Accidentally Yours, My Super Rich Second Husband-Chapter 26: Mop and Hope

The sound of the front door clicking shut told her they were gone, leaving Delphinia standing in the grand entryway of the Walton estate. A strange silence settled over the house, making it feel oddly empty. Her eyes wandered to the fancy chandelier overhead. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the house was too big and empty now.

She fidgeted, clasping her hands together as she debated what to do next. The noise drew her into the hall, where a maid was busy preparing to mop the floor. The maid was petite, with her hair neatly tied back into a bun. With her sleeves rolled up, she worked quickly, moving with the ease of someone who knew their job well.

Delphinia’s eyes lit up. "Oh, let me do that!" she said enthusiastically, rushing forward and reaching for the mop.

The maid looked up, startled. "Oh no, my lady, you don’t need to—"

But before the maid could finish, Delphinia had already taken the mop from her hands. "It’s fine! I’m used to doing this," she assured her, giving the mop a playful twirl before placing it firmly on the floor and beginning to work on a corner.

The maid froze on the spot, her hands hovering awkwardly. "My lady, please! This is my job!" she said, her voice almost desperate.

Delphinia glanced over her shoulder with a grin. "And you’re doing a great job, but I want to help. It’s just mopping. Honestly, it’s good exercise!"

The maid looked horrified. "Exercise?" she repeated, as though the word was foreign. "But my lady, if anyone finds out—"

"Finds out what?" Delphinia interrupted, focusing on a particularly stubborn spot on the marble. "That I mopped a floor? It’s not a scandal."

Two other maids peered from the doorway, their eyes wide. One of them whispered urgently, "What is she doing?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"She’s mopping," the first maid replied in a hushed tone, clearly panicked.

The second maid shook her head furiously. "She can’t do that! What if Mr. Walton finds out? He’ll think we made her do it! We’ll be fired for sure!"

By now, Delphinia had moved onto another section of the floor, humming softly to herself as she worked. The maids exchanged frantic glances before stepping into the room.

"My lady," one of them began cautiously, "Mr. Walton would not like it if you tired yourself out doing this kind of work. Please, let us take over."

Delphinia straightened and leaned on the mop, her auburn hair bouncing slightly as she tilted her head. "Tired? This?" She laughed lightly. "This is nothing. Back in the Harrington house, I used to clean my own room, sometimes even the whole house when the staff were busy. Trust me, I’ve got this!"

The maids stared at her as though she had sprouted a second head. One of them looked on the verge of tears. "But my lady, it’s not about being used to it. It’s about... appearances. If people hear that the Lady of Walton is mopping floors, they’ll think—"

"They’ll think what?" Delphinia challenged, her voice teasing but kind. "That I like helping out every once in a while?"

"No! They’ll think we bullied you into it!" the maid blurted, twisting her hands nervously.

Delphinia blinked, clearly startled by the response. She laughed softly, her expression softening. "Oh, don’t be silly. I would never let anyone think that. You’ve all been wonderful to me." She gave the mop a final swipe and leaned it against the wall, placing her hands on her hips. "There, all done. Now, what else needs doing?"

The maids immediately scattered, hiding cleaning supplies behind their backs as though shielding precious treasures. One tucked a vacuum cleaner out of sight, while another quickly shoved a pair of rubber gloves into a drawer.

"Nothing, my lady! Truly, everything is under control!" one of them insisted.

Delphinia raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Really? Because it looks like you’re all hiding something."

"No, no!" they cried together, shaking their heads furiously.

At that moment, Sienna’s voice rang out from the hallway. "What’s going on here?"

The maids practically sagged with relief as Sienna stepped into the room, her sharp eyes scanning the scene. Delphinia turned to her with a sheepish smile.

"Good morning, Sienna! I was just helping out a little. It’s been a while since I had something to do with my hands."

Sienna gave her a measured look before sighing. "My lady, you don’t need to do this. It’s not... appropriate."

"But I was bored," Delphinia said with a shrug, her tone light but a little sad.

Sienna considered this for a moment before her expression softened. "Do you like reading, my lady?"

Delphinia tilted her head, considering the question. "Sometimes," she admitted.

"Then why not spend some time in the library? There are plenty of good books there," Sienna suggested, gesturing towards the hall.

Delphinia’s face lit up. "Really? I didn’t even know we had a library!"

Sienna smiled faintly. "Follow me, and I’ll show you."

Before long, she was in a huge library, the scent of old pages and polished wood surrounding her. "This is incredible," Delphinia murmured, running her fingers along the spines of the books.

"I’ll leave you to it," Sienna said with a small smile before slipping away.

Delphinia sank onto a velvet chaise, selecting a book at random. Hours passed as she lost herself in the story of a young girl searching for happiness. The words resonated with her, tugging at something deep within her chest.

As she closed the book, she stared at the high ceiling, her mind wandering. Could she find happiness too? She had tried so hard all her life to be the perfect daughter, to obey her father’s every command in the desperate hope of earning his love.

But where had that gotten her?

Her father had married her off to someone like Kai Robinson, a man who treated her like an object to be discarded when she no longer served his purposes.

A trembling breath escaped her as she held the book close. Was happiness really such an impossible dream?

She thought of Evander and Ashton. Could this new life with them be a fresh start? A chance to carve out something better for herself?

She wanted to believe that happiness was within reach. But for now, all she could do was try.

And hope.