Chapter 4: An Abrupt Question
Two days after the broken engagement, the duke and duchess, along with Mireille, left the royal capital and headed for their domain.
As the gathered nobles also returned to their own territories, the ducal party departed early in the morning, avoiding the curious gazes of the people of the capital.
After a week of traveling by carriage, Mireille arrived at the ducal estate and immediately sensed the heavy atmosphere among the servants who came to greet them.
What lingered among them was fear of having incurred the royal family’s displeasure, and the tension of servants trying to gauge the moods of Duke Rodolphe and Duchess Arianne.
Mireille, as if completely cut off from such commotion, quietly let her thoughts run in her room.
Within her mind, the “first step of her path of domination,” known as revenge, had already been planned.
To change the world using the ducal house as her foothold, Mireille first decided to secure internal “pieces.”
Her thinking contained not a trace of the noise called emotion.
What she sought was loyalty, and above all, “utility.”
“As expected, Rebecca is the most suitable.”
The person in question was one of the maids of the ducal house.
Rebecca Ricard, a woman tall for this world, with striking blonde hair.
She was the daughter of a former marquis family that had fallen four years ago, and now served as a maid in the ducal house.
Mireille knew that she was constantly bullied by Duke Rodolphe and Duchess Arianne.
In other words, she existed in the same kind of “unfortunate circumstances” as Mireille.
Mireille had recognized her value—her noble education and her familiarity with the internal workings of the household as a maid.
To bring Rebecca to her side, Mireille devised a plan.
And then, one week later.
“Father, excuse me. Do you have a moment?”
Entering Duke Rodolphe’s office, Mireille demonstrated perfect etiquette with graceful movements.
Her flawless demeanor, as if the incident from the other day had never happened, left Rodolphe momentarily speechless.
“Yes, what is it?”
There was still a trace of caution in his voice.
Unbothered by her father’s suspicion, Mireille continued, her gaze cold.
“Yes. I would like to make use of the knowledge I gained from my queenly education to restore discipline within the ducal house. Would that be acceptable?”
“What do you mean?”
“Recently, I feel that discipline within the ducal house has been deteriorating.
Of course, I am aware that my actions have unsettled the household.
As a form of atonement, I would like you to assign several maids who are not actively working to be directly under my command.
If I personally educate them, I may be able to be of some use to you, Father.”
Rodolphe placed his hand on his chin and fell into thought.
Even this reaction had been calculated by Mireille in advance.
“Who are they?”
In response to his question, Mireille smoothly listed three names.
“Yes, Catherine, Ariel, and Rebecca.”
“Catherine and Ariel?”
His confusion was exactly as Mireille had anticipated.
The two names she mentioned were rumored to be maids whom the duke had laid his hands on.
Rodolphe stared at his daughter suspiciously, as if trying to determine whether she had discovered his secret.
“Is that difficult?”
“No, those two are already sufficiently proactive and do not require further education.
…Rebecca alone will do.”
Mireille inwardly smiled at his words.
Just as expected.
Fearing his own secret being exposed, Rodolphe offered up Rebecca, the one with the least perceived value.
“Understood. Thank you very much.”
Thus, Mireille accomplished the first step of her plan.
The next day, Rebecca, summoned to Mireille’s room, stood before her with a tense expression.
Her face, nearing her thirties, bore faint traces of the hardships she had endured as a mistreated maid in this ducal house.
Mireille coldly observed how Rebecca’s gaze wavered between fear and expectation toward her master.
The room carried the faint scent of the lily potpourri Mireille favored.
Yet that fragrance only seemed to further agitate Rebecca’s tightly strung nerves.
Without any preface, Mireille suddenly posed a question.
“Do you want to change the world?”