Translator: Nox

47 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper

Shattered Glass Slipper Shards, Chapter 47

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I twisted the corner of my lips into a smile. There was no hunter who could show benevolence to a foolish prey that bared its teeth, hissing and bristling with thorns, unaware that its own leash was being held.

“You want it? That’s a rather rude thing to say. What could I possibly gain from a child like you.”

I gestured to Marie. It was a signal that I would listen no further. Then, Marie and Seril grabbed the maid by the armpits and pulled her up. The maid, her face ashen, looked at me and the Maries before crying out as if in a scream.

“I, I was wrong! I misspoke. Of course, of course. There’s no way a lady like you would want anything from me. So please, please!!”

“Oh, really?”

I approached her and lifted her chin with my fan. I smiled faintly, admiring her tear-soaked cheeks. It was because the sight of the beast, its tail tucked between its legs in an instant as if it had never bristled its thorns, and busy watching my every move, kept making me laugh.

It felt as if her leash was being gripped tightly in my hand. It was a thin, slender rope. The kind perfect for strangling someone to death.

“I’m merely curious. About your courage.”

“C-courage?”

“Yes. It only takes a little sincerity and courage. Then everyone will be happy.”

“But what are you talking about……”

“That’s for you to think about.”

“What?”

I closed my fan and lightly tapped her head. Then, I whispered in a soft voice.

“Think carefully.”

According to Marie, the maid was in a position where she had to repay double the reward money for stealing Margo’s jewelry.

She claimed she hadn’t stolen it, but Margo and everyone else had branded her a thief, leaving her in a predicament.

“She’s working in the laundry room for now, but her family is so poor, I don’t know if she can ever repay even a fraction of it. And she has a habit of stealing, so it’s hard to say if she really didn’t steal it.”

“But I can’t understand Margo either, for forgiving a maid who stole her property with just working in the laundry room and repaying the reward. I didn’t know she had such a generous disposition.”

“Lady Roena dissuaded her.”

“Oh, dear.”

I clicked my tongue softly and continued.

“So in the end, Roena didn’t believe in her innocence either.”

“Perhaps it’s fortunate it’s only this much. Working in a noble household is truly difficult.”

I don’t sympathize with Marie’s words. Because I can’t understand. What’s so fortunate about staying in the Count’s estate and working hard in the laundry room?

Could a situation where she faces people’s gazes, especially Margo’s, be better than being kicked out?

She should know best how cruel other people’s tongues can be. But I pretended not to know. Because, for whatever reason, I was delighted to have acquired a useful ‘dog.’

The maid’s efforts were truly tear-jerking. She made every effort to show me ‘sincerity.’ Perhaps she was more afraid of being kicked out of the Count’s estate, as Marie said, because she didn’t hesitate to take my side in front of everyone.

Some might have mocked her for falling out of Margo’s favor and sticking to Marie, but she paid them no mind and diligently followed Marie around. Eventually, Marie even got annoyed and told her to back off.

“Oh, no. Please. The deadline is almost here. I can’t be kicked out of this mansion. Please, save me.”

It was around this time that I casually mentioned Roena’s key to Marie. While receiving a massage from her, I let it slip out as if I had a worry, and she seemed to have taken it to heart, acting as if it were my biggest concern for days. She then apparently told the maid.

Even though she was trying to get rid of the maid who was clinging to her like a leech, and even Marie didn’t think it would work, for the maid, there was no more precious information.

I don’t know how the maid stole Roena’s key. Nor do I know what was in her heart when she did it. But when he, with a pale face, slyly took the key out of his pocket, I just wanted to burst out laughing.

But I held back and instead put on an angry expression and slapped her cheek.

“You filthy thief!! Who do you think you’re trying to frame by doing this?”

The maid looked at me with tear-filled eyes. Then, she prostrated herself on the floor and begged me. With a pleading voice, sobbing.

“I’m sorry, Lady. I stole it. Please, help me. Have pity on me. This is the most courage I can muster. Please. Yes, Lady?”

I let out a loud sigh so she could hear it. At the same time, I put on a very troubled expression, as if I hadn’t wanted this to happen.

“What I wanted was for you to bravely speak of your injustice, but why did you do something like this? Poor thing.”

“Lady!!”

I reached out and helped her up. Then, I gently wiped her tear-streaked cheeks and said in a soft voice.

“Your situation is so pitiful, I can’t bear it. Alright, I’ll help you. But you have something you must do too.”

“Anything, I’ll do anything!”

