Chapter 57
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: An Eye for an Eye, a Drug for a Drug (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The room felt a bit cramped for three people, thick with palpable tension.
Instead of both women staring at Ganeghan, demanding some kind of answer, their gazes were locked on each other. If they had just looked to him, he might have stepped in and tried to explain everything clearly.
Neither Dia nor Sua could look away. They were glaring at each other openly, without a shred of subtlety.
Dia de Menesil.
Sua quietly repeated the name in her mind once more.
What kind of woman is she, anyway?
Just yesterday, she had been nothing more than a plaything. Something to toy with until it broke, then discard without a second thought.
But now, something was seriously bothering her.
It was the fact that Dia was going around claiming to be Ganeghan's "wife" and bragging about carrying his "child."
Fine, even if she didn't nitpick that detail, the mere fact that they'd slept together was suddenly irritating her to no end. She had egged it on herself, so she couldn't complain, but still.
Either way, hiding her hostility toward Dia had become incredibly difficult for Sua.
To Sua, Ganeghan was a "god" and a "faith." And Dia was a heretic who had dared to make physical contact with that god.
...Heretic inquisitor arrived, huh? It would've been great if they'd just burned a heretic like her at the stake.
Ganeghan's orders meant she had to prioritize sending the inquisitor off safely. If that was a grievance, it was a massive one.
"Is there something on my face?"
Dia spoke first, addressing the naked maid staring daggers at her.
Dia might not have much experience dealing with people, but she could sense resentment directed at her faster than anyone.
After all, she'd spent her whole life hated by everyone. She could read that vibe quicker than she could breathe. It was a survival instinct etched deep into her bones.
"...Or do you want to wear my clothes? I can take them off if you like."
"No. I'm just waiting for Master to pick out my outfit for me."
Master.
Dia froze for a moment at the word.
"You're a maid of the Menesil family. You're calling Ganeghan 'Master'?"
"You didn't know? Lady Abera called me here specifically as Ganeghan's personal maid from the start."
Dia scooped up Sua's maid uniform scattered haphazardly on the floor and shoved it hard into her arms.
It was less "handing over" and more like slamming it into her chest.
Sua staggered back a step, glaring openly at Dia. Dia didn't flinch, holding her gaze as she pressed on.
"No. Just do the regular chores."
"Why? I'm only following Lady Abera's orders to the letter."
"There's no position open. I'm all Ganeghan needs. Books call it 'supporting him at home.' Isn't it better for a man to have a loving wife by his side than some dutiful maid trailing after him?"
"...That's weird. Heh."
Sua snorted derisively.
She knew it well. In a situation like this, the one who got impatient first lost.
"Why are you Ganeghan's wife, Lady Dia? Who even acknowledged that...?"
Dia turned to Ganeghan at those words.
Her eyes seemed to seek some kind of clarification from him. But it was just a fleeting glance.
Unsure if she'd get the answer she wanted, she whipped her head away.
"Enough, Sua. I consider Lady Dia..."
"No. Stay out of it, Ganeghan."
Dia cut off Ganeghan as he tried to intervene.
...Anxiety. It was all because of her anxiety.
If Ganeghan denied she was his wife right here, she'd be utterly cornered.
Deep down, she wanted to tell Sua everything.
How much pleasure Ganeghan had felt because of her, how happy she'd been because of him.
But none of it had been explicitly permitted by Ganeghan.
'...I love Ganeghan so much. Far more than I could ever feel for you.'
Dia clenched her fists, her body trembling slightly.
Acting on her own in front of Ganeghan was still incredibly hard for her.
Her mind was filled with him now. Her days divided only into time with him and time without.
She'd grown accustomed to consulting him on everything before deciding.
...No. Don't risk it in front of Ganeghan.
Regain your composure. Act mature in front of him.
Right. Like the ideal wife from those etiquette books. Like a proper lady. Make him feel even a little attracted to her.
Steadying her breath, Dia continued.
"The heretic inquisitor's here, so Lady Abera should go greet them, but she's off looking for Ganeghan instead. You should go first."
Ganeghan rose silently from his chair, lips parting once more.
"Just to be clear before I go, I'm on Lady Dia's side..."
"No! Just leave without a word! This is..."
Dia's eyes burned with resolve.
"...something I need to ask and find out myself."
Even after Ganeghan left, the tension in the room didn't ease. If anything, it intensified. Naturally so.
Now they could talk freely, without worrying about anyone else.
"You're not curious why I'm naked, Lady."
