Jeremiah's appearance shook the chaotic atmosphere to its core.
"Huh!"
With a surprised gasp, the stiff heads of the maids in front of her changed to polite ones.
The maids who had been acting arrogantly and spitting at the end of every word all shut their mouths like mutes who had eaten honey and turned into docile lambs.
The head maid was no exception.
The Grand Duke of the empire and the lord of the north.
He heated up the social circle with his outstanding appearance and intellectual aura, but the most outstanding thing about him was not his appearance but his skills.
He was the strongest swordsman in the empire.
The day the red full moon rose.
The story of him single-handedly wiping out all the northern evildoers who surged in like waves is still told among the people of the empire like a legend.
He even had a perfect status, being the heir to the throne who inherited the blood of the royal family.
Beauty and strength. And even bloodline.
The perfect man in every way.
That was Jeremiah Colesberg.
Jeremiah approached Karina.
Despite his everyday attire of a tight-fitting shirt and black pants, he looked superior and noble.
When he looked down at Karina, she felt quite intimidated.
It was the first time she had met him since returning to the past.
However, Karina was not at all surprised by his sudden appearance.
Although he was still as handsome and charming as ever, her cold heart showed no signs of agitation.
“You came at a good time.”
Instead, Karina greeted him with a natural smile.
Jeremiah’s eyes were drawn to her appearance.
Karina’s mood was completely different from usual.
“What’s going on?”
Jeremiah asked again in a pleasant low-pitched voice.
“Who are you firing?”
Karina pointed to the maids who had become docile.
“All the maids here.”
“For what?”
Karina shrugged her shoulders at Jeremiah’s dry question.
“There’s no need to keep hiring maids who don’t follow their master’s orders.”
“Master?”
“I’m the Grand Duchess from the moment I married His Highness the Grand Duke. Am I not qualified to be their master?”
“...I never gave you the right to decide on the personnel of the Grand Duke’s servants.”
“Then you should have educated them properly from the beginning.”
Jeremiah’s voice dropped low at her sharp words.
“Most of the Grand Duke’s maids are descendants of those who worked for them since their ancestors. They are vassals who have served our Grand Duke’s family for generations.”
Jeremiah continued his explanation calmly, then pressured Karina with sharp eyes.
“Are you saying that those vassals lack education?”
After the maid left, Karina thought about Caroline.
‘Yes. She was there.’
Caroline Colesberg.
She was the Princess of Colesberg and the older sister of Grand Duke Jeremiah.
Caroline managed the household of the Grand Duchy in place of her parents who had passed away in an unfortunate accident.
After Karina became the Grand Duchess, she should have naturally handed over her rights, but she still stayed in the Grand Duchy under the pretext of helping her adjust. Before her return, Caroline constantly trampled on her confidence and self-esteem with her clever words and actions.
'If you're going to be the Grand Duchess, you should be frugal and humble. Don't be greedy.'
Karina couldn't even afford proper furniture, and she didn't have any decent clothes or accessories because she had to be a role model for the people.
Whenever she tried to express her concerns about Jeremiah's cold attitude, instead of offering warm words of comfort, Caroline would often criticize her attitude and sarcastically criticize her.
'Please be patient even if it's hard. You said you love Jeremiah, right? If you love him, why are you being so weak-willed about something like this?'
If Karina made even the smallest mistake, she would openly criticize and insult her in front of the servants.
'What did I say? How can you mess up things like this when you can't even do it properly?'
She interfered, pointed out, and nitpicked everything, and laughed at Karina who was floundering.
When Karina tried to say something because she was upset, Caroline would interrupt her as if scolding her.
'I'm doing this because I'm thinking of you. I'm helping the Grand Duchess become a person worthy of her position. You know that?'
'How can you misinterpret my good intentions like this? I'm really disappointed in the Grand Duchess.'
Her past self was like an idiot and couldn't say anything back.
Caroline's words had shackled Karina like chains.
Even when she thought back, they were annoying memories. Karina was angry at herself for having suffered back then.
'I won't suffer anymore.'
Thinking about what Caroline had done to her made her teeth grind.
'It's better now, isn't it?'
There was one good thing about coming back to the past.
'Let's undo the mistakes of the past. No, I have to return the favor just as I was treated in the past.'
Suddenly, she wondered what kind of expression Caroline would make.
The person who couldn't even raise her head properly in front of Caroline was now yelling at her to come herself if she had something to say.
'Surely, it must have been a nice expression to see. It's a shame I couldn't see it in person.'
