TYMC 27

Chapter 27

“Haah, finishing all that and making it back in only half a day… I could never do that twice.”

The moment I returned to the Duke’s estate from the hideout, I collapsed onto my bed as if I had fainted. Burying my face in the blankets, I let out an exhausted sigh.

I’m tired, so tireeed…

Normally, no matter how urgent a job was, I made sure to reserve an entire day for it. But thanks to setting out before dawn this time, I had managed to return to the mansion before midnight.

“Oh, right. This… was it really necessary to buy it?”

Amid the wave of exhaustion, a memory suddenly surfaced. I sat up and pulled something out of my pocket.

“Of all things, why did there have to be a handkerchief stall on the way back?”

Just earlier, as I was about to board the carriage that had been waiting for me, a handkerchief vendor nearby had caught my eye.

I should have ignored it, but before I knew it, I had walked over and bought one.

“…That tattered handkerchief must have bothered me more than I thought.”

It was all because of that keepsake from the Duchess that I had stitched back together countless times.

Fortunately, after my warning, he seemed to be using it less often. Still, it didn’t look like he was taking particularly good care of it.

“From what I saw, it didn’t seem like he had any other handkerchiefs, so…”

There was absolutely no ulterior motive.

As a maid, I simply wanted my master to use a proper handkerchief.

“Besides, this is cheap. He probably won’t even use it…”

I knew he could obtain handkerchiefs far finer than this whenever he wanted.

This is purely a gesture.

Sometimes I had to immerse myself in my maid persona this much to avoid revealing my true identity, didn’t I?

So everything was just necessary camouflage.

Nothing more.

Knock, knock.

At the sudden sound of knocking, I hastily shoved the handkerchief beneath my blanket.

The door soon opened, and a maid cautiously peeked inside, her eyes darting about.

Green hair and black eyes… that’s Aran, the second daughter of Count Proi’s family.

I tried to memorize the names of the maids I frequently encountered.

Strictly speaking, my coworkers’ personal details had nothing to do with my assignments, so there was no need to know them. But after nearly a month together, still not knowing their names would have been suspicious in its own way.

“Ah! Eil, you’re back so early? I saw your light on and thought I’d check just in case!”

“The job ended sooner than expected. But what brings you here at this hour, Aran?”

“Umm, well…”

Aran’s hesitant movements from the doorway looked oddly unnatural.

Only after she stepped fully into the room did I understand why.

“Eil, I’m really sorry, but could you take this to the Young Master for me?”

For some reason, Aran was clutching a tray holding a teacup and cake while trembling pitifully.

I quickly rose from the edge of my bed and took the tray from her.

This is the snack set the target always has, isn’t it?

Wondering if there was something wrong with the tea or dessert, I inspected them carefully, but everything looked exactly as usual.

“It’s not a difficult favor, but… what’s going on?”

“Well, the Young Master had breakfast with the Duke this morning.”

“…What?”

The unexpected news hit me like a thunderbolt, and I froze before responding a beat too late.

There weren’t any signs before, so why all of a sudden…?!

The very thing I had worried about had finally happened.

This was exactly why I hated leaving my post.

And now trouble had erupted the moment I was gone.

“His mood’s been terrible ever since. Then at lunch, Aila accidentally spilled tea right in front of him…”

“Oh dear. They must’ve had to brew another pot.”

I had made the same mistake shortly after becoming a maid.

I remembered it because Ris had kindly comforted me, saying it was fortunate the teacup hadn’t broken.

…Actually, what truly stuck with me was his casual smile when he mentioned that the cup was worth fifty thousand gold—enough to buy a single-story house on the outskirts of the capital—but still.

“She got fired.”

“What?”

For a moment, I thought I had misheard.

The target I knew wasn’t the type to dismiss someone over something so minor.

“You know better than anyone since you’re his personal maid. He’s incredibly difficult to serve.”

…Do I?

Aran went on to explain how all the servants had been walking on eggshells around Ris all day and ended with a long sigh, saying she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Before, serving the Young Master wasn’t this difficult. But trying to replace everything you usually do for him hasn’t been easy. I think he’s gotten very used to having you around.”

Apparently, she had come to me because one wrong move in the current atmosphere could get someone dismissed, and I was the only person she felt she could rely on.

Last time they said he treated people like ‘walls,’ didn’t they? The more I hear, the less he resembles the target I know.

Patting Aran on the shoulder, I let the smile fade from my lips.

Could it really be true, like the Captain said? Is the target hiding something from me?

I wanted to dismiss the notion as ridiculous, but unfortunately, the doubt had already settled deep within me.

If someone is determined to hide something, there is little we can do to uncover it.

For some reason, Death’s calm voice echoed in my ears once again.

Swallowing down my unease, I decided to ask Aran for more details.

“Did anything happen during breakfast? I heard their relationship isn’t exactly good.”

“There are only a few attendants allowed in the dining room, so I don’t know much either. But from what I heard, they were discussing arrangements related to His Majesty’s upcoming birthday. Probably scheduling matters.”

Aran scratched her cheek awkwardly, apologizing for not being more helpful.

Still, that was more than enough information.

“The Young Master hasn’t made his social debut yet. Is he even allowed to attend?”

“His Majesty always meets privately with Casio, so it isn’t a problem. After all, they’re openly pro-imperial, and the family is descended from one of the empire’s founding heroes.”

Being able to meet the Emperor privately without going through formal procedures was an extraordinary privilege.

It was also a political and symbolic display of the close ties between the Imperial Family and the Casio House.

“Aran, go get some rest. I’ll change clothes and deliver the refreshments myself.”

“Thank you so much, Eil! I’ll never forget this favor!”

Aran thanked me over and over before finally leaving the room.

Since things turned out this way, I’ll use the opportunity to give him the new handkerchief and discreetly check on the target’s condition.

With that simple objective in mind, I changed into my maid uniform and dusted off my pristine white apron before leaving my room.

He dislikes being touched, prefers his tea at eighty-two degrees, and apparently he’s in a terrible mood today…

Thinking about everything I needed to be careful of when dealing with Ris, I could finally understand why the maids had been so nervous all day.

No physical contact, strict preferences regarding tea temperature, and a foul mood on top of that.

Serving him under those conditions would certainly be difficult.

Determined to avoid offending him, I brewed a fresh pot of tea and headed toward his office.

I came back quietly in the middle of the night, so the target probably doesn’t know I’ve returned yet… Well, it should be fine.

Since I had been asked to help immediately upon arrival, even the head maid likely had no idea I was back.

Without giving it much thought, I stopped in front of the office door and knocked gently.

“Young Master, it’s Eil. I brought your tea—”

Crash! Bang!

Suddenly, before I could finish speaking, something exploded with a deafening noise that echoed through the silent hallway.

No, it sounded more like something had toppled over and crashed to the floor…

“…Young Master?”