The Maid Who Covets Her Friend's Husband
There was a knock on the door, and Esika's door opened.
Esika, leaning against the bed as she read a book, looked at the visitor with a cold gaze.
"Esika."
She wore a sky-blue, neatly tailored dress, and it was none other than Yuri Anesis.
Looking at her with pity, as she was alone in the cold room where the stars didn't shine well, Yuri approached the bed and stood nearby.
"How are you feeling? The doctor said your head seems to have been injured... Do you remember who I am?"
A bit irritated by that disgusting smile, but Esika calmed her mind.
The ridiculous bird's nest could be slowly twisted.
The cage from which she fled had been ruthlessly destroyed.
"Yuri Anesis, my only friend."
With Esika's stiff words, a smile appeared on Yuri's lips.
'She must be thinking that she hit her head and lost her memory.'
Esika continued. Making her have such misconceptions... is boring and not to her liking.
"And... the shameless, disgusting maid who covets her friend's husband."
Yuri's brows furrowed.
The reason she was called 'maid' not 'thief' was because the man she stole was of no value.
"A shallow, uneducated, pitiful mistress."
Watching Esika continue without raising her eyebrows, Yuri's smile vanished.
The first to laugh was Esika.
"Why, tell me more?"
It was natural that Yuri's heart was in turmoil now.
Because it was completely different from the reaction Esika was expected to have.
If it were Esika, she would definitely rush at Yuri and grab her hair.
In such a situation, she had brought a small dagger on purpose to use.
If she made a small scar on that beautiful face, it would look even better.
Even if the mad duchess suddenly went wild with a knife, no one in the duchy would dig into the truth.
"Revengeful, Yuri Anesis?"
However, Esika said in words that she had no interest in fighting, scratching Yuri's inside.
The blatant expression that reminded her of her childhood when she was intimidated by the prestige of the Brigate Marquis family, Yuri's eyebrows rose.
"Esika!"
Yuri gritted her teeth.
Esika Klaus should not have been in this healthy state.
Hearing that she couldn't come out of the room for over ten days, she might have become a cripple from the shock.
The grandmother's order to distribute only rotten bread, her appearance would be even worse.
But Esika's complexion was rather better than before the injury, and her eyes shone with sharp vitality filled with malice.
As if she had become a different person.
"You!"
Yuri raised her finger and pointed at Esika.
"It's better not to speak to me in that way. I was recently appointed as the head maid by the grandmother."
A flash of triumph lit up in Yuri's red eyes.
In a normal family, being a head maid would not be possible for a noble lady.
However, the internal power of the Klaus Duchy was only one person, the grandmother of the Klaus Duke, Leona Klaus.
One word from the grandmother determined the rights to the budget, provisions, and hosting guests or invitations.
The shell of a duchess Esika had to be lowly to the former head maid.
"Of course, there was once a friendship between us... "
Yuri smiled faintly and continued.
"As the head maid, it is only natural to devote loyalty to the one who best understood the grandmother's favor."
This meant she would actively torment Esika.
"Moreover, someday the grandmother will become my mother-in-law."
It was added to provoke Esika.
Yuri thought she was the winner.
Esika, who had only half a face and one family, had everything she wanted, but now she was falling apart in the Klaus Duchy.
Especially the appearance of despairing that her husband's heart was stolen was a reward for enduring the time that soothed the tantrums of the stupid Esika.
She planned to watch more actively in the future.
"Then rest well. His Highness Lesban will be back from the hunt soon, so I need to prepare new clothes."
Since Esika didn't say anything, Yuri laughed more and turned around, thinking.
'I can make a scar on her face later.'
Even so, how much more scared the Klaus Duke, who dislikes Esika, would be if he saw her scarred face.
Now that she was the head maid, there would be many opportunities.
"Yuri."
Perhaps trying to make a last plea, Esika's voice came from behind.
Yuri stopped her feet and looked back at Esika with her still haughty smile.
Her eyes in the dark room were shining brightly.
"Our hometown, the brothers send me gems every month... Thinking about it, since it's no longer needed, I sent a letter saying I won't receive it anymore."
At that, Yuri's hand trembled.
"What... what does that mean?"
"Originally, you always came to receive gems at the front gate of the duchy. Now it means there's no need to do that."
Esika slowly watched Yuri's lips trembling.
"As the head maid, I don't need to take on such trivial matters."
Yuri hastily objected to Esika's words.
"Th... still, it's help from my hometown, so shouldn't I receive it?"
Her red eyes were shaking.
Esika had guessed why Yuri suddenly became the head maid.
The reason the grandmother had been visiting more recently was also because the Brigate Marquis family, Esika's hometown, sent her high-quality gems every month.
Yuri must have stolen the top-grade ones from them...
"No, I don't want to. Gems are boring."
"..."
"By now, a letter should have arrived at the family."
At Esika's words, Yuri clutched her skirt tightly.
The stolen gems would all have gone to the grandmother as bribes.
And the grandmother doesn't keep people who don't bring benefits.
