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chapter 38
“Young master, what will you do if Sophien doesn’t come as expected?”
“Sophien wouldn’t come…?”
Leto blinked as if he had never considered such a possibility, then finally spoke.
“That has never happened.”
“I said ‘if,’ didn’t I?”
“…If?”
“Yes. And though you said it never happened, it’s been quite a while since she’s been absent.”
“…”
“Don’t you want to do anything?”
Leto remained silent.
Whether he had no desire to act or simply couldn’t say it was unclear.
“If Sophien doesn’t come tomorrow, let’s go for a walk together, really.”
“…A walk.”
“Yes. I really want to try going for a walk with you, young master. Is that not allowed?”
Grace said this every day when she reported for duty, implying she wanted to go outside with him.
But having been strictly instructed by Sophien, Leto would never allow Grace near him.
“No.”
Then Grace made a sad, whiny sound as if crying.
Leto blinked, seemingly flustered.
“…Are you crying? Really?”
“Sniff… a walk…”
“…I told you it’s not allowed.”
“Why not?”
“Sophien said not to leave the room.”
“Would you really obey Sophien to the point of dying if she told you to?”
“What?”
“And now that Sophien isn’t here, you could sneak out. Besides, didn’t she forbid anyone from approaching those around her? And now I’m here. Doesn’t that mean you can do as you please?”
The maids flinched at the accusation but quickly gave awkward smiles.
“We won’t say anything.”
Leto seemed genuinely surprised.
The maids had never acted like this before.
“You only ever listened to Sophien, right? So why are you acting like this all of a sudden…?”
“Ahaha! Young master, we’re cutting ties with that cruel, abusive child torturer!”
“…Huh?”
“Even if Sophien returns—or that maid—we’ll never side with her! Never!”
The maid raised her voice as if spitting blood.
Leto looked bewildered.
He didn’t understand fully, but he could sense that the maids had some grudge against Sophien.
“Suddenly?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”
Seeing Grace signal for more, the maid excitedly continued.
“Everything Sophien did to the young master was unfair. We only went along because we had to survive, but we can’t stand it any longer. From now on, we won’t just watch silently.”
The maid spoke quite well, despite not rehearsing with Grace beforehand.
Grace smiled approvingly, feeling proud that the maid—who had earned Leto’s trust—was on her side.
Then the maid who had been observing quietly stepped forward.
“I feel the same! That Sophien is our enemy and must be punished! The young master has been deceived by her schemes all this time. Of course, I regret my own actions and apologize to the young master.”
Grace signaled subtly to prevent the third maid, standing nearby, from speaking at the wrong moment, and the maids quietly left the room.
“…Huh.”
Everyone loudly blamed Sophien for all the wrongs, leaving Leto dumbfounded.
“What exactly did she do?”
“Oh? Why are you looking at me?”
“Because you must have done something for them to change sides like that.”
“Aren’t you curious why they suddenly changed?”
“…What did you do?”
Leto looked at Grace with full distrust.
“Why do you keep thinking I did something? I’m just a good maid.”
Grace genuinely felt wronged.
“I just reminded them of everything Sophien did wrong.”
“What did Sophien do wrong?”
“Curious?”
“…No. Go away.”
Yet dealing with Leto was harder than expected.
He was anxious because of Sophien, yet waiting for her return—it was a huge contradiction.
For several days, Sophien had been locked and neglected in the storage room.
She was given nothing to eat.
Occasionally, groans could be heard from inside, but judging from the cursing and frantic words, she still had some strength, so Grace left her be.
Today, Grace approached the storage room again. Confirming that no sound could be heard, she opened the door.
“….”
Sophien lay sprawled on the floor, utterly drained of energy.
“Hello.”
“…Ugh.”
Grace greeted her, but Sophien, with lifeless eyes, could only groan.
“You’ve calmed down quite a bit.”
“You….”
Her dying voice tried to speak, but it was barely audible.
“Oh, do you want to eat this? You must be hungry.”
Grace held a bowl of hot soup.
“Shall I give it to you?”
Grace’s bright expression almost seemed teasing.
Sophien felt extreme humiliation and tears streamed down her face, yet her body acted on instinct.
She was hungry, dragging herself toward the soup to eat.
“Oh my. You must be really hungry.”
Grace sighed, but didn’t give the soup immediately.
“Sophien, it’s already been two weeks since you disappeared. Aren’t you curious why no one has looked for you?”
“…Ugh.”
She seemed weak, but her gaze was sharp, filled with murderous intent.
Grace shivered and spoke in an unthreatening tone.
“The maids under you… were surprisingly easy.”
“…Grrr.”
“They were so easy it almost bored me. Did they tell you everything you did to young master Leto?”
“….”
“So I decided to return the favor.”
“…W-what…?”
“They say you can only understand someone by experiencing what they went through. That’s empathy, right?”
Sophien’s complexion turned yellow.
“Still, I don’t think I could cruelly stomp and beat you. I have a soft heart.”
But Sophien did not feel relieved.
Grace chuckled.
“Seems like you understood everything. You’re not leaving here.”
“Ugh…ah…”
“Hmm. Maybe starving you with only water for two weeks was too much…”
Grace muttered to herself and finally set down the soup bowl.
“Eat this and regain your strength. I’ll come back later.”
Grace smiled and left the storage room.
Looking back, Sophien, ignoring the heat, was already gulping down the soup.
Grace reported the day’s events to Libanu.
The report was so detailed that Libanu’s expression soured.
“Are you okay?”
After a brief frown, he asked about Grace.
“Huh? Yes, I’m fine.”
Of course, Grace was unharmed.
“…Was Sophien in really bad shape?”
Eshi, too, looked worried for Grace.
“She was. Two weeks was too long, it seems.”
“Should I just handle it from now on?”
“Why? I’m fine.”
“…But Grace is too delicate. What if she has nightmares?”
By now, the overprotectiveness of the two was almost routine.
Grace just laughed it off.
Then Libanu said,
“The maids under Sophien.”
“Huh?”
“You said they’ve completely sided with us, right?”
“Yes. When I mentioned the Foret dukes, they froze and even complained about Sophien. Since then, they’ve obeyed well and treat Leto properly.”
“…Those maids must harbor a lot of resentment toward Sophien. How about letting them handle this task?”
“Huh?”
“I don’t want Grace doing this. There are suitable staff, no need for Grace to intervene.”
Libanu looked genuinely frustrated.
Though the main person involved was fine, this seemed like overprotectiveness.
But on second thought, it wasn’t a bad idea.
There was much to resolve, given all the accumulated tension.
“Understood.”
Grace decided to discreetly check on the situation herself.
Still, she couldn’t fully trust the maids under Sophien.
Following Libanu’s advice, the most obedient maid was chosen to handle matters regarding Sophien.
At first, the maid was hesitant, unsure why she was assigned, but soon adapted.
The maid was then sent to the villa where Libanu was, as payment for managing Sophien.
Her hesitation was brief, and she seemed thrilled—enjoying Sophien’s suffering while also impressing the new young master.
Then the other maids protested.
Why was only she taken? Once told it was a special task, they argued they could do better, so all three were assigned the task.
Initially, Sophien had been starved for two weeks to break her spirit, but afterward, she was fairly well cared for.
Well, “fairly” was relative—Sophien had fed Leto some questionable meals before: dried-out beef, wilted vegetables, unidentifiable dishes.
Leto had considered that proper food until now.
Ironically, Sophien, a maid, had eaten like nobility.
So now, the meals she was given were terrible to someone accustomed to more refined tastes.
As a result, Sophien steadily deteriorated.
