TSMMT Ch 24

Mirva's Last Happiness

Dianna stared at the candy. The candy resting on a pretty plate shimmered brilliantly. She refrained from eating the candy and placed it quietly on the nightstand. Merely looking at it brought immense comfort.

Warmth filled her chest at the rare kindness she received in this life.

Rustle.

A sudden sound startled her. She turned back to find Guiscard standing there. He had entered the room ahead of her. He stared intently at Dianna with a rigid expression. Shock masked his features.

[Dianna] "What is it?"

Guiscard offered no response to her question, choosing instead to stare fixedly at her face. An awkward silence filled the space—a silence she found entirely baffling. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, he spoke.

[Guiscard] "I came to speak regarding Lady Alexa."

[Dianna] "……."

[Guiscard] "The young lady is fine now. She even apologized to me."

[Dianna] "……."

[Guiscard] "I tried to care for Lady Alexa as you ordered, but I failed to do it well. I apologize."

She nodded. He added another remark.

[Guiscard] "I just wanted to deliver those words."

Did his words aim to comfort her, or did he wish to prove his absolute loyalty as a slave? She remained uncertain.

[Dianna] "Thank you. You worked hard to obey my command."

[Guiscard] "……."

[Dianna] "Thanks to you, I can enter the royal palace with a peaceful mind."

As she smiled, his rigid expression softened instantly. While Dianna pondered his reaction, he spoke.

[Guiscard] "My Lady, how exactly do you plan to banish that woman? Will you request Princess Ionia to expel her?"

She widened her eyes in surprise at his question, then laughed.

[Dianna] "Of course not. How could the woman who rules as the mother of this nation involve herself in the trivial affairs of a single household? Even royalty can't interfere recklessly with another family's domestic business."

[Guiscard] "Then why go to such lengths……"

[Dianna] "Guiscard, I can't reveal everything to you."

In her past life, Dianna and Guiscard never shared a bond close enough to exchange such confidences. Their past consisted of a relationship where one side unilaterally bestowed favors, and the other side harbored deep hatred.

Yet the present dynamic differed completely from their history. She spoke cleanly.

[Dianna] "You only need to watch."

[Guiscard] "Do I not need to perform any task for this matter?"

[Dianna] "For now, no duties require your action."

He nodded. Dianna noted his suddenly downcast demeanor.

[Dianna] "Guiscard. Mirva will surrender the power she seized entirely on her own."

She added those words to soothe him.

Her strategic groundwork to win over the head maid and the other servants neared completion. Having planted every seed, she only needed to wait calmly for the harvest.

---

Mirva accompanied Dianna to several tea parties. Though she initially welcomed the opportunities, she eventually stopped following Dianna to these gatherings. She had formed her own social circle.

[Mirva] "My Lady, surely you can manage on your own now?"

Mirva still held her actual duties in deep contempt. After all, Dianna reigned as the proud young lady of the house. Whether Dianna humiliated herself in those circles or not was none of her business. In fact, if Dianna managed perfectly when Mirva accompanied her, yet committed a blunder while drinking tea with noblewomen alone, Mirva's own reputation would soar.

I care nothing for those high-and-mighty women anyway.

Mirva detested the highborn nobles who invited Dianna; they kept their necks stiff, masquerading with pride and dignity. Though she showered them with praise upon receiving her first invitation, circumstances always shifted. She now possessed powerful backing: Duchess Poliana!

Beneath the shadow of a duchess' title, those arrogant noblewomen amounted to nothing. Yet they had dared to look down on Mirva.

Duchess Poliana ruled as the undisputed queen of the night. Though born as the daughter of a concubine, she had married a duke and pioneered the true nocturnal pleasures of the high aristocracy.

Mirva now realized that the "refined" world she once despaired to enter was incredibly tedious. What merit lay in boring women masquerading with demure manners while engaging in empty chatter?

[Poliana] "Welcome, my friend."

The widowed Duchess Poliana operated a lucrative casino business. Sharing a background as a ruined noble and a concubine's daughter, she naturally felt a strong kinship with Mirva. She favored Mirva and began taking care of her.

While chatting with Duchess Poliana, Mirva encountered a noblewoman she had previously met at Dianna's tea party. Recalling the noblewoman's envious expression brought her an intoxicating surge of delight.

The gambling world Duchess Poliana introduced proved immensely thrilling. Though Mirva lost money occasionally, the excitement of winning eclipsed her losses. Furthermore, as she placed wagers, the crowd of onlookers grew larger.

Soon, the elite circles began to recognize Mirva. They whispered about her as Lady Linus, the future Duchess of Brienne.

Duchess Poliana and Mirva were kindred spirits. Both women knew exactly how to torment their servants, and both completely lacked a moral compass.

[Poliana] "Lady Linus. Have you ever experienced an unforgettable night?"

[Mirva] "An unforgettable night?"

[Poliana] "Your question proves you have never enjoyed one."

She blew a plume of tobacco smoke directly into Mirva's face, mocking her naive friend.

[Mirva] "What do you mean by that? Duchess, I remain ignorant of such matters……"

[Poliana] "What else could it mean but a night with a man? It seems Duke Brienne is utterly pathetic in bed."

