CBOM 12

chapter 12

“After the contact, then what?”

“After that, there were no witnesses, so we couldn’t confirm in detail. But it seems likely he used some kind of drug to knock them unconscious. As for what he did with the fainted maids afterward…”

“…I see.”

Even if there had been witnesses, Greeno might have killed them to silence them.

“What about Beryl?”

“Ah, that maid seems to have been dealt with inside the duke’s estate, just as you suspected. There’s no record of her ever leaving. And when we searched her quarters, we found this.”

“What is it?”

The informant handed over a small scrap of paper.

Looking closely, it was filled with runes, though the scrap was so tiny it was impossible to tell exactly what spell it contained.

“It seems to be a magic scroll. As you know, scrolls are so expensive that commoners couldn’t even dream of acquiring them. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

It was indeed strange. Grace was certain this was Greeno’s doing.

There was no way he would personally dirty his hands by dealing with Beryl—he must have handed this over to an underling to use as they pleased.

“Anything else unusual?”

“No, that was all.”

Grace figured this was about the limit.

At the very least, they had confirmed that after leaving service, the maids had all mysteriously vanished—that was proof enough.

From the beginning, he hadn’t expected to uncover Greeno’s trail from such a small information guild anyway.

“This is the report on Winia.”

The papers were neatly organized. Grace skimmed them, and a satisfied smile tugged at his lips.

Even the origin of the ledger he had been most curious about was recorded here.

“Good work.”

“Yes, sir! And if you ever need help again, please be sure to visit our Veronix guild!”

Ahin bowed so deeply his back bent to ninety degrees.

Grace gave a small laugh and asked:

“This place—it hasn’t been around long, has it?”

Ahin flinched, then quickly schooled his expression, but it was pointless.

Grace’s look of certainty told him there was no point in hiding it.

If he had known they were a fledgling guild, he normally wouldn’t have bothered seeking them out—especially since he had plenty of money.

Ahin looked at Grace with a mix of suspicion and curiosity, then tilted his head.

“…By the way, you smell… really nice. You, that is.”

What? Out of nowhere?

Was this some ploy to entice him into coming back? As if he wouldn’t return if he needed to anyway.

“Ah! I didn’t mean it that way. I’m serious—it’s just a genuinely pleasant scent. More than that, I have a good eye for people. I feel like you and I might share a good fate.”

So he was trying to pull something, wasn’t he?

“It’s really not like that.”

Ahin jumped to deny it when he saw the severity in Grace’s eyes.

“Well. If you say so.”

“I don’t say so. That’s really how it is!”

Still, he didn’t seem like a bad sort. And if Ahin’s words about “good fate” turned out to be true, it could prove useful to keep the connection. That was the only reason Grace had bothered to come in person.

“I’ll drop by from time to time, then.”

Grace smiled broadly and extended his hand.

Meanwhile, unaware that Grace had left, the head maid came to the annex. After searching for some time without finding him, she hesitated, then knocked on Livanu’s door.

In truth, this was the first time the head maid had ever directly faced Livanu.

Naturally, as head maid, her duties kept her close to the duke’s immediate family. There had never been any reason to concern herself with Livanu, who had been all but discarded.

She had glimpsed him once as a child, before his skin disease had appeared.

Afterward, she hadn’t cared at all. The duke and duchess had locked him away in the annex, and so Winia, the head maid, could simply ignore him.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and the head maid stepped inside, quickly lowering her head as the stench hit her nose.

Livanu didn’t miss her expression. The way her face contorted told him clearly—the foul stench of his skin had not lessened.

It was only natural that she reacted that way, yet he couldn’t help but marvel—and feel grateful—that Grace never seemed bothered by it at all.

“…Where’s the maid who was working here?”

The very first words out of her mouth were to ask after Grace.

“Why do you ask about Grace?”

He could guess her intentions, and though it angered him, Livanu forced himself to remain calm.

“I have something to discuss with her.”

“A friend of hers came from afar, so I gave her leave.”

They hadn’t agreed on such a story, but the lie slipped from his lips without thinking. He absolutely did not want the two to meet.

“…What?”

The head maid frowned.

“She’ll be back soon, I assume.”

“No. Since it was a long-awaited visit, I told her to rest as long as she liked. A very long leave.”

“What?! My lord, it is my responsibility to oversee the maids! How can you presume to grant her leave without my say-so?”

Though she had discarded all semblance of manners, it was outrageous for a mere head maid to raise her voice and show open anger toward the son of a duke.

Had this been before the second son, Shinoven, she would never have dared. But since it was Livanu, she thought she could.

Naturally, Livanu wasn’t much bothered by it.

Since his illness, such treatment had become normal.

Still, that didn’t mean he would bow his head. After all, he had done nothing wrong, and he could tell the head maid had her own ulterior motives.

“But wasn’t it you who assigned Grace to me in the first place?”

“…What did you say?”

“So giving her leave is my choice. You never cared before—why suddenly take interest now?”

“My lord, don’t speak carelessly about matters you don’t understand. And remember—I am the head maid. I am not your subordinate. Show some respect!”

“Respect?”

“Of course. Not just anyone can hold the position of head maid.”

Her words were bold, so much so that if another noble had heard them, they would have scoffed in disbelief.

But none were here, and so she lifted her chin arrogantly, pressing her demand.

When else would she have a chance to talk down to a high-born lord? She almost felt more dignified than him.

“I was never taught such a thing.”

But Livanu didn’t flinch.

In truth, he knew very well—nobles did not owe respect to the likes of a head maid.

“What did you say?”

She had expected him to crumble under her harsh tone, but he didn’t. Instead, his defiance unsettled her, leaving her momentarily speechless.

Livanu looked at her with a crooked expression.

Unconsciously, her shoulders twitched, and she shrank back a little. It was half an instinctive reaction.

Realizing she had let herself be cowed, even briefly, by this discarded young master stung her pride. She bit her lip.

“Leave.”

After that short standoff, Livanu issued his dismissal. The head maid lingered defiantly for a moment, but with nothing left to say—and with the stench making her stomach churn—she finally retreated.

“…Ha.”

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been outmaneuvered in a way she hadn’t expected.

The abandoned first son—she had thought him weak and contemptible, but he had more backbone than she realized.

And now the foul odor seemed to have clung to her, just from those few minutes.

“Ugh…”

She sniffed at herself reflexively, gagged, and quickly fled the annex.

Most troubling of all, she had learned that Grace’s return was uncertain. How was she supposed to explain this to the viscount?

The head maid’s first meeting with Viscount Greeno had taken place a few months prior.

She had been born the daughter of a minor noble house and endured many trials before becoming head maid of a duke’s household.

Among commoners, that was an impressive career, one that demanded respect.

Even counts treated her with a degree of caution, simply because she represented the duke’s household.

And so, Winia sometimes acted as if she herself were truly someone of importance.

Though she was noble by birth, her own lineage wasn’t grand. Nobles avoided slighting her not because of her worth, but because of the power of the duke’s family behind her. That truth, however, she gradually forgot.

Then Greeno appeared—at just the right moment—and promised her something greater. Not the position of head maid, but a true noble title.

Tempted, Winia recalled all the connections she had made while serving as head maid.

When he promised her the rank of countess or higher, she was ensnared.

And she asked him: What do I need to do in return?