Working in the service industry was a difficult profession, since one had to be kind enough to smile at even the worst of customers.
Madame Reavoir was momentarily rendered dumbstruck at the absurdity of Dorothea's words, but she soon used her experience and spoke in a pacifying tone.
"Not at all, Lady Dorothea. Please forget about Lady Maristella's dress. There is another dress that would look wonderful on you. It is truly beautiful. I worked very hard on it."
"…Really?" Dorothea said, her interest suddenly diverted.
"Of course, Lady Dorothea. Would I lie to you about that?" Madam Reavoir said, smiling awkwardly, but remained by Dorothea's side as if nothing were wrong.
Placated, Dorothea seemed to loosen up when she heard there was another beautiful dress that would look good on her. Whenever I looked at the other girl, I couldn't tell whether to judge her as simple or naïve.
I watched Madame Reavoir move with Dorothea to another location, then noticed Countess Cornohen staring at me with widened eyes. I took in a deep breath. What was wrong with that old hag?
"Countess Cornohen," I said with a half smile, and she looked at me haughtily as if there was nothing wrong with the fact that I caught her staring at me. "I suppose you have something to tell me," I said.
"Not at all, Lady Maristella. Nothing," she demurred. Somehow, I sensed something hidden beneath her tone. "That dress is beautiful. You must have wanted it so much that you couldn't even yield it to your best friend."
"I'm afraid it wouldn't look good on Dorothea. Her red hair and this white dress wouldn't go very well together."
She cocked an eyebrow at me. "…I'm surprised that you are acting differently from what you promised."
"Countess Cornohen, I believe I'm still fulfilling my promise," I asserted.
"Then you should give that dress to my daughter."
"If Dorothea were my true friend, she wouldn't have asked me to do that in the first place. And even if she did, I would have been happy to hand it over to her. But only if she is my 'true friend.'"
"What?"
"But Dorothea is no longer my 'true friend'. Don't you already know that? With the interest payment as a basis, I am Dorothea's maid, as you wanted," I said in a business-like tone.
"Lady Maristella, don't you—!" Countess Cornohen began harshly.
"Don't worry, Countess Cornohen. Dorothea is not here. I also have no intention in letting her know about our deal."
I took a breath and continued.
"Please don't make unreasonable demands from me. That will only work if you say it to someone who sincerely cares for Dorothea. I'm afraid I have been disappointed in her for too long to give in to her unreasonable requests."
But the Countess was unrelenting. "If you keep doing this, I will be disappointed in you too. I won't tolerate you spoiling Roth's mood."
"I think I have done enough," I said with a shake of my head. "I didn't even frown at her when I met her here. And I have been nice to her until the end." I looked directly into Countess Cornohen's eyes. "I wonder how much you're going to demand from me. In my estimation, all the debt my family currently owes to the Cornohen family should be completely wiped out if you want your demands satisfied."
"You are shameless," Countess Cornohen said in bitter accusation.
"If I were to frown and say harsh things to Dorothea, that's because she deserves it. But at least I didn't do anything that could become an issue. If you ask Madame Reavoir in a moment, I think it's a problem you can recognize."
"Very well. Let's say the dress was too much of a demand." Countess Cornohen spoke as if she decided to no longer pursue the issue. "But from now on, I want you to give her whatever she wants. Shouldn't I receive the proper payment for the interest?"
"…Of course I will do what you want, Countess Cornohen. Unlike today, I can be generous enough to tolerate the smaller things. But I'm the one who decides the standard."
"You're acting recklessly. You haven't always been like this." Countess Cornohen continued, showing her displeasure. "You're excessively daring—no, even that is a waste to say to you. You're rude and arrogant. You're not the girl I used to know."
She was not wrong. The original Maristella was not 'Oh Mari'.
I kept silent for a while, and then opened my mouth. "That's possible."
"What?"
"I'm determined not to be a pushover to your daughter anymore. You could say that I have become a different person."
"Watch your language, Lady Maristella. How can you…!"
But I drove on without any hesitation. "And about the interest. It's best if you don't threaten me with that." There was no point in being polite to this woman. Countess Cornohen was just an adult version of Dorothea.
"What?" Countess Cornohen said, dumbstruck.
"You already told us at our house that you weren't going to accept the interest payment. Right?" I grinned and continued talking. "But if you suddenly reversed your words, you would look bad."
"Young lady!" she exclaimed.
"Our families are very close to each other publicly. Close friends. Isn't it obvious how others will see us if there's a rumor saying we have a problem with money?"
I paused for a moment, then went on with a smile.
"Aside from the public matters, the internal conflict between the Bellafleur family and the Cornohen family could also be exposed to everyone. Do you want that, Countess Cornohen?"
"How impudent…!"
"But it hasn't gone that far. Let's not go there. You want Roth and I, and the Bellafleur family and the Cornohen family, to get along well. Or you could let people talk, it's fine if you don't care."
Anger boiled in Countess Cornohen's eyes. I stared at her for a while, then spoke again.
"For the last time…I have decided to become a maid to Dorothea, not a pushover."
"…"
"If you continue this, it's difficult for me to carry out the contract, Countess. I hope you will be careful about your daughter's education."
Ah, so rude. Usually, I would never be so rude. Countess Cornohen was my senior, but if I didn't stand up, everyone in the Cornohen family would ignore, despise and disregard the Bellafleur family as if they were below them. I decided it was better to act like a crazy woman.
Even if I went all out like this, I was sure Countess Cornohen wouldn't abandon me and my family. In any case, it took a lot of courage to cut off the friendship that connected our families since the generation of my grandfather. Whether it was for internal or external reasons.
I remained polite as I closed our conversation. "Then, I will have to go change my dress. I hope to see you again, Countess Cornohen."
Countess Cornohen looked at me with a bewildered expression. I was reminded of the face of Madam Reavoir made earlier.
You never knew what life was going to throw at you.
I smirked and turned around.