Karina sneered, raising the corners of her lips.
"Huh!"
With a surprised gasp, the stiff heads of the maids in front of her changed to polite ones.
The maids who had been acting arrogantly and spitting at the end of every word all shut their mouths like mutes who had eaten honey and turned into docile lambs.
The head maid was no exception.
The Grand Duke of the empire and the lord of the north.
He heated up the social circle with his outstanding appearance and intellectual aura, but the most outstanding thing about him was not his appearance but his skills.
He was the strongest swordsman in the empire.
The day the red full moon rose.
The story of him single-handedly wiping out all the northern evildoers who surged in like waves is still told among the people of the empire like a legend.
He even had a perfect status, being the heir to the throne who inherited the blood of the royal family.
Beauty and strength. And even bloodline.
The perfect man in every way.
That was Jeremiah Colesberg.
Jeremiah approached Karina.
Despite his everyday attire of a tight-fitting shirt and black pants, he looked superior and noble.
When he looked down at Karina, she felt quite intimidated.
It was the first time she had met him since returning to the past.
However, Karina was not at all surprised by his sudden appearance.
Although he was still as handsome and charming as ever, her cold heart showed no signs of agitation.
“You came at a good time.”
Instead, Karina greeted him with a natural smile.
Jeremiah’s eyes were drawn to her appearance.
Karina’s mood was completely different from usual.
“What’s going on?”
Jeremiah asked again in a pleasant low-pitched voice.
“Who are you firing?”
Karina pointed to the maids who had become docile.
“All the maids here.”
“For what?”
Karina shrugged her shoulders at Jeremiah’s dry question.
“There’s no need to keep hiring maids who don’t follow their master’s orders.”
“Master?”
“I’m the Grand Duchess from the moment I married His Highness the Grand Duke. Am I not qualified to be their master?”
“...I never gave you the right to decide on the personnel of the Grand Duke’s servants.”
“Then you should have educated them properly from the beginning.”
Jeremiah’s voice dropped low at her sharp words.
“Most of the Grand Duke’s maids are descendants of those who worked for them since their ancestors. They are vassals who have served our Grand Duke’s family for generations.”
Jeremiah continued his explanation calmly, then pressured Karina with sharp eyes.
“Are you saying that those vassals lack education?”
His attitude and tone of voice seemed to be reprimanding her.
In the past, she had been very surprised and embarrassed by his coercive words and actions. But now, it was different.
Karina slightly raised one corner of her mouth and pushed the stew in question in front of Jeremiah.
“What are you doing?”
Jeremiah frowned.
The face of the head maid who had been watching turned pale.
“What do you think this is?”
A strong smell of spices pierced her nose.
“What is this garbage?”
“It’s the stew the maids brought me for breakfast.”
Inside the bowl, lumps of fat that had cooled and hardened were floating messily on top of the dark red soup.
“Are you saying that the maids who brought this out as food were well-educated?”
“...”
“You didn’t even know what the problem was?”
Karina glanced at the maids after finishing her explanation. The maids who had been asking what the problem was just a moment ago were now trembling with fear.
Jeremiah, who had been silent, spoke again.
“I will personally pick out those who participated in this prank and give them appropriate disciplinary action and punishment.”
Small sobs and hiccuping sounds could be heard from the maids.
The head maid’s face also turned pale.
“But I won’t fire them.”
Jeremiah was determined not to fire the maids even after seeing them play pranks right before his eyes.
“I don’t know if the stupid maids will become smarter if they are disciplined... Okay. Do it.”
Karina calmly and gently mocked his decision.
Then she roughly shoved the messy stew at the head maid.
“Ugh!”
The stew sloshed and the foul broth splashed everywhere. The head maid’s clothes were covered in grease and grime.
“Throw it away.”
The maid, who had barely suppressed her anger, quickly changed her expression and answered.
“Understood.”
Perhaps because Jeremiah was in front of her, the maid obediently took the bowl.
“Then I will be going now. Enjoy your meal, Your Highness.”
Karina gracefully bowed and passed Jeremiah out of the dining room.
Jeremiah returned to his office and called his butler Jansen.
“Investigate what happened in the dining room, find out the details, and report back.”
The man who had been calm in front of Karina was now so cold that the butler could feel the chill as he ordered the investigation.
“Weed out everyone who had even the slightest involvement in this.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
After Jansen nodded and left, Jeremiah leaned back in his chair in the office.
Jeremiah, who had washed his face with one hand, frowned. He thought back to the stew Karina had handed him in the dining room.
