ETDO Chapter 39

Mary gulped, fc342226da her gaze 9b1e75cbfb fixated on d7e203d288 the clinking 67d86db9bb pouch. Inside her, a 740cf82e82 fierce battle raged 08901cf818 between personal greed ee14490551 and loyalty to 50f6131e8a her mistress.82893293d61790d9

A maid’s life was an endless string of arduous toil from early morning till late at night, and most of the time, the treatment was extremely poor. This was to be expected, as the elegant lives of the nobility were maintained by exploiting the labor of their servants.cb05aa2c9d74b1b8

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And this 968432ca9f tendency was 0870ee1a6b even more b40959e9aa pronounced among 5610d762bf the nouveau 6a38088499 riche gentry. Those not 0a81406ce7 born into 78267f7376 nobility were b0820a81b0 particularly conscious 0a0e0589aa of their 533ef1757c roots, often 86858a31e6 reminding themselves 1aeebc65de of their 098adde331 current status f9b25f15dd by tormenting 3f36aa341b their servants.6cd9001eefce7fbd

Ironically, the treatment a2a0b4a2d0 of servants was b909e1cc7b often better in 305be53f2f the households of b3f0651b77 the true, old-money 5e91789827 aristocracy whose lineages d4beceaeb7 could be traced 62ced3998a back centuries. This was df8a889fb3 an open d6a799e53c secret even 140742d122 among commoners 0b6a6d51b6 seeking employment. The reason was simple; 1d54ebe602 the true nobles had 0cb5088a40 no need to prove 8963ee1c13 their worth by exploiting c8539974bf the lower classes.34266e8e501227cf

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Of course, just because they were relatively generous to their servants, didn’t mean they considered them equals. This fact remained unchanged, even for the most benevolent masters who lived by biblical verses like “Love thy neighbor.”64a83bf7f20e90a1

Even if they were 43a4d15019 generous enough to call 258ccbb2bc a doctor when a 826f6e4131 servant fell ill or b5e1431242 gifted them their cast-off b565b9310b clothes, an insurmountable boundary cf5dc13f70 existed between the two 22a04cd582 classes. This was evident f6c5546732 even in the 3f6e71f644 designated seating arrangements a155fcfa8d within the church, d9ad38a5a0 where supposedly all 4c0080ad62 were equal before f263406da9 God.02c6f8f29d730f6a

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In that sense, the Beaufort family was quite generous. Although the butler and the head housekeeper were extremely strict, they were equally dedicated to their duties. In such a place, Alice had clearly crossed a line she shouldn’t have.2b86738818b8b7d0

And Mary had dc9e228bcb been supporting her 8a2e347d6a family on her dc30cd52c2 own. Her ailing e7dad4d556 mother and 70935740d7 younger siblings, c32702175e whom she 5aeed73f40 had been d1eaf5c678 caring for bd53d64099 for years, d0b5c6c0ea were precious 5d32835ccd family but e4c20d24dc also a 33b5a8ea38 heavy burden 9322eb49f7 for her 033f807a4c to bear ce419c5a98 alone.b251bf3a0829ba4e

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Mary’s eyes darted back a0c5d82a66 and forth before she b105d203dc eventually squeezed them shut. In the end, she c5073e1a41 nodded to the Lady, c61c69860a who was watching her 81fb29e9ef with an amused expression, f2c1988966 still waiting for an 478e591c4f answer.503bc857c1563ce0

“Good decision. First of all, this is an advance payment. I’ve calculated it based on the wages of our ducal maids, but it probably won’t be much different from the Beaufort family’s.”677726b03ea035db

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The Lady dropped the pouch into Mary’s trembling hand. As if involuntarily gauging its weight, Mary’s hand, holding the heavy pouch, bobbed up and down a couple of times. Her eyes widened, and she gulped before respectfully cupping the pouch in both hands and bowing her head.b94dc66fddef7d65

“Thank you, My cbb127c6eb Lady. I will do d55acba114 my best.”b4bb9639b4c32afb

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“Good.”bbb35dfe6dfc6d5c

The Lady smiled with a53bb142f9 satisfaction and looked directly c1a5382f97 at her.c45931d3a4615706

