Just as they almost reached the location of the gathering, Roselia emitted a cold aura around her. For her, being cruel and merciless was already part of her nature. When she was still back in Earth, she tried consulting a psychologist and she was diagnosed as 67% sociopath. As she took each step, she finally realized the legitimacy of the consultation she had before.
[ I never knew that I was really a sociopath until I transmigrated her. ]
Having no shame or guilt, no regret and can't feel pity. Grandiose sense of self and having shallow emotions. This world made her realize what she truly was.
[ Thank you for bringing out my inner demon. Now I can truly be myself. ]
As her subjects were all gathered in the entrance hall of the main mansion, Roselia stood still on top of the stairs watching their every movement with an unchanging expression, an ice cold stare and narrow eyes.
[ Do they even realize that I already arrived? ]
Ian tried to announce her presence but Roselia stopped her as she slowly raised her hand.
"Let's watch for now," Roselia whispered as she continued watching her subjects in silence.
Ian bowed down and stood still behind her back. Roselia tried guessing what they're saying just by reading their lip movements.
[ "Why did that duchess summoned us?" "Is she going to act as a proper duchess now?" "She's making me laugh! Haha!" ]
[ Heh ... To think that they thought a lot about me. I'm grateful. ]
As she read each and every of their faces. Roselia can't help but grinned as she chuckled thinly in silence.
[ Rolling eyes, frowning faces, mocking smiles. Just how much contempt do they have towards this body? ]
Roselia closed her eyes and tilted her head back as she wickedly grin.
"How noisy isn't it, Butler Ian?" she maintained her posture and blurted out softly.
Upon hearing what she had said, Ian coughed roughy as he tried to silence the noisy gossiping around the entrance hall.
"Ahem!" Ian coughed roughly.
With her head tilted back, Roselia slowly moved her head frontwards and looked down at them with a petrifying gaze. They instantly felt the coldness Roselia was emitting. As if they were being sentenced to death. Some can't help but having cold sweats and swallowed in fear.
"What should we do about this, Ian?" she said with a monotonous tone on her voice.
Ian can't comprehend what Roselia was saying. As Ian looked down, some of the servants were bowing while some are looking around and seem confused. Ian instantly knew what Roselia was trying to say.
"I'm sorry for my lack of teaching, Her Excellency!" he agitatedly bowed down as he shouldered the mistakes of those insignificant servants.
"Those who did not bowed down ..." Roselia was nonchalant to what was happening. She nerver looked towards Ian's direction as she tried dragging her order.
As Ian noticed the pause in her sentence, he instantly felt disturbed and restless as he already knew what was going to came next.
"Dispose them ... Immediately ..." with an unchanging expression, Roselia continued.
Most of the servants murmured as they don't know what's happening. Despite knowing what she's going to say, Ian was still unprepared as he jolted out and unyiedingly defied her orders.
"Her Excellency! Even though ... A lot of our servants were children of nobles! Eliminating them wi--," Ian stopped his words.
Roselia looked at his direction and was confused why he was having such restlessness on him.
[ Ah ... He misunderstood me. ]
"Fire them ..." Roselia smiled with her eyes as she corrected her words.
"Huh?" Ian opened his mouth in complete loss of words.
"Hmmm?" Roselia maintained her expression as she teased him.
The silence between the two was disrupted by the servants whom was yelling in protest.
"What?!"
"Are you serious?!"
"Why do we need to yield to someone like you?!"
Roselia shifted her eyes coldly down below.
"Ian ..." was what only came out of Roselia's mouth.
Ian snapped out of his undignified actions and professionally delivered Roselia's words.
"Enough!" Ian shouted furiously.
The crowd went silent.
"Those who did not bowed down, please pack your luggage and leave before dawn, we will pay you double your severance pay. You're all fired," he calmed down and continued.
The crowd went silent in melancholy. As no one even tried to defy such orders, a maid briefly took a step forward and started climbing the stairs.
[ Who is she? Is she challenging my authority? ]
Roselia can't help but wonder the maid's identity. The way how refined she walk, she seemed like a noble. She stopped in the middle of the stairs and took a deep breath.
"What do you mean we're fired?! We didn't do anything wrong!" with her right hand placed on her chest and clenching her left hand in anger, with a frown in her face; she yelled out every anger she had with her.
[ With her acting like this, she's probably a noble of a higher status. ]
Wthout backing out, Roselia maintained the indifference in her face.
"Are you okay acting insolent like this?" Roselia smirked.
The maid's face turned red. She clenched her jaw in anger as she responded, "Stop wasting our time and explain! You can't fire us just like this!"
[ How persistent. ]
"What's your name and estate? Where are you stationed at?"
"How can a duchess not know my name? How incompetent you are!" she enraged.
"Just like what you've said, I don't feel the need of knowing such an incompetent maid," Roselia glared at her and with her eyebrows arched, she brushed off a smirk.
"You!" she infuriated even further while she pointed her fingers at Roselia.
Ian stepped forward and whispered behind my ears as he leaned forward, "She's Lady Aelina Wilmot, the second daughter of Count Dobbin, Her Excellency. She's the one attending both of the Young Masters."
