Chapter 53: CH 53

“What?”

I was so surprised that I pushed Lucas, who was standing in front of Cameron, and went to stand in front of Cameron. A whip? Carol’s body, kneeling next to him, began to tremble. After all, she was once in a strange place and got beaten up.….

I was so angry with Cameron that I thought I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Of course, she should be fired too.”

“Excuse me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Even though she made a mistake, how can you hit and fire her?”

Carol is someone whom I hired. What right does he have to hit and fire her? I can’t believe it. No matter how strict the caste system is here, it is ridiculous to think of hitting someone older than you.

“Then, will you, the master, be beaten instead?”

“Cameron!”

“Why am I the owner of a Carol?”

Cameron stepped one step closer to me with a ferocious spirit. His face was quite grimly distorted. It’s really ugly. Gilbert tried to get between us when he said he was going to hit me, but I stopped him with my eyes.

“You don’t want to get hit on behalf of a maid, do you?”

“Carol’s owner is Carol. I bought Carol’s labor, not her human rights.”

“Ha, human rights?”

Cameron glared at me with a smile. Lucas, who was behind Cameron, raised his hand secretly and pretended to clap. Seeing it almost made me laugh, but I held it in.

“Fire that maid.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Are you going to refuse an imperial order?”

“Are you the emperor?”

“What?”

What do you mean, imperial order? You’re not even the emperor and you will never be the emperor.

Cameron swept his hair wildly at my words and threatened me.

“I am the first prince of this empire! The one who will be the next emperor.”

“Really, I don’t know about that. There wasn’t any ceremony.”

“This little thing has a big mouth…….”

“Aren’t you taking this little thing very seriously.”

“Pfft.”

“Gilbert!”

Gilbert laughed at my words. The laugh made Cameron even more angry, calling Gilbert’s name harshly. I didn’t avoid Cameron’s gaze. I’m really… I’ve been holding it in for a while.

“Stop it, Cameron. You’re literally going to deal with this little thing? She’s less than half of you.”

“Carol, go get the ice.”

Even at my words, Carol continued to sniff. She seemed so nervous that she couldn’t hear anything. I tapped Carol on the shoulder and winked at her to get out. Only then did Carol nodded, scrambled up and went outside.

“I really don’t like everything here.”

“Who….”

“Ah! Really!”

“Mary, You too, stop.”

Gilbert said, pinching his forehead as if he were really tired. But seeing him secretly smiling at me behind Cameron’s back, Gilbert must have felt better inside too. When I sat down, Rex took my hand. When I peeked at Rex, he was looking at me as if he was saying.

‘Please stop, sister…….’

But I’m sorry, but I don’t intend to stop now.….

Rex’s eyes were filled with tears as I shook my head slightly and smiled. He was so cute and pitiful, but he also spoke abusive words towards Rex that I couldn’t put up with his rudeness any longer.

“You won’t fire that maid?”

“Yes.”

I spoke as resolutely as I could. Of course, Carol made a lot of mistakes, but…… But she’s a really nice and hard working kid. I remembered Carol’s face, rejoicing that her mother had improved a lot these days.

‘In the past, whenever my younger siblings were telling me they were hungry, I just got angry. I hated myself for being so incompetent, I felt so sorry. I was always angry……. But after you helped me like this, I’m happy that my younger siblings do not get hungry anymore. I can show my mother to a doctor too. It’s all thanks to you.’

That’s the kind of kid she is, how can I throw a kid like that out?

Cameron crossed his arms and said in a subdued voice to my determined eyes.

“There’s something that students in the academy make when they’re at odds like this.”

“Cameron!”

This time Gilbert jumped out of his seat, as Cameron spoke. A smile appeared on Cameron’s lips as if Gilbert was funny. Then he turned his gaze back to me.

“What do you say? Mary Conler, you and I make a bet on that maid.”

“Do it with me!”

“I’ll do it.”

Gilbert grabbed Cameron by the shoulder, but I said I would do it, because Carol……she is my person. I felt it was the right thing to do it.

“All right, the bet is…….”

Gilbert slumped down where he was sitting with a pale face. What kind of bet is it?

