Episode 35

“Did the temple teach you to be rude and answer without being asked?”

The Count sneered and didn’t even hesitate to insult the gods. He stood up without finishing his tea, clearly annoyed. He didn’t even give his usual polite cough to Lisa before walking out of the dining room in a hurry.

I didn’t care whether the Count left or not. I calmly finished my tea and slowly stood up. I glanced at Theodore, but he had the same blank expression as always. He’d said something shocking earlier, yet acted like nothing happened. That made me even more annoyed.

“Do you really think that?”

“Huh?”

“That I’m pretty, whether I wear makeup or not?”

I gave him a slight glare, and his ears turned red. Good. I passed him without another word and headed to my room.

Whenever I had some free time, I called Lisa to play cards with me. She wasn’t getting much better at the game, but at least now she could notice if someone hid or swapped cards.

“You just hid the diamond knight, didn’t you?”

“If you’re just guessing, I’m not showing it.”

“I saw you hide it in your right sleeve. Take it out.”

Every time Lisa pulled out a hidden card, Bell would gasp in amazement. She even joked that Lisa was so good at hiding cards, she should be a gambler, not a maid.

Lisa smiled proudly at Bell’s words.

“I’d do even better if I was the dealer!”

Seeing her like that, I thought maybe it would be better to take Lisa to the card party instead of Bell.

Maidservants usually stay in a separate room during parties and only come if their master calls. But from what I’d seen at other parties, that rarely happened. So even without Bell, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Also, I’d heard that while waiting, the maids often chatted with the other staff. Maybe Lisa could learn how the dealers behaved just by being around them.

Since Lisa had improved by playing with me, I was sure she had a talent for cards. If she saw real games, she might be helpful when I opened the casino later.

Smiling, I called her over.

The day of the card game party came. The invitation said to arrive in the late afternoon, but the Count started fussing from the morning. He said light-colored dresses looked too flashy and dark-colored ones looked like I was going to a funeral.

“If you don’t like anything, I’ll just have to get more clothes made.”

Only after I snapped at him did he go quiet. I chose a simple navy-blue dress. Lisa looked excited.

“It’s my first time serving you outside the house! I’m so nervous!”

“Must be nice to be so carefree.”

I replied coldly, but Lisa just smiled.

Bell, however, scolded Lisa repeatedly after learning she was coming as my maid. She warned her not to mess up or say the wrong things.

Her warnings were exactly like the Count’s usual nagging—don’t wander around, don’t offend important people. It made me dislike the Count even more.

The Count came to get us an hour early, knocking on the door to rush me. He was wearing stiff, uncomfortable clothes and looked very nervous.

Why is he acting so jittery?

As I quietly considered reasons, the carriage neared our destination. Outside, I saw a large mansion—not as grand as the royal palace or Baron Yvon’s house, but too big just for a card game.

However, the garden was overgrown with weeds and the path was so bumpy the carriage shook. It looked like they were having serious money problems. The mansion was large but sad-looking.

Lisa whispered nervously,

“This place is huge, but it looks like no one takes care of it.”

“Yes, it does.”

We drove through the wild garden. I stared out the window in fascination. I’d never seen such an unkempt garden before. I thought I saw red flowers in one corner.

“Stop staring around so much.”

The Count said sharply. Since he hadn’t spoken the whole ride, his voice came out hoarse and weak. It wasn’t scary at all. I smirked and teased him.

“You must be used to places like this. It’s been a while since I attended a party like this.”

“How country-like.”

Lisa reacted to that last comment, not me. She quickly stopped peeking out the window and looked around nervously. I stayed quiet.

Even as the carriage slowed, the Count kept wiping sweat from his forehead so often I could memorize the pattern on his handkerchief.

The carriage stopped at the front of the mansion. A man stood there, bowing deeply. He was too young to be a butler and too old to be a footman.

“Welcome, Count and Countess.”

He took Lisa aside for the servant’s area and turned to look at us. When he saw Theodore behind me, he flinched but quickly recovered.

“And who is the gentleman behind you?”

“He’s my guard, sent by His Majesty.”

“Oh, a holy knight! I’ve heard about you but never met you before.”

The Count acted proud, as if Theodore was his knight. He puffed out his chest like a peacock. But Theodore was mine. Why was the Count showing off?

The man led us to the hall. It wasn’t fancy. You could tell they tried to decorate, but it still looked messy.

Most of the people there were men, dressed up like peacocks. I glanced at the Count and finally understood why he had fussed so much in the morning. It made him look even more ridiculous.

“Nice to meet you, Countess.”

Before I could even look around, a big man came up to me. No, not big—wide. He was about my height, but three times broader.

I didn’t know who he was, so I looked at him closely. Small beady eyes, upturned nose, and odd lips. His face was unforgettable.

Since he greeted me right away, he must be the host.

“This is Baron Atlas,” the Count introduced him.

His hair was almost gone on top, but the remaining strands were bright gold. He was definitely Baron Yvon’s husband.

“Nice to meet you, Baron.”

Atlas gave an awkward smile, the skin under his eyes twitching.

“Please, just call me comfortably. I’ve had the title a long time but I’m only an honorary knight.”

“Then, Sir Atlas, thank you for inviting me to such a lovely place.”

I smiled sweetly, pretending to be clueless. Only then did he relax. I could tell he valued social connections more than pride. Just like the Count with the little duke—it was all the same.

The Count clicked his tongue softly but didn’t scold me. He wiped his sweat again and left to join a game. He probably got a note asking to leave me alone with Atlas.

If Atlas already liked me, maybe this would be easier than expected.

Atlas nervously wiped his hands on his pants.

“Haha, thanks to you, Countess, even some rare guests have come. I’m so grateful.”

“Oh? And who might those guests be?”

Just then, a voice spoke behind me.

“It’s me, sister.”

It was the little duchess. I almost gasped, but swallowed it and greeted her calmly.

“What a surprise.”

She was dressed just like last time—like a knight.

“It’s truly surprising, if you ignore how unlikely it is for two busy sisters who don’t like cards to both be invited to the same rare event.”

She smirked. Her way of talking was always annoying. She was clearly saying she came here just to see me.

Baron Atlas looked like he wanted to join the chat, but she kept her eyes only on me.

“I came because I missed you, sister.”

“How kind of you, Lady Duchess.”

I stepped back half a step. I had a job to do. I didn’t know why she followed me here, but I couldn’t let her get in the way.

“But I’m here to learn the game today, so I won’t have time to chat.”

I spoke like a proper noblewoman, hinting I didn’t want a long talk. But she didn’t back down. She came closer, smirking.

“Not long ago, you ripped up cards just because luck wasn’t on your side. I’m glad to see you more active now.”

“I don’t remember that.”

And I didn’t. Probably because it wasn’t me—it was Carla.

“When things don’t go her way, she always says that. May the gods bless you. Oh wait, if they had, your skills wouldn’t be so poor.”

With that rude comment, she left. Atlas smiled like it was nothing and wiped his hands again.

I played with my jewelry and looked around. He laughed awkwardly.

“Haha, I was so nervous. You said you wanted to learn the game? The best way to learn is to try it yourself.”

I smiled and followed him.