The Villainous Noblewoman Is About to Be Forced into Love, Isn’t This Wrong?
Author: 耶芝娜
Chapter 5
"Nabet," Liana greeted as the head maid entered, holding a tray in one hand and elegantly lifting the hem of her skirt with the other. "Your Highness," Nabet replied, bowing slightly with perfect grace.
Liana nodded, and the lavish breakfast was set before her.
Curious, Liana picked up a fork and twirled a bite of noodles. In the original story, Nabetâs cooking was described as extraordinarily delicious, practically irresistible. She wanted to see just how accurate that description was.
She took a bite.
"â¦"
Maybe it was her imagination. She rinsed her mouth with tea and tried another bite. The result was the sameâit was mediocre.
âIs something wrong, Your Highness? Does it not suit your tastes?â Nabet asked.
Though Liana knew Nabet was capable of cruelty, she wouldnât stoop so low as to sabotage a meal. This left only one possibility: the culinary world of this world lacked the kinds of spices and seasonings that could elevate a dish. This might very well be the pinnacle of what this world could offer.
It wasnât terrible, but it wasnât impressive either. It definitely didnât live up to the novelâs description.
"No, itâs fine. I quite like it," Liana said, finishing her meal. But a troubling thought lingeredâif this was the best food Nabet, the so-called culinary genius, could produce, what kind of horrors awaited her from the other maids? She shook her head. That wasnât the issue at hand right now.
After wiping her mouth and placing her napkin down, Liana got straight to the point. "Nabet, Iâm changing maids."
âIs there a reason for your dissatisfaction with the current one?â Nabet inquired.
"As you can see, she hasnât even bothered to wake up yet. And Nabet, you should know better than anyone that obedience is the most basic requirement for a maid. She often acts on her own, doing things in my name that are detrimental to me."
"Is that so?" Nabet looked at Liana thoughtfully, though she didnât believe a word of it. Lianaâs history was too damning, and this sounded like nothing more than another excuse to pass the blame. Nabet had seen her feign remorse far too many times before reverting to her old ways. Lianaâs credibility with Nabet was long gone.
"Yes," Liana nodded firmly, then turned her gaze to Loraville. "Loraville, take off your clothes."
"?!"
Loraville bit her lip, trembling. Was this going to be another humiliation?
"I... I understand," she said quietly, her fists clenched tightly. Slowly, she began to remove her outer garments, her face flushed with shame as she reached for the clasps of her undergarments.
"Stop," Liana interrupted, halting her. She glanced at Nabet, whose face betrayed no emotion, though Liana could sense that her impression of her had worsened even further.
"I didnât mean for you to undress completely. Just your outer layer. Nabet needs to take your measurements for a proper maid uniform," Liana explained. Then, as though realizing she had forgotten something, she added, "And you are not allowed to undress in front of anyone else. After all, you belong to me."
"I understand, Your Highness," Loraville murmured, trembling.
Nabet stepped forward to measure Loravilleâs body, noting how she shivered the entire time. She sighed internally, vowing to save this poor girl if she could.
Once the measurements were done, Nabet handed Loraville the clothes. But Loraville hesitated, holding the garments without putting them on. She was too afraid to act without permission.
"Put them on," Liana ordered.
Only after hearing Lianaâs command did Loraville begin to dress, her movements stiff and hesitant.
"Iâd like you to help Loraville learn the etiquette of Venus Territory and the duties of a maid," Liana instructed.
"Understood," Nabet replied.
"Let her have breakfast first, though. Thereâs no rush; take a weekâno, a month. Let her adjust at her own pace," Liana added, brushing off her skirt as she rose. "I have other matters to attend to. Stay here with her for now."
"Of course," Nabet said. She clapped her hands, summoning another maid. The moment the maid recognized Liana, her face twisted with open disdain before she quickly masked it.
Liana noticed but wasnât surprised. Winning over Nabet and the other loyal staff of the Venus household would take time, but that was precisely her goal. Changing too quickly would raise suspicion and make people question her motives. Slow, deliberate progress was the way forward.
After all, her ultimate goal wasnât to earn their respect but to transform her own reputation enough to function like a human being in their eyes.
"Your Highness, my name is Loco," the maid said, curtsying with practiced elegance. She was dressed in the standard black-and-white maid uniform. "I look forward to serving you."
Liana recognized her immediately. Loco was one of Nabetâs handpicked and personally trained maids, undoubtedly placed to monitor her. Still, this was an improvement over Countess Ruthâs maids, who would go behind her back and blame her for their schemes.
"Very well," Liana said with a nod before leaving the room.
As soon as Liana was gone, Nabet turned to Loraville. "Were you coerced into this?"
Loraville hesitated. After the betrayal involving the invitation, she didnât trust anyone anymore, least of all Nabet, who was clearly aligned with the Venus family. If she said anything against Liana now, she was sure it would only lead to more severe punishments later.
Forcing a smile, she replied, "I volunteered to become Her Highness Lianaâs maid. I wasnât coerced."
Nabet saw through the strained smile and the fear in Loravilleâs eyes. She sighed again, her heart aching for the girl. She vowed silently to rescue Loraville from this mess.
As for Liana?
Between Loravilleâs forced smile and her trembling voice, it was clear that she had been subjected to Lianaâs torment.
Meanwhile, Liana, walking to her next destination, remained blissfully unaware that her reputation in Nabetâs mind had taken yet another hit.
Her thoughts were occupied with her upcoming meeting with Countess Ruth, the current head of the Venus family.
