The Duke de Françoise sat down on the head of the table without a greeting and spoke informally.

“Yes?”

Ermedeline, taken aback by the duke’s tone, raised an eyebrow and glared at him.

“What? Giving me that look? Have you forgotten your place, you little bitch?”

‘Little bitch? Even if he’s my father, really. Using this tone with his own daughter, who’s supposed to be an empress?’

The duke’s attitude was beyond that of an ordinary father.

Now, not only did he scan the young maids with a sinister look but also scrutinized their tastes.

While Ermedeline had inherited her beauty from her father, the duke, he wore an expression that was nothing short of unpleasant.

‘Wow, even a handsome face can be this annoying. If Grandpa Cha*woo saw that expression, he’d lose his appetite.’

“Are these the newcomers? This time, the quality seems a bit higher than last.”

‘What is he saying? This old-fashioned man is unbelievable.’

Ermedeline wanted to kick him out immediately, but she had to put out the urgent fire first.

“Um, Father. I have something to…”

“Her.”

Suddenly, the Duke pointed at a maid with thick blonde hair.

The maid he pointed at struggled to lift her head and sent Ermedeline a pleading look.

Tears were already streaming down her eyes.

“Why that maid? Did she commit some kind of rudeness?” Ermedeline asked with a stern expression.

Upon hearing this, the Duke glared at Ermedeline with intensity in his eyes.

“Are you crazy? That blonde one. I am borrowing her. This time, I’ll return her with life attached.”

“Your Highness…”

Ermedeline felt a sense of absurdity as if she might burst into bitter laughter, but the despairing expression on the maid who had been pointed out by the Duke was too vivid.

Ermedeline stepped in between her father and the maid.

“Why is the Duke borrowing my maid? May I inquire about the reason?”

The Duke’s expression, which had briefly shown a displeasing smile while looking at the maid, turned sinister in an instant.

“Why are you like this today? Are you really crazy? Fer…”

The Duke was about to mention someone’s name but stopped himself.

“I don’t want to argue in front of these people. I’m going to take her with me when I return…”

“No, you can’t.”

Before the Duke could finish his sentence, Ermedeline expressed her adamant refusal.

“What?”

“I said no. Why should you borrow my maid as you please? Shouldn’t you pay back the money you borrowed from me first?”

The Duke’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out of his head.

His face resembled that of someone who had just seen a ghost.

“Everyone, leave.”

The Duke, still trembling with anger, clenched his fists and physically pushed the maids away.

Once the maids left the room, he abruptly stood up and grabbed Ermedeline by the collar.

“Has this crazy bitch really lost her mind? Do you not care if Ferdant dies?”

‘Ferdant? Who is that?’

The name had never been mentioned in the novel before. It was likely not an important character, and it seemed odd to suddenly bring up someone nobody knew.

“Regardless of what happens to Ferdant, you should pay me back first. Will you pay the money?”

Despite being grabbed by the collar, Ermedeline looked up at her father with a defiant gaze, captivating the Duke de Françoise with a strange sensation.

‘Am I dreaming right now? Is this really the Ermedeline I knew?’

However, within the empire, the distinct mark of a true clear-eye, the violet irises that granted the privilege of using dark magic, left no room for denial that the unfamiliar woman before him was his own daughter.

Releasing his grip on her collar, the Duke asked in a low voice, “Why do you suddenly need money?”

“It’s for personal use.”

“What? Personal? You, bitch, have personal use for money? If you need money that badly, do what you used to do. Make illegal elixirs or extort it from your lovers.”

The Duke de Françoise looked at Ermedeline with a gaze that seemed to regard her as trash, rather than his daughter.

“Why would I do such things when you’ve borrowed so much money? It’s tiresome. Just return it.”

“What? Are you really crazy? Do you want to see Ferdant die for real?”

‘Who is Ferdant, by the way?’

“Do as you please. I must get the money back. It’s all meticulously documented in the ledger, so if we go to court…”

Before Ermedeline could finish her sentence, the Duke grabbed her by the hair, and then he drew a dagger and pressed it against her throat.

Startled, Ermedeline struggled as a small cut appeared on her pristine white neck.

“Ahh!”

“Don’t exaggerate. Just call a healer. I could kill you right now, but I’ll let it slide this time. You must send the money immediately, no matter what it takes. Understand?”

Ermedeline couldn’t respond, as she felt the metallic sensation against her throat, so she simply bit her lip hard to keep from crying.

The Duke released her by throwing her against the wall by her hair, and with loud, heavy footsteps, he stormed out of the room.

Thud! Ermedeline’s head collided with the wall, creating a loud noise.

As soon as the Duke left, maids rushed in, horrified by Ermedeline’s condition.

“Aaah!! Empress!!”

“Immediately!! Call a healer!!”

One of the maids sprinted out to fetch a resident physician from the palace.

“Empress, are you okay?”

The maid who had shielded Ermedeline earlier, now teary-eyed, used her own skirt to gently cover Ermedeline’s neck.

