🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 20
‘I had only allowed Lady Janette to perceive my usual appearance.’
That is, the “Theo” she conversed with.
But how had she managed to see through the magical artifact’s cognitive resistance and recognize him?
“Still, is it really okay for you to be wandering around like this? What if someone recognizes you?”
“That won’t happen.”
Kendrick answered firmly.
“First of all, others won’t think this appearance is me.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes. In fact, you’re the first person who has recognized me, Lady Janette.”
“Oh my.”
Janette let out a small sigh and muttered,
“People really must have bad intuition.”
Intuition? Was that something to be dismissed so lightly?
“Anyway, I never imagined Illinia hiding in Ludwig would turn out to be Theo.”
“Yes, well…”
“And yet, even the vice-commander personally does infiltration work?”
She lowered her voice.
Kendrick also replied quietly.
“Ludwig is a house of very high-ranking nobles. If I were to infiltrate carelessly and get discovered, it would be disastrous. That’s why I move personally.”
“The vice-commander’s responsibilities are quite heavy.”
“Well… that’s true.”
“Still, it’s refreshing seeing Ludwig like this.”
Deciding to set aside unnecessary worries, Janette reached into the small bag she had brought.
“Actually, I asked to meet today because I need your help with something.”
She pulled out two neatly folded handkerchiefs.
Something seemed to be inside them, as the centers bulged slightly.
Kendrick accepted them and checked the contents.
“Tea leaves?”
“Yes. One is from the tea stored in the princess’s cabinet, and the other is from the warehouse stock.”
No matter how she thought about it, the only thing suspicious connected to the sudden appearance of the word “salvation” was those tea leaves.
“Please check whether there are any impurities mixed into them.”
“Impurities… Do you mean someone put something into Lady Julieta’s tea?”
Theo asked, his face darkening with anger.
Janette nodded calmly.
Before Janette arrived, the management of the tea leaves had been under Cien. Even the stock in the warehouse had been ordered by Cien.
‘If Cien really tampered with the princess’s tea…’
Given how she stole others’ belongings without hesitation, it was a plausible suspicion.
But something felt odd.
‘Why would Cien mix something into the princess’s tea?’
What would she gain from doing that?
After thinking it through, Janette reached one conclusion.
“Yes. I think someone must have used Cien to interfere with the princess’s tea.”
“Cien? You mean the maid who left you with that scar?”
A scar?
It was barely visible now.
A long time had passed since the incident, and the medicine Theo had given her worked extremely well.
Because of that, now, nearly three weeks later, there was no scar left at all.
But this was not the time to argue about such things.
“She was the only one besides me who could freely access the tea leaves.”
“But why would that maid…?”
As Theo spoke, his expression suddenly froze.
He, too, had realized something.
‘There is someone behind Cien.’
Someone with another purpose.
And he already had a likely suspect in mind.
“The head maid. I suspect Nova Morgan.”
“I agree.”
Cien had screamed all the way while being dragged away by the guards, crying, “Call the head maid!”
‘At first I thought they were simply in cahoots through bribery.’
He had also suspected that the missing yellow diamond might have ended up in Nova’s hands.
He had considered tracing the diamond back to expose Nova’s crimes, but decided against it, fearing it would escalate too much.
However—
‘If Nova truly ordered Cien to harm the princess…’
That could not be ignored.
He was the princess’s “personal maid,” responsible for protecting her safety.
Meanwhile, Kendrick was struggling to suppress his burning anger.
‘That woman dares…’
He had long known Nova was exploiting her subordinates for profit.
However, she had once been Julieta’s nanny, and Julieta still trusted and relied on her, so he had turned a blind eye.
More than that, he had no desire to interfere in Ludwig’s internal affairs.
Kendrick was already sick of Ludwig. If not for his younger sister Julieta, he might have abandoned the family long ago.
And yet, he never imagined his inaction would lead to this result.
“Lady Janette.”
“Yes?”
“I’m truly glad I formed a contract with you.”
At the sudden words, Janette blinked.
But Kendrick was completely serious.
‘At first, I only intended to place someone trustworthy by Julieta’s side.’
If an incompetent person became her maid and further tarnished Julieta’s already bad reputation, that would be problematic.
That was all there was to it when he hired Janette.
If it hadn’t been Janette, he would have hired someone else.
But now—
“If I had chosen someone other than you, I would have regretted it. I promise you this. I will be responsible for your future.”
“Responsible for my future?”
Janette inhaled sharply at the unexpectedly grand declaration.
At the same time, a question she had buried deep in her mind slowly resurfaced.
‘What exactly is Theo’s relationship with the princess?’
* * *
Swoosh, swish.
A large brush glided through dazzling golden hair. Janette had now become quite skilled at brushing Julieta’s hair.
Yawn.
“Did you not sleep well again last night?”
“…Mm. A little.”
Yaaawn.
Julieta yawned again, closed her sleepy eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them.
“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”
She waved her hand casually, but Janette felt a wave of sympathy.
Nearly a month had passed since the incident with Cien and since Julieta began opening up to Janette.
During that time, Janette had learned several things about her.
The princess had extreme anxiety and fear about exposing her weaknesses to others.
And as a result, she suffered from chronic insomnia.
‘Well, most people don’t like exposing their vulnerabilities…’
But Julieta’s case seemed severe.
From Janette’s medical knowledge from her past life, it could be classified as moderate anxiety or even paranoid tendencies.
Perhaps this was also why she had been rumored to be a “villainess.”
Fear can sometimes manifest as anger.
“Princess.”
“Hmm?”
“If you’re not feeling well, you must tell me.”
At Janette’s words, Julieta narrowed her eyes.
Who is worrying about whom here?
Still, it had been a while since someone worried about her like this, so it didn’t feel bad.
“Think about it.”
Julieta answered coyly.
Just then, the two of them chuckled together.
Knock, knock.
A knock came from the door, followed by a maid’s voice.
“Princess, the head maid Nova has suggested having tea together. What should we do?”
“What? Nova?!”
At the name, Julieta’s eyes lit up.
“Tell her I’ll be there soon… no, tell her I’m coming right away!”
Her bright smile, like an excited child, made Janette unable to hide her uneasy feelings.
* * *
“Welcome, Princess. And Lady Graham.”
Nova greeted them with a bright smile.
“I haven’t been able to visit much, have I, Princess?”
“It’s fine. Now that you’re the head maid, you must be busy. I understand.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
Hoho.
Nova covered her mouth as she smiled, then glanced sideways at Janette.
“How are you, Lady Graham? Have you adjusted well to your maid duties?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, I have adjusted well.”
At Janette’s polite response, Nova’s eyebrows twitched.
“Thanks to me? I didn’t do anything.”
It was a clearly barbed remark, but Janette only smiled as if she hadn’t noticed.
