Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: First Night (1)
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Night had deepened, and after finishing my bath.
"Your Excellency, a moment."
Bill, who had helped me into my robe, began meticulously adjusting my attire.
"Selma."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
I called out to Head Maid Selma, who had stepped back and was waiting silently.
"How was attending to Madam?"
She was Bill's wife and had served the Schmichael Ducal Family since my mother's time, even acting as my wet nurse. In other words, she had attended not only my mother but every lady who had come to this castle up to now.
"She seemed a bit surprised when I first showed her to her room."
"Did she dislike the room?"
"No, quite the opposite. She was extremely pleased."
The previous seven wives who had passed through this castle were certainly no ordinary women.
'Does she know who I am to receive such treatment?'
'You expect me to wear this dress? Take it back right now!'
Countless nitpicks and finicky demands. From the start, they had come to this castle for other purposes, so none of them were proper ladies.
While my damned kin plotted to take my life, they kept shoving their women into the family relentlessly.
What if I died in some 'tragic accident'? The family's assets would revert straight to the kingdom.
But if a sole mistress remained? The situation changed. All the assets would belong to her. And by marrying that mistress, they could swallow up the family without messy inheritance disputes.
Selma had no reason to treat kindly the women who entered the castle with such sinister intentions.
'Is the water a bit cold? You'll have to get used to it. These are the rules of Schmichael Castle.'
'The dress is a bit plain, isn't it? This is all we have prepared, so there's no helping it.'
Selma had naturally learned ways to torment them. She didn't even blink when the wives unleashed their tempers.
But I couldn't tolerate her doing that to the current Rose.
Swoosh.
As I raised an eyebrow, Selma immediately shook her head.
"No, Your Excellency. I didn't do anything you'd need to worry about."
"You didn't treat her like the previous wives?"
"Yes. As you instructed earlier, I attended her politely and courteously."
Good thing I'd called Selma aside beforehand to give her a heads-up. Otherwise, Rose would have faced the same developments as in the original story.
'It seems there are maids in this castle who don't know how to serve their master. Does Your Excellency know about this?'
After regressing, Rose had subdued the rude maids with a few sharp words. Having experienced it in her previous life, she already had countermeasures ready.
'It was one of the most satisfying scenes in the novel.'
There was no need for the current Rose to go through such an unpleasant experience. If anything, they should be showing her that Schmichael Castle welcomed her.
"Well done, Selma."
"It's nothing. Continuing on, she only brought one bag, and even the dresses inside were excessively worn. I had no choice but to ask her permission and have her change into one of the dresses we'd prepared in advance."
Selma continued her explanation in a calm tone.
"However, the prepared dress was a bit large on Madam. The waist was so loose we had to cinch it tightly. It looks like we'll need to order new dresses."
"Check with Madam first before proceeding."
"Yes. Also, the girl who attended her bath reported that Madam's physical condition doesn't seem great."
"Is Madam smaller than others her age?"
"Quite a bit. Very petite."
Selma let out a regretful sigh.
"She was easy to serve. So docile it was almost disconcerting."
She already seemed to have a good grasp of Rose's situation.
Having served the previous seven wives up close, she'd realized this one was decidedly different.
"I'd heard the rumors about Madam, but... well, she didn't seem to match them."
"I see."
I nodded and turned to Bill.
"Ahem, ahem."
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"From now on, make sure the two of you cooperate closely. No discrepancies between you."
In other words, keep your husband in check.
"......Yes, Your Excellency."
"Of course."
They both bowed, but Bill and Selma's expressions were in stark contrast. Judging by Selma's demeanor, Bill wouldn't be a problem going forward.
"Now, to the bedroom."
I rose from the chair and headed out of the room. Bill, Selma, and the other servants waiting outside followed in a cluster.
"Your Excellency, then tonight..."
Bill, leading the way, started to speak,
"Shall we head to the marital bedroom?"
But Selma subtly cut him off. As Bill startled and turned to her, I answered.
"Yes."
"Madam is already in the bedroom. This way, please."
"Understood."
Thus, the procession following me headed to the marital bedroom. I asked Bill, who still looked bewildered.
"The guards?"
"......Ah, yes. I assumed Your Excellency would use your private bedroom as usual, so the placement here is a bit lax."
Bill fumbled for an excuse.
"I'll rearrange the shift rotations right away. We'll set up double guards around the marital bedroom, just like your private one—"
"No, leave it as is."
"Pardon? But..."
"I don't want our time together interrupted."
Bill's mouth dropped open wide.
Click.
Selma loudly snapped it shut for him and bowed her head.
"Understood, Your Excellency. We'll take our leave."
"Your Excellency, but—"
"Dear."
One word from Selma froze Bill in place. She had turned toward him, so I couldn't see her expression, but
"—!"
Bill's face turning ashen told me plenty.
"We hope you have a pleasant evening."
Selma then swept away with Bill and the other servants like the wind.
'As expected of Selma.'
Her perceptiveness was on point. From the looks of it, Bill's re-education was about to begin.
'Good luck, Bill.'
I silently wished him well, then spoke to the servant guarding the marital bedroom door.
"Open it quietly."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Just in case Rose might be asleep.
'Though unlikely.'
Even so, I entered the room silently. The door closed soundlessly behind me.
As expected, Rose wasn't sleeping.
"Mm."
She stood in front of the wine cabinet, intently examining the bottles. With a very serious expression.
The marital bedroom.
Originally used by my parents, this room had gone untouched since I inherited the castle.
It was excessively clean and spacious. It had only the basic furniture a bedroom required—no human warmth lingered here.
Maybe a trace of the tears shed by those previous seven wives, spending lonely nights alone.
And in the middle of such a bedroom.
Clink.
Rose staring intently at the wines in the cabinet looked a bit out of place.
"This one?"
She peered closely at a wine bottle by the faint candlelight. Her gaze was too sharp for simply appraising the taste.
"No, this one? Ah, I don't know. There are too many wines..."
I swallowed a laugh watching Rose groan in frustration.
'She's looking for the poisoned wine.'
Rose desperately wanted to know how I had been exposed to poison. She'd spent her final moments in prison trying to deduce the path.
She had suspicions, but no time to verify them. She was murdered in her cell before she could.
Thus, in her first life, Rose never uncovered the poison's entry point.
'Her second life was different.'
Using clues from her first life, she finally pinpointed it. And she even prevented my poisoning.
Her scrutinizing the wines now was the first step in that.
Suspect everything Dane Schmichael might consume. Verify it thoroughly.
She was earnestly pondering even the remotest possibilities.
"......"
I quietly watched Rose. Hoping she'd notice my presence.
But she was so absorbed in the wines, she seemed oblivious to someone entering and observing her.
No helping it.
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat softly, and
"Kyaa!"
Rose jumped in fright and shot to her feet. In her startle, the wine bottle she held slipped and fell to the floor.
Crash!
The bottle shattered with a loud noise. Seeing which one it was, I couldn't stay silent.
"That's expensive."
"Y-Your Excellency!"
Even in the dim candlelight, Rose's face had paled starkly.
She clutched her chest, panting.
"Wh-when? No, why are you here...?"
"Why? We're married now, so we use the marital bedroom."
Even after my reply, Rose's complexion remained poor.
Her eyes darted between the floor and me repeatedly. She seemed unsure what to say first or if she should make excuses.
After several deep breaths, Rose shakily stood straighter.
"Your Excellency, this is... I mean."
"Stop."
At my curt word, her body froze. My gaze was fixed solely on the floor at her feet.