A Dousing of Ice Water

Even looking at that face, it no longer stirs my heart. I don't even want to speak with him.

Esika entered her room, stretched once, and lay down on the bed. Through the small window of the cramped chamber, she could see the sky. Watching the fragments of cloud drift past, she closed her eyes.

The moment she had first met Kalian Klaus — the moment she had fallen for him — drifted through her mind. Overlapping it came the days when Yeong-ryeong had first encountered the Emperor in her previous life.

And the result was catastrophe. How foolish I was, falling for a hollow shell of a man.

Esika lifted her eyelids once more.

But now, this body's life belongs to me.

A cool, keen light gleamed in her blue eyes. She had not yet recovered the power of her past life, but she possessed the knowledge and experience to judge the situation before her with perfect clarity. Things would change — slowly, but with certainty.

Tak.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening without so much as a knock. Esika slowly sat up on the bed. Four women stood before her.

The three in front were the Dowager Duchess's personal maids — women who, riding on the Dowager's authority, ran the ducal household as they pleased.

I expected this, but their response is remarkably swift.

And behind them stood Yuri, who had recently donned the title of head maid. The corner of her lips twisted at an angle.

The three maids, buckets brimming with ice-cold water, hurled the contents straight at Esika. Splash — splaaash — the freezing water crashed over her. The hair she had so carefully combed was soaked through, and her clothes fared no better. Even after they had emptied the buckets, water continued to stream from her chin and the ends of her sleeves for a long while.

Yuri clicked her way forward past the maids and came to a stop in front of Esika. Then, lifting her chin, she spoke.

"The Dowager Duchess ordered us to bring you some nice, cool water."

A cold smile hung at the corner of Yuri's lips.

"She said cool water works far better than fragrant tea when it comes to curing insolent behavior."

Delighted mockery colored her voice.

"Though... you do look rather like a drowned rat, don't you?"

At Yuri's words, the maids behind her burst into laughter. Water droplets fell steadily from the ends of Esika's hair, the wet strands covering her face.

The sight of Esika in such a wretched state filled Yuri with vicious satisfaction. What did that woman have to be so proud of, drinking tea with Kalian when she was a duchess in name only? And on top of that, she had apparently walked out without so much as a farewell, before Kalian had even risen from his seat. So Yuri had reported the incident, carefully needling the Dowager Duchess's temper. They had deliberately drawn ice-cold water to dump on her. Esika ought to be out of her mind by now.

Esika slowly brushed aside the wet hair covering her eyes.

"..."

When Yuri's gaze met those blue eyes, her brows twitched. She had expected terror from the icy dousing, or perhaps tears. Instead, there was not the faintest flicker of emotion.

Yuri would have no way of knowing that Cheon Yeong-ryeong had trained for dozens of days in the Ice Valley since childhood. Her body was still frail, but her spirit was not the kind that would so much as twitch an eyebrow at something like this.

"...Hah."

As if nothing had happened, she stepped down from the bed and slowly swept her hair from front to back. The maids standing behind Yuri flinched as well at Esika's complete lack of reaction. Bullying was only fun when the victim reacted, after all. But Esika...

With a composed expression — no, with the look of someone regarding something utterly laughable — she brought her face close to Yuri's. The corners of Yuri's mouth, which had been so smugly raised, began to tremble.

"...You..."

"Tell the Dowager Duchess I enjoyed the cold water thoroughly."

Esika's lips moved, her voice flowing out, calm and unhurried.

"How honored I am, having the future daughter-in-law deliver it in person. You two must have grown quite close."

Then Esika's gaze shifted to the maids behind Yuri. At the words future daughter-in-law, Yuri's hand twitched.

"What are you talking about...?!"

"Embarrassed because the maids are listening? You said it yourself. That you'd become the daughter-in-law of House Klaus."

"...!"

The fact that Yuri was targeting Kalian must not yet reach the Dowager Duchess's ears. Esika had been tormented so thoroughly because of the Dowager's vicious maternal love — if Yuri, who had only just become head maid by offering up jewels, were to catch that woman's eye as an eyesore... she might well find her life in danger.

