So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“Your Grace.”

The unexpected figures blocking our way were servants dressed in the same maid uniforms as Betty.

Among them was the maid who had come to the cabin calling for Betty on my very first day at House Celeste.

Dora, was it?

Aside from her, though, most of the others looked… suspiciously well-built.

The maids stood in a rigid line, expressions solemn, hands planted firmly on their hips as they stared me down.

Shadows cut sharply across their strong noses, their sturdy frames impossible to ignore.

If it came to a fight—

…I’d lose.

One hundred percent.

Just as the tension made me swallow—

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Despite being around my height, Betty snapped forward fiercely, stepping in front of me like a shield.

A strange surge of emotion welled up in my chest.

“Haah?!”

Instead of backing down, Betty shoved her face right up at them, baring her teeth.

“Whatcha lookin’ at, huh?! Wanna pick a fight?! Come on! Try me!”

Cerberus…

Truly dependable.

Buoyed by her presence, courage bubbled up inside me as well.

I tapped Betty lightly on the shoulder and stepped forward.

You can stand down now, Cerberus. This one’s on me.

As if she understood, Betty rolled her eyes back into place, lowered her hackles, and obediently stepped aside.

Watching closely, the maid standing at the center spoke.

“Betty, since when did you become Her Grace’s loyal dog? Just this morning, you were—”

“Grrr!”

“Easy, easy. Cerbe— no, Betty.”

I hurriedly stopped her as she dropped straight back into attack mode, then addressed the group.

“I don’t think calling Betty my ‘dog’ is appropriate. That aside—what business do you have with me?”

“We want to become your loyal dogs as well.”

“…?”

What?

As I blinked in confusion, another maid suddenly shouted, voice brimming with emotion.

“We were wrong! We completely misunderstood Your Grace!”

“That elegant demeanor—those resolute eyes!”

“Please accept us as your footstools!”

“Even if other households try to recruit us, we’ll never even look their way!”

A torrent of impassioned declarations followed—bordering on religious fervor.

Honestly, it was worse than Betty’s antics.

My head began to ache.

I squeezed my eyes shut, then turned to Betty.

Please. Stop them.

But—

“I knew it! I just knew you’d feel this way!”

“…Betty?”

Her eyes sparkled as she twisted shyly, utterly delighted.

Somehow, this felt less like servants pledging loyalty—

and more like a gathering of fangirls worshipping the same idol.

And that idol was…

Me?

No. Absolutely not.

“‘Footstools’ isn’t a nice term,” I said quickly. “Let’s start with this—what are your names?”

“My name?!”

“Yes. All of you.”

“Eek! What do we do?!”

Ignoring the chaos, I listened as they eagerly introduced themselves.

“So… Garnet, Nina, Dora, Ria, and Marie?”

“Yes!”

And Betty too.

…The names felt suspiciously alphabetical.

Probably my imagination.

“From now on, we’ll help you with anything, Your Grace!”

I had no idea how things had escalated so quickly—but faced with such warmth, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Alright. Thank you.”

✦ ✦ ✦

From that day on, an unmistakable divide formed within the Grand Ducal estate.

“Lady Hugo is ridiculous. No matter how noble she is, she’s still just an attendant. Why does she act so high and mighty? Compared to her, Lady Renée is practically an angel.”

Some quietly aligned themselves with Renée Blanche.

Meanwhile—

“No, that woman is cursed. Red eyes—just thinking about it gives me chills. Lady Katarina may be awful-tempered, but at least she doesn’t have ominous rumors surrounding her.”

Others continued to side with Katarina Hugo.

Depending on which woman they despised more, servants formed opposing camps, and small conflicts erupted throughout the estate.

“…As a result, internal division has grown quite severe.”

“Haa…”

A deep sigh escaped Xavier Celeste’s lips.

Rubbing his aching temples, he slowly opened his eyes.

“All this… in the few days I was away?”

“Well… about that…”

The head butler hesitated, troubled light flickering beneath his monocle.

Xavier shook his head.

“I’m not blaming you, Karl.”

“I apologize for failing to maintain discipline.”

“How could this possibly be your fault?” Xavier muttered. “This is all because of those who arrived uninvited.”

Since one side had at least been behaving themselves, he’d intended to deal with the louder faction first—

only to receive urgent news and rush back.

It was as if his own courtyard had caught fire while he was gone.

“Damn it.”

✦ ✦ ✦

A few days earlier—

Xavier had ridden hard after receiving reports of a monster appearing on the outskirts of Celeste territory.

Monsters were creatures of founding myths—beings sealed away by Albert Rembrandt, the first emperor, and an ancient dragon.

Hundreds of years had passed since then.

Dragons and monsters alike were now little more than legends.

Magic still existed—but its power had waned.

That domain now belonged to the Temple.

As divine power rose, magic’s decline was inevitable.

“….”

When Xavier arrived, the village said to have been damaged by monsters had been erased without a trace.

The monster itself was gone.

Had someone filed a false report to draw him away?

If so, a spy had infiltrated the Grand Ducal estate.

Until now, no one had dared such a thing.

The most suspicious party was, naturally—

“Hah.”

He was reaching his limit.

Cold fury flickered in his eyes.

“Fine. You may go.”

“Yes.”

Karl withdrew at once.

Left alone, Xavier rubbed his face dryly.

“…Nothing but exhaustion.”

His vision swam.

Sleeplessness wasn’t new—but days of relentless travel through cold and rough terrain had pushed him far past his limits.

His body screamed for rest, yet his mind only grew sharper.

That dissonance never grew familiar.

It’s already this late…

By the time Karl had come earlier, most people would’ve gone to bed.

Now, the world outside his window lay drowned in moonlight.

Xavier rose slowly.

Since sleep was impossible, he decided to walk.

Step.
Step.
Step.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the dark corridors.

Without realizing it, he found himself nearing a place he rarely visited.

Pure coincidence.

And yet—

“…!”

A sudden presence stirred beyond the bend in the corridor.

The instincts Xavier Celeste had honed through a lifetime spent walking the edge of danger snapped sharply to attention.

An intruder?
No—there was no hostility.

Rather…

It didn’t feel like someone sneaking in.

An assassin would never be this careless.

And at this hour, the Grand Ducal castle was far too quiet for servants to be moving about.

More importantly, the servants’ quarters were located in a separate annex, far from the main residence.

So it wasn’t a servant either.

Then who?

Even as possibilities flickered through his mind, light, hurried footsteps echoed closer down the corridor.

Just who would be wandering the halls of the main residence at this hour…?

“Who goes there?”

“Eek!”

But what he came face to face with was neither an assassin—

nor a servant—

but someone entirely unexpected.