CBOM 18

chapter 18

“…So that’s what it was.”

“Huh?”

“…Because of you.”

I wished it were just my imagination, but I couldn’t shake the certainty that it was true.

How could anyone be this selfless?

“…I’m sorry.”

Without realizing it, Livanu shot Eshi a deadly glare.

Eshi, thinking he was being blamed for Grace drinking the poison on his account, quietly lowered his head.

Inside, Livanu was seething with fury.

Meanwhile, Grace, who had been pretending to keep her eyes closed, had been waiting for the right timing to get up—only to actually drift off into real sleep.

As the poison that had ravaged her body subsided, an overwhelming drowsiness had consumed her.

“Yaaawn.”

When Grace finally woke up after a deep sleep, she heard two voices overlapping nearby.

“Grace, are you okay?!”

“Doctor!!”

Feeling refreshed as if she’d only taken a good nap, Grace flinched at the loud voices shouting right in front of her face.

Livanu and Eshi, panicked, shouted for the doctor at the top of their lungs.

Startled, Grace grabbed them and assured them she was fine, pretending not to know anything.

“But… young master, why are you here?”

“Do you know how terrified I was when I heard you collapsed?!”

Judging by his uncharacteristically loud tone, he truly had been shocked.

“…Wait, word’s already spread that it was me who collapsed?”

“The gossip spread so fast, there isn’t a single maid who doesn’t know your name now.”

It seemed she had unintentionally become famous.

“What were you thinking?”

“…Well, it just kind of happened.”

“You knew, didn’t you.”

“Huh?”

“That this maid was the next target.”

“…H-how did you know that?”

Grace asked back in genuine surprise.

But for Livanu, the important thing wasn’t how she knew.

“Why didn’t you say anything to me? Was this your plan from the beginning?”

Livanu’s face was filled with loss and sorrow.

“I’m sorry.”

There really wasn’t an excuse she could make.

“You took it on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Young master…”

Unlike Livanu, who spoke without hesitation, Grace pretended to glance at Eshi, as if wary of her, since Eshi still didn’t know the full truth.

Naturally, that only made Livanu’s anger boil hotter.

“Why are you looking at her?”

“Ah…”

Since things had gone this far, Grace decided she might as well bring Eshi fully to her side.

After all, if someone risked their life for her, Eshi wasn’t the type to just sit back quietly.

What Grace didn’t realize was that Eshi had already been more than willing to give her very heart and soul for her.

But Grace couldn’t understand that—how could someone like her inspire such devotion when they hadn’t even known each other long?

“…I’m sorry.”

Clueless, Eshi blinked in confusion, unable to follow the conversation.

She clearly wanted to ask, but since Livanu and Grace were talking, she held back.

“You knew I would have stopped you if you told me.”

“…No, I wasn’t planning this from the start…”

Grace trailed off.

In the end, she had pretended to collapse, so all she could do was apologize.

Livanu’s expression grew even more pained.

“Fine. Planned or not, the fact that you’re here like this is the problem. Grace, while protecting this maid, did you ever think about how I would feel?”

His tone was dripping with hurt. Grace pressed her lips tightly shut.

Of course, she hadn’t considered Livanu’s feelings.

She had known better than anyone that she wouldn’t die—so she had simply assumed everything would work out fine.

“I’m sorry. But… what happened to the head maid after she was taken away?”

“Is that really what matters right now?!”

“…I’m sorry.”

Livanu’s voice cracked with anger, then he sighed when Grace looked down with a sulky expression.

“Sigh… They couldn’t find the missing maids, but since there’s proof she sold them off for money, she’ll be executed. And on top of that, she even embezzled from the duke’s household funds.”

“So aside from the head maid…”

As expected, everything had worked out smoothly.

The head maid would likely be executed, along with anyone else tied to her crimes.

Then why was Livanu still so upset?

Grace, of course, didn’t show such thoughts and just kept her head bowed humbly.

