DBOFS 41

Chapter 41

“Was I wrong?”

The voice came from Lady Penelope, the daughter of Count Arto, a vassal and collateral family of the Duke of Godwin.

‘That bitch.’

Amia’s gaze sharpened. She didn’t even try to hide her hostility and wariness.

Amia and Count Arto’s daughter, Penelope, never got along well in the first place.

But now, Amia couldn’t say a word.

Never mind the fact that she was disguised as a maid—Penelope was currently a guest of House Godwin, sent under the name of the current Duke, Norman Godwin.

“Well, I’m not sure who you’re talking about.”

Count Arto’s daughter, Penelope, feigned ignorance as she opened her fan.

But beneath the fan, a secretive smile played at her lips.

Taking her cue, the maid raised her voice further, gossip disguised as idle chatter.

“Still, I do feel bad for her. After being shut in and sickly for so long, she can’t even tell the difference between a pearl and a fish’s eyeball…”

“Bona.”

Penelope called her maid’s name as if to scold her.

But everyone knew the truth—that the maid’s words were really Penelope’s own.

‘She’s just using her as a mouthpiece to keep her hands clean.’

Amia ground her teeth.

Even if this were brought up later, Penelope would feign innocence, saying, “Oh my, my maid must’ve spoken out of ignorance.”

At best, she’d pretend to discipline her.

Everyone knew this.

‘And yet no one speaks up.’

Penelope, under her fan, smiled even wider.

It was inevitable.

Although the current Duke of Godwin was a legitimate successor, he wielded more influence than even his predecessor. Even those who opposed him wouldn’t dare question the actions of a guest sent by his faction.

“Oh dear, you’re too kind, my lady. Did I say anything untrue?”

Emboldened by the lack of opposition, Bona grew more brazen.

“Why else would the young master of House Godwin keep such a lowly woman by his side—someone who might be a former slave, for all we know?”

Bona’s eyes turned sharply toward Jade.

“……”

After observing Penelope and Bona in silence, Jade whispered something to Amia and stepped forward.

‘Just as planned.’

Penelope snapped her fan shut, resting it on her palm. There was no more need for subtlety.

“Lady Arto.”

She could barely suppress her laughter—everything was going just as planned.

“And who are you?”

When Jade addressed her, Penelope raised her head without responding, letting Bona answer.

“How dare a lowly thing like you address Lady Arto? It’s always the lowly who must wait to be spoken to!”

“It’s all right, Bona. Someone of such low standing wouldn’t know etiquette. Besides—”

“Who is that maid?”

“……”

Penelope’s grip on her fan tightened.

‘How dare she interrupt me?’

The fact that she ignored Bona—as if her own maid was beneath notice—made it all the more infuriating.

“And who are you, to speak so freely in House Godwin—”

“You bitch!”

Sensing her mistress’s displeasure, Bona raised her hand. Joanna quickly stepped in to block it.

“How dare a mere maid raise her hand at Lady Jade—!”

“Silence! How dare you raise your voice in front of me!”

Penelope’s shout made Joanna bite her lip. Still, she did not release Bona’s arm.

“Such insolence. And who are you to defy the command of Count Arto’s daughter? Release my personal maid immediately!”

“……”

The room fell silent.

Amia, anxious and fidgeting, looked around nervously. Joanna, struggling under the pressure of class hierarchy, was about to let go—

“Personal maid, you say?”

It was Jade who broke the silence.

“Then Lady Arto had her personal maid speak ill of me in public?”

“……!”

Everyone knew it already, but to say it aloud…

“How vulgar. Forget etiquette—do you not even know the difference between right and wrong?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Shut up, you lowly thing! Who are you to assume my intentions?!”

“So I’m right, then.”

“You…!”

Penelope looked incredulous and slapped Jade’s cheek with her folded fan.

“Bona may have said something rude, but she has been my personal maid since childhood.”

An insulting touch. A mocking tone.

“This means I am fully responsible for her words and actions.”

“……”

“And you think someone like you can question me?!”

Amia bit her lip.

In truth, Penelope wasn’t wrong.

Even if Harris was set to become the next Duke of Godwin, Jade’s status as his guide was still unclear.

