“Milady…”
Aurora looked at the young girl she hadn’t seen in a long time. Her complexion was pale, both her arms were wrapped in thick bandages, and even her cheek bore a wound that hadn’t fully healed.
The girl wore her jet-black hair in a ponytail, and her ruby-like eyes, locked onto Aurora’s, were filled with urgency and anger.
“You know how long I’ve been looking for you?!”
“I…”
As Leonora’s gaze dropped to the maid outfit Aurora was wearing, her pupils suddenly shrank.
“Where did this maid uniform come from? It’s not the one from our house!”
“Take it off and give it back—now!”
With that, Leonora grabbed her by the wrist and turned to drag her out the door.
But after only a couple of steps, the hand she was pulling suddenly slipped away.
Leonora turned around angrily, ready to lash out—only to meet Beatrice’s ‘kind’ and gentle gaze.
Startled, she instinctively took a step back. But when she saw Beatrice’s hand still holding the one that should have belonged to her, a surge of rage exploded in her head.
“Who the hell are you, witch? Who said you could touch my maid?!”
She reached out to yank Aurora back, but the hand she grabbed was once again pulled away. That’s when she realized—it was Aurora herself who was retreating.
“Who said you could let go of my hand?!”
Aurora’s action made her absolutely furious, and her shout echoed through the entire ballroom.
The surrounding guests all paused their conversations, turning to look toward the source of the commotion.
The banquet hall instantly fell into awkward silence.
“Come here, Aurora. That’s an order!”
Aurora opened her mouth as if to speak, but before she could say a word, Beatrice had already pulled her to her side.
Beatrice looked at Leonora with scorn and said coldly, “Heh. Your maid?”
Then, shifting her gaze to Aurora’s bewildered eyes, she instantly understood—so it wasn’t the old Duke of Edron she was supposed to care for, but this young girl instead.
Well, no matter. She hadn’t come here today to play nice. She was here to mess with people—and even if this girl was still wet behind the ears, Beatrice was going to make sure she lost her cool.
“Who said you could touch my maid?! Let go of her right now!”
By now, Leonora’s face had turned bright red. If not for the public setting, she would have already kicked this witch out.
Watching their still-intertwined hands, she could no longer hold back. She strode forward to try and force them apart—
“I said let go of her!”
Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind, stopping her in her tracks.
A stern, commanding voice rang out behind her.
“Leonora, that’s enough! You can’t behave so rudely toward others!”
“All the guests are watching—do you want to disgrace the family?”
The newcomer was none other than Duke Edron.
He wore a tailored black suit. His head full of white hair gave him a dignified and seasoned appearance, though his face was still a bit pale and weak-looking.
“Let go of me! This witch tried to steal my maid!”
The duke pulled the flustered young girl behind him, then bowed deeply to Beatrice and said, “I apologize for my daughter’s rudeness toward you.”
Beatrice ignored him, continuing to swirl the wine in her right hand as she took small sips.
“I have something to discuss with the two of you. May I borrow a moment of your time?”
“Heh. Fine.”
She could already guess what it was about—undoubtedly something related to Aurora. Just as well. She wanted to know why the duke had called Aurora over in the first place.
After raising his glass to apologize to the surrounding guests, the duke led the three of them to a vacant parlor.
Beatrice and the duke sat facing each other on the sofa. Aurora stood obediently beside Beatrice with both hands folded in front of her.
Compared to Aurora, Leonora appeared far less composed. She stood by the door with arms crossed, sulking, occasionally casting glances toward Aurora.
“Speak. What’s the real reason you invited us to this banquet?”
“I believe we’ve never met before. How did you know where to find me?”
Beatrice crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly as she looked at the man before her. If her legs were still functional, she would no doubt have already propped one up leisurely.
“In truth… we have an informant within the Magic Academy. She knew that Aurora was Leonora’s maid. After spotting her there, she immediately reported back to us.”
“Oh~ So? You specifically invited us here for what?”
“Well…”
The duke glanced toward Aurora, looking a little troubled, before suggesting, “Perhaps we could talk in private—”
“No. We talk here.”
If they spoke in private, she wouldn’t get to see the girl’s flustered reaction. It had to be in front of her.
The duke paused for a moment. After a long sigh, he finally said, “Very well.”
“I hope you’ll consider selling your maid to us.”
“What do you mean sell her to you?!” Leonora suddenly shouted in outrage.
“Aurora belongs to our family! She’s my personal maid! Why should we have to buy her back?!”
The duke coughed a couple of times, then scolded sternly, “Leonora, enough of your nonsense. Go back to your room.”
“I won’t!”
She ran over to Aurora and grabbed her hand tightly.
“If I have to go back, I’m taking my maid with me!”
She tugged hard on Aurora’s arm as she spoke, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t move her.
“Come! With! Me! Now!”
“Pfft—hahaha!”
Beatrice, who had been watching the whole scene from the side, finally couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“What are you laughing at?!”
“I’m laughing because you still haven’t figured out what’s going on.”
As she spoke, Beatrice beckoned to Aurora and said, “Come sit next to me, Aurora.”
“Yes, Master.”
The hand that had been holding on to her was once again pulled away. Aurora turned and calmly sat down beside Beatrice.
Only Leonora was left, her small hand frozen mid-air, clenching and releasing in helpless frustration.
“What did you just call her? And what did you just call me?! I…!”
“Haven’t you had enough, Leonora?!”
The sharp reprimand instantly cut off her outburst.
“Leave. Now.”
“…Yes, Father…”
She cast one last look at Aurora, then lowered her head and ran out of the parlor with tightly clenched fists.
Where she had been standing just moments ago, a faint wet spot glistened on the carpet—likely a fallen tear.
Beatrice was barely suppressing another burst of laughter. That furious and flustered display from the girl had been incredibly satisfying to watch. If the duke hadn’t ordered her away, Beatrice had a feeling she could’ve made the girl cry on the spot.
“Apologies for the commotion… cough cough…”
Perhaps the excitement had been too much for his frail body. The duke began coughing violently.
It went on for a while before he finally hacked up a bit of blood-tinged phlegm, and only then did the coughing subside.
“Miss Witch… would you consider naming a price?”
“My daughter… she really needs Aurora.”
Ever since Aurora had left, Leonora’s temper had worsened drastically. Her self-harming episodes had increased, and aside from the duke himself, no one else could manage her. If the estate hadn’t hired a team of high-paid healers to treat her wounds every day, she might’ve long been bedridden and unable to move.
“Heh. Not for sale.”
She had gotten her fill of amusement. There was no reason for her to stay any longer.
With that, Beatrice mounted her broom, clearly ready to leave.
“The price—whatever it is—we can discuss! Please! She means so much to my daughter!”
The duke still tried to stop her, but Beatrice didn’t even glance back. Taking Aurora with her, she left the parlor without hesitation.