I, Who Was Betrayed By The People I Loved Most - Chapter 23

— From Marie’s Perspective

I was taken to a noble estate—an old, grand manor that clearly belonged to a family of high status.

“You’re going to work here. For the rest of your life.”

With those words, I was handed over to the head maid and brought into the mansion. My new duties were given to me immediately.

“You’ll be in charge of the master of the house—our elder lord. You are responsible for all of his personal care. Nothing else.”

Honestly, I was so relieved to be in a place like this, I almost thanked the gods. To work as a live-in maid in such a fine home, and assigned directly to the former head of the family—it felt almost like an honor.

Was this… a reward?

A reward from the gods, for surviving everything I’d been through?

But reality turned out to be far, far different from what I had imagined.

Before dawn, I would head to the elder lord’s bedroom.

The moment I opened the door, a wave of the sharp stench of urine would hit me. The bedding was soiled. I would let out a quiet breath, gently wake him, and begin helping him out of his nightclothes.

“What are you doing?! Don’t touch me!”

“I’m terribly sorry. I’m just here to help you change.”

Even as I explained, the elder lord—confused—would mistake me for a thief and shout angrily.

While I cleaned the soiled sheets and washed his frail body, his accusations would continue without end.
Sometimes he’d shove me. Sometimes he’d strike me. My arms and legs were always covered in bruises.

“You thief! You’re after my inheritance, aren’t you?!”

His mealtimes were scheduled separately from the rest of the household.

When the food was served, it wasn’t unusual for him to throw the plate on the floor the moment he saw it.

“How am I supposed to eat this garbage?!”

“I’m sorry. I’ll bring you something else right away.”

I would pick up the food scattered on the floor and bow my head.

Back in the kitchen, the head chef would scold me.

“It’s your job to make sure he eats what’s served!”

So I would go back and forth between the dining room and kitchen again and again. Just that alone left my body feeling heavy as stone.

The afternoons brought new torment.

“My medals are missing! You stole them, didn’t you?!”

“No, I would never… Let’s look for them together.”

After searching the entire mansion, the medals would usually turn up in a drawer or cabinet—places he himself had hidden them.
But he never remembered doing it.

“So you returned it to hide the crime, thief!”

There was no way to prove my innocence. The head maid would say I’d upset the elder’s delicate mind and strike my calves with a short whip.
That pain crept deeper and deeper into my heart.

At night, when I led the elder lord back to his room, the shouting would resume.

“I’m not tired! You just want me dead, don’t you?!”

“Of course not. Please let me know when you’re ready to rest.”

I stayed at his side until he finally fell asleep. Only then could I return to my own room—usually around midnight.

But just as I sank into the bed, the bell would ring.

Dragging my aching body, I would return to his chamber once more.

This wasn’t the work of a maid.
This was caregiving—hard labor tending to a senile old man. The kind of task that should require two or even three people… and I was doing it all alone.

“It’s cold… Come into bed.”

When I reluctantly climbed in, he would hold me from behind.

He was old—so there was no lewdness in it. But instead, he clung to me like a child, his voice soft and trembling.

“Mama… I was really good today. I tried really hard. I’m going to be a big brother soon…”

How many years ago did those memories belong to?
Every night, he drifted away into another time. And it was my job to nod and answer as if I were part of it.

Eventually, he regressed even further, suckling against my chest as if seeking a mother’s milk.

How long will this go on?
Compared to this, taking care of Rufus was a thousand times easier.

◆◇◆

Then one day… she appeared at the mansion.

Lady Leticia—the noblewoman I had once sworn to protect with my life.
She was as radiant and dignified as ever.

Her silver hair shimmered like polished jewels. She carried herself with a grace that no finery could ever outshine.
If anything, she seemed even stronger and more magnificent than I remembered.

My eyes widened.

Ah… She hasn’t forgotten me… Lady Leticia hasn’t forgotten me after all…!

Before I realized it, my body moved on its own.

Even though my legs were battered and weary, they trembled and broke into a run.

How long I had wished for this moment. That she hadn’t abandoned me… that she had come, now, to take me away from this nightmare.

“Lady Leticia…! It’s me—Marie! You’ve come to save me, haven’t you?!”

Tears welled up and streamed down my cheeks.

But Lady Leticia only gave me a passing glance.

Like one might look at a stone on the roadside.

“…Who are you?”

Her voice was cold—like ice. She tilted her head in confusion.

“I don’t believe we’ve ever met.”

In that moment… something inside me shattered.

But still—I wanted to believe.
Maybe she didn’t recognize me, not in this haggard, worn-out state—hair unkempt, skin ruined.

“I-It’s me… I worked in your household long ago… and at House Rubert… I’m Marie, your personal maid…”

At that moment, the old butler quietly approached and spoke.

“President of the Oxley Trading Company, this way, please. I’ll escort you to the salon.”

“Thank you. Let’s get straight to business.”

Lady Leticia turned, gracefully flicking the hem of her gown as she stepped into the salon.
In her hand, she carried a thick ledger.

A… ledger?

I stood there, frozen, stunned.

Moments later, through the door, I heard her voice—calm and composed, almost coldly professional.

“Here is the list of outstanding payments: silk curtains, silverware, perfume, rare spices and fruit… If these continue to go unpaid, the company may be forced to pursue confiscation. Even for the House of Earl Dodgson, credit, once lost, is not easily regained.”

So that was it.

She hadn’t come for me.

Lady Leticia… had truly forgotten me.

No—more than that. She had lived her life as if I never even existed.

But… I… I gave you everything…

How many times had I prayed for her safety?
How many times had I thrown myself into danger for her sake?

I still remember every moment I spent by her side.
And yet, not even a second of it remains in her memory.

From nearby, I heard hushed whispers from the young maids.

“Hey, isn’t that the woman who looks after the old master? I wonder how long she’ll last.”

“Pfft. Most of them break down after a while. I give her… six months, tops.”

So that was it.

I had been sold off—just another disposable servant.

That night, during one of the elder lord’s tantrums, he shoved me.

I hit the corner of a piece of furniture hard.
My vision blurred, narrowing.
I could feel warm bl00d seeping into the carpet beneath me.

As consciousness slipped away, an image of Lady Leticia appeared in my fading vision.

I reached out, as if to grasp her hand one last time…

But that beautiful woman looked down at me and spoke, her voice cold and distant.

“Who are you?”

And then—Everything went dark.