragile body had already caught a cold.

“I’m so sorry… My lady, I should’ve changed you faster. It’s all my fault…”

Jane cried and took care of her the best she could. Eliano’s cold wasn’t only from her body—it was from the mental exhaustion of what had happened with Lavender. The family doctor, Emma, left medicine behind and said it was due to too much stress.

Meanwhile, people whispered that Lavender had been dismissed for stealing. None of the maids who had witnessed the event dared speak a word. Lavender had been made into an example—and fear had spread.

Some whispered that Lavender was lucky—better to be called a thief than someone who had touched the lady’s private letters.

First the nanny, then the personal maid—both gone. It was no surprise the delicate lady fell ill afterward.

“M-My lady… what if the Duke asks about Lavender…?”

Jane, worried about what to say to the Duke, asked carefully. Eliano scoffed.

“You think Father would care about a maid dismissed for stealing?”

To her father, servants weren’t people. Even his daughter’s personal maid was just a tool to be used and thrown away.

“Anyway, I’ve finished the books. Return them to the librarian.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Jane left with the stack of books. But not long after, there was a knock. It was too early for Jane to be back.

“Come in,” Eliano called out—but the door didn’t open.

Normally, she would’ve ignored it, but this time, she got up from bed. She had a strange feeling. When she opened the door slightly, a small note fell to the floor, along with a deep blue flower petal.

“Tonight, just before dawn. At the window.”

After reading it, Eliano lit a candle and burned the note.

I’ll have to clear out the side room tonight.

And just before dawn, she met Astin again—wearing a mask.

Astin climbed in through the window left open by the room’s owner and asked with a crooked smile,

“You’re not even surprised?”

Eliano just smiled back.

“And you’re not either.”

She wasn’t surprised to see Astin in the Rosana estate—she knew this girl would one day become a guild leader. The problem wasn’t the Rosana security, it was how extraordinary Astin was.

“I was surprised. I almost knocked on the second lady’s window.”

Actually, she did knock. The window didn’t budge. After a few tries, Astin gave up. Later, one of her subordinates reported that Isabella had screamed about someone throwing trash near her window and slapped a maid for it.

Astin had been stunned. Until then, she thought her client was the second daughter. She only learned the truth after several clumsy mistakes.

“Thanks to Pamela—your old nanny—it was easier to sneak in.”

Astin got straight to the point. Eliano covered her mouth, letting out a small yawn. Dressed only in a light robe instead of her usual dress and veil, she looked unexpectedly cute. The lace bonnet covering her hair suited her well.

“In the back alleys, she’s known as the old lady who sells Elasem.”

Astin saw the bottle of Elasem on the nightstand and admired it.

Three bottles! Of course, Rosana is different.

All three had been used, which was strange, but Astin didn’t mention it.

“Earrings usually come in pairs, right?”

“Of course.”

“Unfortunately, I only found one.”

Astin handed her a small jewelry case marked with a jeweler’s name. When Eliano opened it, her eyes filled with confusion.

“It was really hard to track down. It’s not obsidian—it’s sapphire. Looks like whoever bought it temporarily switched the stone. And it doesn’t change hair color like it’s supposed to. My lady, you were tricked.”

Eliano took out the earring and looked at it closely. The moment her fingers touched the platinum, a familiar warmth spread through her. It was strange, but clear—this was the one she had worn as a child.

“You found it. Your skills are excellent.”

Astin beamed with pride.

“It’s designed so the gem can be swapped. The jeweler didn’t even know.”

So Astin bought it for a low price.

Then she showed Eliano how to switch the stone.

“It doesn’t change hair color, but it’s definitely a magical artifact. Look here.”

She wound a small latch on the earring like a spring. The sapphire popped out and began to grow—until it was the size of a thumb.

“Totally useless magic, but still impressive.”

It was like a magic trick. The gem shone and grew bigger.

“To put it back, you touch it to the medal and…”

Astin rewound the latch, and the sapphire shrank back, fitting perfectly into place.

“It doesn’t make a sound, just a little sparkle. Neat, right?”

It wasn’t flashy—it was subtle. If you didn’t look closely, you’d miss it entirely.

“Our guild’s mage went crazy and begged me to sell it. I refused.”

The mage even tried to steal it. Astin caught him and beat him half to death.

“It’s that valuable?”

“He said there’s no magical aura at all. That’s why it’s so mysterious. Mages want to dissect it.”

Astin casually dropped the earring back into the box. Eliano decided to swap the stone for obsidian later.

“Please wait. I’ll find the other one too. Even if I have to chase it to the ends of the continent.”

Astin had a bad feeling it might be in the Mage Tower—but didn’t say so. Eliano, however, had the same thought.

“It might’ve ended up in Kessef. Could you look there too?”

When Eliano mentioned Kessef, Astin’s face twisted awkwardly.

Kessef was the tiny island where the Mage Tower was located. Mages often just called their home ‘Kessef.’ And non-mages needed permission to even enter.

“I’ll try my best… but personally, I hope it’s not there.”

“So do I.”

As Astin turned toward the window to leave, she paused. Her masked eyes showed hesitation. But then she smiled faintly and turned back.

Eliano was already lying in bed, blanket pulled up. She wears her bonnet to sleep too, Astin noted.

Then she leaned in close to whisper in Eliano’s ear—