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Chapter 26
All of this was because Cassia’s core wasn’t that of a fourteen-year-old native to this world, but of an adult who had even completed a university education in Korea.
There was no way Willes could have known that.
To his eyes, Cassia was simply a prodigy who displayed an astonishing level of ability despite having received almost no proper education.
He was a born scholar. Living among the Academy and the mages of the Mage Kingdom had only strengthened that disposition.
It was only natural that he would feel drawn to a talented young person who showed such potential at such an early age.
To think that young lady had such incredible talent.
At some point, even the way Willes referred to Cassia in his mind had changed.
From “that child” to “young lady.”
He only used the title “little madam” in front of Edmund.
Edmund disliked it when other forms of address were used.
She’s not someone who should be stuck here watching over the young duke—she’s talent that should be taken to the Academy right away… no, dragged there if necessary.
At that moment, Willes belatedly realized his mistake.
Hah! What on earth am I thinking again?!
Willes shook his head hard, then refilled his gaze with suspicion.
And he resumed watching Cassia.
Willes’s behavior didn’t go unnoticed by Cassia alone.
Rather than being “found out,” anyone in the mansion with eyes couldn’t help but notice.
Willes was an excellent mage, but as an informer or spy, he was practically incompetent.
Whispers spread among the servants.
“Why is that new gardener acting like that?”
“Wasn’t he sent from the main house to keep an eye on the little madam?”
“But if that were the case, isn’t it strange how openly he follows her around? That defeats the whole purpose of surveillance.”
“True. It looks like the little madam has already noticed.”
“Then what is he doing?”
The youngest maid spoke up in a bright, innocent voice.
“Well… maybe he’s following her around because he’s smitten with the madam?”
“No way!”
“No way!”
“No way—no way!”
But everyone had seen it.
The way Willes stared at Cassia with an excessively fervent gaze.
Not knowing the real reason, they jumped to the most entertaining conclusion.
“My goodness! So after Young Master Patrick, now Marco—no, Willes—too?!”
“Well, the little madam did return the gift Prince Patrick sent not long ago!”
“Everyone’s completely losing their minds over the little madam’s charm!”
Willes had a notably neat and handsome appearance, so there were many maids who held interest or affection for him.
“The little madam already has a husband—of all people, even Marco?”
There were those who made such pointed remarks.
Still, even if someone felt dissatisfied, no one dared express it openly.
If you fall out of the little madam’s favor, you’re finished!
After all, with Moretti and two others already expelled, the servants of the villa feared Cassia.
Even if a man they liked was infatuated with her, they couldn’t complain outright.
They could only grumble quietly.
The problem was that these quiet murmurs reached someone’s ears.
Edmund, accustomed to moving around like a ghost, happened to overhear the maids talking.
“My goodness! So the gardener Marco is completely head over heels for the little madam and follows her around?”
An even more exaggerated rumor.
“…!”
Edmund was so shocked that he dropped what he was holding.
At first, Cassia tried to ignore it. But after several days of such obvious surveillance, it became irritating.
Unable to bear it any longer, she sprang up and flung open the window of her office.
Hanging awkwardly from the window while spying on her, Willes was so startled that he fell backward.
“Gah!”
Cassia glared daggers and shouted.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing, Marco?!”
“I—I mean—th-that is… I was cleaning the window!”
“With no rag?”
“Ah! Th-that is, well… with my sleeve!”
Willes clumsily mimed wiping the window with his sleeve.
Needless to say, it didn’t make any sense.
“Oh, really. Then you must have perfectly finished the garden maintenance and cleaning the eastern rooms of the mansion, right?”
“Th-that is…!”
“So you’re just overflowing with free time—enough to loiter here where you have absolutely no business!”
With a spiteful smile spread across her face, Cassia gave an order.
“If you’re that bored, go clean the library! There’s so much dust in there it made me cough.”
“What? You want me to do more work?”
Willes already had plenty on his plate.
Gardening, cleaning the eastern rooms, secretly making Edmund’s antidote, teaching him magic…
He was probably the busiest person in the villa after Cassia herself.
But that’s that, and this is this. If you’re going to spy, at least do it subtly—people won’t get so annoyed!
Snorting, Cassia replied loudly.
“That’s right. Wipe down every single book! If you don’t like it, you can leave!”
At this harsh treatment, the servants looked at Willes (Marco) with pity.
My goodness. The library hasn’t been properly cleaned in over seven years.
He must already be overwhelmed with work as it is.
Yet no one stepped forward to help the poor Willes.
No one wanted to fall out of favor with the tyrant of the villa—the little madam.
And more than anything, no employee wanted to work beyond what their wages covered.
As Willes stood there in a daze, the nanny approached him.
“Marco.”
“Yes—yes, Nanny. Thank you for comforting—”
“No.”
“Pardon?”
Jingle.
With a smile, the nanny handed Willes the library key.
“The little madam’s order. Work diligently.”
“….”
Leaving the stunned Willes behind, she walked away, muttering loudly enough to be heard.
“How dare someone so old covet our little madam!”
Willes did have some guilt, so he couldn’t claim complete innocence—but still, it was unfair.
Perfect. Two birds with one stone!
There was another reason Cassia had deliberately punished Willes by assigning him to clean the library.
Only Edmund and I ever go in there.
It would make it easier for Willes to help Edmund.
Especially when it comes to finding the hidden seal of the head of the family—Willes might be useful.
Edmund didn’t seem to have found the seal yet.
If he had, it would have shown—but there was no sign of it.
Escaping safely was important, but so was Edmund obtaining the family head’s seal.
So this would definitely help both Willes and Edmund.
In other words, this is my great act of kindness.
It’s absolutely not because I was annoyed that he kept hovering around while I was working! Absolutely not!
Rattle—rattle—rattle!
“Cough! Cough!”
Every time he swung the duster, clouds of dust billowed into the air.
The thick layers clearly hadn’t accumulated in just a day or two.
Could this be… a plot to kill me with lung disease?
Forget wiping each book—just dealing with the visible dust was enough to nearly kill Willes.
“Hrk—cough—hack—cough!”
Tears and mucus streamed down his face.
Inside Willes, his distorted view of Cassia’s character worsened even further.
This isn’t just a villainess! She’s a demon! A demon rules this villa! She’s trying to kill me with dust!
Even as he admired Cassia’s intellect, his negative misconceptions about her personality only deepened.
While dusting and wiping, he discovered something unexpected.
“This is…?”
It was a chalkboard set in front of a table in the corner of the library.
Someone had written a lot on it with chalk and then erased it, leaving faint traces behind.
It seemed only hastily cleaned; the outlines of the writing were still visible.
Come to think of it, this is where the young duke received lessons from that demon young lady.
This was Willes’s first time actually entering the library.
When he observed Edmund’s lessons before, it had only been by amplifying the sound with magic from behind a wall.
That, and looking at Edmund’s notes, was all he had ever seen.
He had never seen Cassia’s own lesson materials.
Driven by curiosity, he cast a simple spell.
A weak restoration.
Even that was enough to return Cassia’s faint chalk marks to their original form.
And when Willes fully understood the contents, his eyes widened in shock.
“Th-this is…!”
Just then—
The library door opened, and Edmund walked in, spotting Willes.
Edmund’s eyes sharpened dangerously.
“Why are you here?!”
