Ch#18
What kind of count’s household is this?
He didn’t truly know what a real count’s house was like, of course. But at the very least, there should be someone coming out to greet the head of the house upon his return.
The house was needlessly large, and maintaining a place like this required a ton of servants.
Honestly, by his standards, neither this huge house nor all these servants were necessary.
The siblings, who had lived in a proper middle-class street, had employed just one male servant for managing horses and moving heavy loads, plus two maids to help with housework.…
However, when granting the mansion, the emperor had recommended hiring at least ten male servants including a butler, sixteen maids including a head maid, and at least one cook plus kitchen assistants.…
That alone was extravagantly luxurious.
‘We still haven’t hired a butler, and the maids keep quitting, so we barely have ten. Ah, with that woman joining, the maids are now eleven.’
*Spoils of war
Upon entering the mansion, he surveyed the interior, which seemed utterly mismatched with him.
Duchess
He had told Linia to decorate with the head maid’s help, but the mansion still felt somehow lacking. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, though.
“Tch. Such a hassle.”
Truly written by Lemon Frog
Muttering lowly like that as he headed to the second floor, Linia came scurrying out of her room to greet her brother.
“Oppa! You’re back now?”
“Yeah.”
As he indifferently replied and headed to his room, Linia followed despite having nothing particular to say.
“What did you do at the palace today?”
“Same old stuff. Why ask?”
“No, just……”
.
Linia followed him all the way into Laslo’s room and showed no sign of leaving even as he revealed his fatigue by shedding his outer jacket and loosening his cravat.
Finally, Laslo asked.
“It might be best for Miss Linia to start learning etiquette and refinement from scratch. A young lady of marriageable age who doesn’t even know how to properly use utensils.”
After hearing such things, she couldn’t even eat anywhere anymore.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Oppa. Um… c-could you find me a decent governess?”
Shrinking her shoulders at his irritated tone, Linia mumbled softly.
At those words, Laslo turned a menacing glare her way.
“No, it’s not a big deal… Next-next week, there’s some tea party, and they insisted I come in the invitation? It’s hosted by Viscountess Emerson. Know her?”
“No.”
“Oh? Yeah, I see……”
“If I get you one, will you really behave this time and learn properly without throwing tantrums?”
“No, what do you mean by that……”
“Linia Criserus. Answer straight. Have I assigned you a governess once or twice? Whose fault is it that they quit and leave in under two weeks?”
Laslo was genuinely frustrated with his sister. He wished she’d just speak plainly if she had something to say, but ever since moving into this mansion, Linia had taken to glancing at him nervously and beating around the bush.
Linia stared at the floor, unable to reply.
“If you don’t want to go, then don’t.”
But inwardly, she felt wronged.
“Th-that’s not what I mean! Otherwise, I can’t wear the pretty dresses we made!”
“Then go.”
‘Those women mocked me first!’
“But… I don’t know what to say there.”
“When you don’t know what to say, it’s better to just shut up.”
She had acted demure and refined in front of Laslo, but the moment they realized Linia knew nothing—absolutely nothing—their eyes changed.
“If they ask about you, can I just say I don’t know?”
Looking down with condescending eyes.
“Yeah.”
Each time she sensed the mockery, contempt, and disdain in those gazes, she resolved to endure for her brother’s sake, but when they directly criticized her with things like ‘You don’t even know this?’ or ‘How many times do I have to explain?’, even Linia couldn’t hold back.
Linia nodded uncertainly.
In truth, the occasional invitations were both welcome and burdensome.
“If they took money, they should teach properly instead of mocking their employer.”
She had heard from the head maid that as a noble lady, she needed to mingle with nobles. She thought it was natural too.
However, at the actual tea parties, gatherings, or banquets she attended, Linia was always the target of exclusion or ridicule. It wasn’t overt, but she wasn’t fool enough to miss it.
Even just snapping back like that made the noble governesses tremble and storm out.
*If they’re going to treat me like I don’t exist, why invite me at all?*
Is that my fault?
She knew skipping without a polite decline was a grave rudeness, but she had no idea how to refuse an invitation.
Even Laslo surely wouldn’t stand for it.
And it was even more depressing that she had no other outings besides such events.
Yet she couldn’t explain the details, fearing it would hurt her brother or make him murderous.
So she had been forcing herself to attend every invitation, but with each one, Linia lost confidence and grew more dejected.
“Those women are just too delicately raised. Quitting over a word from a servant.”
“If you won’t fix your attitude going forward, no governess. Truth is, we’ve run out of people to introduce anyway.”
.