But if the head maid was doomed, what about Grino?

Was the mastermind revealed?

“They caught the household staff involved, along with a corrupt slaver. But the man who came to me… seems to have gotten away. Not even the duke had suspected him.”

As expected.

“How did the slaver get caught?”

“During the capture of a maid named Beryl, he left traces in the room.”

Grino had shifted the blame onto someone else, trying to cut ties and protect himself.

When Grace had asked Veronix to investigate, if bloodstains had really been there, he would have noticed.

Clearly, the evidence had been fabricated.

Since the head maid had already been caught red-handed, no one would believe her if she told a different story.

The slaver wasn’t a fool—he had surely been compensated. Meanwhile, Grino would stay safely in the shadows.

The evidence pointed only to the head maid and the slaver.

Grino would escape, buried deep.

Grace had predicted as much, so she wasn’t particularly disappointed.

Just then, Eshi, who had been listening silently, finally blurted out:

“But… what are you two even talking about? Am I the only one not getting it?”

“Ah, nothing important.”

It was very important, but Grace tried to brush it off casually.

“How can you say that when you nearly died because of this?!”

With Livanu flaring up yet again, it didn’t seem like she could just gloss over it.

“You risked your life to help this maid, and you don’t even brag about it, why?!”

“Y-young master, really, I’m fine… look, I woke up safe and sound.”

Eshi stared at Grace, her eyes trembling.

“W-wait… What do you mean? Are you saying you drank it knowing what was in the milk?”

“Well…”

In the end, the truth was revealed, and Eshi froze, shocked.

“So it really was because of me? You knew and still drank it?”

“…Sorry.”

“W-what?! How could you do that? Are you stupid?”

Eshi had known Grace was kind—but this was beyond foolish.

Who in their right mind would drink poison for someone they’d only known for days?

What if it had killed her?

“Waaahh!”

Even her own parents had never done something like that for her.

As her past flashed before her eyes, emotions she had buried for years burst forth.

Born with red hair and freckles, she had been shunned by her parents and grew up under their cold stares.

She’d thought leaving home early to work would be better than constant abuse, but the mistreatment followed her anyway.

No matter what happened, she was always the first suspect.

Even trivial quarrels would blow out of proportion when she was involved.

Her self-esteem crumbled, and she began constantly watching others’ reactions.

She pretended to be cheerful, but in truth, she was deeply negative.

“Waaahhh!”

Even while smiling at Grace, she had always feared Grace would eventually leave her, so she clung to her desperately.

But now she realized—it had all been on purpose.

Grace had approached her intentionally.

Even to protect her.

Eshi broke down in sobs, clinging to Grace.

She was so grateful she couldn’t put it into words—only tears flowed.

But Grace simply held her gently, as if she already understood.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hic… sob…”

As Eshi wept like she could barely breathe, she thought:

Grace had nearly died because of her—so why was Grace the one apologizing?

“But I really did think of you as a true friend. It wasn’t out of bad intentions…”

“Sob… you idiot, what bad intentions? There aren’t any hereee…!”

Eshi worried for this ridiculously kind friend.

“You’re the one who almost died!”

There was nothing impure in Grace’s actions—only sincerity.

“I’m fine. Look, I’m perfectly healthy.”

“No. You almost died.”

And just as Grace had hoped, Eshi silently made a vow.

She was lucky her first real friend was someone so good. For Grace, she would do anything.

Everything was exactly as Grace had planned.

The head maid protested her innocence, but the more she did, the more her insolence was held against her.

The duchess, who had favored her, was especially devastated.

In truth, the duchess’s fondness had little to do with loyalty.

The head maid was quick-witted, sharp, and endlessly flattering.

Many maids were capable, but to become head maid usually required either inheritance or skill in pleasing the nobility.

Winia, the head maid, belonged to the latter category.

In the end, it was simply “birds of a feather.” But regardless, the duchess collapsed under the shock.