Seeing a dish that was no different from food waste made him lose his appetite.
“Whew.”
Jeremiah sighed deeply.
Karina, whom he had met at the restaurant.
The way she looked straight into his eyes and spoke confidently was very unfamiliar. She had always been careful and cautious, but the woman he had just met was rough and cold.
'Is that the kind of woman she was?'
Jeremiah's eyes sank deeply.
After a moment of deep thought, he soon shook off his distracting thoughts and focused on the paperwork he had to deal with.
'Ah, I'm tired.'
Karina felt tired after the fight at the restaurant.
Karina sat on the bed and closed her eyes for a moment.
'At first, nothing was different from the past.'
The maids' ignorance and harassment, Jeremiah's cold attitude, and even the arrogant head maid.
'...I guess it's right to come back, right?'
It seemed clear that she had come back to the past as expected.
At that moment, there was a knock.
In the past, she had been very surprised and embarrassed by his coercive words and actions. But now, it was different.
Karina slightly raised one corner of her mouth and pushed the stew in question in front of Jeremiah.
“What are you doing?”
Jeremiah frowned.
The face of the head maid who had been watching turned pale.
“What do you think this is?”
A strong smell of spices pierced her nose.
“What is this garbage?”
“It’s the stew the maids brought me for breakfast.”
Inside the bowl, lumps of fat that had cooled and hardened were floating messily on top of the dark red soup.
“Are you saying that the maids who brought this out as food were well-educated?”
“...”
“You didn’t even know what the problem was?”
Karina glanced at the maids after finishing her explanation. The maids who had been asking what the problem was just a moment ago were now trembling with fear.
Jeremiah, who had been silent, spoke again.
“I will personally pick out those who participated in this prank and give them appropriate disciplinary action and punishment.”
Small sobs and hiccuping sounds could be heard from the maids.
The head maid’s face also turned pale.
“But I won’t fire them.”
Jeremiah was determined not to fire the maids even after seeing them play pranks right before his eyes.
“I don’t know if the stupid maids will become smarter if they are disciplined... Okay. Do it.”
Karina calmly and gently mocked his decision.
Then she roughly shoved the messy stew at the head maid.
“Ugh!”
The stew sloshed and the foul broth splashed everywhere. The head maid’s clothes were covered in grease and grime.
“Throw it away.”
The maid, who had barely suppressed her anger, quickly changed her expression and answered.
“Understood.”
Perhaps because Jeremiah was in front of her, the maid obediently took the bowl.
“Then I will be going now. Enjoy your meal, Your Highness.”
Karina gracefully bowed and passed Jeremiah out of the dining room.
***
Jeremiah returned to his office and called his butler Jansen.
“Investigate what happened in the dining room, find out the details, and report back.”
The man who had been calm in front of Karina was now so cold that the butler could feel the chill as he ordered the investigation.
“Weed out everyone who had even the slightest involvement in this.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
After Jansen nodded and left, Jeremiah leaned back in his chair in the office.
Jeremiah, who had washed his face with one hand, frowned. He thought back to the stew Karina had handed him in the dining room.
Seeing a dish that was no different from food waste made him lose his appetite.
“Whew.”
Jeremiah sighed deeply.
Karina, whom he had met at the restaurant.
The way she looked straight into his eyes and spoke confidently was very unfamiliar. She had always been careful and cautious, but the woman he had just met was rough and cold.
'Is that the kind of woman she was?'
Jeremiah's eyes sank deeply.
After a moment of deep thought, he soon shook off his distracting thoughts and focused on the paperwork he had to deal with.
***
'Ah, I'm tired.'
Karina felt tired after the fight at the restaurant.
Karina sat on the bed and closed her eyes for a moment.
'At first, nothing was different from the past.'
The maids' ignorance and harassment, Jeremiah's cold attitude, and even the arrogant head maid.
'...I guess it's right to come back, right?'
It seemed clear that she had come back to the past as expected.
At that moment, there was a knock.
Knock knock.
The door opened wide before he could even give permission.
"Your Highness."
It was the head maid.
"Lady Caroline is calling."
Karina's expression frowned.
It seemed that she must have rushed to Caroline and told her what had happened in the dining room.
'If not, there would be no reason for Caroline to call me now.'
But before that.
'I didn't even ask her to come in...'
It was the same when she told her that the meal was ready.
Karina was very annoyed by the rude behavior of the maids who came in without permission.
'In the past, I would have just let it go, but not now.'
In the past, Karina was desperate to become a member of the Grand Duke's family.