“Roena must have realized the key is missing by now and be furious. And Margo will be interrogating all the maids to find it. But if they find out you have it, they’ll suspect me first. Because you got along well with Marie.”

I cupped her cheeks with both hands and whispered kindly. As if I were certain she would listen to my words.

“So, will you hide it well? Until all misunderstandings are cleared up. Then I think I can gladly help you… Don’t you think so?”

Roena’s key held not only sentimental value as a memento but also played the most crucial role in managing the Bishvarts Family’s assets.

Therefore, it was no wonder that Margo flew into a rage when rumors of the key’s disappearance spread. The importance of this situation extended even to the adoptive father, and all maids and servants were subjected to strict investigation and surveillance. The highest priority targets were Roena’s maids.

They actively denied it, showing their loyalty to Roena, but there was nothing they could do since only they could freely enter and exit Roena’s room.

Some of them, having fallen out of Margo’s favor, suspected the maid Blan, who was relegated to the laundry room, but their suspicions were dismissed due to testimonies that she had worked herself to exhaustion in the laundry room all day.

Later, rumors even spread that Blan hadn’t actually stolen Margo’s belongings but had been framed because she had incurred her displeasure. With all sorts of gossip and backbiting, everyone’s hearts were in turmoil. Naturally, factions formed, and an atmosphere of mutual disdain arose.

“Some seem disappointed in Lady Roena, who doesn’t truly believe in them.”

Seril said, brushing my hair with a comb. Her touch was delicate and careful, and I was just starting to feel good.

“Isn’t that natural? The frustration when you realize trust is one-sided must be immense. So they’ll think, ‘Oh, how could my Lady do this to me?’”

Roena, being human, couldn’t trust everyone. No, even if she trusted them, she wasn’t fair to everyone. The person Roena trusted most would be her adoptive father, and then Margo.

Her regard for the maids was not even a quarter of Margo’s regard for her. That’s why she tacitly allowed Margo to suspect and pressure the maids around her.

Some might excuse it by saying she was too deeply saddened to think of those around her, but it seemed that Roena’s gaze towards them had already been starkly revealed, so it wasn’t a convincing excuse.

In fact, most people consider themselves close to someone if they are kind to them. They don’t realize that outward benevolence, kindness not from the heart, can be shown by anyone.

Even I can offer such goodwill! Of course, Roena might not have been offering kindness not from her heart, but at least the purity of the feelings they desired and the feelings she offered were clearly and distinctly divided. As revealed in this incident.

“There’s nothing more foolish than getting excited in a delusion and then getting hurt when you learn the truth. But everyone is like that. People always give others ‘room’ without realizing it.”

I said, looking at Seril’s reflection in the mirror.

“So I intend to watch slowly. To see how many people will be unable to escape, holding onto that room.”

Loyalty is only possible when one is trusted. This is even more true for those living a hired life, like the maids. So, what would it feel like to know that the lady you deeply cherished and loved suspects you of being a thief?

Roena’s actions towards her maids could be considered extremely rare for ladies of noble families. Even if she couldn’t take full responsibility in the end. What’s wrong with standing up for those living lower-class lives? At least in high society, there were few like her.

Amusingly, Roena’s favor was not only scattered throughout the Bishvarts Family mansion but also fairly distributed to all the servants she met. Even if it was just a few words or a brief moment of listening, people were satisfied and praised Roena. Among the cold, chilly, and even somewhat irritable young ladies, receiving the benevolent help of a beautiful and kind lady like herself was something to be grateful for.

There could be no more enchanting tale than a noble lady braving rudeness to stand up for people like herself.

However, Roena’s maids were already accustomed to such situations. They were no longer at the level of trembling with emotion at her kindness.

Therefore, they wanted something different from others, something that could be called ‘us’ – a sticky emotional bond. How foolish!

“When you came to serve me, did Roena ever say a single word to you?”

Seril shook her head with a dark expression. I burst out laughing.

“So, it’s like this. It’s a contradiction, a recognition and benevolence that can only be offered because one is noble, and nothing more. They shouldn’t have expected anything in the first place. Then they should have had their wings brutally broken and cast aside, so why are they disappointed instead of doing so?”

“So, whose ‘faction’ are you in now?”

Seril replied in a small voice. Her voice was deeply submerged, as if she were about to cry.

“The head maid.”

“Commendable.”

I raised my hand and lightly patted her shoulder. Seril shivered and flinched, still looking as if she feared me, which pleased me greatly.

I wanted her to fear me until the day she died. For useful tools must be kept close for a long time.