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Chapter 4
Haa… whew.
As she stepped out of the post office, Janet took a deep breath.
It felt strange.
For some reason, she felt like bursting into laughter, yet at the same time, like tears might suddenly pour out.
She bit her lip tightly, trying to hold back the unfamiliar emotions.
“Surely you haven’t forgotten that I’m here?”
“Of course not.”
“That’s a relief. I was about to feel hurt thinking you forgot me.”
The man spoke jokingly as he strode over on his long legs and stopped beside Janet.
“But this is unexpected.”
“What is?”
“That you forgave him more easily than I thought.”
“Did you really think I was going to call the guards?”
“Yes.”
Theo’s firm answer made Janet laugh and shake her head.
“If I did that, there’d be all sorts of annoying procedures and statements to deal with. I wanted to avoid that before even going to work.”
“That’s fairly reasonable.”
“Right? So instead, I’m going to find someone else to pay me back for it.”
Theo narrowed his eyes at her words.
“That person wouldn’t happen to be…”
“Yes. I’ll ask Illinia. Could you gather evidence that man committed crimes and report him?”
Theo finally burst out laughing.
She really was an interesting woman.
Just moments ago, she had been ready to silently leave despite the post office employee’s rude behavior.
Yet after only a little push, she came back victorious like a soldier returning from war.
And not only that—
She skillfully avoided troublesome matters while cleverly planning an even greater revenge.
After laughing for a while, Theo nodded.
“Very well. I’ll report him for you. No commission fee necessary. It’s been a while since I’ve laughed this much.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
“And… thank you for helping me today too.”
At Janet’s cautious addition, Theo tilted his head.
“Did I help with something?”
As far as he remembered, she had gone out there on her own and fought perfectly well before returning.
But Janet answered firmly.
“You did help me. You told me not to endure being treated unfairly.”
“I only said what should be obvious.”
A bitter smile crossed Janet’s face.
“That ‘obvious’ thing didn’t exist in my world.”
You were the first person to ever say something like that to me.
Theo’s expression blanked out for a moment at her words.
But only briefly.
“There’s one more thing I’d like to request.”
“A request?”
“Yes. And this time, I’ll properly pay the commission.”
The determination in her voice sharpened Kendrick’s—Theo’s—eyes as well.
“All right. Let’s hear it.”
Inside the enormous Grand Duke Ludwig estate, vast enough to resemble an entire village on its own—
Among the six detached residences belonging to the children scattered throughout the estate, there was one especially painted in pure white.
Inside that white residence—
“Honestly, I don’t even need a maid.”
A beautiful woman with a pale face grumbled petulantly.
Bright sunlight streamed through the large window, making her golden hair sparkle brilliantly.
Her gold eyes, brighter than the sun itself, stared out the window in annoyance.
“Lady Julieta. I’ve gathered the information regarding the personal maid you mentioned.”
A servant approached carefully and gave her report.
“Tell me.”
At Julieta’s indifferent reply, the maid bowed her head and recited Janet’s information one by one.
“Here. This contains all the information.”
Julieta skimmed through the document half-heartedly and tilted her head.
“…Janet Graham.”
Graham?
I’ve never heard of such a family.
Whatever. I already know the type.
Some insignificant family must have forced their unwilling daughter into this position.
Otherwise, who would voluntarily want to become her maid?
Ill-tempered, picky, antisocial—a bizarre villainess.
The thought alone worsened her mood endlessly.
It wasn’t even Julieta’s own wish to hire a personal maid.
A few weeks ago, during a rare family dinner, her father casually remarked:
“Julieta should be old enough to have her own maid now.”
That single sentence had set all of this in motion.
Though it sounded like a passing comment, the problem was that nothing her father said could ever be taken lightly.
At least, not in House Ludwig.
Crunch.
The paper containing Janet’s profile crumpled tightly in Julieta’s pale, slender hand.
“I don’t want to look at it. Take it away.”
Tossing the crumpled paper aside carelessly, Julieta spoke in a bored tone.
“Good.”
Janet, who had woken early, picked up the bag she had packed the night before.
The small bag was barely half full, despite being smaller than the upper body of the petite woman herself.
Although she had lived with the Graham family for around three years, this was all she had worth taking with her.
Holding the light bag in her arms, Janet quietly slipped out of the house.
Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone awake inside.
Well, it’s still early enough that everyone should be asleep.
Standing outside the front gate, Janet looked up at the sky.
A faint dawn glow spread across the early morning sky.
She blankly watched the strange shifting light when—
Clop, clop.
At the sound of approaching horse hooves in the distance, Janet turned her gaze.
A pure white double carriage was slowly approaching her.
Soon—
“Miss Janet Graham?”
The carriage stopped gently before her.
“Yes, I’m Janet Graham.”
As she answered the coachman’s question, he smiled brightly and bowed.
“I’ve come to escort you.”
The moment he finished speaking, the carriage door swung open.
Janet barely had time to be surprised that it opened without anyone touching it—
Before a long leg stepped boldly out through the opening.
Then the owner of those long legs slowly revealed himself.
The man’s jet-black hair suited the dawn perfectly.
“Please, get in, Miss Janet.”
“Vice-Captain Theo?”
Gasp.
Janet unconsciously blurted out his name before quickly shutting her mouth.
Her startled eyes glanced nervously toward the coachman. Seeing her transparent reaction, Kendrick—Theo—laughed quietly.
“He’s one of my people as well, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Ah.”
With a small sigh of relief, Janet nodded.
“That’s good. I was worried I’d accidentally called you by the wrong name in front of an outsider.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. It’s a name that can be used publicly from the start.”
Theo answered casually as he extended his hand toward her.
“So it’s an alias?”
“That’s right. Given my profession, using my real name would be troublesome.”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
It would indeed be strange for the vice-captain of an information guild to use his real name openly.
Accepting it easily, Janet took Theo’s hand and climbed into the carriage.
The inside was spacious and clean. Even the seat and backrest she carefully leaned against were extremely comfortable.
“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
“No. It’s very comfortable.”
“That’s a relief. I considered bringing something even better, but I thought standing out too much wouldn’t be ideal.”
…Well.
This already seemed noticeable enough.
Swallowing the thought, Janet looked at Theo nervously.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to come personally.”
“I believe I mentioned sending a carriage.”
“I never imagined you’d be inside that carriage too.”
At Janet’s honest response, the corners of Theo’s lips curved lazily upward.
“Before you officially set foot inside the Ludwig estate, I thought it’d be best for us to meet at least once more.”
Tap, tap.
His large hand lightly knocked against the carriage wall.
“There are also a few things I need to tell you in advance.”
Tell her something?
Meanwhile, the carriage slowly began to move.
Perhaps because the ride was so smooth, Janet barely noticed the movement at all.
“I should’ve given it to you the last time we met, but I completely forgot.”
By “last time,” he meant when they met at the post office, right?
I was wondering why he’d been following me.
Apparently, he had something to deliver.
What Theo pulled out was a small notebook.
“That is…”
“A notebook containing internal information about the Ludwig estate.”
Information about the inside of Ludwig?
Taking the notebook, Janet quickly flipped through it.
Inside were explanations about the estate’s internal and external structure, along with information about several key figures.
“That should make adapting to Ludwig much easier.”
“It really will. Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
“It’s nothing.”
Theo laughed lightly and shrugged.
“Aren’t we partners now? We’re in the same boat, so there’s no need to thank me for small things like this.”