When Loco realized that Liana was heading to see Countess Ruth, her expression briefly darkened. Loco served Eirina Venus, who was in direct opposition to the countess. And every time Liana visited Ruth, something bad was guaranteed to follow.
Liana nodded, and the lavish breakfast was set before her.
Curious, Liana picked up a fork and twirled a bite of noodles. In the original story, Nabetâs cooking was described as extraordinarily delicious, practically irresistible. She wanted to see just how accurate that description was.
She took a bite.
"â¦"
Maybe it was her imagination. She rinsed her mouth with tea and tried another bite. The result was the sameâit was mediocre.
âIs something wrong, Your Highness? Does it not suit your tastes?â Nabet asked.
Though Liana knew Nabet was capable of cruelty, she wouldnât stoop so low as to sabotage a meal. This left only one possibility: the culinary world of this world lacked the kinds of spices and seasonings that could elevate a dish. This might very well be the pinnacle of what this world could offer.
It wasnât terrible, but it wasnât impressive either. It definitely didnât live up to the novelâs description.
"No, itâs fine. I quite like it," Liana said, finishing her meal. But a troubling thought lingeredâif this was the best food Nabet, the so-called culinary genius, could produce, what kind of horrors awaited her from the other maids? She shook her head. That wasnât the issue at hand right now.
After wiping her mouth and placing her napkin down, Liana got straight to the point. "Nabet, Iâm changing maids."
âIs there a reason for your dissatisfaction with the current one?â Nabet inquired.
"As you can see, she hasnât even bothered to wake up yet. And Nabet, you should know better than anyone that obedience is the most basic requirement for a maid. She often acts on her own, doing things in my name that are detrimental to me."
"Is that so?" Nabet looked at Liana thoughtfully, though she didnât believe a word of it. Lianaâs history was too damning, and this sounded like nothing more than another excuse to pass the blame. Nabet had seen her feign remorse far too many times before reverting to her old ways. Lianaâs credibility with Nabet was long gone.
"Yes," Liana nodded firmly, then turned her gaze to Loraville. "Loraville, take off your clothes."
"?!"
Loraville bit her lip, trembling. Was this going to be another humiliation?
"I... I understand," she said quietly, her fists clenched tightly. Slowly, she began to remove her outer garments, her face flushed with shame as she reached for the clasps of her undergarments.
"Stop," Liana interrupted, halting her. She glanced at Nabet, whose face betrayed no emotion, though Liana could sense that her impression of her had worsened even further.
"I didnât mean for you to undress completely. Just your outer layer. Nabet needs to take your measurements for a proper maid uniform," Liana explained. Then, as though realizing she had forgotten something, she added, "And you are not allowed to undress in front of anyone else. After all, you belong to me."
"I understand, Your Highness," Loraville murmured, trembling.
Nabet stepped forward to measure Loravilleâs body, noting how she shivered the entire time. She sighed internally, vowing to save this poor girl if she could.
Once the measurements were done, Nabet handed Loraville the clothes. But Loraville hesitated, holding the garments without putting them on. She was too afraid to act without permission.
"Put them on," Liana ordered.
Only after hearing Lianaâs command did Loraville begin to dress, her movements stiff and hesitant.
"Iâd like you to help Loraville learn the etiquette of Venus Territory and the duties of a maid," Liana instructed.
"Understood," Nabet replied.
"Let her have breakfast first, though. Thereâs no rush; take a weekâno, a month. Let her adjust at her own pace," Liana added, brushing off her skirt as she rose. "I have other matters to attend to. Stay here with her for now."
"Of course," Nabet said. She clapped her hands, summoning another maid. The moment the maid recognized Liana, her face twisted with open disdain before she quickly masked it.
Liana noticed but wasnât surprised. Winning over Nabet and the other loyal staff of the Venus household would take time, but that was precisely her goal. Changing too quickly would raise suspicion and make people question her motives. Slow, deliberate progress was the way forward.
After all, her ultimate goal wasnât to earn their respect but to transform her own reputation enough to function like a human being in their eyes.
"Your Highness, my name is Loco," the maid said, curtsying with practiced elegance. She was dressed in the standard black-and-white maid uniform. "I look forward to serving you."
Liana recognized her immediately. Loco was one of Nabetâs handpicked and personally trained maids, undoubtedly placed to monitor her. Still, this was an improvement over Countess Ruthâs maids, who would go behind her back and blame her for their schemes.
"Very well," Liana said with a nod before leaving the room.
As soon as Liana was gone, Nabet turned to Loraville. "Were you coerced into this?"
Loraville hesitated. After the betrayal involving the invitation, she didnât trust anyone anymore, least of all Nabet, who was clearly aligned with the Venus family. If she said anything against Liana now, she was sure it would only lead to more severe punishments later.
Forcing a smile, she replied, "I volunteered to become Her Highness Lianaâs maid. I wasnât coerced."
Nabet saw through the strained smile and the fear in Loravilleâs eyes. She sighed again, her heart aching for the girl. She vowed silently to rescue Loraville from this mess.
As for Liana?
Between Loravilleâs forced smile and her trembling voice, it was clear that she had been subjected to Lianaâs torment.
Meanwhile, Liana, walking to her next destination, remained blissfully unaware that her reputation in Nabetâs mind had taken yet another hit.
Her thoughts were occupied with her upcoming meeting with Countess Ruth, the current head of the Venus family.
When Loco realized that Liana was heading to see Countess Ruth, her expression briefly darkened. Loco served Eirina Venus, who was in direct opposition to the countess. And every time Liana visited Ruth, something bad was guaranteed to follow.