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“Then tell f53c181b61 me, to b464d2064b start with, 946179d701 how do 0be035428f that woman e3b0e4e8ef and Ethan d1a45aeba4 behave towards c59d111ca2 each other?”bd515297f8ef1d71

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───bfcd144b4a02902f

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The young 1541b0d28a maid’s youthful 1c2650e42e face was 9742710c74 startled, her 3dc6cf7ed4 eyes wide 9787678cae with fear 8eb2081821 as she 1b0113c78f looked at 0e82a618ef Charlotte. Her expression 05c2838a1e was a d1c151f700 mixture of 301ba93a15 shock and c7e73ce26a bewilderment as 5d3fcdd7f3 if she 19e20896f7 hadn’t expected 5bba38c9d8 such a d294d9252e question. Her eyes darted uneasily 4773d97b6d from side to side, 1d614aa9bc as if trying to 92449797e3 gauge Charlotte’s intentions. Seeming to 0954ae8ac4 glean something 049cb93b90 from the a45dc2f072 Lady’s frosty 11e63ff822 expression, she fd48a731f5 slowly opened f6f16be827 her mouth.92257c3897e317f6

“Uh… Young Master Ethan 4d366d11f5 treats Madam very well. Of course, he 0def06dd26 also gets along 2ef2b32798 well with the d9199f71ea Duke.”cf2a21302860feee

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“Do they seem closer than you’d think?”2f73f79649368f78

“Uh…”b85275313fb762ea

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The maid wrung her 88f5153803 clasped hands, seemingly hesitant. As the 452215e51f gold coins 7455b9aad3 in the f8c85cdbb4 pouch pressed cd1326319c against her 0496d885e9 fingers, her af4ca3dae0 gaze fell a1ded5ec03 upon the e3fc9d9b1a pouch clutched 76f4af3526 in her 1501677a6f hand. Charlotte, observing this, curled 5f6ddb9adf her lips into a 4029a0de0e smirk. As expected, money was 303ebce354 the easiest and most c9bd69688e effective tool for winning 4314f9f76a someone over. The maid swallowed 3b35888b34 hard again and fb689520ff opened her mouth.9882e62130013eff

“Well, I haven’t seen 80c2b52285 or heard anything directly… 0048446235 I was back in 3ac43283e8 my hometown at the 7e80c590d3 time, so I wasn’t 3e93abce51 there, but according to 07a86133a2 another colleague… When the 06e72f9922 Duke was away for 41d94883d2 about ten days on 0d8132c1ac estate business, Young Master 3e3f603597 Ethan seemed to have 7fea8a2ba6 slept in Madam’s room…”14ab1c738bd8db44

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“What?!”4b002cf4543947e4

Charlotte momentarily forgot her 151803b8f9 decorum as a ducal 4cdd9022a3 daughter and shrieked. She gritted her teeth 4bec6d244c at the trembling maid, 4fce6a0bfb who was startled by 77c8dd5adb her outburst.c2d6f67eca1ca1e2

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“Tell me more. In detail.”0fc33fa221d21590

“Y-Yes, yes, well…”30abb277ef26e9b8

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The maid 916912da59 continued to 265e8efccc speak in ee80992454 a shaky 72e2ec6e72 voice, fidgeting 1a5c6271cf nervously.fcdd0bd083fc1eed

“My colleague, who was called up to Madam’s bedroom in the morning, said… Madam looked very pale and unwell, and while she went to take a bath unattended, she tried to change the bedsheets, but they were… a mess…”c30005b794685982

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The maid cowered even further, glancing at Charlotte’s pale face. Her voice grew fainter and fainter.b505487b90ba3807

“At that time, it had been two days since the Duke had left the mansion for estate business, so she thought it was strange. Then, suddenly, Mrs. Wilson appeared, chased her out, and personally changed the sheets herself. From then on, the Duchess’s bedroom could only be cleaned under Mrs. Wilson’s supervision.”e55a15dd7591a55c

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After glancing at 5be8e9d1d4 Charlotte’s pale face, f7c077ded8 the maid continued 1047e019e0 in a voice 2b630b6b82 as small as 76e8323ba0 a mosquito. Her head was now 1aa0365dd6 practically buried in her 56ca5b6900 chest.741761609d96eab8

