The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 24
Aside from gardeners and laborers, the servants—including maids and attendants—typically received four sets of uniforms of two kinds. The first was for spring and summer, the second was for fall and winter.
The parlor maids and footmen were exceptions, receiving several sets due to their frequent exposure to guests. No one else was an exception.
House Bayern was no different, but the one advantage it had was that the uniforms were stylish and elegant.
Job seekers admired the servants of House Bayern.
But what good was that?
In a world without washing machines, having only two sets of clothes to rotate was truly hellish.
“…Madam, I’m back!”
Marsha returned with a bright face from her errand.
“How did it go?”
“I took everything to the tailor in town. They said they’d deliver the first batch within ten days at most.”
Aprons, dresses, and caps for the maids.
Shirts, pants, and coats for the attendants.
Various uniforms for coachmen and footmen.
She was worried it would take a long time to produce the dozens of uniforms, but it was a relief to hear they’d be ready sooner than expected.
“What about the butler and head maid’s uniforms?”
“I asked them to deliver those as soon as they were made. And here’s the change.”
Marsha laughed as she handed over a heavy pouch.
It was the leftover money after selling the dresses and paying the deposit for the uniforms.
“Great job, Marsha. This is your allowance for your hard work.”
Nina gave Marsha a sum equivalent to three months’ salary from the change.
“Oh my, I think I serve Madam just for moments like this…”
Yes, stay by my side like this.
I’ll make sure to reward you properly later.
Watching Marsha overwhelmed with gratitude at the generous bonus, Nina smiled for a moment.
“…But today is that day, right?”
“Yes, it is that day…”
Nina gave a bitter smile as she recalled her past sins. The day had finally come.
The day to liberate the victims of her usury.
“I should check the safe.”
Nina opened the safe hidden deep within the dressing room. Inside, there was a pile of money, promissory notes, and a ledger of loan shark transactions that were truly appalling.
‘Is it real that even after paying diligently, the interest is more than the principal…?’
The interest rates were so ruthless and extortionate that it was clear the purpose was not money but subjugation.
To the extent that a debt of one thousand would turn into twenty thousand in just half a year, a miracle of predatory lending.
‘…The principal has long been paid off.’
But the debtors were repaying the interest on the interest while helping with her stalking.
Even though she had done it herself, she was astounded by the severity of it.
“Madam, they are here.”
Nina, who had been counting money in front of the safe, put away the promissory notes and the money pouch and stepped out.
In the drawing room, several middle-aged people with haggard faces and dark expressions were waiting anxiously.
“Madam, I’m really sorry, but could you please give me a break just this once? My parents are sick, and I had to spend on their medicine, so I couldn’t…”
“Madam, please, just a few more days. I promise I’ll pay you as soon as the money comes in!”
People who had been exploited like slaves because of debts their family members had taken without their knowledge.
In her past life, Nina would have scoffed at their pleas.
“If you don’t have money, you should at least have some skills. How can you expect mercy when you always bring useless reports? Poor people really have no shame, do they?”
After throwing a fit, she would then act as if she was being generous, saying she would let it go just this once.
Back then, she felt no guilt or remorse.
Focused solely on her goal of trapping her husband, she had no consideration for the suffering of others.
“If you just give me a few more days, I promise I’ll bring valuable information…”
As the man was about to kneel, Nina spoke with a troubled and complicated heart.
“…Stop, everyone calm down.”
Was his name Charles?
He tended the horses, did odd jobs around the stables, and assisted the coachman.
He occasionally reported on the duke’s movements that the coachman carelessly let slip, but honestly, it was all useless.
His reports were mostly about Ash attending official events like party meetings or banquets, which were easily known without much effort.
The information others brought was much the same.
In any case, none of it had been helpful, but that wasn’t the point.
These people were part of the reason her grandfather was ousted.
They were the ones who dealt the final blow to his downfall.
