3rd POV
Mina, who is always expressionless, suddenly smiled at this moment.
“I remember that, too. I gave the lady some water to drink, and she said thank you. The lady says thank you for every little thing, even if the person is a servant. I was surprised at first.” (Mina)
“Not just the usual things?” (Ekaterina)
Tilting her head, Ekaterina’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Mina, I wonder if you are also my bodyguard.”
“Yes, I am indeed.”
Mina affirmed easily.
“Is Mina strong?”
“Yes, I am quite strong.”
Ekaterina was shocked to have her suspicions confirmed again.
This means that Mina is…
A combat maid!
A beautiful woman who can do housework, a good fighter, and also looks gorgeous in a maid’s uniform. It’s not like they don’t exist in real life, but there’s one so close to me that I can’t help thinking about it!
She needs to confirm something though.
“Mina! Are you getting paid enough?”
“What?”
“Because just being a maid is hard work from morning to night. And if you’re also acting as a bodyguard, I think you should be paid enough for the job of two people!”
Appropriate compensation for labor!
Don’t get into unpaid overtime services!
“We have plenty of money, and the Yurinova Duke family is not stingy. His Excellency is quite generous when it comes to spending money.” (Mina)
“I see. I’m glad to hear it.” (Ekaterina)
For the first time, Mina broke into a smile at Ekaterina’s relieved expression.
“You’re a strange person, young lady.” (Mina)
“Oh, it’s been a long time since you said that.” (Ekaterina)
“If you don’t mind me, I’d be happy to take care of the young lady all the time.” (Mina)
“Yes, please.” (Ekaterina)
Thanks to her conversation with Mina, Ekaterina had forgotten most of the unpleasantness she had experienced during her conversation with Nona.
Unbeknownst to Ekaterina, Nona had destroyed herself big time.
…
In the office where Alexei was meeting with the head butler to discuss the details of the day of the Imperial family visit, a furious Nona barged in and ranted about her dissatisfaction with Ekaterina.
Alexei looked at his former grandmother’s maid of honor with an icy glint in his neon blue eyes, and let her say what she wanted to say.
“Did Ekaterina ask you who you think you are, you who thinks you are better than your mistress?” (Alexei)
Alexei continued in a very irritated tone.
“I’ll tell you what you are. You are a worm. You are nothing but a foolish worm who has been hiding under the fur of a tiger for many years and has taken advantage of its power to think of herself as a tiger.”
To Nona’s astonishment at his overly harsh words, Alexei added further rebukes.
“Did you think that by informing me of that, I would let you have your way with her? Did you really think that I would allow you to haunt her and feed off her blood like a parasite after her grandmother’s death?”
Not stopping, Alexei continued to voice out his dissatisfaction.
“Those of you who served my grandmother closely should know that I often admonished her for her extravagance. My grandmother became furious and often cursed me every time. What did you think she called me? I have been through a lot. Yet, she called me cold-blooded. Did you really think that I would want my kind-hearted sister to be remoulded into a splitting image of grandmother? You fool.”
Spitting it out, Alexei looked at the butler.
“Graham. I’m sorry about this time of year, but it seems like it will be much busier than expected.”
“It doesn’t matter to us that much, my lord. We have all the evidence prepared.”
Alexei nodded.
Then he said to Nona.
“Nona Zales, right? You are dismissed. I know that you have been embezzling payments from my grandmother to a contractor who has been working for her. If you refuse to leave, I’ll hand you over to the Imperial Guard. You can either leave now or go straight to jail. The choice is yours.”