What she wants from Yuri is continuous top-grade gems.
"Anyway, the role of head maid. Do your best."
Esika smiled faintly, Yuri's eyebrows trembled.
Seeing her face already pale, Esika felt like laughing.
The reason Yuri Anesis in the novel could marry the Klaus Duke was one year later, because there was the Klaus Duke's child in her belly.
Until then, she would have stolen the gems sent to Esika and flattered the grandmother.
But to continuously receive the grandmother's favor, the gems from Esika couldn't be missing here.
"..."
With the momentum gone, Yuri turned with a stiff face and left.
'That stupid girl will take measures to prevent the gems from stopping.'
She didn't know she was digging her own grave.
***
After Yuri left, the dark night came, and Esika sat on the floor in seiza.
It was important to train those who acted without thinking, but the part Esika was most focused on now was forming her inner energy.
The temperature here was thicker than in the martial world, but for Esika who had never trained in her life... there were many difficulties.
Through abstinence, she gathered inner energy by breathing, and opened the path of inner energy by circulating it.
Even the first step had taken a week.
'It's not easy.'
If she trained according to the Demonic Cult's method, it could go faster and more smoothly, but with this weak body, piling up inner energy too much could lead to the possibility of the demon entering the body.
In other words, this body is too fragile, and if trained in an impure way, it could become insane.
So, although not her own, she decided to slowly build strength using the orthodox method from the righteous path.
Since Sella, who was threatened, brought quite good food, she would nourish with good food and train with a strong mind.
Of course, when the inner energy opens appropriately, the speed will increase.
Finding the way back is not difficult.
'Even a thousand mountains start from the first peak.'
Esika focused her mind in abstinence and gathered inner energy.
And began to open the qi channels by slowly circulating the inner energy.
It was truly a difficult process, like carving a path in a place with lush vegetation, but Esika concentrated her mind.
Sweat and accumulated impurities flowed out with the body.
"..."
After enduring for a long time, Esika's expression gradually became relaxed.
She had successfully pierced the first passage of inner energy in this extremely evil weak body.
Even this was so difficult.
A short time later, Esika opened her eyes receiving moonlight from outside the window.
Her clothes were a bit wet, but her skin had become clearer and softer than before.
Esika stretched and muttered to herself.
"I need to wash."
***
After sending away the uninvited guest, Kalian said.
"I will escort you to the palace."
In response to the customary words, Lesban raised his left hand to refuse.
"Thank you for the words, but I decline."
Lesban Deon Rusein, the Crown Prince of the Turesian Empire.
A tall, sturdy build like Kalian, with black hair and clear golden eyes, a peerless handsome man.
At 29 years old, he had remained unmarried until now.
There were many rumors why he was still unmarried even after passing the prime of life, but the most credible one was that he couldn't find a woman as attractive as war.
'After the Eunivs Conquest War' Lesban was called a cruel war demon.
The reason he visited this dinner party at the duchy today was because the Emperor had ordered him to inspect the support supplies for the Klaus Duchy to be sent to Sorve.
The grandmother's plan to mix a lot of husks into the support grain had become a bubble.
"Thorough precautions are necessary only for the support supplies."
In Lesban's cool voice, Kalian's eyebrows twitched.
It meant to manage them thoroughly on his own without needing to worry.
Soon, Lesban mounted his white horse with agility that didn't match his large body, and his blue cloak fluttered greatly.
Kalian watched Lesban with a hesitant expression, then bowed his head in greeting.
"Then, travel safely, the little sun of Turesian."
Lesban nodded and started galloping.
The cool night breeze made his black hair flutter.
The horse ran, and the scenery of the straight trees changed endlessly.
The path to the Klaus Duchy was very well maintained.
Until the Duke got married, management was neglected, but after marriage, it was said that quite a lot of wealth had increased.
'Was she the daughter of the Brigate Marquis?'
It's not a special thing to reinforce the deficient parts of one's family through marriage.
While riding the horse and frowning, Lesban suddenly tightened the reins.
"..."
Because a presence was felt nearby.
He stopped the horse, dismounted lightly, and landed.
Even though it was still the territory of the Klaus Duchy, he thought he should check.
When he entered deeper into the forest.
A lake filled with half the moon and the Milky Way in the sky of the lush forest appeared.
And in the center of the lake, the back of someone was visible.
"..."
The silver hair fluttered in the swaying wind, and the water droplets falling from the wet white clothes sparkled like gems.
She slowly turned her head as if sensing Lesban's gaze.
Her straight nose and beautiful jawline were shadowed, and under the fine eyebrows drawn like a painting, her blue eyes sparkling with stars were flickering.
All that was visible was the side profile, but Lesban stood with furrowed brows staring at her.
And in an instant, with a plop sound, her body disappeared into the lake.
"..."
Lesban immediately moved his feet and approached the lake.
The lake was as calm as if the one he saw just now was a hallucination.
No trace of a woman was visible anywhere.
He stood for a long time with his cool gaze and deep golden eyes fixed on the lake's scenery.