Because of her timid personality, it was difficult to even approach them first and talk to them, but she tried hard anyway.
However, despite her efforts, all she got in return was a wary stare and thorough rejection.
'They even ignored me and harassed me.'
Her efforts were meaningless and she was often laughed at behind their backs.
Despite such humiliation, Karina thought positively.
'It's probably because I'm still unfamiliar.'
'Someday, I will be accepted as a proper member of the family.'
'I'll just have to try harder.'
Unfortunately, her wish did not come true.
Far from understanding her sincerity, the level of bullying grew worse and more blatant as the days went by.
Now that she had returned three years ago, Karina had absolutely no intention of being treated like she had in the past.
'I have to nip it in the bud from the beginning.'
Karina turned her head, determined.
"Chief Maid."
The chief maid snorted inwardly at Karina's call.
She knew very well how Karina was treated in the Grand Duke's household.
That was why she tried to show composure by laughing at Karina's strict call.
"...!"
However, when she met Karina's venomous gaze, she took a step back without realizing it.
The creepy gaze she had met in the restaurant was not an illusion.
"Who am I?"
"...?"
The chief maid, who had hesitated at Karina's cold question, came to her senses and answered.
"You... you're Grand Duchess."
"Yes. That's right. I am the Grand Duchess who married the Grand Duke of Colesberg. The official mistress of the Grand Duchess. Then...”
Karina looked the maid up and down with a leisurely gaze.
“And you?”
“Yes?”
“Who are you to enter the room of the Grand Duchess without permission?”
“...”
The maid was greatly embarrassed by her question pointing out her attitude. She was wondering if the Karina in front of her was really the Karina she knew.
“Are your ears blocked now?”
The maid, who had hesitated at the repeated questions, soon opened her mouth, recalling ‘that person’ who was watching over her.
“I’m sorry, but I came to convey Lady Caroline’s orders. She said to come right now...”
Karina couldn’t move at Caroline’s words. She naturally thought it would be the same this time.
“You’re saying that you came into the Grand Duchess’ room without permission to convey such mere orders?”
“...!”
‘Merely’!
The maid was taken aback by her aura in referring to Caroline as ‘merely’.
“You wouldn’t be so stupid as to not know who your superior is, would you?”
“...I’m sorry.”
As the atmosphere became tense, the maid changed her posture to a humble one.
“This time, it will be a warning, but from now on, I will beat any dog that acts arrogantly without recognizing its owner.”
“I’m sorry. I will be careful.”
The maid, who understood Karina’s firm intention, could not even raise her head in fear.
‘You’re not clueless, are you?’
Karina, who had been coldly staring at the maid, opened her mouth again and added.
The door opened wide before he could even give permission.
"Your Highness."
It was the head maid.
"Lady Caroline is calling."
Karina's expression frowned.
It seemed that she must have rushed to Caroline and told her what had happened in the dining room.
'If not, there would be no reason for Caroline to call me now.'
But before that.
'I didn't even ask her to come in...'
It was the same when she told her that the meal was ready.
Karina was very annoyed by the rude behavior of the maids who came in without permission.
'In the past, I would have just let it go, but not now.'
In the past, Karina was desperate to become a member of the Grand Duke's family.
Because of her timid personality, it was difficult to even approach them first and talk to them, but she tried hard anyway.
However, despite her efforts, all she got in return was a wary stare and thorough rejection.
'They even ignored me and harassed me.'
Her efforts were meaningless and she was often laughed at behind their backs.
Despite such humiliation, Karina thought positively.
'It's probably because I'm still unfamiliar.'
'Someday, I will be accepted as a proper member of the family.'
'I'll just have to try harder.'
Unfortunately, her wish did not come true.
Far from understanding her sincerity, the level of bullying grew worse and more blatant as the days went by.
Now that she had returned three years ago, Karina had absolutely no intention of being treated like she had in the past.
'I have to nip it in the bud from the beginning.'
Karina turned her head, determined.
"Chief Maid."
The chief maid snorted inwardly at Karina's call.
She knew very well how Karina was treated in the Grand Duke's household.
That was why she tried to show composure by laughing at Karina's strict call.
"...!"
However, when she met Karina's venomous gaze, she took a step back without realizing it.
The creepy gaze she had met in the restaurant was not an illusion.
"Who am I?"
"...?"
The chief maid, who had hesitated at Karina's cold question, came to her senses and answered.
"You... you're Grand Duchess."
