"As you can tell from my clothes, my situation in the family was no different from that of a maid."
Diena gestured toward her frayed dress.
"If I had let my uncle know about my ability under those circumstances, it's all too obvious what he would have done."
"What do you think he would have done?"
"He would have milked me for all I'm worth. I know my uncle. He would have put on a gentle facade on the outside while forcing me to work without a single moment of rest, draining my ability until the day I died."
Hassen muttered, a look of sheer disbelief on his face. "Surely... no matter the circumstances, how could a human being commit such an act that even a beast wouldn't do? Is the Duke of Rothwell truly that kind of person?"
A bitter smile played on Diena's lips. Her uncle was indeed a man worse than a beast...
It was understandable why people found it hard to believe right now, given how meticulously he hid his true colors. However—
'Varkan will be different.'
Varkan stared intently at Diena. Anyone else would have doubted her words, considering the Duke of Rothwell maintained an exceptionally pristine public reputation.
"Yeah, that bastard is entirely capable of that."
Yet, he alone recognized the truth in Diena's words.
"I thought I was the only one who knew his true nature, but it turns out you knew it too."
Varkan and Diena's eyes locked.
"I want to go with you, Lord Varkan. I refuse to be used, and I want to exact revenge on the Rothwell family members who tormented me. Please, let me work for you."
Hearing everything Diena was saying made him let out a hollow chuckle. To think she now even wanted revenge on the House of Rothwell. Frankly, it sounded absurd. As long as Balthazar held his own power and the backing of the Temple, they were invincible.
"And what exactly can you do?"
"If you take me with you, you'll find out."
Even so, curiosity naturally flared within him. He wondered what she was truly capable of.
Varkan narrowed his eyes and asked, "Has it never crossed your mind that I might use you for my own ends too?"
"At the very least, you would be employing me, wouldn't you? If so, I can at least get revenge on my uncle. After all, he thoroughly despises you, Lord Varkan."
"You……."
Concealing her inner anxiety behind a confident expression, Diena waited for Varkan's response.
Soon, his lips parted.
"You're quite feisty, aren't you?"
As expected, I knew he'd say something like that.
"But you're a brat with a terrible judge of character. Anyone else would laugh their head off at you. Choosing Kardian over the House of Rothwell."
Varkan scratched the back of his head and peered out the window.
"Well, just tag along for now."
Bringing this girl to his estate was risky. His power was constantly on the verge of a rampage, which was why every single servant in the House of Kardian was highly trained physically. However, since she claimed to possess a purification ability, letting her stay for just a short while should be fine.
'Well, if she ever says she wants to leave, I can just find her a safe haven then.'
Somewhere much warmer and safer than the Kardian estate. He resolved to protect her just until she could properly get on her feet—only until then.
A short while later, they arrived at their destination, where a gloomy, heavily shadowed manor stood before them. Yet, Diena couldn't help but marvel at its magnificent scale.
'It truly is grand. It is more than worthy of rivaling the House of Rothwell.'
The House of Kardian possessed immense wealth.
'I remember hearing that he invested in businesses and managed trading merchant groups incredibly well using the dignity maintenance funds received upon being elevated to a duchy.'
And all of that had been Varkan’s doing. Although there was a separate head of the family, it was said that the Duke spent most of his time away from the estate. Consequently, the management of the manor and the family's merchant groups naturally fell into Varkan's hands.
"Believe it or not, I actually have quite a knack for running things. That's why our family used to have an astronomical amount of money."
Diena looked around the unfamiliar manor with wide eyes.
'When I met Varkan in my past life, the family had already fallen into ruin and was impoverished, so I never truly realized it.'
She had assumed it was mere boasting back then, but the House of Kardian during this period was indeed astonishingly wealthy.
Just then, the head butler emerged from the manor to greet Varkan.
"Zoldyck, where is Father?"
"He has not yet returned from the subjugation campaign, Young Master. I was informed that this particular campaign would take quite some time."
"I see. It looks like I'll have to leave again right away too. Please take good care of Bianca."
"Have you not just returned from finishing your mission?"
"Yeah, but a guest has arrived. I'm just dropping her off and heading straight back out."
"A guest?"
Varkan nodded, then stepped aside to present Diena, who was standing awkwardly beside him. "She'll be staying at our manor starting today."
At those words, Zoldyck’s face turned blank with astonishment. Diena's appearance looked far too fragile. Up until now, everyone who worked at or even briefly visited the estate was without exception physically trained. Zoldyck himself boasted a tall, muscular build.
The same went for the maids. The House of Kardian was simply not a suitable environment for the weak. Because it lay outside the Purified Zone, the distribution of the Temple's suppressants was severely restricted, meaning the ability users within the estate could go into a rampage at any given moment.
Yet, he intended to bring this tiny living creature into the manor?
"Lord Varkan, to call this person a guest of our family, she is a bit too..."
"Looks too fragile?"
"Y-Yes, indeed."
"No, she's actually a lot tougher than she looks. Don't judge her solely by her appearance."
"Tough, you say?"
"Maybe not physically, but her mind seems strong. I think?" Varkan curled one corner of his lips upward, turning his gaze to Diena. "Right?"
"Yes, you don't need to worry. I am perfectly capable of looking after myself."
"See how she answers right away? Am I right or am I right, Zoldyck?"
Zoldyck stared at Diena with deeply skeptical eyes. He couldn't comprehend which part of her was supposedly tough.
"Young Master."
"Just for a few months. That should be more than enough time."
Varkan cut him off cleanly, leaving no room for further argument. Ultimately, Zoldyck let out a faint sigh.
"Understood."
He couldn't oppose a decision his master had firmly resolved upon.
"Then, should I attend to her as a guest?"
The moment the head butler finished his sentence, Diena snapped her head up. "No. Please give me work."
"Work?"
While Zoldyck blinked in surprise at the unexpected request, Varkan also questioned her with a suspicious look. "Do you really want to work that badly?"
"I feel uncomfortable doing nothing."
"How peculiar. I absolutely hate working, yet here I am doing it anyway. But you know, there probably aren't many chores you can actually do in this manor."
"Even maid duties are fine. I'm very good at chores."
"……Maid duties?"
"Yes. I used to work alongside the maids at the place I was at before."
A lady of a ducal house performing maid duties? Varkan's eyes widened at the unbelievable statement.
"Please, let me work for you."
The words Diena had uttered on their way here suddenly flashed through his mind. So this was what she meant by working for him.
He recalled the image of the Duke of Rothwell calling her useless. If she had been forced to constantly prove her worth just to live in her own home, it made sense why she spoke this way, and her resentment toward the House of Rothwell became somewhat understandable.
Varkan stared intently at Diena. She met his gaze directly without flinching. In truth, he had intended to keep her identity as a Rothwell a secret and provide her with a forged alias. He had absolutely no intention of making her do menial labor.
However, Varkan eventually nodded. He was never the type to stop someone from doing what they claimed they wanted to do.
"Summon Matilda."
Soon, a middle-aged woman emerged from the manor. It was Matilda, the head maid of the family.
"Is there any work suitable for this girl? Among the maids' chores."
"Yes, there is."
"What kind of work?"
"Seeing her fragile frame, a specific position instantly comes to mind. As Lady Bianca’s personal maid."
"Bianca's?"
"Yes. Coincidentally, another maid quit just a few days ago."
At that response, Varkan let out a soft sigh and asked, "Did Bianca throw another tantrum?"