“It’s hunting.”

Hunting?

The only thing I’ve killed is a bug. What do you mean hunting?

It was quite funny that hunting was rampant within the academy. Isn’t it unethical to pay your tuition and do that kind of thing?

“Can you do it?”

“No, but I have to.”

I couldn’t back down. This was also a matter of my pride. If Gilbert comes forward, of course Gilbert will win. But I’m the one who was provoked. Hiding behind Gilbert is not Mary Conler like.

“If I win, I’ll fire that maid and punish her as I please.”

“If I win.”

“What if you win?”

“Apologize formally to Carol Delat, the maid who just left.”

“Me?”

“Cameron was hit by brother Gilbert’s word in vain and bumped into Carol. You have some faults, too. Why are you making it one sided?”

“Ha, what a wicked little kid…….”

“I also want Carol to beat you with a whip but I’m holding it back because you’re from the imperial family.”

***

Maxim felt the dignity of the Grand Duke of Conler again.

She must be about nine years old now, she is the youngest daughter they found after nine years, but she looked much smaller than her age. She looks about seven years old.

But she stood up to a man who was twice as big as her, the First Prince, without being intimidated at all. What she said until the end was absolutely overwhelming. Looking at Estin’s aide Lucas, he was looking at Mary with a look of pride.

A Conler is a Conler…….

Will this matter become big? He wanted to give his master some beating for doing such a thing.

What kind of honor would you get from fighting a girl six years younger than you…

Cameron doesn’t seem to know much, even if she’s a Conler, winning a bet with a little girl won’t raise his honor and his pride will be further reduced.

However, Cameron thinks that he must protect his honor and pride by winning the bet with that girl, and by firing and punishing the maid.

What a stupid, young idea…….

Maxim thought so, but now that it happened, he realized that even if he stepped up, things would not be solved. So he just stood by Cameron with a resigned look.

Please, I hope that Mary Conler won’t provoke Cameron anymore…….

“There is a good hunting ground nearby that Count Stein has. That’s the place. I will ask the permission of Count Stein.”

“Yes.”

“The bet is simple. The person who  brings the biggest prey will be the victor.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s do it in three days.”

“Yeah.”

It’s obviously in Cameron’s favor, but Mary didn’t feel discouraged and answered regularly. However, her answer was so rude that Cameron’s expression was distorted again. She just answered , but why is he so annoyed?

“Where can I rest?”

“Shall we go? You have to change, too.”

Cameron rose to his seat, perhaps because he no longer wanted to mix words with Mary. Maxim thought it was good, so he quickly stepped out. He guided him to the bedroom Lucas showed earlier.

But before he could even guide him, Cameron strode out of the drawing room. Looking at his back, Maxim sighed for a while, and was about to follow.

“That bastard is just…….”

It was obviously Mary’s voice. Maxim was surprised and looked down at Mary, and Mary, who was sitting down, looked up at him and smiled. It was a cool and refreshing smile that didn’t seem to be a person who just cursed at all.

Maxim thought he had heard it wrong, so he quickly followed Cameron.

“Where’s my room?”

“You have to go up to this floor.”

Cameron, who entered the room guided by Maxim, roughly took off his clothes and threw them to the floor. He never takes it off with his own hands, he must be very angry.

“I really don’t like Conler kids at all.”

That seemed to be the case with Conlers too.

Maxim took out one of Cameron’s clothes, which Conler employees had well-organized, and carefully placed it on the bed.

Maxim asked carefully as he helped Cameron change his clothes.

“Are you really going to make a hunting bet with Miss Mary Conler?”

“Didn’t you hear what the little kid said? I need to break her spirit.”

“Still, she’s the daughter of the Grand Duke……. If it’s known that you’re going to hunt with the miss…….”

“Yes, she’s the daughter of Grand Duke Conler. A Conler is just a Conler.”

“Prince.”

“Anyway, if I win this bet, I will win against a Conler. Don’t you know what a bet means in the academy?”

“…….”

“Don’t you know?”

“Even though it’s informal…… The honor of the family is at stake.”

Maxim replied bitterly.