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Chapter 19
The small writing on her wrist faintly glimmered.
‘Why is this reacting again all of a sudden…?’
Unlike the previous time it had responded, no additional “original story” information surfaced in her mind.
But she didn’t think it was reacting for no reason.
‘All I did was check tea leaves and think about placing a new order.’
…No way.
Tilting her head, Zanette suddenly turned and stared at the cabinet.
A short while later.
Zanette left the kitchen and walked quickly somewhere.
She was heading to the northern library built for the servants.
“Philosophy section, fifth row, third from the back.”
Ah, found it.
Zanette pulled out an old book titled The Mark of Summoning and quickly flipped through its pages.
Flap, flap, snap.
Her hand stopped at a page that felt slightly different from the rest.
There, tucked in like a bookmark, was a small slip of paper.
She pulled it out and read it.
“Left path of the northern forest bordering Julieta’s annex behind the villa.”
Memorizing the location, she took out a pen, wrote the date and time on the note, and placed it back into the book.
“Done.”
This was how Kendrick had explained contacting “Illinia inside Ludwig.”
“So instead of always meeting outside, you can communicate with Illinia who is hidden inside Ludwig whenever needed.”
“There are Illinia inside the Ludwig estate too?”
“Illinia exists everywhere.”
To avoid looking suspicious, she borrowed the book and returned to the annex.
Or rather, she tried to return—.
“…A butt?”
Near the closest black annex beside Julieta’s building, her steps halted.
Through the bushes, a small protruding backside was extremely noticeable.
‘This is Prince Kendrick’s annex, the twin brother of the young lady.’
Ah—it twitched.
Zanette hesitated.
Should she pretend she didn’t see it, or acknowledge it?
The owner of that backside was easy to guess.
There was only one child in the Ludwig estate who could freely roam like this, wearing obviously expensive clothing.
Jerome Ludwig.
The duke’s youngest son.
‘He’s seven this year.’
She also had that information roughly written in her Ludwig Reference Notebook.
‘Born between the duke and a widow… I think?’
Like many women who bore the duke’s illegitimate children, she hadn’t known his identity at first.
Just a handsome, strong middle-aged man.
So she gave him her heart and body while thinking nothing of it, and Jerome was born.
‘His mother is recovering in a rural estate.’
She had apparently fallen ill after giving birth—likely due to her age.
Or perhaps she was shocked to discover the man she loved already had a family.
‘What a trash man.’
Hard to believe the head of such a grand family could be like that.
Meanwhile, the twitching backside slowly retreated backward.
Crawling.
The child’s body wriggled out of the bushes.
“Huff!”
He suddenly pushed himself up, exhaling sharply.
His hazelnut-colored hair was messy, with leaves stuck everywhere.
It was unclear whether he had been crawling through bushes or using them as camouflage.
While Zanette was still thinking, the child suddenly noticed her.
“U-waaah!”
Startled, Jerome screamed and lost his balance.
Just as he was about to fall backward, Zanette rushed forward and caught him.
“Are you okay?”
Blink, blink.
The boy looked at her with wide eyes.
After a moment, he slowly nodded.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
Smiling gently, Zanette watched as the child’s mouth fell slightly open.
“…Who.”
“Pardon?”
“Y-you, who…?”
He lowered his head shyly.
“I’m Zanette Graham. I’m Lady Julieta’s new maid.”
“Huh!”
The boy’s eyes widened as he glanced nervously toward Julieta’s annex.
Clearly, he also knew the rumors about her.
“She’s not as scary as the rumors say. She’s actually quite kind… and even a bit cute sometimes.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, really.”
The boy thought deeply.
His brows furrowed, then he tilted his head, then slowly nodded while fidgeting.
“…Mm.”
“Do you believe me?”
Nod.
“Thank you. I’m happy.”
Zanette restrained her hands tightly.
If she didn’t, she might unconsciously pat the child’s round head.
“So what brings you here? Didn’t you come with a nanny or someone?”
At her question, the boy stiffened.
Like a child who had done something wrong, he hesitated, then drooped his shoulders.
“S-secret…”
“Ah, I see. Then I shouldn’t ask further.”
“…R-really? No more asking?”
“Yes. It’s your secret.”
A child’s secret should be respected.
“Still, it would be better to come with an adult next time.”
Even within the estate grounds, the Ludwig mansion was large enough for a child to get lost.
“……”
But instead of answering, the boy only pouted slightly, fidgeting with his clothes.
“Um…”
“Yes, young master.”
“…Don’t tell anyone about today…”
He paused and glanced at her.
Zanette nodded knowingly.
“Yes. I’ll keep it a secret that I met Jerome here.”
Only then did his tense expression relax.
Jerome refused her offer to escort him back and left alone.
‘I’m still worried.’
Quietly following behind him at a distance, Zanette confirmed that he safely returned to his annex.
‘But why did he come here?’
She couldn’t figure it out.
Still, she found herself hoping to see him again.
The memory of his wiggling little backside made her laugh softly.
The Next Day – Evening
Zanette headed to the meeting location.
Left path of the northern forest behind Julieta’s annex.
‘Is it here?’
Walking along the path, she soon noticed a black handkerchief tied to a tree.
It seemed to mark the spot.
As she waited, she soon heard footsteps and a voice.
“Did I keep you waiting?”
She turned around—and was slightly startled.
‘A servant?’
The person wore a gray shirt and black pants—the uniform of a Ludwig servant.
‘Ah, he’s disguised as a servant.’
Just as she was about to greet him—
“….”
Zanette’s expression turned serious.
Hm?
She tilted her head as if trying to recall something.
The man opposite her grew flustered.
And then—
“…Theo?”
At that name from Zanette’s mouth, Kendrick’s heart dropped.
‘How did she recognize me?’
He was currently using a magical disguise artifact.
Not only that—his appearance was completely different from before.
Brown hair, brown eyes, softened features.
The disguise artifact he used was one of a kind in the empire, owned only by Kendrick.
It altered not only hair and eye color, but also one’s overall presence.
On top of that, layered recognition-blocking magic made people forget his face the moment they turned away.
Even while speaking with him, people would immediately lose clarity about what he looked like.
Only those he allowed could recognize his face.
