“Hey, how many years have you been working here?”

“Three years… maybe?”

“I see. Have you had any opportunities for being elevated into being a mistress of the Lecherous Old Duke?”

“No- nonsense, I wouldn’t dare…!”

“Hm, is that so? Well, my apologies for asking something strange.”

Teresa Pannella smiled at the terrified maid. The maid exhale, before excusing herself.

After seeing the maid off, Teresa had a nasty look on her face.

“…It’s so boring here. Living a luxurious life with that old duke is nice and all, but I can do without the pretenses. All the other mistresses are well-behaved, so it’s relatively peaceful. There’s no competition at all…”

As she muttered, she opened the door to her walk-in closet. Many dresses and trinkets could be seen inside.

The other day, Teresa told Avril that they were gifts from the former duke. In truth, most of them were brought from Baron Pannella.

She reached for a ring studded with a large emerald and held it to the light.

“The former duke does bestow me with gifts. But with so many mistresses around, the budget for allocated for each person is limited… Not to mention, that geezer doesn’t even bother to remember who gets what.”

Teresa came there because she was sold by her father, although her father wanted everyone else to believe that it was the opposite, that the old duke made her his mistress after taking a liking to her.

In truth, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

“My father sold me to that old duke. He has three daughters. As the youngest, I got the short end of the stick.”

The Baron of Pannella family was an aristocratic family from a neighboring country. However, they were a noble family in name only. In reality, they lived like commoners and struggled to get by.

Teresa remembered it as if it was yesterday.

When she was little, her older sister was married off to a merchant 20 years older than her. Her second sister was married off to be the third wife of a wealthy viscount. Later, Baron Pannella’s living standards rose dramatically.

Seeing the marriage partners of both her sisters, how could she not be anxious?

One day, she was made to wear a looser dress. Not only that, her hair was trimmed and styled to make her look innocent and pure looking. Her makeup was also minimal. Later, she learned that she was to be given to the former Duke of Lancester.

Nobody asked her opinion. Before she knew it, she had become his mistress and a large amount of money had been paid to Baron Pannella.

However, that wasn’t the reason why she was disillusioned with her family. After leaving her family home, she was informed of a startling fact.

…Apparently, my house didn’t become wealthy because of my sisters’ marriages, but because Baron Pannella is dealing drugs.

Baron Pannella ordered Teresa to leave so that their house could become an intermediary for drug trade in neighboring countries. He didn’t sell Teresa to the Lecherous Old Pervert for money, but to broaden the reach of his transactions using her status as the duke’s mistress.

The old duke himself doesn’t know, these are my circumstances. However, my father was recently investigated, and I now am no longer needed for his business. My life as the old duke’s mistress will soon be coming to an end…

But then, Dylan arrived at the territory. She almost couldn’t believe someone as upright as him was the son of that geezer.

According to the rumors, Dylan was the opposite of his father. He didn’t show much interest in women, and as such, had never even taken a lover, much less a mistress. That said, he had decided to marry a certain noble lady not long ago and visited the duchy.

In that case, I want to be his mistress…

Holding such a wish, Teresa glanced at the main building, trying to catch a glimpse of the fine-looking gentleman. At the same time, she noted how she never saw his betrothed at all. Although, in order to get close to him, she should probably remain in her current building. Incidentally, she also heard that his fiancée was quite a villainess…

“Everyone keeps saying that he’s into bad girl. If so, I will do, right?”

While cursing at the fact that she was the old duke’s mistress, Teresa thought to herself.

There’s no way Dylan wouldn’t be interested in a villainess who can even deal in drugs?

Afterwards, she made sure the hidden compartment in her walk-in closet was locked.

Teresa decided to slip the ring into that new laundry maid’s pocket.

Although Teresa felt bad for the newcomer, it had to be her, as she still hadn’t won the trust of her surroundings. If she were to be framed, nobody would take her side.

—Or so Teresa, who didn’t know the true identity of that laundry maid, thought.

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***T/N: Hehehe oh god the classic I want your man trope–I’m LOVING IT.

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