So even if Penelope had directly insulted her, there was no formal way to demand an apology.

But then—

“I see. That’s surprising.”

Jade pushed Penelope’s fan away with a smile.

Her light, casual tone stunned the room.

‘What is she thinking?’

Could it be… she planned to let it go and report everything to Harris?

‘That could work, but…’

Frankly, Amia was disappointed. No matter how lowly her background, to not be able to handle this kind of situation…

Of course, even Amia herself wouldn’t have come up with a better plan.

“Lady Arto’s personal maid is an esper, huh?”

“……?!”

At Jade’s words, the air froze. Both Penelope and Bona’s expressions changed.

“What? An esper?!”

“How did an esper even get into the west wing?”

“You’re saying Count Arto’s daughter smuggled an esper in?!”

Before anyone could react, Bona moved.

“Die!”

She freed herself from Joanna’s grip and lunged at Jade with a dagger.

“Kyaah!”

“Gah!”

The first scream came from Penelope, the second from Amia.

Amia had managed to kick Bona’s shin and twist her arm, making the dagger fall—but she didn’t have the strength to hold her down.

‘Damn it! Awakened espers have physical abilities beyond normal civilians…!’

So that’s why Jade had warned her earlier. Before she could think further, Bona reversed their positions and threw Amia to the ground.

“Ugh!”

“L-Lady Jade—!”

Joanna and May rushed to protect Jade, but Bona was faster. Her dagger-less hand grabbed Jade’s wrist.

And then—

“Oh dear.”

Jade sighed.

Thud—Bona collapsed.

“W-What just happened…?”

Everything had happened—and ended—so quickly that the room was frozen in shock.

“Bona was an esper. And she tried to attack me.”

The only calm person, Jade, summed up the situation briefly.

“You’re saying Count Arto’s personal maid, secretly an esper, just tried to assassinate the guide of House Godwin’s heir?”

“……!”

That was interpreted aloud by Viscount Yannis Redian, who had arrived after hearing the commotion.

“N-No! I didn’t know! Truly…!”

Penelope defended herself, face pale.

“Count Arto’s daughter will need to be investigated.”

“Viscount Redian—!”

Penelope screamed, but Redian’s knights dragged her away without hesitation.

Bona, unconscious, was taken too.

“L-Lady Jade…”

As the shouting and resistance faded, Amia came back to her senses.

“Don’t tell me… from the beginning…”

“Yeah, I was suspicious of Bona from the start.”

“B-But she fainted…”

“That was because she succumbed to my absorbent po… I mean, to my guiding.”

“……”

Amia’s mouth dropped open. The others looked just as stunned.

“C-Can guides really make espers faint that easily?”

“No way! If they could, why would they be so scared of espers…?”

“It’s because it’s Lady Jade. She’s not just any guide—she’s the guide of the future duke!”

“The strongest guide—!”

Excited murmurs rose from every direction.

But Jade didn’t seem to hear them. She simply clenched and unclenched her hand a few times, then walked over to Viscount Redian and whispered something.

“You’re going out? But…”

Even after such chaos, she wanted to go out?

Amia was speechless.

From the first impression with the twin tails, to reading steamy romance novels with the maids, to now—swiftly identifying and subduing a deadly esper…

She had no idea what kind of person Jade really was.

“…Is it because you’re a guide?”

“Hm?”

Amia asked Jade, who had just received permission to go out.

“Is that how you could recognize the esper so quickly… and take them down with just one guiding?”

Jade let out a small hum, then smiled playfully.

“Well, maybe. That’s what I’m going out to find out.”

“…Huh?”

“Anyway, Amia. Be sure to pass this on to your grandfather. Viscount Redian’s a bit too busy to explain it all right now.”

“O-Of course…”

As she absentmindedly accepted what Jade handed her, Amia watched the carriage disappear into the distance… and her eyes suddenly widened.

Wait a second.

“…She knew from the start?!”

That Amia was a maid in disguise?!

Amia’s shock deepened—then she looked down to see what Jade had given her.

It was Volume 2 of “There’s No Way My Slave Grew Up Like This!”