MISS 15

chapter 15

Three more days had passed since that day.

‘Time really flies.’

Short or long, the passage of time brought many changes to my daily life.

The first change was that I finally had a proper name.

“Elpis, you’re here again.”
“Mary, you came?”

The second was that I had started to adapt surprisingly well to this “terrifying black-cloaked mansion.”

“The garden is Ron’s responsibility. It’s not your task, Elpis.”
“But it would be nice to help, wouldn’t it?”

I added, pretending to pout.

“Ron, am I being a nuisance?”
“Of course not. I’m extremely grateful that you’re helping, Miss Elpis.”

“Ron, don’t pass your work off to others.”

The gardener, Ron, and the maid, Mary.
The old man’s weak chuckle at the young maid’s sharp remark would have seemed peaceful to an outsider.

But I already knew his true nature.

Ron Friedrich, once the most notorious information broker in the back alleys—that was the man behind the mask.

“By the way, you stirred up the chef again, didn’t you?”
“Me? I just said today’s lunch was delicious.”
“That’s the problem.”
“Why is that a problem?”
“He went overboard, saying he’d throw a grand dinner tonight to honor the girl who recognized his talent.”

The chef Milrak, mentioned through Mary, was no ordinary cook either.
Once a tomb raider who shocked the world, now serving here under the empire’s patronage.

A betrayer of the empire, Mary.
An information broker, Ron.
A tomb raider, Milrak.

No one here was ordinary, yet somehow, I was adapting well.

“A party? They’re having a party?!”
“Ha ha! Thanks to you, tonight’s dinner will be splendid.”
“…Sigh.”
“Oh! Sorry, Mary. Was I getting scolded?”
“…I wasn’t scolding you.”

Of course, not everything was a positive change. There were problems too.

And the main problem?

“Mary, can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”

As always, it was about Azell.

“Will Azell be at that party?”

Azell was always the problem.

“….”
“….”

From the way Ron and Mary immediately fell silent, it was clear: the most important person—Azell—was avoiding me.

“…The master has too much work to attend the dinner tonight,” Ron said.

A blatant lie.
This wasn’t a normal noble house, and it was ridiculous to claim Azell was too busy to eat.
Yet he used that ridiculous excuse to avoid me.

‘Then just don’t even look at me!’

Lately, I could feel his gaze wherever I went.
When the back of my head tingled and I turned, he was always there.
But if I approached him first, he would sprint away with that lightning-fast movement.

At first, it was ridiculous. Now, even if I chased him, I couldn’t catch him.

‘Damn final boss.’

His athleticism alone made life difficult.

‘Unbelievable. I’m running around just to get his attention, and I’m exhausted…’

I even followed Ron around the garden, hoping Azell would talk to me—but no effect.

Suppressing my frustration, Ron finally spoke.
He seemed to think I was upset about Azell’s attitude.

“Don’t be too distressed. The master must be feeling quite disappointed as well.”

Of course, that was nonsense.
But I couldn’t just vent my anger here.

‘I’m not some unlucky noble bride married to an indifferent husband, grumbling…’

I wasn’t in a position to complain just because the house owner skipped a meal with me.

“Alright. Thank you, Ron, Mary.”
“…Heh heh.”
“…Not at all.”

All I could do now was smile faintly, as if trying to hide my disappointment.
But I wasn’t planning to wait quietly.

“I’ll go back now, Ron. See you tonight, Mary.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just to rest a bit. I have some things to think about.”

If he wouldn’t come to me, I could just go to him.
‘Alright. Let’s see who wins.’

No one tried to stop me as I stomped back to my room.

Mary watched the woman’s retreating figure with a curious gaze.
The sadness she had glimpsed earlier still lingered clearly in her mind.

‘How can her expressions be so varied?’

“Mary?”

From the very first encounter,
Elpis—who expressed every emotion openly—was a stranger in a completely new way to Mary.

She had no hesitation in showing her feelings, as rich as her expressions were.

And yet, there was more than just her expressiveness that was remarkable.

‘Why is she so glad to see me?’

Mary had exceptional memory—she never forgot a face—but she had never seen anyone like Elpis before.

“Deep in thought, aren’t you, Mary?”

Ron spoke to her gently, like an elder.
Once adversaries, their relationship had never been warm; even unintentionally, their words carried a brusque tone.

“Don’t act like you know me, Ron Friedrich.”
“I’m the same way. Seeing her makes me think too much as well.”
“…You, speaking?”

But the next words were hard to ignore.

“Sometimes, that girl looks at us as if she misses us dearly.”

Mary’s hands, usually so composed, stiffened.
It was true.

So much longing, so much affection.
Even Ron noticed her inexplicable intimacy.

“I can’t understand why she treats an old man like me with such care.”

The meaning behind the short sigh was clear:
Even Ron Friedrich couldn’t gauge her true identity.

“I didn’t even know who blessed my daughter’s grave. It’s almost embarrassing for the Friedrich name.”
“…Huh?”

Then came something even more surprising.

“The first day that girl came into the garden, she passed by my child’s grave.”
“Ah…”
“She hesitated, looked back several times, then approached. I watched, wondering what she would do.”

A small grave with no body—just a worn doll buried for Ron’s deceased daughter.
To any outsider, it looked like a simple mound of earth.

Yet Elpis recognized it as a grave and prayed for the child’s soul.

“It’s never pleasant when someone I don’t know knows me.”
“….”
“But that girl always looked at it with affection. That’s quite… strange.”

Mary remained silent, knowing the same truth.

“The master suspects the possibility of black magic.”

Three days ago, when she was suddenly ordered to disguise herself as a maid, Mary scoffed at Seymour’s explanation.

‘No. That’s impossible.’

Yet, like her master, a small seed of doubt had already begun to grow.

‘I think I understand now why the master can’t take his eyes off her.’

The two, already aware of their master pacing by the window, then returned to their respective places as usual.

“Tomorrow, I’ll have to go out briefly. Will that be alright?”

At the grand dinner the chef had boasted about, I immediately dropped a little “bomb.”

It wouldn’t be a big, noisy party; only a few were present: Mary attending me, and Seymour, who had no idea why he was there.
But it was enough to send my message.

“If you need anything, just let me know.”
“No, I have to go myself.”
“You must go yourself?”

I was about to set a trap.
A simple, sure bait to draw Azell out.

“Yes. I have a promise with Azell. So please let him know—I absolutely must go out tomorrow.”