[ Ho?! If she's attending both of the children then why doesn't she knew anything? ]
"So you're a Count's daughter?"
Aelina suddenly gained self - confidence as she boasted out her stance.
"Yes, that's right! I'm a Count's daughter! That's why you can't fire me!"
[ That's stupid ... ]
Roselia can't help but laugh promptly in her stupid reasoning. Aelina flinched in shock as she can't guess what Roselia was thinking at that moment. She probably thought that she lost her mind and became crazy. As she laughed, Roselia glanced around and the two maids she bumped this morning was standing still with their head bowed down.
[ Isn't that the Palladine's daughter and her lackey? ]
"Did you become crazy?" Aelina's mouth was pinched as she gave her a mockering gaze.
Roselia began to tear as she tried to stop her laugh. She wiped her tear with her delicate finger and provoked Aelina.
"No, no! I mean if you're the Count's daughter, then you have the Count's dagger. Can you show me this dagger?"
[ Grace briefly told me about daggers being given to female daughters during their childhood days. I never knew this information will come in handy. ]
This dagger was given to their daughters during their childhood days. It will be given back to the father during the wedding ceremony as a ceremonial right dedicated to the parents who raised their wedded daughter. But during Roselia's wedding with the duke, her so called father was not present and there's even not a single hint about the dagger's presence. It's just a crappy ceremony to serve as a proof of them being wedded.
Aelina immediately raised her maid dress and brought out thedagger hidden in her thighs. Butler Ian went down and took a look on the dagger to confirm it's legitimacy.
"This is really Count Wilmot's dagger, Her Excellency!" he said as he climbed up the stairs.
As Ian handed the dagger to Roselia, she initiated and maintained her cold gaze towards Aelina. As the two began exchanging glances, Roselia suddenly had a smug face on her that made Aelina shook in uneasiness. Her face went pale as she sweated in beads. Her eyes was wide open and her smile started shaking. Roselia can feel how tensed Aelina was as she watched her every actions.
Roselia slowly unsheathed the dagger and leisurely placed it in her neck. Aelina jolted out extremely terrified.
"What are you doing?!" she yelled in panic.
Roselia maintained her smug expression and steadily began cutting her flesh with the dagger. Blood trickled down her neck and unsheathed back the dagger while maintaining eye contact with Aelina. Aelina's face turned extremely pale and the expression she's giving was totally distorted.
"Send this dagger back to Count Wilmot along with this message," Ian whom was standing besides her swallowed in nervousness.
Roselia's expression became serious and her eyes were totally determined. Her lips straightened and the tension around became even more colder.
"Wilmot's daughter tried to assasinate the sleeping duchess," she
had a resolute tone in her voice.
[ We shouldn't let such ignorant people ruin the norms. ]
She flopped down the floor looking horified. She abruptly glanced back and looked around to look for someone.
"No ... NO!! Are you crazy?! Lady Palladine th--," she stopped.
The moment she glanced back towards Lady Palladine. Lady Palladine as well as the other servants glanced away the moment she locked eyes with them.
"N--, no w--, way ... I--, im--, possible! Why aren't everyone complaining?!" She sprung up from the ground and yelled desperately.
As no one answered back but only maintained their silence with their head bowed down, her eyes froze as she lowered her head down.
"No way ..." her head shook as she muttered.
[ You should've just kept quiet. ]
Roselia sighed hopelessly. Ian who looked restless, suddenly handed her a handkerchief.
"Should we fetch the doctor, Her Excellency?"
"No need Ian. It's just a minor scratch. For now quickly fire those servants and kindly lock Lady Wilmot in the underground prison. Remember, she is not a prisoner but a bargai chip. Even though we send her there, make sure that her cell is comfortable for her to stay and make sure she eats proper meals," Roselia took the handkerchief he offered and gently wiped her neck with it.
"Understood, Her Excellency," he bowed down and climbed down the stairs.
Ian called a bunch of knights and forcibly dragged Aelina away. As the knights grabbed her by the shoulder, she lowered her head and never struggled.
"To those who were not fired, Congratulations!" Roselia sincerely smiled with her eyes.
"As of today, I look forward to your brilliant performance in making the Faques Family flourish," with her sincere
smile, she slowly opened her eyes and a cold gaze made the air to thick to breathe.
The servants bowed down inferiorly. As she left the place, she decided to walk around the garden.
[ For now that'll handle the rest of the servants. If they don't want to be fired, then they shouldn't mess in front of me. I'll make them leave one by one on their own so there's no need to rush. ]
In that dark garden, she walked around with light footsteps. She pondered deeply about her next plans. As she decided to go back, she shifted her eyes on the sides and smirked.
[ Heh ... Why is she here? ]
As she continued walking, a suspicious person was following her from behind.
"What can I help you ..." Roselia stopped momentarily and as she turned around, she instantly changed her expression.
"Lady Ismenia?" she slyly smiled.
Ismenia bowed down and as she lifted her head, she had this confident smile on her face.
"Pardon me for the sudden appearance, Her Excellency ..."