There’s No Divorce For You

The Count sighed and opened his mouth.

“I heard you go horseback riding these days. Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable?”

“What do you mean uncomfortable?”

Whenever he didn’t like my attitude, he quietly let go. I don’t know if he knows that the more he does it, the more I want to be sarcastic. I was nervous not to know what else he might find fault with.

“They said other Ladies have three or more dedicated maids.”

“Is that so? One person is enough for me.”

“One person is not enough to socialize. Try to use at least two.”

I narrowed my eyes to see what he was up to, but the Count’s expression didn’t change much. For once, I decided to accept his offer.

Are you thinking of attaching a watcher? No matter what I did, I didn’t know if he was thinking of getting a divorce. 

We drank tea without a word for a moment. But, by the time he saw the bottom of the cup, he said again.

“A maid’s appearance is also important, isn’t it? Your maid too— well, she’s quite a match for you.”

The Count raised his lips. Oh, look at this brat? I clicked my tongue. Bell’s face turned red as if on fire. But, of course, it wasn’t because of the sunlight.

“Because a dedicated maid’s demeanor is also important.”

The Count frowned at my words while pretending to drink tea. I don’t know if it was because I used it or because he felt mad about my words. He quickly changed his face and put his teacup down.

“The social world has a lot of eyes to see, so I’m afraid that other Ladies will make fun of you.”

I had to clench my teeth at the provocative words. Because I really wanted to punch that shameless face right now.

“They are all cultured ladies. I’m learning a lot.’ 

“It’s not too late for you to learn the culture of a lady.”

I slipped the flow of the story into horseback riding. If we kept talking about appearance, Bell might cry.

“Oh my, what’s the difference between being late and early in learning? It’s just that I’m a little clumsy because I don’t say anything. I hate it when you make fun of me.” 

Of course, the Count had a horse. Several brown horses with nice manes. But the horse I was talking about was not an animal. It was a common play on language to compare men to horses. 

The world is geared toward the R-19, so even the Count will understand it well. So he must have been saying to me, ‘Are you going out to meet men these days?’ He even sarcastically said that it was not too late to have an affair.

‘Do you think I’m like you? I deliberately paid attention to the horseback riding course.’

My throat itched when I turned the vulgar words gracefully and put them in my mouth. If I get angry here, I lose, and if I move on, I lose. So I have to be more sarcastic.

I added a word.

“I would have been a good rider if I had a pretty mare like the Count.” 

The Count lifted the teacup and put it down. There was a rattling sound as the teacup and saucer collided. 

I looked at him with a smile on my lips. The Countess had no mares. The Count’s horses were all male horses with thick muscles. He bought the mare for his mistress. 

“I’m sorry. All the horses I raise are males.”

“Oh, I see. I must have been mistaken.”

I felt better after scratching his insides. The Count tapped the table with his finger and then made it clear the reason he wanted to drink tea with me.

“Anyway, let’s get one more maid.” 

As I stiffened my face, he clapped his fingers as if he had won. Bell politely poured the tea, but couldn’t hide her trembling hands.

He opened his mouth slowly, noticing whether he thought I would throw a teacup at any moment.

“Are you going to pick a new person?”

“I heard good people are rotting in charge of laundry. In the former mansion, she was the Baroness’s dedicated maid, and now she’s back in her place.”

With that one word, I knew right away who the maid was that the Count had recommended. He is not interested in the mansion, and there is only one person who knows the history of the past. Only the Count’s mistress, the maid in charge of the laundry. 

“In charge of laundry… As I said, demeanor is also important for a dedicated maid.”

I laughed and said openly that his mistress was not well behaved. That’s true. It’s true that it’s bad behavior if you commit adultery with a married man.

The Count’s brow twitched. Well, there was a sweet taste of victory on my tongue. But what I wanted wasn’t a win in this light pun. 

“But I’ll trust the Count because it’s a child you recommend.”

This fight was enough. At first glance, it sounded like a declaration of surrender. Bell’s hand turned pale. Even though the fight between me and the Count was funny, it was not something to be so nervous about.

I pondered the Count’s words again. I didn’t want to see Bell upset, so I added again. 

“I want it to be a meticulous maid like Bell.”

“That’s probably fine. I told her to come here, so look at her face.” 

