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Chapter 12
“No?”
Eki, who was chewing her steak, widened her eyes.
…Hmm?
Her answer came so quickly, without hesitation, that it didn’t feel like a lie at all.
She didn’t even cut her steak. She just chewed on it whole.
So maybe I really saw wrong earlier.
Yeah, that must be it.
Eki couldn’t possibly have worn such a cold expression.
“Well then, do you know if the Duke has something he likes? Something he enjoys doing?”
“The Duke? Liking something?”
“Yes. I’m just curious.”
Of course, I couldn’t say the truth: The Duke, who has trauma about his appearance, looks so sad being locked in his study all day. If I know what he likes, I want to bring it to him myself!
No. I had to ask as if it was just a small, casual question.
“Well, he used to like the fountain behind the mansion.”
“The fountain?”
“Yes. He often liked walking there. But now he doesn’t go anymore. It’s abandoned.”
An abandoned fountain, huh…
That sounded like it carried a story.
Well, at least it was inside the mansion grounds. That meant I could check it myself.
Not today—I was too busy—but tomorrow, yes.
But for now, I pushed my knife aside.
I hadn’t eaten much of my steak anyway.
Instead, I pointed with my fork.
There was something that kept catching my eyes.
“But Eki… do you see that?”
“Hm?”
“There. Over there.”
Eki, cheeks stuffed with steak, looked up again.
She squinted, stretching her neck as if trying to see better.
In the open kitchen connected to the dining hall,
there were large, scary-looking knives hanging from the ceiling.
I didn’t know if they were for use or just decoration.
But one thing was for sure.
“One of those knives has been shaking the whole time, hasn’t it?”
Ever since I came into the dining hall, it had been swinging.
Not the others—just that one.
Eki blinked several times and even rubbed her eyes.
“Uh… I don’t really see it. Maybe my eyesight isn’t good enough.”
Her answer was simple: she couldn’t see it.
“…Was I imagining it?”
If a knife swung, wouldn’t they all swing?
Why just one?
The windows were closed. There was no wind.
Feeling a little awkward, I quickly gave some of my steak to Eki, apologizing for bothering her so much.
No.
It wasn’t my imagination.
That knife really was shaking.
Something was watching me.
I was sure of it.
I hugged my report tightly and walked quickly down the hallway.
Whenever I left my room,
whenever I headed to the Duke’s study,
whenever I left his bedroom,
whenever I went to eat…
Even now, on my way back.
I kept feeling someone’s eyes on me.
‘…What is this?’
No. I had to remind myself.
No one here could hurt me.
I had a contract.
“Yeah. They can’t harm me anyway.”
I muttered it aloud, almost like a spell.
But the feeling never went away.
The eyes were always there.
And yet, no one ever appeared.
‘…Could it really just be my imagination?’
After all, Eki hadn’t seen the knife move.
If someone was openly staring at me, surely someone else would have noticed and told me.
Holding my head, I sighed.
‘It’s just stress. I’m being too sensitive.’
Yes. That must be it.
Because of my perfectionist tendencies,
I was pushing myself too hard, and now I was paranoid.
Still… I hadn’t gone to the fountain like I planned.
“Arghhh!”
I was so frustrated at myself I wanted to scream.
So I finished the Duke’s cleaning earlier than usual and decided to finally go see the fountain.
Today, the gaze felt even stronger.
I gritted my teeth and quickened my pace, holding my maid dress so I wouldn’t trip.
But then, suddenly—
“…!”
Someone?
A glimpse of white clothes ahead of me—
My heart pounded as I snapped my head up.
…No one.
There was no one there.
‘But I swear I just saw someone in white…’
My palms were sweaty. I pressed myself against the wall, moving carefully.
Thankfully, I was holding a long cleaning pole.
If anyone jumped out, I was ready to knock them out and run.
“Yeah, they can’t hurt me anyway!”
I shouted again, on purpose, so whoever it was would hear.
Finally, I turned the corner.
No one.
“….”
Embarrassed, I scratched the back of my head with the pole.
Maybe it really was all in my head.
But there was another problem.
Eki had only said the fountain was “behind the mansion.”
I never asked for the exact location.
And the mansion’s map?
The fountain wasn’t even marked on it.
“…”
I stood there in the garden, squinting under the afternoon sun.
‘Then what’s the point of this map if it doesn’t even have the fountain?’
And come to think of it, the Duke’s private bedroom wasn’t marked either.
Eki had shown me all the marked places on the first day.
Since then, I’d practically memorized the routes.
This map was useless.
‘Should I just ask Eki again tonight, then come tomorrow?’
But no.
I had specifically made time today.
Tomorrow, my schedule was packed.
“Haah…”
I folded the map and tucked it into my pocket.
“Hello, Head Maid. Out in the garden today?”
I turned and froze.
It was Alex.
When I came out earlier, he wasn’t here.
But now, suddenly, he was standing nearby, cleaning the outer wall.
And I hadn’t heard a single footstep.
Even after all this time, it was still unsettling.
I shaded my eyes and looked up at the 4-meter-tall giant.
“Ah, yes, Alex. I had some errands.”
He nodded cheerfully, wiping the walls with the countless cloths wrapped around his arms.
Actually, recently, Alex and the other monsters in the garden had become quite friendly with me.
At first, they were sarcastic.
But now they laughed, talked, and worked seriously.
Like puppies—changing from nervous Chihuahuas to gentle Retrievers.
Still cleaning, Alex slowed down and glanced at me.
“…Do you perhaps have business in the garden?”
Ah.
I had been staring at the map like an idiot.
No wonder he noticed.
I quickly pulled the map back out and waved it at him.
Of course, from his height, he couldn’t actually see the paper.
“Not here, but behind this garden. I heard there’s a fountain. But it’s not on the map. Do you know the way?”
Alex bent down carefully to try to look at the map.
I was touched—he was really trying to help.
“F-Fountain…?”
But then—
The moment I said “fountain,” Alex’s eyes widened in shock.
And in the blink of an eye, he pulled away from me.
