The Wife Changes
The next morning, Sella entered with a knock.
On Sella's tray were the freshest vegetables, bread, and drinks.
Unlike before, Sella bowed her head to Esika and said, "I'm sorry, my lady, for not being able to prepare anything more than this with my limited skills."
She knew that the old duchess's order was to bring only stale bread or throw it away. So this must be Sella sneaking food and barely bringing it.
When Esika nodded, Sella placed it on the table.
And as she turned to leave, Esika threw something at Sella.
Startled, Sella caught it and opened her hand.
A small sparkling pearl was there.
It was probably enough for three months' salary for maids like her.
"For the kitchen."
At those words, Sella's eyes sparkled.
If she gave this pearl to the kitchen, he would gladly provide good food.
"Bring the paper on the table. It's a kind of recipe, so please cook it as is."
Of course, customized cooking according to the duchess's taste would be possible too.
Sella bowed politely.
"I understand, my lady."
Unlike before, she knew she couldn't sell the pearl to the kitchen and make a profit. Now she knew that.
She had seen through everything including herself, and the duchess's insight that could tell if food was poisoned just by looking at it would notice her clumsy trick.
'Why didn't I know this kind of person?'
Since last night, her eyes had opened anew.
The treatment of maids depends on the position of the one they serve, and as a maid of the duchess, Esika, she was looked down upon even among the maids.
However, the current duchess might one day face the old duchess... then what about Sella's position...
'...I guess she couldn't be that kind of person.'
When such thoughts came to mind, Sella erased them.
After Sella left the room, Esika twisted the corner of her lips.
There was a reason she had taken in Sella.
As the duchess, it was natural to have eyes and ears inside the family, but because she had left all that to Yuri, there was no one she could trust to assign the work to.
Sella was greedy but, once she showed superiority in power, she knew her place and submitted.
She also had many opportunities to subtly widen her feet and gather information.
So, she could be usefully used while in the ducal family.
'Leaving the pearl behind is a blessing in disguise.'
Once a month, from her hometown, her brothers sent her gemstones, and Esika received them from Yuri.
She had complained that Yuri had taken the best gems without her noticing.
And when Yuri consoled her by saying 'I'll sell the remaining gems and bring you things', she gave even the remaining ones.
Of course, what Yuri brought was old blankets and furs, and poor meals...
Yuri said she gave gemstones as bribes to the old duchess's maids, but their gazes were always cold.
Naturally, they probably received nothing.
Fortunately, before the wedding, the pearl pouch she received from her father was hidden without telling Yuri.
'First of all... the question is whether the kitchen can make the elixir.'
To speed up the accumulation of internal energy, martial artists took elixirs.
The same for spiritual power, and since she knew the formula for easy-to-make elixirs, it wasn't difficult to recall similar materials from this era.
Asking the kitchen to make it was, at first glance, like juice, but it contained the formula for enhancing internal energy: 'Daily Elixir'.
If it was smoothly manufactured and taken once a day, the speed of internal energy accumulation would increase.
In the afternoon, while steadily cultivating qi with steady breathing, Esika suddenly received a summons from Kalian and changed into her dress.
The red dress she had worn from her hometown made her beautiful figure stand out like an enchanting rose despite its somewhat old style.
"Truly beautiful... I wonder why you seem to be getting prettier and prettier."
While arranging lace, Sella sighed.
Of course, because as the qi circulated in the body, the impurities accumulated in the skin were expelled, the skin became clear.
"Have you called? Your Highness."
Esika, standing behind Kalian who was waiting for her at the table prepared for tea time, moved her lips.
It would be better to drink tea with someone unwilling or do qi cultivation, but... on an unprepared table, it was better to behave so as not to stand out.
'Anyway, these people are like locusts on a hot plate, so there's no need to rush.'
"..."
Kalian slowly turned his head towards Esika.
And after hesitating, he stared at her for a quite long time.
Esika Klaus, that woman, but from the eyes to the figure, somehow the feeling was subtly different.