I thought the Count was really fearless. What would he do if I suddenly lost my reason and broke her neck in a quiet place?

As Countess, I was in a position where I could somehow cover up even if I  tried to harm servants. Neither Carla nor I have ever touched anyone. However, in the status society, it wasn’t unusual for someone to get angry and pull on a maid’s face or break her limbs.

Does he not love his mistress that much? Before I could even ask a question, the Count raised his voice and called out to someone. 

“Lisa!” 

I turned my head in the direction he turned around. And I had to admit that I have a narrow view. In fact, I didn’t know exactly what the Count’s mistress looked like. I couldn’t remember what the novel was about, but I did remember that she was a maid.

I saw her on the bed, but she was already covered with a blanket, so I couldn’t even tell what color her hair was. 

I never tried to find out who the Count’s mistress was, but when I created her up in my head, I remembered the face of a somewhat typical villain.

The woman in her head was a bewitching beauty, with her eyes raised and a clean face that seemed to draw someone to her. However, the reality was completely different from what she had imagined. 

“My name is Lisa, Madam.” 

To add a little exaggeration, it was not empty to say that she was like an angel. Blonde hair as thick as honey couldn’t be hidden even if a head towel was put over it.

The skin was white and smooth, and the eyes were blue and sparkled like jewels. Her cheeks were plump like a child, and her wide smile was like a flower with dew. I watched her greet me as if possessed by her.

She naturally stood next to the Count. Lisa was so busy and distracted that she couldn’t stop twitching her fingernails and moving her body from side to side. 

But she was so beautiful that when I looked into her eyes, even her face seemed innocent. 

“It’s an honor to serve you.”

I came to my senses at her words. The Count would have stuck her next to me somehow, even if I jumped up against her.

What does he think? I narrowed my eyes and looked at the Count. He looked crazy looking at his mistress, Lisa. When I saw a happy smile on his lips, my stomach twisted.

The earrings that flowed down Lisa’s earlobes glistened in the sunlight. 

“You’re in charge of laundry, so you’ll take good care of my clothes.”

“Yes, Madam. Leave it to me!”

I knew right away that she would be a tough opponent because Lisa didn’t seem to feel bad about meeting the cheating husband’s wife.

Unlike the other maids, she looked straight at me, and there was no hesitation in answering me.

Maybe my prejudice also led me to think this was true. But I decided to bury the idea deep in my heart. 

“The Count doesn’t care about wrinkling his pants, but I’m pretty picky.”

“Yes, Madam!”

Lisa smiled broadly without noticing my sarcasm. I looked at her pitifully. There wasn’t a single shadow of a smile on her face. I felt like a neighborhood kid tormenting little birds.

I raised the corner of my mouth when I saw her. The Count smiled happily as well. Hell will unfold in the future, so I’ll let them smile as much as they want.

* * *

Lisa wasn’t bad at her job, but she didn’t make me happy either. It was questionable how she could work as a dedicated maid in the Baron family.

From what I can tell, Carla would have been upset all the time. 

I don’t know if she’s stupid or not, but she takes a long time to do things. So I decided to wait and see how long she kept acting like that without making a lot of noise. 

“Lisa, how many times have I told you not to add sugar to Madam’s tea?”

“But the Count—”

“Don’t make excuses. Madam doesn’t put sugar. Next time you make a mistake, I’ll pour it over your head.”

Instead, Bell was upset. Bell was frustrated with Lisa, who forgot one after teaching the two. If she’s so hard on her in front of me, how hard is she on her behind my back?

The thought of it made me laugh. Immediately, I put down the book and ordered Lisa to stop Bell from raising her fist.

“It’s time for the coachman to bring the lettre. Someone come down and bring it.”

“I’ll bring it!”

Lisa, who was scolded by Bell, said as if shouting. I nodded her head, and Bell let her go with her blunt face. Lisa ran wildly down the stairs.

Bell made another impression that she wasn’t the only one who was bothered by such an arrogant act. Still, thanks to Lisa’s departure, I could finish reading the book I was reading.

“Madam! A letter has arrived!”

But I had to put the book down soon on the sound of footsteps running fast. Lisa opened the door loudly and shouted excitedly. She was so loud and rude that it was hard to describe how loud and rude she was.