The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 15
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
this book is completely translated on luna kofi (advanced chapters for the website will follow)
“Her name is Mariam.”
“Mariam…”
Ah, that’s right.
The face looked familiar. She was one of the two maids who attended on the first night before, the one who spoke the Northern dialect quite strongly.
Amber tried to smoothly move past the events before her regression, but it seemed challenging with such revelations.
“I’ll take the greetings.”
“Yes, Madam. Please have a seat here.”
The Butler Huvern brought a chair with a velvet cushion. Amber sat down with her back straight.
It might be a plain corridor without a tapestry, and a cold atmosphere might be lingering, but that didn’t matter. It was intentional to create a stiff atmosphere, not a warm one.
Afterward, Amber quickly acknowledged the others’ greetings. There wasn’t anyone particularly troublesome.
Some employees subtly frowned while glancing at the cloak she wore. Although her memory wasn’t vivid, Igmeyer was undoubtedly not familiar or affectionate with them. If anything, he was more on the intimidating side.
So, the cloak meant more to the employees than just a piece of fabric.
Amber decided to make full use of that fact.
As time passed and several Noras, different from the one standing behind her, passed by, it was finally Mariam’s turn.
“….Greetings. I am Mariam.”
Mariam greeted, standing forward with a nonchalant attitude. However, it was notably different from the others.
She didn’t bow properly, and her neck seems stiff. Her gaze towards Amber wasn’t particularly courteous.
Amber looked at Mariam with a smile.
That smile was as beautiful as frost flowers blooming on an ice wall, capturing everyone’s attention.
“Again.”
Because of that, people didn’t quickly grasp the meaning of the just-given command.
Mariam, who was dealing with a surge of jealousy upon seeing Amber draped in the Grand Duke’s cloak, was no exception.
“Madam asked you to greet her again.”
The butler, who stood with a polite demeanor, spoke up, addressing Mariam with a hint of rebuke.
Still not understanding what was going on, Mariam, unable to hide her disrespectful expression, reluctantly bowed her head under the repeated instructions.
“Greetings. I am Mariam.”
“Again.”
“Gree….tings. I am Mariam.”
“Again.”
After the third repetition of the Madam’s icy tone, the employees finally understood the situation and exchanged glances.
However, Mariam couldn’t fathom why she was being subjected to this.
“Gree,tings. I am Mariam.”
“Do it again.”
What’s the problem? Why isn’t the butler stopping this? Why is this foreign woman acting like a tyrannical royal!
Mariam and the other employees were natives of the North.
In other words, they had never had the opportunity to encounter a proper noble in their lives. Unless one was insane, nobles wouldn’t come to this barren land.
Especially royalty; they had never seen one.
So, perhaps just bowing respectfully like the head chef would be enough for a greeting, but Mariam didn’t want to do that.
The Princess hadn’t brought a considerable fortune, wasn’t surrounded by guards, and the maids weren’t lined up behind her.
Surely, she had come here as if chased away from her own country.
Mariam stubbornly held onto that thought.
Perhaps it was because she didn’t want to believe that she had been robbed of the Grand Duke she unquestionably believed belonged to her.
“Even if it’s the Madam, isn’t this a bit… too much?!”
So it was. Mariam’s face turned red, and she raised her voice with determination. This was precisely the moment Amber had been waiting for.
“Even if you’re the Madam, you can’t act like this!”
“How dare you!”
That’s when it happened.
The butler, who had half-closed eyes, suddenly opened them wide and shouted loudly. Mariam was taken aback by this.
“But… but, Butler!”
“I apologize, Madam. It seems I’ve misjudged the training.”
Mariam, sounding half-teary and unjustly treated, tried to say more, but Huvern promptly turned toward Amber, bowed deeply with perfect form.
Amber smiled lightly, as the situation unfolded just as she had anticipated.
In her past life, despite Amber and Igmeyer showing no interest in the castle, it never turned into chaos thanks to Huvern’s presence. Moreover, Huvern had a stubborn side, ensuring he never turned a blind eye to disrespectful behavior towards the master.
‘Of course, there’s also the intention to protect Mariam by stepping in and bowing before me. To prevent her from committing further rudeness.’
However, Amber had no intention of letting this situation pass without consequences. With a gentle tone, she addressed Nora.
“Nora, go and fetch the cane.”
“…!”
“That child seems to understand only through punishment.”
At the Madam’s command, the people gathered there were frozen. Only one person moved in that situation—Nora, the one who had received the silver comb from Amber.
“Here it is, Madam!”
Originally, in any castle, there would always be a cane available to manage the lower ranks. However, since there had been no need for it after the late Grand Duke’s passing, it had been stored in the cellar under the stairs until now.
Nora found it remarkably quickly. This was because Amber had secretly given instructions yesterday.
“Come forward, Mariam.”