In the warm breeze, the silver hair swayed, the skin had color, and under the thick eyelashes, the blue eyes sparkled like a jewel under the sunlight.
"..."
Kalian's words, Esika sat opposite him.
And without picking up the teacup, she looked at Kalian.
In the thick silence, Kalian looked at Esika and felt a strange unease.
"Drinking tea only with my friends is really too much. I always want to be by Kalian's side."
The round eyes that became a bit exaggerated when she got her way, and the petulant sound of her nose.
Even small violations of etiquette...
The tea time with Esika was always tiring, and listening to her grumbling about things that didn't interest her was torture.
"..."
But the current Esika, without even a greeting, created an awkward atmosphere and looked at her.
With an indifferent gaze as if asking 'What is the business?'
There was no way. Kalian thought and spoke.
"How is your body?"
"It's better than before, but it seems I need more rest than before."
Esika emphasized the word 'rest'.
As if to say 'I need to rest enough, so don't call me again'.
Kalian, who accepted the words without meaning, moved his lips.
"The reason I asked the lady to drink tea today is because I wanted to warn you."
Kalian didn't actually want to talk with Esika.
However, after seeing Yuri cry and complain about Esika's persecution last night, his mind was not at ease.
There was no guarantee that the vicious Esika wouldn't slap Yuri's cheek again.
"Warning?"
At Esika's question, Kalian endured the rising irritation and continued.
"I ask you to refrain from words that tarnish the honor of the Klaus family."
"Duchess, I ask you to refrain from being unreasonable."
"..."
Esika looked at Kalian with cool eyes, but Kalian wasn't looking at Esika's eyes.
He spoke bluntly.
"Suspicion only makes oneself suffer."
"The relationship with her is only for political purposes."
Then Kalian immediately put the cold tea from the teacup into his mouth.
"You only need to fulfill your duties as the duchess."
Esika was only staring at Kalian with an expression that didn't seem different from before.
As always, she expected him to beg for her love or curse at Yuri, but neither was the case.
Instead...
"Ha."
The corner of Esika's lips lifted, and she burst into laughter.
Then she laughed a few times as if she had heard a really funny story.
Kalian's eyebrows twitched as he watched that.
"You don't listen to my words."
Kalian thought he had wasted time and frowned.
This laughter was also just to attract his attention.
Soon she would change her attitude and make a fuss about confessing the relationship with Yuri.
With her face flushed and tears in her eyes.
She was truly a woman compared to his friend.
However, Esika still didn't hide her laughter.
"..."
The length of her laughter made Kalian feel something was wrong.
After laughing enough for a long time, Esika opened her mouth again.
"Your Highness is really consistent."
According to Esika's judgment, Kalian had a stubbornness that wouldn't break but bend.
Because of the pride from his personality, he despised Esika who took his wife position with money.
Yuri wearing Kalian's Allet Ring and provoking Esika was probably a calculated action.
Because Kalian knew with what eyes he was looking at Esika who was rushing to confirm the truth.
A man's heart burns intensely in front of obstacles.
"As Your Highness said, I will only be concerned with my duties as the duchess."
And then Kalian's eyebrows twitched at the following words of Esika.
"If the business is over, may I go?"
"..."
An unexpected answer and question came out. The business is over.
Kalian felt inexplicably frustrated and looked at her.
In Esika's cool eyes, the blue eyes had a relaxed light that he hadn't seen before.
"I think that even this conversation with our current relationship is a waste of time."
Esika's lips moved coldly.
Kalian felt even more frustrated.
Today, Esika felt unfamiliar, as if she was not Esika, or as if she had some other heart inside.
Esika looked at Kalian staring at her and raised her teacup with a dignified smile.
And slowly sipped the tea.
Kalian couldn't understand this attitude.
"..."
But since I enjoyed the tea fragrance enough, it's good.
Clink- The sound of Esika putting down the teacup was heard.
"I will rise now. Because of the injury at that time, I still need rest."
Esika Klaus, that woman, had never stood up first in front of him before.
She always begged for love and followed behind pathetically, and even after he left, she stayed there for a long time.