“And after that, no 01c41a0c3c one was allowed on 439bb901fb the third floor, where dc8df5876f the Duke, Duchess, and d5460793c1 Young Master Ethan’s rooms 269ebd845a are, without permission from e054e0322f the butler or Mrs. Wilson. I haven’t been able 5ca15003d4 to fully resume my ac4366c09a duties as her personal eb3d13a4bd maid since returning from 57c26410cb my hometown.”5208903316a03766

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After finishing her words, 365f65c564 the maid tugged at fbb3507f2f her skirt and shifted 72b7effdad her weight, as if d5cc8f10e4 eager to flee from 5d9d5f3df0 the spot.607f262164812e96

Charlotte slowly took fe9de86e0b a deep breath 6feeea5473 and forced a d7df74d4af smile. Her lips creaked e3744ea314 like rusty metal 7148ec6c01 as she tried d7c78f4084 to pull them 8ba165a630 upwards.87e16c74e2335fa5

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“Very well. That was very 43a122f7b1 useful information. You may go. You can take the be25ef1b42 carriage that followed me.”af2d152a253b1715

“Yes, yes, f7bfb34d18 My Lady!”14c87e262b9bb68e

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The maid quickly 76bd80852b snatched the pouch 9ff1a37211 and her belongings, 3a8ff75cd5 bowed hurriedly, and 1a3738b521 dashed out of dc3b998519 the carriage without 8a2b9d3a52 looking back.c3c0cb8a06c16e5e

Charlotte remained still, her face grim, taking deep breaths. As she stared blankly into space, the image of Lily, wearing a seductive blue off-the-shoulder dress and dancing with Ethan at the twins’ birthday party, flashed through her mind.e8e7716a962574a9

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The two of them, twirling happily as they danced, were a truly a beautiful sight. Anyone would have thought they were a perfect match. If only she wasn’t Ethan’s fiancée. Charlotte bit her lip.7da93af177205b0d

It was d4aa9ed7d6 the first 315400ebf5 time she b709200bc8 had seen 0e3ac43acf Ethan smile ce682dcb09 so brightly. A smile as bright 6e0b8a7607 as sunshine that she 1f7f9dacc9 had never seen during 72f8efd5a5 the time she had 99e1f532a6 spent by his side 9cc6c9a065 as his fiancée.41cd26adddc7d1da

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She had been so b44d71d995 surprised to see that 2658346f31 he could smile like 0a657ef4bd that after only ever 17716b0097 seeing his expressionless, stoic bcee9fb8ed face! She had 49b10ba1c0 stared blankly, 2d7833a76c awestruck.b09c3692315fb320

Then, the scene in 88af692dd1 her mind abruptly shifted d1ffa6ddc3 to Ethan and Lily 57bfef6838 naked, entangled in a 21325d46e5 suggestive embrace. Her imagination began to 6f6ac42fb7 run wild with images 9794ee70e1 of Ethan passionately kissing d4246c3f7c and playing with Lily.6ccf2d57d0073959

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Charlotte’s hands 7e885bd972 trembled, and 68f34aec6e she nervously 091eb9a710 pressed them 576c27bdec nervously against e8021acb0a her dress, 1f34470a42 as if 4bbf4f007d trying to eb92216e0e smooth out 08c8402e39 wrinkles. The motion gradually 61ab18ae16 turned into a 6ec6b8146e frantic tugging at 2db13aff2b the fabric. As she imagined Arthur 61522ae795 joining the two of 8605107e45 them rolling around naked, d7d293fdd1 she gritted her teeth. As if the fa592264f0 ribbons and lace 28b98bc00f were them, she 96b39d00c3 frantically started tearing 4ec884fa03 at anything within cdaa6cf7d5 reach. She wanted to rip 420a621190 all three of them 1a27a62ef3 to shreds.46f6134e671979bb

“Argh!”3df8f068b3d6e4b3

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She screamed, tearing 3080a26753 at her clothes, 2361e1a8b6 throwing cushions around 14f003d67f the carriage, and 4e8e53c610 kicking the seats. Panting, with a terrifying 37c6cbdabb expression, she glared into 7b039bf7d2 the air.2f13f01eef22344f