"Yes. That's right. I am the Grand Duchess who married the Grand Duke of Colesberg. The official mistress of the Grand Duchess. Then...”
Karina looked the maid up and down with a leisurely gaze.
“And you?”
“Yes?”
“Who are you to enter the room of the Grand Duchess without permission?”
“...”
The maid was greatly embarrassed by her question pointing out her attitude. She was wondering if the Karina in front of her was really the Karina she knew.
“Are your ears blocked now?”
The maid, who had hesitated at the repeated questions, soon opened her mouth, recalling ‘that person’ who was watching over her.
“I’m sorry, but I came to convey Lady Caroline’s orders. She said to come right now...”
Karina couldn’t move at Caroline’s words. She naturally thought it would be the same this time.
“You’re saying that you came into the Grand Duchess’ room without permission to convey such mere orders?”
“...!”
‘Merely’!
The maid was taken aback by her aura in referring to Caroline as ‘merely’.
“You wouldn’t be so stupid as to not know who your superior is, would you?”
“...I’m sorry.”
As the atmosphere became tense, the maid changed her posture to a humble one.
“This time, it will be a warning, but from now on, I will beat any dog that acts arrogantly without recognizing its owner.”
“I’m sorry. I will be careful.”
The maid, who understood Karina’s firm intention, could not even raise her head in fear.
‘You’re not clueless, are you?’
Karina, who had been coldly staring at the maid, opened her mouth again and added.
“And tell Caroline. If she has anything to say to me, don’t send someone and come to me herself.”
“...!”
The maid was surprised once again.
Who would have thought she would be so strong toward Caroline, whom she had been so afraid of? Was she confident that she could handle the consequences? Or was she simply being a guest?
Karina’s behavior, which was different from the past, was so flustered that she broke out in a cold sweat.
“Yes. I understand.”
The maid, who tried hard to control her expression, quickly stepped back.
‘Caroline...’
“...!”
The maid was surprised once again.
Who would have thought she would be so strong toward Caroline, whom she had been so afraid of? Was she confident that she could handle the consequences? Or was she simply being a guest?
Karina’s behavior, which was different from the past, was so flustered that she broke out in a cold sweat.
“Yes. I understand.”
The maid, who tried hard to control her expression, quickly stepped back.
‘Caroline...’
After the maid left, Karina thought about Caroline.
‘Yes. She was there.’
Caroline Colesberg.
She was the Princess of Colesberg and the older sister of Grand Duke Jeremiah.
Caroline managed the household of the Grand Duchy in place of her parents who had passed away in an unfortunate accident.
After Karina became the Grand Duchess, she should have naturally handed over her rights, but she still stayed in the Grand Duchy under the pretext of helping her adjust. Before her return, Caroline constantly trampled on her confidence and self-esteem with her clever words and actions.
'If you're going to be the Grand Duchess, you should be frugal and humble. Don't be greedy.'
Karina couldn't even afford proper furniture, and she didn't have any decent clothes or accessories because she had to be a role model for the people.
Whenever she tried to express her concerns about Jeremiah's cold attitude, instead of offering warm words of comfort, Caroline would often criticize her attitude and sarcastically criticize her.
'Please be patient even if it's hard. You said you love Jeremiah, right? If you love him, why are you being so weak-willed about something like this?'
If Karina made even the smallest mistake, she would openly criticize and insult her in front of the servants.
'What did I say? How can you mess up things like this when you can't even do it properly?'
She interfered, pointed out, and nitpicked everything, and laughed at Karina who was floundering.
When Karina tried to say something because she was upset, Caroline would interrupt her as if scolding her.
'I'm doing this because I'm thinking of you. I'm helping the Grand Duchess become a person worthy of her position. You know that?'
'How can you misinterpret my good intentions like this? I'm really disappointed in the Grand Duchess.'
Her past self was like an idiot and couldn't say anything back.
Caroline's words had shackled Karina like chains.
Even when she thought back, they were annoying memories. Karina was angry at herself for having suffered back then.
'I won't suffer anymore.'
Thinking about what Caroline had done to her made her teeth grind.
'It's better now, isn't it?'
There was one good thing about coming back to the past.
'Let's undo the mistakes of the past. No, I have to return the favor just as I was treated in the past.'
Suddenly, she wondered what kind of expression Caroline would make.
The person who couldn't even raise her head properly in front of Caroline was now yelling at her to come herself if she had something to say.
'Surely, it must have been a nice expression to see. It's a shame I couldn't see it in person.'
Karina sneered, raising the corners of her lips.
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