I Am The True Villainess (Editing)

02

After the dining room incident, the Duke had to temporarily give me a different maid. From how she acts around me, she definitely heard what happened to her friend. It's been two days since then, and it seems I somewhat regained respect in the mansion.

The Duke ordered new furniture for me and insisted I get rid of the vines covering my walls and floor. I quite liked them, so I only agreed for the ones on the floor to get chopped and the ones covering my window. Light now freely comes in, and I have a beautiful view of my garden, which does need some tending to since this is my side of the mansion.

He also gave me an allowance. It's a lot, but not as much as what my brothers get. It's enough to buy two houses and fully furnish them, but theirs is enough to purchase three neighborhoods and fully furnish every house and store in them. If you think about it, we could overthrow the Royal family with the power we have. Though, we aren't the strongest house in all of the dukedoms.

I sit in my study, a few rooms away from mine. It's not as large, but it's cozy. A large brown desk in front of the window, bookshelves covering every wall, fully stocked with books ranging from fiction to politics. A coffee table sits diagonally from my desk, and two comfortable chairs across from each other.

The morning sun hits the back of my neck warmly as I read a book about all of the nobles. Duke Agnus says I will be receiving tutoring soon, as he made sure to get the best of the best. I really don't think I need it.

After tormenting my tormentor and making a badass exit, I recalled a bit of my past life.

I was a waitress at a five-star restaurant. Not exactly the best job, but the tips were amazing. Especially since everyone was rich and mostly men. Who wouldn't tip the hard-working woman who had a face card they could never decline?

A chuckle leaves my red-stained lips at the memory.

Snapping out of my reminiscing, a knock is heard on my study door. "It's Jackie, Lady Agnus. I have your breakfast." My newly assigned maid, Jackie calls out from behind the white doors. She's quite a hard worker. On the very first day, she asked me what all of my likes and dislikes were. I wasn't quite sure so I didn't give her much information, but she's doing well adapting to my tastes as they occur. Closing the pages of the book, I sit up in my seat. "Come in."

Jackie wastes no time opening the doors, rolling in a couple of trays, teapots, and tea cups. She rolls it up to my desk and places a delicious-looking plate of French toast, scrambled eggs, and sausages. I hum in delight watching her pour me a cup of tea, which she is incredibly good at making. I watch as she takes a few steps back and bows before turning to the door. "Wait, Jackie," I speak up, watching as her shoulders tense turning back to face me. "Y-yes? Is there something wrong with the food!?" Frantically, she bows and hastily walks up to my desk. "I'm so sorry, my lady! I'll fix it-"

"No." She freezes and bows once more. I smile at how scared she was. Guess I did leave my mark on her. "How about you pour a cup of tea for yourself?"

I smile watching her eyes widen before she grabs the tea pot and a cup and pours some tea for herself, pulling up a chair to my desk and placing her cup on a napkin. "It's an honor to drink tea with you, my lady!" She exclaims, earning a courteous giggle out of me. "Why, thank you for the praise." I take a bite of my toast and nod my head, ignoring Jackie's following stare. Despite her just being assigned to me, she's quite loyal, like a puppy. I take a sip from the tea and hum low, a very subtle sweetness in the still hot water. "I wonder, what do you put in this tea to make it so good?"

Jackie is quick to respond. "It's rose tea, my lady!" Her voice is strong and confident, assertive but polite. "Rose tea with honey and mint."

"Oh, mint?" I mumble, raising the cup to my lips once more. "Yes, my lady." Jackie takes a sip herself and smiles. "It's a recipe my older brother taught me a while ago."