CH 8.2

As the maid observed Cherryl with fear and curiosity, she carefully spoke. “My lady.” The maid took a step forward to announce her existence. “Well, I’m sorry–”

“If you’re sorry, shut up.” Cherryl interrupted coldly.

Finding the atmosphere strange, Natasha’s eyebrows moved like angry seagulls at once.

“What do you mean, shut up? You! Keep talking.”

The maid, who was looking around, immediately hid behind Natasha.

“I saw it was her, my lady.”

Cherryl’s stepmother clapped her hands when the maid snitched on her.

“That’s right. You witnessed what that sly little thing did, didn’t you?”

Her bright voice sounded ridiculous for some reason.

The confident maid nodded vigorously.

“Yes, my lady. I saw her coming out of the master’s bedroom.”

“It must be her, right?”

“Yes, my lady. I saw her exiting that room in a hurry.”

“Then, I will make you the witness. I’m certain that the Marquis will reprimand Cherryl for this matter. Don’t let me down.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Cherryl had never seen anyone buy witnesses in front of the supposed ‘perpetrators.’

In addition, she only once encountered this maid on the stairs.

This entire thing felt like a set-up.

It would take a lot of nerve and guts for a person to commit arson, but this particular maid didn’t look the type.

“Do you have proof?” Cherryl asked, tilting her head at her.

The maid stuttered at the unexpected question.

“With or without proof, I’m sure that—-”

“What made you think that you are believable? Didn’t you just steal meat from the kitchen a while ago?”

The maid turned pale with embarrassment.

A few days ago, Cherryl had heard a kitchen servant complain that the stock of beef jerky is disappearing little by little these days.

That food was reserved for the Marquis during his visit to the capital, so it got him confused why it was gone when the Marquis hadn’t even begun his travel yet.

Cherryl had seen this maid, who was in charge of cleaning the guest room and studying at the second floor, rush out of the kitchen several times.

She saw her checking out her surroundings while carrying something in her arms, so she immediately knew that she was the one who had stolen the food.

“Perhaps, you’re so hungry that you didn’t even notice I was there.” Cherryl shot back one after another. The statement of a jerky thief doesn’t seem  that credible, does it?”

“Oh, no. I never had beef jerky in my life, my lady. I didn’t steal such a thing.”

“I never mentioned it was beef.” Cherryl tilted her chin to the other side. “That’s strange. You were the beef jerky thief.”

“I did not! Never!”

“Do you think a thief would be qualified to work as a servant of the Marquis? What else had you stolen, and what are the lies  you have told to hide your sins?”

The butler and several servants exchanged glances.

Even Cherryl had no idea about the exact reason why the house was on fire, so she understood that everyone found the situation somewhat chaotic.

In the meantime, the young maid kept her pretense as an innocent girl to please her mistress.

It was comical how Cherryl had revealed her sins to everyone.

It got the servant in charge of kitchen food angry while the maid was on the verge of tears.

“That’s… It wasn’t me.”

“Hey!”

Natasha let out a roar, and it was directed at Cherryl instead of the jerky thief.

“Don’t try to change the subject! Do you think you are so clever?” Natasha pointed at Cherryl with her ash-stained finger. “You’re really done for. The Marquis will know of your atrocities once he returns home. Prepare yourself to be interrogated on why you’ve burned all of my jewels!”

“Please do. I’m going to ask the Duke to marry me when he comes back with the Marquis.”

“To the Marquis… I’m going to——what? What did you say?”

Natasha’s jaw had dropped in shock as if someone had hit her at the back of her head.

The same was true of the servants.

Cherryl folded her arms coyly. “I’m going to marry the Duke.”

The hall turned quiet as if everyone had been doused in cold water.

“Why are you surprised? Wasn’t that what father wanted?”

Natasha shook her head in disbelief.

“What… what nonsense are you talking about? You’re going to marry Archduke Blkanov?

“Ask me something new. I’m going to sign a marriage contract with him.”

Cherryl laughed inwardly at their speechlessness.

She couldn’t believe she had agreed to a marriage contract with a man she didn’t know.

This statement alone had broken all of the values she had proudly told Cade.

Natasha shook her chin in disbelief.

“I can’t believe it…. As far as I can tell, the Archduke certainly wasn’t interested in getting married to you.”

“Oh, you must be mistaken. He told me a few days ago that he had planned on marrying me.”

To support her argument, Cherryl pointed out the conversation she had with him on the last dinner they shared.

To make it sound real, she must mix a lie with a bit of truth.

“——and then he said he wanted to marry me.  I can tell that he fell in love with me at first sight. He likes me so much.”

The money the Marquis had demanded from Grand Duke Blkanov in exchange for Cherryl was equivalent to the estate’s tax for ten years.

Natasha couldn’t have known that.

“Did the Grand Duke propose to you?”

“I accepted it. I’ve never seen such a wonderful person in my life. What’s the point of rejecting a man who had a title?”

Cherryl pretended to be in love with him, ignoring his reluctance in her memory.

Not knowing what to say, Natasha smiled like a carp.

In her eyes, her bold and spoiled stepdaughter must have turned into her golden ball.

“Was it all true?”

“You think it’s fake? I already got a ring.”

Cherryl showed her own mother’s heirloom inserted into her ring finger.

Before she faced Natasha, the silver ring had just changed from the middle to her ring finger.

Natasha’s eyes went round with horror.