SNM 13🏞️

Chapter 13

‘W-Well… it should be fine, right?’

Only after checking the curtains over and over did I finally let out a sigh of relief.
Today’s duty as the Grand Duke’s personal maid was to overhaul the reception room.
Curtains, carpets, even the flowers in the vase—everything had to be replaced.
By myself.

“What kind of personal maid gets treated like this!”

The orders were always questionable, and the one who gave them?
He vanished without a trace, only to reappear like a ghost the moment the work was nearly done.
And then, without fail, he would utter the same word again: “Again.”

‘Good grief… If I were really some lovestruck girl pining for the Grand Duke, I’d have lost every ounce of affection by now.’

Could this be his aim? To repel people despite his breathtaking beauty?
If so—

‘Congratulations, Your Grace. It’s working flawlessly.’

I grumbled inwardly, yet my hands never stopped moving. My instincts, sharpened through countless part-time jobs in my past life, told me the master of the house was about to walk in.

Click—

‘See? Called it.’

I tied the curtain neatly, turned swiftly on my heel—
And there he was. The Grand Duke’s crimson eyes, now so familiar, swept over the entire room.

“Hmm…”

By now, his presence no longer rattled me.
Surely, he would say it again: “Redo it.”
I bowed obediently, awaiting his command.

“Not bad. You may go.”

“Yes, I’ll redo i—”

Wait. What?

Unthinkingly, I raised my head. The Grand Duke, in a casual tone, repeated himself.

“There’s nothing to redo. You’re dismissed.”

Early leave…!

All at once, a radiant halo blazed behind him. His golden hair truly shimmered like the sun that day.
Overcome, I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle the gasp.

The Grand Duke, watching, gave a rare gentle smile.

“Why? Do you want to stay longer with me?”

The halo shattered.

I bolted, bowing deeply, leaving the reception room faster than ever before.
Perhaps I heard a faint, breathless chuckle behind me… but I decided it was better not to.

“Hmm~”

Ah, how long had it been since I’d returned to my quarters before sunset?
My steps were light, and a hum spilled from my lips.
After days of enduring the Grand Duke’s puzzling torments, today felt like an actual day off.

‘He’s still unreadable… but…’

At least today, I felt acknowledged.

Well, it’s not as though I’m incompetent. I’d built up quite the résumé in my previous life. Wherever I worked, I was always called the ace.

Trying to hide the smug curve tugging at my lips, I hurried toward the annex. That was when—

“Lillian!”

That voice. I turned. Someone came running, her maid’s uniform flaring behind her.
A familiar face.

“Anna!”

I beamed and waved. But… why did Anna look so grim?

Suddenly—grab.
Before I knew it, she was right in front of me, gripping my shoulders, her eyes scanning me head to toe.

‘Wh-What on earth?’

All I could do was blink in confusion.

She finished her inspection and jerked her chin up sharply.

“You!”

“Y-Yes?”

“Are you alright? Nothing happened, did it?”

Her fiery gaze made me flinch. I nodded quickly. Only then did her hardened features soften. She let out a breath and words tumbled out in a rush.

“Honestly—! You’ve been gone for days! And when I asked the other maids, they said you’ve been stuck doing weird jobs! Why’d you have to catch the Grand Duke’s eye of all people—!”

She shook me, scolding me as if I were at fault. But beneath it all…

She was worried about me.

She had been there when I first awoke in Lillian’s body, when Ivy’s barbs struck, and even now.
Anna cherished “Lillian” more deeply than I had realized.
I didn’t know why, but…

“I’m sorry, Anna. Thank you for worrying about me.”

Being worried for by someone… it was something I couldn’t take for granted.

Sure, the affection wasn’t meant for me but for the real Lillian.
Still, I was benefitting from it, so the least I could do was express gratitude.

“Ahem! Well… as long as nothing happened.”

Her cheeks pinked as she glanced away, embarrassed.
It was such a girlish reaction that a laugh escaped me before I realized it.
Her blush deepened.

“Ah, right!”

Suddenly remembering something, Anna rummaged through her apron pocket and pulled out a handkerchief.

“This is yours, right? I found it yesterday behind the annex garden.”

A sky-blue handkerchief, embroidered clumsily with the name Lillian.

‘…This must belong to the original Lillian.’

I accepted it absentmindedly. The moment it touched my hand—

…!!

Fragments of memory crashed through me like broken glass.

Shudder.

Short, jagged flashes, as though pieces of photographs were being forced together.
But unlike before, Lillian’s body itself trembled violently.
An instinctive reaction, carved into the flesh.

Poison.

Familiar. Too familiar to Lillian.

How I made it back to my room, I couldn’t say.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

Anna’s puzzled voice reached me. Hastily, I shook my head and tucked the handkerchief out of sight. Then I dragged her inside, babbling about giving her something.

“Anna, drink this.”

“…What? Out of nowhere?”

“I-It’s good for you!”

It wasn’t a lie.
She must have absorbed some of that poison—mildly, but still.
This would help.

‘One day of exposure may not be lethal… but who knows.’

It was airborne, after all. For Anna, with her weak lungs, it could be fatal.

I scrubbed her hands clean and forced her to drink before sending her off.

Thankfully, among the memories I’d recovered was the location of an antidote.
Touching the poisoned cloth must have triggered everything at once.

And with it… the truth of this handkerchief.

Slipping on the white gloves I normally used for chores, I carefully retrieved it from my apron pocket.
A little wrinkled from being shoved inside earlier, but otherwise intact.

The real problem… was me.

“Hhh…”

A sigh slipped free, half-sobbing.
Now I had to examine this dangerous thing.
With my own hands.

‘How did Lillian endure all this…?’

I’d been called “hardy” in my past life, but she was on another level.

She literally drank poison—swallowed it, day after day.

In my mind’s eye, I saw her young body convulsing in agony, forcing down toxin after toxin.
A brutal training regimen to build resistance.

The most horrifying detail of all—

She was just a child.

At most ten years old, maybe younger. Though I glimpsed older versions of her, the image of that tiny hand raising a vial seared itself into me.

‘Which means…’

Lillian had been forged as someone’s tool from the very beginning.

Unconsciously, I bit my lip.
Once such memories surface, they can’t be ignored.
Not if I had even a shred of conscience.

‘Alright… first, I need to confirm it.’

Resolute at last, I strode to the window.
With one sharp pull, I flung it open wide.