[Mirva] "What……"

Duchess Poliana spoke recklessly regarding intimacy with the Duke, yet the blunt remark exposed a profoundly buried truth. Duke Brienne was indeed pathetic in bed.

[Poliana] "Ah, how adorable. My friend behaves with such tiresome modesty!"

She laughed and gestured to the handsome male slaves trailing behind her, assigning them to Mirva.

[Poliana] "Show my naive friend the heights of sheer pleasure."

Mirva blushed as the men knelt to serve her. She had fantasized about this before; in fact, she had previously shared secretive nights with handsome male servants inside the Brienne mansion. Yet this dynamic belonged to an unimaginable, completely different world.

Serving as the old Duke's bed partner offered status but zero thrill. Duke Brienne lacked all knowledge of how to please a woman. Since the burden of satisfaction always fell upon Mirva, their intimacy felt like grueling labor.

Conversely, the night of indulgence the Duchess generously gifted Mirva counted as the sweetest, most exhilarating experience of her life. Every man competed frantically to satisfy her, desperate for her slightest gesture.

At that moment, she realized her past struggles were completely futile. This was the luxurious life of a duchess she deeply coveted! She pursued raw pleasure like an addict craving a drug.

[Poliana] "Oh, darling. You are performing free labor at that estate."

[Mirva] "Free labor?"

[Poliana] "You surrender your body and manage the entire mansion without holding an official title. What else do you call that but free labor?"

[Mirva] "……."

[Poliana] "The Duke is exploiting you. My dear friend, you must snap out of it."

The Duchess constantly pushed these ideas.

Is she right?

---

Having discovered a grander world, Mirva realized her current existence was completely pathetic.

"Mistress Mirva, the Duke is returning. The dinner preparations……"

"Mistress Mirva, a maid resigned. We have a vacancy in the laundry department and must hire a replacement immediately."

"Mistress Mirva, Jessie is neglecting her cleaning duties completely……"

"The estate budget is running low. We must allocate funds to maintain the mansion……"

Listening to the endless complaints of the servants, Mirva grew resentful. Why must she handle such tedious burdens?

[Mirva] "Let the head maid handle it!"

[Servants] "……."

[Mirva] "Stop dumping your responsibilities on me!"

She loathed cleaning up after the tedious Brienne family. She remained completely intoxicated by the exquisite nights she shared at the Duchess' side.

[Mirva] "The butler can handle the meal preparations! Why must I know about a maid resigning? Hire someone yourself, and you, as the head maid, train them! Manage the budget allocations on your own as well!"

[H. Maid] "……."

[Mirva] "How much longer must I clean up your messes?"

Mirva unleashed her furious temper. This wretched house provided her with nothing, yet overflowed with demands. Surely they could manage such basic tasks on their own.

She stormed out of the estate. She longed to escape the boring mansion and reunite with Duchess Poliana. The Duchess adored extravagant clothing that flattered her high status. Matching the Duchess' demanding taste required immense effort, yet brought Mirva deep satisfaction.

Today, she commissioned a custom dress from the Sardia Boutique. Duchess Poliana would undoubtedly shower her with praise. Mirva indulged in a life as sweet as honey. She gambled heavily and purchased lavish wardrobes using the fortune left by Dianna's late mother. Running completely out of funds was only a matter of time.

Although the estate belonged to a ducal house, the vault lacked cash because the harvest season had not arrived. Consequently, Mirva began borrowing massive sums from the loan sharks introduced by the Duchess.

To alleviate her boredom, Mirva frequently shared her bed with handsome male slaves. Having the Duke around at night mattered little; she could easily conduct her affairs during the day.

She occasionally managed the casino operations on behalf of the Duchess. Spending nights with Duke Brienne now brought her nothing but pure misery.

[Duke] "What exactly are you doing, Mirva?"

The Duke's gaze turned chillingly cold one day. In the past, Mirva would have recognized this as an absolute danger signal. He was a man capable of ruthless cruelty toward anyone he discarded. That explained why the late Duchess died so mysteriously, and why 'that woman' met such a wretched end.

Yet Mirva refused to abandon her glittering new world. Her once-sharp senses had completely dulled, leaving her entirely oblivious that she had strayed down an irreversible path.

---

That fateful day followed the same pattern. Upon learning that Duke Brienne would depart for several days to execute the King's commands, Mirva hosted a passionate night with five male slaves right inside the Brienne mansion.

The night remained sweet, and bliss consumed her. However, the moment the doors to her secret chamber burst open, her happiness shattered completely.

[Knight] "Secure the remnants of Duchess Poliana's faction!"

The knights seized Mirva. Though she shrieked and resisted initially, the sight of the royal knights' armor immediately signaled a catastrophic downfall.

Knights stormed the Duchess' estate, forcefully arresting every underling. Absolute chaos consumed the mansion.

[Knight] "Your Grace! We located the remaining conspirator."

The knights threw Mirva before the commander, her naked body barely covered by a loose sheet. The moment she raised her head to beg the commander for mercy, her face turned bloodless.

[Mirva] "How are you……"

Duke Brienne looked down at her.

---

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