The Search for the Duchess’s Husband - Chapter 6

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

In Search of the Duke’s Husband – Episode 6

Unfortunately, Artia had been barely conscious at the time, so she could only remember the Maid’s large, rough hands.
But now she knew for certain.
Her name, her face, everything.
Artia gazed into Bibi’s dark eyes and spoke.
“Among the dozens of people in this estate, you alone stood by my side. I want to keep you close to me.”
“….”
Despite words that amounted to a confession, Bibi’s face remained expressionless. Artia’s spirits sank slightly.
“Is becoming my maid truly so distasteful to you?”
Bibi’s eyes widened ever so slightly before she shook her head.
“No, that’s not it. As I mentioned before, I simply lack too much to serve you properly.”
“What exactly are you lacking?”
Bibi spoke with utmost seriousness.
“I come from a Mountain Village.”
“Then you grew up in a place with clean air and pure water. You must be quite robust.”
“Though I serve the Ducal House, I have only ever done menial work. I have no experience attending to a noblewoman.”
“Hard labor will have toughened your constitution, so you’ll learn anything quickly enough.”
Faced with such relentless optimism, Bibi’s expression grew flustered before she spoke.
“I am truly grateful for your words, my lady. But no matter how much skill I acquire, taking me with you would surely bring you shame.”
“Why?”
Artia asked as though she genuinely did not understand.
Bibi hesitated before answering.
“Because of my appearance.”
“…!”
“As you can see, my frame is larger than befits a woman. My face looks rather fierce as well.”
Bibi traced the long scar across her cheek as she continued.
“I was fortunate enough to become a maid doing menial work because of my strength, but I was given stern warnings. They said I might offend those I serve, so I should hide myself away as much as possible.”
To Bibi’s darkened ears came Artia’s clear voice.
“Is that so? I find your appearance quite appealing.”
“…!”
“Compared to my own body—limp and frail as thread—you appear truly strong and magnificent. I wish I could be like you.”
“….”
Bibi’s eyes widened as though struck by an unexpected blow, and Artia asked her.
“Is that the only reason you cannot become my maid?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t dislike me, do you?”
“No, my lady.”
Emboldened by her firm response, Artia spoke once more.
“Become my maid, Bibi.”
Of course, it wasn’t a particularly attractive position.
Though I bore the title of Duchess, I was now treated with contempt even by common concubines.
Yet there was one thing I could promise with absolute certainty.
“I will cherish you.”
“…!”
A single brief phrase, yet its impact was profound.
The tips of Bibi’s ears, which had remained expressionless until now, flushed crimson.
Moments later, Bibi lowered her head in a bow.
“Thank you for choosing someone as lacking as myself. I am Bibi Blank, and I pledge to devote my entire body and soul to serving you, my lady.”
Artia’s face brightened with a radiant smile.
Finally, I have someone on my side!

* * *

The following day, chaos erupted among the maids of the Edenberg Estate.
“Is it true that Lirika is locked in her room?”
“Yes, Elma ordered that Lirika not be released until the lady’s anger subsides.”
The maids’ faces darkened.
Lloyd’s affection for Lirika was no trivial matter. When he returned and learned of this, all hell would break loose.
“He might even have all the maids involved in this affair whipped….”
A sharp, crystalline voice cut through the fearful whispers of the terrified servants.
“Cease your idle chatter.”
At Elma’s appearance, the maids immediately fell silent and stood at attention.
Elma fixed the line of maids with a serpentine gaze and spoke.
“Lirika struck the lady across the face. For a commoner to lay hands upon nobility is a crime grave enough to warrant summary judgment without trial. No matter how beloved a concubine she may be to the master, punishment is only just.
“….”
“Stop your gossiping and return to your duties!”
After Elma’s departure, the maids murmured among themselves in disbelief.
“Just days ago, we treated Lirika with the reverence due a Duchess, while the lady was dismissed like some aged relic in a back room. Why has she suddenly taken the lady’s side?”
“Why else? The lady has changed into someone entirely different.”
What shocked the maids most was not merely that Lirika had been confined to her chamber.
The most startling revelation was that Artia had met Lirika’s gaze directly, spoken her piece with perfect clarity, and ordered the woman who had struck her face to be locked away.
“I still cannot believe it. How could someone who couldn’t even meet our eyes suddenly do such a thing?”
“They say the shock of falling into the Lake must have addled her mind.”
No matter how much the maids whispered, they could not discern the precise reason for Artia’s transformation, yet one thing was abundantly clear.
“Our head maid must be trembling in fear, just like Lirika, terrified of incurring the lady’s displeasure.”
The maids who caught each other’s eyes giggled with delight.
The fact that Elma, who tormented the maids daily, found herself in such a predicament was so satisfying it nearly drove them mad with glee.
It unfolded exactly as the maids had anticipated.
Back in her chamber, Elma sat with a terrified expression, gnawing at her fingernails.
She dreaded the consequences Lloyd would bring upon his return in a few days.
But the thought of the weakness Artia held in her grasp being exposed terrified her even more.
After a long while, Elma muttered to herself.
“The reason the lady can act like such a wild, unruly colt is because the master isn’t here.”
When Lloyd returned, she would cower as she had before.
That would be her opportunity.
“I’ll comfort the lady gently and make her depend on me. Then, by staying by her side and seizing her weakness, I can overturn our relationship.”
Elma had climbed to this position through flattery and keen observation alone. She possessed more than enough skill to accomplish this.
As Elma recalled the image of Artia grasping her own skirts and begging forgiveness, a sinister smile spread across her face.

* * *

Artia sat at a table in the Garden, bathed in warm sunlight.
Beside her, Bibi held a teapot with an expression more grave than that of a knight marching into battle.
Her demeanor was so different from when she had been cleaning—her face relatively at ease, though her expression remained impassive—that Artia felt compelled to ask.
“Is there something about pouring tea that you dislike?”
“No.”
A blunt but swift answer came in response.
Bibi hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Attending to a lady has been my long-held dream. Among those duties, pouring tea was one I yearned for most.”
Young Bibi had studied a precious instructional manual until its pages grew tattered, and every night she practiced pouring tea using a wooden cup she had carved herself.
“But now that I’m about to pour, I worry whether I can do it well.”
At her candid confession, Artia smiled warmly.
“You’ll do wonderfully. You’ve practiced so diligently.”
Bibi gazed at Artia, then swallowed hard.
“Then I shall begin.”
She warmed the teapot and teacup beforehand.
With a teaspoon, she measured one spoonful of tea leaves and placed them in the pot’s infuser.
Bibi moved with meticulous care, her expression so resolute it seemed as though her very life hung in the balance with each movement.
Even watching her, Artia felt her own tension rise.
Sadly, determination and results do not always align.
Bibi moved with a creaking rigidity, like an unoiled iron doll, and the hot water splashed beyond the rim of the cup.
Bibi’s dark eyes wavered.
“My sincerest apologies, my lady.”
Rather than blame Bibi, Artia asked with concern in her voice.
“The hot water splashed on your hand—does it hurt?”
“…I’m fine.”
“Thank goodness.”
Artia exhaled in relief and extended her hand.
“Would you show me the teapot?”
“…!”
She spoke gently to Bibi, whose eyes had grown grave as if the world were ending.
“I’m not trying to shirk my duties by having you serve tea. I’m trying to teach you. Hands-on experience will be far more helpful than any book.”
What noblewoman in all the world would instruct her maid so directly?
Unlike the astonished Bibi, Artia’s rose-tinted eyes remained ingenuous, as if questioning what the fuss was about.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————