Escape from the evil lady (GL)
Chapter 89 - 39. Conflicting rumors

Chapter 89: Chapter 39. Conflicting rumors

«Is that what you saw, you say?»

«Reporting, Your Grace. That’s exactly right,» the butler confirmed his words in a serious tone.

— hm...

— I definitely saw it with my own eyes! The young lord and that maidservant were unusually close to each other. Do such things correspond to the ethics of the working relationship between master and servant?!

As the old man continued to protest loudly, Selina de Loon silently pondered his words. This afternoon, Phillips suddenly rushed to his mistress, assuring her that he had an urgent message for her. And imagine the Duchess’s surprise when this urgent news turned out to be nothing more than... her husband’s suspicion of an ambiguous relationship with the servants.

The woman frowned when the butler told her in vivid detail about what he had seen with his own eyes.

«Is that all you saw?» she finally asked.

«This...» The old man hesitated, «But isn’t what I’ve seen enough?»

Selina frowned, slowly opening her mouth:

— Maybe you misunderstood everything.

If we proceed only from the butler’s story, then at first glance there was nothing particularly reprehensible about what happened. The two of them were just sitting at the same table together, and nothing more. Although this was also a bit inconsistent with the hierarchy between masters and servants, but still this situation did not seem so critical. It is possible that the old man really thought of something superfluous to the incident.

Hearing this from the mouth of the princess of the north, Phillips raised his eyebrows.

«Does Her Ladyship really trust that boy that much? She doesn’t even want to listen to what I’m saying!» — For the butler, who had served the mistress of the Edelweiss Residence faithfully all his life, it seemed like a real insult.

— Your Highness, but even putting this situation aside, aren’t you aware of the other rumors that are circulating about the young lord? — The old man tried to convey his point of view to the lady again.

— «Rumors?» What are you talking about?

— Rumors about his origin, — he meaningfully adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, — before you married the youngest son of Baron Seibel, I carefully studied the biography of this family. And I found out... That Milord’s mother was just a servant in their manor.

«.....»

Hearing this, Selina de Loon’s frown only deepened.

— Doesn’t this confirm that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree? Like his father, the young lord might also be interested in the maid... — At some point, the butler had to stop his impassioned speech, as he was faced with the icy gaze of the Duchess, who could make anyone turn into an ice statue.

«That’s enough,» the woman said coldly, «what you’re doing right now is just continuing to spread ridiculous rumors. What could the events in the baron’s house have to do with the current situation?

— ...

Butler Phillips opened and closed his mouth immediately.

«In any case, until we confirm any facts, all other accusations may be groundless,» Selina said uncompromisingly.

«.....»

The butler had nothing to say to that, and he just pressed his lips into a thin line.

«First of all, I have to check everything personally,» with these words, the ice witch summed up their conversation and put an end to it.

***

The next day, after lunch, Selina de Loon decided to take a short break from her work and went to the library. The Duchess had not informed anyone of her intention to go there, and therefore her visit was indeed almost confidential. The woman decided to just personally check what the butler had reported to her a little earlier.

Although the Princess of the North herself doubted that Butler Phillips’ suspicions really had any serious basis, she just decided to make sure of it.

After all, she couldn’t deny that gossip about a certain connection between her husband and the maid wasn’t of some interest to her.

«I have to find out what’s going on.»

After all, even if it was just a misunderstanding that her servant had misinterpreted, Selina still had to warn the young man to be more circumspect. After all, even the very existence of such rumors could put the participants in the incident in a very unpleasant position.

Compared to the south, where various intrigues in noble marriages were far from uncommon, the north was much more conservative in such matters. Marriage was considered a sacred and significant ritual here, and breaking a marriage vow was a real crime requiring punishment. This was especially the case for high-born nobles such as the de Lung family.

Throughout the history of this family, such situations have always been avoided. In the northern duchy, «scheming» on the side has long been considered something unacceptable and sinful and was not welcome at all. Therefore, even if these were just rumors of an alleged «betrayal,» they still needed to be clarified before they spread even more.

«I’m only concerned about his reputation, and nothing else,» the Duchess mused in this way. However, before entering the library, she still unconsciously rubbed the sparkling ring she was wearing on her finger.

However, after entering the quiet library of the ice castle, the woman only walked a short distance before her feet stopped on their own.

The reason for this was the scene in the reading room, which Selina witnessed with her own eyes.

At one of the tables, she immediately recognized her husband, and... the maid, whom she had previously heard rumors about. However, it was the ambiguous scene between them that caught her attention in the first place. Both young men looked disheveled, and the first few buttons on the Prince of the North’s jacket were undone... The young man’s own hand was stretched out to the maid, and he was touching her hair.

«.....»

Seeing this with her own eyes, Selina de Loon was taken aback. For some reason, at that moment, it felt like her heart, which was like a block of ice, had cracked.