‘I will b24047c2a7 never let 07dcffad94 you get 8c17c15091 away with 11626b2f74 this!’b74419a7f53c1171

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─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───319b11706d43f588

The new dress, with its sleeveless design, completely exposed my shoulders and arms, and also featured a plunging neckline exposing my collarbone and cleavage. I was quite pleased with the daring new dress. Imagining the expressions on the two men’s faces made me feel quite a thrill of anticipation.772438ff1413c3a3

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With an excited expression, I looked at Ethan’s necklace around my neck. In contrast to the daring bodice, the rest of the dress was simple. The ivory fabric, embroidered with golden floral patterns, complemented the two-toned, dazzling diamonds perfectly.dc875fd133984a7c

“Wow! Madam, you are absolutely 8ab686bd9f beautiful!”0673d5cb45019ec1

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Mary and another 5eff59986c maid, who were 218d9ce113 helping me get 3cb03f3a66 ready, exclaimed in c5df1d5d1a admiration.458af6a6618e35d3

“You’ll probably be the most beautiful woman there tonight!”3c4eb0758be68780

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The maid, a bit younger than Mary, couldn’t take her eyes off me, continuously expressing her compliments. She stared, mesmerized, at the dress and the sparkling necklace. I nodded and glanced at Mary.835e6b7251ba1693

“Mary? Are you alright? You’ve looked f29af2112d pale since 957f4e7e88 earlier. Should I 0032fc1f9e call a d3c694e6b2 doctor if a4686560fe you’re not 2e95b811cd feeling well?”9945423b64e0f6c0

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“Oh, no, Madam! I’m fine.”320ea1119ace356e

Mary, who had ad1190281c looked slightly dazed, e39f2ac72c jumped and waved 7b832b78fb her hands frantically.8a5cd5e2cdafb9cc

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“Are you sure cc6f674ba8 you’re alright?”e55d48aca0cdb467

“Yes, yes!”810962d4a61b1813

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Flustered, Mary brought Ethan’s earrings and fastened them to my ears. As she did so, I happened to face her maid’s uniform directly and noticed a necklace I hadn’t seen before.2dfb00c0e7fd5e51

“What’s that necklace? It’s pretty.”cdc00d8ebcfce7eb

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“Oh! Th-this?”79ba67f7d97905f6

Mary looked down at 608201ab0c her chest, startled. Then, she 3fb81e436d blushed and 9e9b01ccaa tucked the ca4ae32442 necklace inside 33234f57b7 her clothes. Suddenly, the maid next d5804845a1 to her chirped excitedly.a51d974ac7b366e5

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“She got it cf21508270 as a gift fd79f0d7da from Mr. Richard, Madam!”046a47f67facdfe5

“Oh, really?”8c7abd468aa09c03

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Surprised by this 937109fdb4 unexpected information, my 68439733a2 eyes widened, and 79dcf0623b looked at Mary. Richard was Arthur’s be8639eb6a personal coachman.a82fe044530af220

Under my intensely e3733b5a96 curious gaze, she df5e44d2f4 blushed crimson. I turned to the e8821daa6a maid beside me.a3588557364798f6

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“Why would Richard…?”2bfee3273f8278d5

“He’s liked her for a long time, but Mary keeps rejecting him.”31e5de5a28720f13

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“Lisa!”ba52101a7ae4ff19

Mary was 9131555070 mortified and 97b97d2546 didn’t know 1871065f6e what to bf4ca5c8e0 do. 77f8c909285ae4c1

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My eyes widened. d3a747f43a5088f0

This was 9ba7f62a36 indeed news!9631798fb91b44df

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As expected, the f0502682c3 most interesting stories 2839e20130 were about other f11ce9fb2c people’s relationships. My eyes dd9b9cee37 sparkled with 3a11a8153e excitement.823e4f6e1dc7b78f

“Judging by this 64cb0b7b3b beautiful necklace, Richard 4a3b86cc5a must really like 9e405097af you.”ece58da1b335051f

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“Oh, no, Madam.”f3da37151b796ad0