"I... I never said any such thing!"

Yuri looked behind her, only to find the maids who had followed her exchanging meaningful glances. And Esika, the corner of her lips lifted, was watching Yuri's flustered state with evident enjoyment.

Did she say that on purpose?

Yuri's pupils trembled. Esika — that stupid girl — couldn't possibly be capable of such calculated thinking in a situation like this... Gritting her teeth, she clenched her jaw.

"And."

Esika then shifted her gaze to the maids behind Yuri.

"Emilia, Annie, Lusa. I shall remember well what the three of you did today. Your attitude in serving your betters is truly outstanding..."

At that calm yet icy voice, the maids, who had already gone rigid, flinched once more.

The Duchess knew their names?

The Duchess of Klaus had been a pale, haggard-looking woman who did nothing but drape herself in jewels and primp every day. When the Dowager Duchess, displeased with that very sight, had threatened to throw her out, she had begged and pleaded, agreeing to move into this filthy little room to reflect on her ways — but people don't change so easily.

And yet the look in the thoroughly soaked Duchess's eyes now...

It sends a chill down my spine.

It was utterly terrifying. A quiet killing intent flowed in her gaze, and the slight, twisted smile at her lips... was she not like a witch? The maids' expressions grew steadily more rigid.

"L-Let's go."

Yuri, her clenched fists trembling, spun around. The three maids followed behind her. The footsteps that had entered so triumphantly had become anxious, hurried strides.

"My lady, I've brought dry clothes, but... the clothes..."

Sella bent at the waist until she was nearly prostrate before Esika, begging forgiveness.

"I'm so sorry, but I could only find a maid's uniform."

Esika changed clothes without a word, but Sella was watching her nervously. Esika shook out her wet hair, thinking of the lavish dresses she had brought with her when she married.

The room originally assigned to her had been spacious and sunlit — a splendid chamber befitting the Duchess of Klaus. But the Dowager Duchess had begun picking at every little thing to torment her, and Kalian had been no shield at all, so Esika's standing had inevitably dwindled. In the end, the Dowager had issued an ultimatum: if Esika was going to behave so extravagantly and stain the family's honor, she should get a divorce.

Esika had not even argued. She had moved of her own accord into this cramped, rarely visited room, and had handed over all her dresses and jewelry to the Dowager, keeping only two outfits for formal occasions. Yuri had ruined one of those two remaining outfits under the pretext of an accident, leaving Esika a lady of a single dress.

And this maid's uniform is likely the Dowager's doing as well.

For a noblewoman to wear a maid's uniform was a truly humiliating thing. So Esika would have had to choose: shiver in her wet clothes until they dried, or don a maid's uniform like some lowly servant and endure that crushing humiliation.

"How do I look, Sella?"

Having straightened her clothes, Esika — now wearing the maid's uniform Sella had brought — asked her. Sella slowly lifted her head, looked at Esika, and was a little startled.

"My lady..."

The thought had crossed her mind, after all.

"It appears to fit your figure perfectly, but even so, for you to... for Your Grace to wear a maid's uniform..."

"No. I'm asking if I look like a real maid."

"Of course not! You are the noble Duchess of—"

Esika furrowed her lovely brows.

"I'm asking how I can look like a convincing maid."

Sella flinched, then answered.

"...Maids wear their hair tied back, so it would be better if you bound yours as well."

"Yes, that's the kind of answer I wanted. I'm a practical woman, you see. I can't stand pretty garbage that's all show. I wore more than enough of that in my previous life..."

Esika smiled with a wicked gleam in her eyes, her lips moving.

"In that sense, this outfit you brought me, and your advice to tie my hair back — I like them very much."

"Th-thank you."

Esika gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Life was a matter of fortune and misfortune turning on a dime; now that she had clothes that would let her move as freely as if she'd grown wings, how could she not be pleased?

Sella, who had been bracing herself in fear, expecting to see a duchess raging and despairing, stared at Esika in a complete daze. Tying her hair back into a single tail, she was smiling as if she were truly enjoying herself.

And at that very moment, a man was making his way toward the Klaus ducal estate.