"......I don't want to hear it."
"You're scared to hear it, aren't you?"
Sua's tone dripped with open mockery, but Dia had no intention of backing down. She'd keep her boiling anger in check as best she could.
Instead of answering, the lady pinched her nose with her index finger.
"You pissed yourself, so Ganeghan made you change. He made a perfectly rational decision. Why keep trying to lead me like some interrogation? Looking for some hidden motive? Ah..."
Wearing a look of pure contempt, Dia pressed her forehead firmly against Sua's.
Neither averted their gaze as Dia continued.
"...Why? How could you stage things to make me hate Ganeghan even a little? Or make me jealous? Because you think he'd pay more attention to you?"
Hmph. Dia snorted and pulled her head back.
She shook her head, letting her hair cascade. Her beige locks, now noticeably glossier, swayed with a soft shimmer.
"Not even close. I trust Ganeghan. I was the one who asked him to treat you right after you passed out. That's class. Ganeghan wouldn't waste time on a vulgar maid like you. You're just some uncivilized girl who doesn't even know where the bathroom is. And above all, you've already lied to me. I'm not letting your words sway me anymore. Come to think of it, you should be the jealous one. I owe you thanks."
Dia smirked, lifting the corner of her mouth.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I got to make a baby with Ganeghan. Who do I have to thank for that?"
Sua bit her lip lightly.
The drug she'd slipped via Helia had worked better than expected. But instead of following her plan, it had awakened Dia instead.
The second lady had grown a lot in the time Sua hadn't seen her. Enough to make her want to claw her skin to shreds with her nails and rip out her organs.
"...Look at you, acting all refined now. You drugged-up whore."
"...?"
Dia let out an involuntary hiccup.
She'd never imagined hearing something like that. And there was no metaphor in it—just raw, unfiltered emotion.
A spark ignited in Dia's heart, which she'd tried to keep as steadfast as a tree. It quickly spread into a blaze.
"...You filthy maid. What did you just say...?"
"It's hilarious. Now that you've learned a few things, you're putting on all these grown-up airs."
"Get... out of this mansion."
"You don't even ask the other person's opinion. 'I'm the wife. I'm pregnant.' Unbelievable."
"I said get out. This is my authority. Leave the mansion now."
"Fine by me. I didn't want to be a maid anyway."
With that, Sua slipped smoothly into Ganeghan's bed. Her movements were still relaxed.
"From now on, I'll be Ganeghan's pet."
"....What?"
Sniff sniff. Sua inhaled the scent of the pillows and blankets.
Then she continued nonchalantly.
"What? It's exactly what I said. You can't even go to the bathroom without Ganeghan's permission, so you pissed yourself? Couldn't even change your clothes."
"That's ridiculous... Ganeghan doesn't need something like that..."
"Does he really not? He couldn't take his eyes off my body, Master. He squeezed them shut—it was so cute. Maybe Ganeghan needs a pet more than a wife~"
"What the hell are you talking about!"
Dia finally let out a shrill scream, almost a shriek.
But Sua apparently still had more to say.
"That's the difference between you and me. You're lost in your little doll game, only doing what you want. Me? I'd strip naked in front of anyone if Ganeghan ordered it. Which one gets more love? Easy choice, right? I don't want to be anything specific to Ganeghan. I just want him to use me like a dog all day. How's that? Our mindsets are on a whole different level, aren't they?"
Sua, standing defiantly by the bed, tugged lightly at Dia's hand, which was glaring down at her.
Then she whispered into Dia's ear.
"Lady. I really hope you're pregnant. Because..."
"....Shut up."
Hee hee. Sua giggled before finishing.
"...If it's a lie, I'll become a mom before you."
"I said shut up!!!"
Slap! Sua's head snapped to the side.
Dia had swung her arm with all her might, and the maid took it without resistance.
Huff, huff. Dia breathed heavily, unable to calm down.
After the hit, Sua smiled brightly, as if she were even happier now.
"...Hee hee. I win."
As Dia's hand reared back again, someone knocked on the door.
Knock knock. Alfred's voice followed.
Dia's hand froze mid-air.
"Lady Dia. Are you in there? The heretic inquisitor has arrived, and everyone's gathered. You should come out too."
"...Got it."
Before Dia stepped away, her eyes met Sua's one last time.
'You'll never get pregnant.'
'I'll get pregnant no matter what.'
Their thoughts clashed in the air, signaling the end of the first battle.
No—the start of the second.