“The healer will be here soon. Please bear with it a little longer. He caused an injury to your throat because of someone like me…”

“Why would this be your fault?”

In response to Ermedeline’s question, the maid’s eyes welled up with even more tears than before, and they poured out like a waterfall.

“You protected me. I heard that the maids taken by the Duke earlier, some are returned dead…”

‘Oh. This person… dared to take the Empress’s maids and kill them as if they were just commodities?”

 He dared to put a knife to the Empress’s throat, her own daughter, It’s clear how he treated the maids.

‘What has he done with young teenagers who haven’t even reached their twenties? This perverted bastard.’

As her anger surged with every thought, the pain in her throat became almost imperceptible now. Ermedeline lifted her hand and gently wiped away the maid’s tears.

“Don’t blame yourself for things that aren’t your fault. In life, there may be times when something goes wrong, and it’s truly your fault, but you don’t need to self-blame for things you didn’t do.”

Soon, the sound of footsteps from a physician was heard.

A middle-aged woman with a dignified appearance who seemed quite experienced.

The physician, who had been forcibly brought by another maid, screamed upon seeing Ermedeline covered in blood.

“Eeek!! What is this?”

The physician, who had rushed over and stood in front of Ermedeline, began to examine her neck closely.

“Could it be… a knife?”

“Yes.”

The physician didn’t ask any more questions and proceeded to heal Ermedeline’s neck.

A radiant light emanated from the warm presence of the kind-hearted physician’s body, and Ermedeline’s pain ceased.

“Empress.”

The physician called Ermedeline in a solemn voice.

***

“You know I don’t particularly like Empresses who use dark magic, right?”

‘Oh, right. In the novel, the clergy and the Empress were openly at odds.’

Ermedeline nodded in understanding.

“But no matter how much I may not like you as the Empress, this is unacceptable. How can a father treat his daughter’s body so recklessly?”

Seeing the strained expression on the physician, who had a less than pleasant relationship with her, Ermedeline sensed that this wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred.

‘I didn’t expect the villain’s family to be this dysfunctional, even though they’re antagonists.’

“Is there any way to legally prosecute this matter?”

‘That damned pervert. I won’t let him get away with this!’

“Are you suggesting we take legal action? He dared to use a knife on a member of the royal family. It should have gone to court a long time ago, but hasn’t the Empress been avoiding that?”

“Me?”

A thought she hadn’t even realized she had slipped out.

“Yes, you. But what’s the sudden reason for considering punishment?”

The physician’s honey-colored eyes were filled with suspicion and caution.

“Reason? Well, isn’t it obvious? I can’t take it anymore, that’s why.”

Ermedeline’s frustration was clear in her voice.

A subtle expression crossed the physician’s face in response to Ermedeline’s answer. It seemed both concerned and somewhat mocking.

The expression appeared to suggest worry and amusement at the same time.

“If you intend to formally raise this issue, I am willing to testify in court.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s not out of personal sympathy for you, Empress. The nobility should be held to the highest standard as the core and pinnacle of the Trivian Empire. Anyone who causes harm to a noble’s body, regardless of who they are, should be punished according to our strict laws.”

“That’s reassuring to hear. For both the treatment and your willingness to help… Thank you.”

Although Ermedeline had merely expressed gratitude for something that should be expected, the physician’s face suddenly contorted.

“You’re thanking me now??”

“What else?”

The physician furrowed her brows briefly and then shrugged.

“I understand for now. But I acted as a disciple of the divine, just doing what was expected. There’s no need to thank me.”

Ermedeline couldn’t help but wonder just how abrasive her personality must have been to make the physician react with surprise to a simple expression of gratitude. She realized she needed to maintain a certain level of decorum to avoid raising suspicions.

“Your Highness, are you okay?”

As the physician left, the maids crowded around Ermedeline, checking on her condition.

“Yeah. I’m fine now. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

When Ermedeline slightly raised her chin to display her now cleaned and tidy neck, the maids let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Have I ever asked for your names?”

Regardless, they were her closest attendants for now.

Her Majesty, the Empress, never had a single maid visit her chambers, so…

‘At least knowing their names wouldn’t hurt.’

The maid with thick blonde hair and brown eyes, the one Ermedeline had shielded, replied, “No, Your Majesty. You’ve never asked for our names.”

“Is that so? I never asked for your names, huh? Could you tell me now?”

In response to Ermedeline’s request, the maids happily introduced themselves one by one.

The pretty girl with thick blonde hair and brown eyes was named Rooney.

The plump girl with dark brown hair and green eyes was named Margo.

The skinny girl standing at the back with red hair and freckles was named Helen.

“How long have all of you been serving me? I want to remember exactly.”

Rooney, who was 19, said she had been serving for 6 months. Margo, who was 18, said she had been serving for 4 months. Helen, who was 17, had only been serving for 2 weeks.

Compared to other Empress’s maids, they were relatively young and had short tenures.

‘At least their exposure to the wicked Empress has been a short time. I should start by winning them over to my side.’