🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 15
Knock, knock.
A light tapping echoed on the door, followed by permission to enter.
“Come in.”
A man opened the door and stepped aside. Out of habit, I almost thanked him but caught myself just in time. Instead, I walked in, my heart hammering.
Finally…
At last, I would see the face of the one who had ordered me into this life of espionage. My chest throbbed with nervous energy, threatening to burst free at any second.
The first thing I noticed were two guards at attention, swords at their sides. Between them sat someone—no doubt the one pulling the strings.
But when I raised my gaze to confirm his identity, I froze.
What…?
A translucent curtain fell from his waist down, obscuring his figure. Not his face, not even his outline was clear.
“Tsk. You’re late.”
…At least it was a man’s voice.
All right, that narrows the suspects by half.
Forcing my thoughts into a positive spin, I bowed politely to the indistinct figure.
“I apologize.”
The man clicked his tongue again in displeasure, but then shifted to the matter at hand.
“I’ve received word of your successful infiltration. Whether that’s truly the case remains to be seen—”
“…”
“Still, securing the position of the Grand Duke’s personal maid… that’s no small feat.”
Eh?
That was the last thing I expected. I had braced myself for scolding—after all, my reports had been less than stellar lately. Instead, he sounded almost approving.
I was ready to be torn apart, and instead he’s… praising me?
But the man continued, as though talking to himself.
“Do you have any idea how much damage that damned Grand Duke has caused us? Every promising agent cut down, the rest reduced to cleaning up corpses… Pathetic fools!”
Ah. That explained it.
No spy had ever gotten as close to the Grand Duke as I had. The others hadn’t survived long enough.
Do I thank His Grace for being so terrifying…? No, wait.
A sudden realization struck me. I hadn’t sent any coded reports these past days. So how did they already know I’d become the Grand Duke’s personal maid?
Was it that intruder who left a dagger in Lillian’s room? Or is there another informant inside the manor?
Either way, the thought chilled me.
As I silently resolved to tread even more carefully, my so-called superior calmed down, his voice regaining a mocking lilt.
“Thanks to you, we’ve learned something important: who knew our glorious war hero had such peculiar tastes?”
His eyes—though hidden behind the curtain—slid over me, and I could feel the smirk in his tone.
Ugh.
It was the same leering attitude my old part-time manager had, back in my previous life.
“Patience… I must endure this.”
There was no labor bureau in this world. And spies certainly weren’t protected by law.
A moment later, his voice softened, amused.
“Regardless, ‘His Excellency’ is most pleased. You’re the first to achieve real progress against the Grand Duke.”
His Excellency?
So this man wasn’t the true mastermind. Someone higher still lurked in the shadows.
The Grand Duke had more enemies than I’d imagined.
“Did the Grand Duke say anything noteworthy?”
The sudden question jolted me. I masked my reaction, speaking as coolly as I could, in the tone of a practiced infiltrator.
“No, my lord. He is not someone who lets others close easily.”
“Of course. Even on the battlefield, where death stalked him at every step, he still clawed his way back alive.”
The venom in his words was unmistakable.
He peppered me with more questions about the Grand Duke. I gave only enough answers to avoid suspicion, never too much, never too little. Eventually, the conversation waned.
Seizing the moment, I spoke first.
“Then… should I continue as I am?”
“For the time being.”
Then he added, almost idly:
“Oh, and I’ll overlook the recent lackluster reports.”
Thump.
So he had noticed.
I bit down on the retort that nearly slipped from my lips, swallowing my pride. Just then, his next words made my blood run cold.
“Complete this mission, and I’ll release your family, as promised.”
“…!!”
My head snapped up before I could stop myself.
Family…
So that was Lillian’s weakness.
My face betrayed me—I knew it. I bit the inside of my cheek, lowered my head again, and prayed the tremor in my body wasn’t obvious.
He must have noticed anyway. His voice slithered out, smooth and cruel.
“The Grand Duke is relentless. Do not grow complacent just because you are close to him. Hold your position until His Excellency commands otherwise.”
“…Understood.”
So that’s what he meant earlier by “for the time being.”
Whoever this hidden master was, I hoped he would refrain from issuing any harsher orders. Just fabricating daily observation reports was enough of a burden.
But then—
No, wait.
I wasn’t just a personal maid. I was the only one to succeed where all others had failed.
Wasn’t this… an opportunity?
Steadying my pounding heart, I spoke with deliberate calm.
“As you say, the Grand Duke is wary and suspicious. There were moments when, while shadowing him for my reports, I nearly got caught.”
“What?!”
The curtain trembled violently at his sudden outburst. If he knew I actually had been caught, he’d lose his mind. But that wasn’t the point.
I pressed on shamelessly.
“Though I managed to smooth it over, I cannot guarantee it won’t happen again. Therefore—”
He paused. “…Yes?”
“Until I have secured his trust completely, it would be unwise to risk suspicion with exchanges of coded messages or other overt acts. For now, discretion is best.”
Silence.
For a long moment, the chamber felt frozen. Even the guards’ eyes seemed to bore into me.
Should I back down? Did I go too far?
I braced myself for the worst, mind racing to prepare an escape—when finally:
“Hmm…”
He spoke.
* * *
After Lillian departed, the man remained seated. He lit a pipe, and acrid smoke filled the underground chamber.
“Fuuu…”
Despite her audacious suggestion—to halt reports entirely—he did not seem displeased.
“Your Excellency,” one of the guards, Number Nine, ventured cautiously.
“Are you truly comfortable with this?”
“With what?”
“The promise… to free her family.”
His words carried the weight of a man who had lived and died in the shadows, but beneath the flat tone was an undercurrent of unease.
The Marquis merely smirked.
“For a mission of this scale, such a reward is only fitting.”
“But still—”
Bang!
The Marquis slammed the table beside him.
“How dare you lecture me!”
Number Nine dropped to one knee instinctively, bowing low.
“My apologies, Excellency.”
Even so, the Marquis wasn’t satisfied. He seized the man by the collar, dragging him close.
“Your thoughts are irrelevant. You exist only to follow my orders. Do you understand?”
Humiliating words.
But Number Nine’s face remained blank, practiced in its lack of feeling.
“Yes, Excellency.”
