You Can Keep The Male Lead

The Clifford property was large and spacious.
When I arrived just after sunset, I was disoriented at first, but it turned out the distance between the annex and the main building was unexpectedly close.

The maids were busy moving between the two buildings, carrying something and working from a distance.
And I knew from the novel that Chloe was in the annex.

When I looked towards the annex, Rupert snapped at me and forced me to look away.

Curious about his reaction, I asked Rupert, “It looks like someone is staying at the annex.
Who is it?”

“It’s none of your concern.
You’re only staying in this house, so stay as quiet as a mouse.”

Then Rupert quickened his steps.

Looking at things objectively, I could understand why Erin would be jealous and harbor resentment towards Chloe.

It would definitely hurt Erin’s pride, much more her heart, to see that not only did Rupert show disinterest in marrying Erin, he even brought his lover to the annex on the same day they got married.

Furthermore, weren’t they being too open about this, to the point that Rupert’s father, the current Duke, could easily find out about it? It seemed that none of the people here reported it to the Duke.

As I walked around and entered the building, two people came out and bowed.

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“You’ve arrived, Lord, Madam.” The wrinkled butler greeted us first.
Forgive me for being rude, but looking at the old man, it seemed that he should be served rather than serve.

And the Duke’s heir had just gotten married, yet none of the staff came here to greet them? According to the novel, the current Duke was in their main estate because he wasn’t feeling well.

Not only did they not hold the wedding ceremony at the estate, but no one came to greet them.

“I’m the head maid, Thelma.
Unfortunately, the Madam’s bedroom has not yet been cleaned up.
Would it be okay to stay in the guest room for today?”

The woman glanced up and down at me, condescending as if she were the mistress of this house.

“No.
Guest room? Do you think that makes sense? Prepare the room while I take a bath.”

I delivered

my request without losing to her.
Surely, there wasn’t much to clean in a room that hadn’t been used in a long time.

And even if that were the case, a normal person would recommend that the newlyweds share a room instead.
The head maid had implicitly shown what she thought of Erin in this house by suggesting the guest room.

“But…” the maid mumbled as if surprised that I refused.

I turned to Rupert, seeking a silent agreement, but he didn’t seem to be able to take a hint.

“Rupert.” I finally opened my mouth, frustrated at the ignorant male lead.
“Shall I go to your room to sleep today? Otherwise…”

“Do what she tells you to do.”

It was a little ridiculous to see Rupert panic at my words, but it would have been frightening on my side if he offered to sleep with me.

Thankfully, he understood what I meant.
Anyway, if he was going to hate it that much, he should have agreed from the start.

Thelma, the maid who had just openly defied the new Mistress, eventually lowered her head at Rupert’s order.

Looking at it, I knew what I had to do in this house.
I had no intention of being as wild as Erin in the novel, but I needed to assert my position as the wife of the Duke’s heir.

I wondered how I, the wife who obviously did not have Rupert’s favor, would be able to survive in this house.

“Then, we’ll help you with your dress first.
Please follow this child.” The head maid pointed to one of the maids standing behind her.

She was the smallest of them and looked younger.

“I’m Jenny,” the maid greeted and walked ahead, looking back at me as if telling me to follow her.

I followed Jenny upstairs, leaving Rupert in the lobby.
I felt Rupert’s gaze the whole time.

Why are you looking at me like that? Did you notice something weird?

Jenny, who was ahead, hesitated in front of a slightly open door.
The voices of bustling women came through the door.

“Hurry up, is that all? Why are there so many?”

“Yeah, whose money did they use to buy it? When did they buy it all?”

“Please wait a moment, madam,” Jenny turned to me and said, then went inside and closed the door.
Suddenly, the chattering abruptly stopped.

After a moment, the door opened, and two maids came out, carrying a large basket.

I glanced at the basket and saw nothing but women’s accessories.
When they saw me looking, they bowed down in fright and rushed out as if running away.

“I guess they haven’t cleaned up everything.
Come in now.”

Jenny opened the door, and as I stepped in, I could see the empty closet.
I looked inside and stood in front of a full-length mirror.

“Madam, I’ll help you change clothes.”

“Alright.”

I looked closely at Jenny approaching through the mirror.
She was a young girl who had not lost her baby fat yet.
Was she about 16 or 17 years old?

Come to think of it, Erin looked pretty young, too.

I moved closer to the mirror and touched my cheeks.
Soft.

How old is this body? The novel didn’t reveal Erin’s age.
Since Chloe was twenty-three, Erin should be around that age, too.

Anyhow, I felt like I could breathe after Jenny loosened the corset fastened on my back.

“Where are my clothes?”

As Jenny was about to leave, the door quickly opened, Thelma entering the room without knocking.

“I’ve brought Madam’s luggage.”

There were only two slightly larger bags in her hands.
Jenny took them from Thelma, put them down, and started hanging the clothes inside the closet.

Erin didn’t have enough clothes to fill the dressing room.
One, two… the bag was empty just by pulling out a few sets of clothes.

“Is this all?”

“Yes, I brought everything that was in Count Spilet’s mansion.”

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It was easy to read the ridicule in the head maid’s eyes, but I couldn’t say anything.

Even to me, it was weird that a noble lady, no, a noble who’s inherited a Count title, had only a few clothes and worn out at that.

Come to think of it, the novel portrayed Erin as frugal and uncompromising.
There might have been some circumstances that have happened to her, but unfortunately, it was only mentioned briefly.

“Ah… right.”

“Today, this child will help Madam, but if you want to appoint a different one as your exclusive maid…”

“I’ve decided on Jenny.
You can go now.”

As I looked over Delma coldly, she left the room sullenly.
I couldn’t understand why that maid was so cocky.

No matter how much Rupert neglected Erin, without a Duchess, Erin was still the hostess of the house.

Jenny picked a nightgown from among the handful of clothes and handed it to me.

“You must be tired.
Shall I prepare the bathwater?”

“Yes.
Which way is the bathroom?”

“Madam’s bedroom is the door on the right.
The bathroom is directly connected.”

Jenny left as soon as I nodded.

And finally, solitude.

Wearing only a thin slip, I stood in front of the full-length mirror.

Erin had a slim body, unrealistic rosy hair, and beautiful eyes shining like the sun.

It would be a waste of this life to live as a villain.

“What is this?”

As I tried to leave the dressing room after changing into my nightwear, I noticed something shining on the floor.
I bent down and picked it up.

It was a small earring with a red gem.
Why was this here? If it’s Erin, Jenny just put it all in the drawer.
And I have a feeling Erin didn’t have much, either.

So these earrings must be from the former owner who used this dressing room.
I didn’t know the details; I just knew it’d been a long time since the former Duchess passed away.

I thought of the basket that the maids had just carried out.
The trinkets and women’s clothes that were in that basket, who owned it?

With a bad feeling, I held the earring in my hand and put it in my pocket.
Then I headed to the bedroom that Jenny told me.

The maids, who were fixing the bed sheets, looked at me and stood upright nervously.

“It’s all right, so keep doing what you were doing.”

“Yes? Yes, Madam.”

As I headed towards the bathroom, I looked closely at the bedroom.
The air in the room, the furniture, everything else… it didn’t seem like a room that had been vacant for a long time.

In particular, the bedsheets that the maids had taken up and placed on one side were a sky-blue lace pattern that aristocratic women would favor.

“…”

I went into the bathroom with more questions in my head.