It was hardly surprising. Anna, who had never met Arthur, saying such things wasn't unexpected. Anyone would assume that the leader of such a grand family must be advanced in years.
Her blatant sarcasm was unmistakable to everyone present.
If it weren't for the ever-calm Jenny holding her back, Tina would have already lunged at Anna to give her a piece of her mind. Though Jenny remained silent, her icy gaze betrayed that she was on the verge of losing control.
Having heard far harsher words before, Mia only lowered her head in silence.
Jim kept her mouth shut, not caring who her master was as long as she could live comfortably.
But Miss Sophie, shocked by the harsh words from her usually refined and elegant sister-in-law, was stunned into silence.
It took her a while to recover, stammering, "S-Sister-in-law, please stop. The leader isn't like that with Sister Mia…"
"Sophie, dear, how long do you think such a scandalous relationship can last? No matter how beautiful a courtesan is, she's only favored for a time. Once her looks fade, her fate is no different! Sophie, you don't need to fawn over her. She may be favored now, but when the leader comes to his senses one day, with her appearance—he'll surely abandon her."
"The leader would never treat Miss Mia like that!" Unable to hold back, Tina roared and jumped to her feet.
"A mistress who speaks so vilely is worse than a servant!" Caught up in her anger, Tina didn't care about the consequences, only wanting to defend Mia.
Her words, however, terrified both Mia and Jenny. What Tina said was enough to earn her a severe beating by order.
"Tina!" Mia's voice barely fell before Anna stood up, fuming.
"You insolent wretch! Not only do you dare talk back to your mistress, but you also insult me!"
Hearing this, Mia, trembling with fear, stood up as well. "My lady, Tina has a quick temper and speaks rashly. She meant no harm."
Jenny had already grabbed Tina, preventing her from causing further trouble.
Hearing Mia plead on Tina's behalf, Anna's smile grew colder. "Quick to speak? Then I'll seal her mouth so she can never speak so freely again!"
"My lady!" Mia shook with fear. She knew Anna Ivan was the type to follow through on her threats. But why was she so merciless today? In the past, Anna would have minded her status and not stooped to argue with servants. "Hmph, a lowly servant dreaming of being adored by so many? If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll really think you can lord over me!" Truth be told, Anna Ivan was jealous of the way Arthur, the leader, cherished Mia like a treasure. Hearing that others in the manor treated her the same way only fueled her rage. As the daughter-in-law of the Moore family, she had never received such treatment—on the contrary, she felt neglected.
Take today, for example. She had only wanted someone to talk to, but everyone claimed to be busy. Even her husband, Henry, had brushed her off. Finally, she found Sophie at the Mountain Retreat, but after just a few words, Sophie said she had to leave. Fine, Anna endured it. But when her former servant appeared, the same people who claimed to be busy suddenly stayed, sitting calmly and chatting endlessly with Mia, finding topic after topic. How could Anna tolerate that? Not exploding on the spot was already a testament to her restraint.
"Sister-in-law, you're losing your composure," Sophie sighed. After Anna's outburst, Sophie understood why she was acting this way.
She admitted that the family showed less warmth toward Anna than toward Sister Mia. But that was because Sister Mia was the one her beloved leader had longed for, hoped for, and missed for over one thousand years.
Beneath the cold and striking exterior of Leader Arthur lay a deep and fervent love for one person. From the moment Sophie came of age, she had been intensely curious about who could inspire such profound devotion in the leader, a man whose hidden emotions belonged solely to this one individual. Curiosity, curiosity—it had now transformed into eager anticipation. Because she had arrived, the leader had become warmer, no longer so lonely or unapproachable.
"I didn't!" Anna stiffened at Sophie's words.
"Alright, if you say so, let's just pretend nothing happened," Sophie replied.
"Sophie, dear!"
"Sister-in-law, you're no longer Miss Ivan of the Ivan family. Don't be so willful now!" Sophie cut off Anna before she could continue.
She was doing this for Anna's own good. If the leader found out, Anna would surely be driven out. Mia was more important to him than anything, and he couldn't bear to see her suffer even the slightest grievance. If this matter escalated, no one would be able to plead on Anna's behalf—not even Mia's intercession could save her from the leader's wrath.
"Why are you all siding with her?" Anna's beautiful face contorted with rage as she slammed the table.
"Sister-in-law, you'll understand in time," Sophie sighed. "You're too emotional right now. Why don't you return to your room to rest? Jim, escort the young mistress back!"
"Yes," Jim responded.
"No need, I'll go back myself!" With Sophie's words, staying any longer would only make Anna's distress more apparent.
Before leaving, though, she shot Mia a venomous glare, causing Mia to quickly lower her head.
Once Anna and Jim had completely disappeared, Sophie earnestly pleaded with Mia, "Sister Mia, my sister-in-law was just in a bad mood earlier. Can you forgive her?"
"It's fine, it's fine. I will. Didn't you just say nothing happened?" Mia smiled forgivingly. To her, this was merely a small matter.
"Then… will you tell the leader about this?" Truthfully, Sophie quite liked her sister-in-law and feared that if the leader found out, he might ruthlessly cast her out in a fit of anger.
"Nothing happened, right?" Mia didn't answer directly, but her words reassured Sophie.
"Thank you, Sister Mia! And—Tina, Jenny!" Sophie turned to them, flashing a placating smile. They were personally appointed by the leader, after all—she'd better stay on their good side.
"This…" Jenny hesitated, while Tina let out a cold snort.
Empty-handed they came, and empty-handed they left.
Sophie had given Mia, Tina, and Jenny so many gifts that they couldn't carry them all, so the servants were tasked with delivering them to the Snow Retreat.
However, the gifts for Mia had been prepared well in advance, while those for Tina and Jenny were more like "hush money."
Sophie insisted Mia stay for lunch at her residence. If Mia hadn't firmly said she had to meet a friend in the afternoon, Sophie would have surely kept her for dinner as well.
Mia had initially thought she wouldn't get along with the people of Moore Manor, but she never expected Miss Sophie to be so warm toward her. She was truly touched. Sophie kept mentioning how the rest of the family also wanted to meet her, which sparked a small desire in Mia to meet them too. Here, she genuinely felt valued, a far cry from the Ivan household, where she had felt so insignificant that her existence seemed superfluous. All of this was because of Arthur.
On her way to the grand, opulent hall of Moore Manor, Mia caught sight of the person she had been longing to see—Dick!