I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

Did father take it? If so, my life was over. He never forgave a traitor, and I already betrayed him properly. Should I run out of the capital like this? However, if I ran away without money, I would be caught quickly or suffer a harsh situation while wandering on my own. Then, should I go to Charter? No. Without the ledger, I was nothing but worthless for him to save. My lips were dry with tension. I have to get out of here first. I thought I should run away now rather than be beaten to death. Rustle. Suddenly, I could feel someone’s presence behind me. Shiver. I got goosebumps. Who? By any chance… is it father? I gave strength to my trembling legs, stood up, then slowly turned back with blood draining from my face. It wasn’t my father who stood behind me. It wasn’t the butler either. “Madrenne?” Madrenne stood with her hands behind her. “Lady. Master told me to search through your luggage.” At her words, I closed my eyes tightly. It’s over. I soon gave up everything and opened my eyes and looked at Madrenne. She was probably being sent here to prevent me from running away. Madrenne’s appearance was like the messenger of the dead who came to announce my death. “Lady, this…” But there was something in her hand. Huh? Isn’t that… I quickly snatched the thing in Madrenne’s hand and checked it. It was the thing that was hidden in my corset. The secret ledger. “Why this with…” I couldn’t understand. Why does Madrenne have this, and why is she giving it back to me? “I hid it because I thought Lady shouldn’t get caught by master.” What are you talking about? “Why are you doing that?” I couldn’t understand her intentions. “Just… I want Lady to get out of here safely. That’s all.” Madrenne spoke bluntly as if it was nothing for her. The two of us didn’t get along well. We never reached a relationship to share and hide secrets from each other. We didn’t ever share a common hatred. But Madrenne helped me for some reason. Madrenne was neither smug nor wishful thinking. It just looked like she wasn’t expecting anything in return. I smiled out of relief. It doesn’t matter what her reason was. The only thing that matters is that I’m alive. One thing has changed. That my thoughts on Madrenne have changed a little bit. I mean, she’s a little bit better than I thought. Of course, just a little, as small as an ant’s eye booger? I quickly finished grasping the situation. Then I hardened my expression as if something had happened and talked to Madrenne, “Madrenne, pack your things now.” “Yes? Lady… what do you mean? Please… don’t fire me. I’m not going to tell anyone about this. Please…” Madrenne became contemplative and began to plead to me with an expression as if she was about to cry at any moment. My eyebrows wrinkled with annoyance. Why can’t she understand what I was saying? “I will take you to the duchy too, so pack your things right now.” “Yes? Me too? I-I understand. I will pack my things right away.” Madrenne panicked as if she had never imagined I would take her too, and she hurried to leave my room. “Wait! Wait a moment!” At my shout, Madrenne looked at me with a pale face. She looked at me with hopeless eyes as if I would take back my words. Pointing at the pile of luggage that had messed up, I said, “First, pack my stuff again.” * * * Madrenne didn’t like Lady Arianne. Clearly, there were no positive feelings such as affection, respect, or consideration between Arianne and her. Rather, it was all ignorance and contempt. There was no particular reason. It just happened that way. She was 13 years old when she first entered Count Borne’s mansion. Madrenne was quick-witted, smart, and ambitious. Her goal was to establish herself as a maid and one day rise to become the head maid. On the day she first met Arianne, she felt that Arianne was like a doll. She had never seen anyone so pretty in her life. Of course, Count Bornes was also a handsome man, but she could feel a cold and terrifying aura from him. He had a strong perception that he was a ‘scary person’ rather than a handsome man. The young lady had inherited her father’s looks and was a very beautiful person, but something was missing from her. She was literally like a doll. A soulless doll… The lady didn’t look like a living person. At first, she wondered if the lady was deaf or less intelligent, but that wasn’t the case. The lady understood and answered everything, and according to her tutor, she was a little talkative but intelligent lady. Even so, it was strange to see her being like that. There was one more strange thing. It was the servants. To be exact, the behavior of the servants in this mansion. Obviously, the lady was the count’s biological child, and her mother was also a noble. She wasn’t the offspring of her mother nor the child of a concubine, but she was a noble with perfect lineage. Nevertheless, the servants were all ignoring and abusing the lady. It was something that would never happen in an ordinary noble family. Still, no one hid or worried about such behavior. And it wasn’t long before Madrenne knew the reason. Late in the evening, she ate in the small dining room next to the kitchen used by the servants and listened to other maids. “Ah~ I’m full. Today has passed safely.” “I know. It was a little comfortable because master wasn’t here today. By the way, did you already bring the meal for the lady today?” “No, I didn’t bring it. Meri~ weren’t you on duty for the lady’s meal today?” The maid, who was sitting opposite her, stared blankly at her and answered. “It’s my duty. I was busy and forgot about it.” “Really? Then the lady didn’t eat a single meal today? You’re mean, Meri~” At the teasing maid’s words, a maid named Meri raised her shoulders and said, “Well, she’s not going to die from starving for a day, right? You can take care of her if you feel sorry for her now.” “For what? If she’s hungry, she will take care of herself. Again, just like a stray cat. Hehe.” The maids giggled. Madrenne thought it was time to solve her curiosity and asked carefully, “Excuse me… Don’t we get scolded by master if we do that?” When Madrenne asked, the maids looked at her with the expression that they heard strange things and answered as if they understood. “Ah~ you don’t know it because it hasn’t been long since you work here, don’t you? What do you mean by scolding~ Master is not interested in the young lady. He doesn’t care if she starves or not as long as you don’t hurt her body.” “Yes? What does that mean?” The maids waved their hands as if they were too lazy to answer. “That’s all you need to know.” Madrenne adapted more easily than she thought to situations she didn’t understand. No, from some point on, she had been harassing the lady more viciously than anyone else. There was no particular reason. She just did it because the lady didn’t mind. The lady has never hated her or hardened her face. There was no sign of distress or sorrow. She was like a doll that only moved her body. Honestly, it wasn’t fun because no matter how much she bullied her, the lady didn’t respond. Then one day, a maid remembered that the lady’s 11th birthday was coming soon and made a terrible plan. All the mansion’s servants agreed to participate very actively in that plan. On the lady’s birthday, Madrenne and her gang knocked on the lady’s door with the cake they had prepared. “This… What is this for?” As expected, the plan was perfect. Emotions were revealed on the lady’s face, who had never moved from anything. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was trying hard not to shed tears. “Hey… Thank you…” Yes! This is it. The lady’s reaction was precisely what they expected. Perhaps the lady was moved and happy at the first birthday celebration she was receiving. Then, all that remained was to drop her happiness into hell. Madrenne tickled with anticipation. And the lady took a bite of the cake she had prepared with trembling hands. A cake made from all kinds of food waste with great care. The reaction that followed was expected. “Hahaha!” Madrenne didn’t see that Arianne’s face became cold as she was busy laughing. And the next moment, her curvy hair was caught. W-what? Is Lady grabbing my hair now? Madrenne was perplexed. She didn’t expect this at all. She even wondered how this strength came from the lady with a small body. “Agh! Lady! Let go of this! What are you doing! Keep up your dignity!” “You should also keep your dignity. You’re all dead today!” Madrenne could neither shake off the lady nor fight her. No matter how much she was being ignored or abused, it would be okay as long as she didn’t touch Arianne’s appearance. It couldn’t help but leave a trace if she tried to shake off the lady or fight her in the current situation. Her gang couldn’t help it either. In the end, Madrenne and the gang could escape from the lady only after a handful of their hair was pulled out. From then on, the situation turned around. Madrenne was a quick-witted person. As soon as she noticed that the young lady had changed, she lived like a mouse. However, some of the servants couldn’t get their act together and treated the lady as rudely as before. The result was as expected by Madrenne. They were kicked out without proper care, let alone get severance pay. The young lady was a beast that hid its claws. To be honest, she liked such a lady. At last, this lady seemed to have grasped her subject. It was fortunate that the lady showed her true nature even now after pretending to be a herbivore. Because it wasn’t fun to serve a weak master. “Everyone, get down on your knees.” The young lady who said that looked just like her father. At last, the lady showed her claws. Whether she would be a four-legged beast that would rule the earth or a bird that would soar high, the lady began to show her presence. Madrenne watched her from a distance. She liked the vicious lady who was merciless to those who tampered her authority. The past days when she couldn’t help herself among the maids who believed the young lady they served was useless had already passed. Now it was time to pay them back. Madrenne was sure the lady she served wasn’t the kind of woman who would be only with her position. Maybe she would take over the social world. She needed to be around such an influential person to raise her dignity. Since then, Madrenne has stood by her side and watched over her without offending her. Sometimes when she wanted to tease her, she called other maids and deliberately talked loudly about going to the theater or talking about the night market in front of her room. It was the easiest and most naive way to choose because she knew how the young lady trapped in the mansions would react to the issues of the outside world. Madrenne was a wicked person. She had no remorse in conscience. But she was smart, competent, quick-witted, and knew how to please when needed. It wasn’t difficult for her to seize the servants of the mansion. It had been eight years since she entered the mansion. But she already enjoyed the same authority of the head maid in this mansion. But her fun was slowly fading away. The young lady was still hiding her claws, and the hostess of this mansion was nowhere to be found, so she couldn’t go anywhere and make a fuss. It was when Madrenne was contemplating whether she should work for another noble family or not. The young lady who had been hiding her claws quietly began to move. Her curiosity and expectation rose. She had a strong hunch that something interesting would happen to her already boring life, And her hunch, as always, was right. Duke Kaien? It was an unexpected leap. That’s right, there was no way the young lady, who was like a beast, would quietly follow the count’s orders. “Then, what I have to do in the future has been decided.” Madrenne began to make plans to catch the young lady’s eyes. She had to somehow catch the eyes of that skeptical lady. It was to make the lady take her. The opportunity came. Under the count’s order, she rummaged through the young lady’s belongings and found the secret ledger without anyone knowing. Then she returned the secret ledger, pretending not to be bothered by it as much as possible and not wanting anything. The young lady was a tough one. It was clear that even if Madrenne expressed her sympathy or fake feelings, the lady would only live in distrust and ridicule, let alone trust her. She just needs to win her little favor. The lady laughed. Then she stiffened her expression and said, “Madrenne, pack your things now.” My prediction… is wrong? Again, like a blue-blooded demon resembling her father, it seemed like the young lady was trying to fire her to get rid of the evidence. “Yes? Lady… what do you mean? Please… don’t fire me. I’m not going to tell anyone about this. Please…” Madrenne pleaded to the young lady, trying to squeeze the tears that couldn’t come out. She couldn’t be kicked out like this. “I will take you to the duchy too, so pack your things right now.” ‘There we go!’ Madrenne laughed inside, thinking that her predictions were never wrong. “Wait! Wait a moment!” Wait a moment? Madrenne was perplexed whether she herself had failed to manage her expression or the lady had noticed something. But at the young lady’s next words, she let out a smirk mixed with sighs. “First, pack my stuff again.” Ah, right. Damn it.