“Haa… whew.”
As soon as Janet stepped out of the post office, she took a deep breath.
It felt strange.
For some reason, she felt like bursting into laughter, yet at the same time, as though tears might suddenly pour out.
She bit her lip tightly, trying to suppress the unfamiliar emotions welling up inside her.
“Surely you haven’t forgotten I’m still here?”
“Of course not.”
“That’s a relief. For a moment, I almost felt hurt thinking I’d been forgotten.”
The man spoke jokingly as he strode over on long legs and stopped beside Janet.
“Though this is unexpected.”
“What is?”
“That you forgave him more easily than I thought.”
“Did you really think I’d call the guards?”
“Yes.”
Theo’s firm answer made Janet laugh as she shook her head.
“If I did that, there’d be statements to file and all sorts of annoying complications. I wanted to avoid dealing with that before even going to work.”
“A reasonable point.”
“Right? So instead, I’m planning to find someone else to repay him on my behalf.”
Theo’s eyes narrowed slightly at her words.
“That person wouldn’t happen to be…”
“Yes. I’ll make a request to Illinia. Could you gather evidence that man committed crimes and report him?”
In the end, Theo burst out laughing loudly.
She really was an entertaining woman.
Just moments ago, she had looked ready to quietly walk away despite the postal worker’s arrogant behavior.
Yet all it took was a little push on the back, and she returned like a victorious soldier coming home from war.
And that wasn’t all.
Her talent for neatly stepping away from troublesome matters while cleverly planning an even greater revenge was truly impressive.
After laughing for a while, Theo nodded.
“Very well. I’ll report him for you instead. No commission fee necessary. It’s been a long time since I laughed this much.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“And… thank you for helping me today as well.”
At Janet’s cautious addition, Theo tilted his head.
“Did I help you with something?”
As far as he remembered, she had marched in there herself, fought perfectly well, and returned victorious before he even had the chance to help.
But Janet was firm.
“You did help me. You told me not to endure being treated unfairly.”
“I merely stated the obvious.”
At Theo’s words, Janet smiled bitterly.
“That sort of obviousness didn’t exist in my world.”
You were the first person to ever say something like that to me.
Theo’s face blanked for a moment at her words.
But only for a moment.
“There’s actually one more thing I’d like to request.”
“A request?”
“Yes. And this time, I’ll properly pay the commission.”
Something sharpened in Kendrick’s eyes along with the determination in her voice.
“All right. Let’s hear this request of yours.”
Inside the enormous Grand Duke Ludwig estate, vast enough to resemble an entire village on its own—
Among the six detached residences scattered throughout the grounds, one stood out for being painted entirely white.
“I really don’t even need a maid.”
A beautiful woman with pale skin grumbled petulantly.
Bright sunlight poured through the large windows, making her golden hair gleam brilliantly.
Her gold eyes, brighter than the sun itself, stared out the window in displeasure.
“Lady Julieta. I’ve gathered the information regarding the personal maid you mentioned.”
A servant approached carefully and delivered her report.
“Tell me.”
At Julieta’s indifferent reply, the servant lowered her head and recited all the information she had collected about Janet.
“Here. These are the documents containing the details.”
Julieta skimmed through the papers lazily before giving a slight nod.
“…Janet Graham.”
Graham?
I’ve never even heard of such a family.
‘Whatever. I can already guess.’
Some insignificant household must have forcibly pushed in a daughter who didn’t even want the position.
Otherwise, who would willingly choose to become her maid?
‘Ill-tempered, picky, antisocial—a twisted villainess.’
The thought alone soured her mood endlessly.
The decision to hire a personal maid had not been Julieta’s own.
A few weeks ago, during a rare family dinner, her father had casually remarked, “Julieta is old enough to have a maid of her own now.”
It had sounded like nothing more than an offhand comment, but the problem was that none of her father’s words could ever be treated lightly.
At least not within Ludwig.
Crinkle.
The paper containing Janet’s personal information crumpled tightly in Julieta’s pale, slender hand.
“It irritates me just looking at it. Take it away.”
Tossing the wrinkled paper aside carelessly, Julieta spoke in a flat tone.
“Good.”
Having awakened early, Janet 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.
Though she had lived with the Graham family for nearly three years, this was all she had worth taking with her.
Holding the light bag close, Janet quietly slipped out of the house.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no sign of movement inside.
‘Well, it’s still early enough for everyone to be asleep.’
Standing outside the front gate, Janet looked up at the sky. Faint dawn light spread across the early morning heavens.
She stood there blankly, watching the mysterious shift of colors.
Then—
Clop, clop.
At the sound of approaching hoofbeats from afar, Janet turned her gaze.
A white twin-horse carriage slowly approached her.
Soon enough—
“Miss Janet Graham?”
The carriage came to a gradual stop before her.
“Yes, I’m Janet Graham.”
As soon 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 startled by the door opening on its own—
Before a pair of long legs stepped out through the opening.
Soon, the owner of those long legs revealed himself completely.
The man’s jet-black hair suited the break of dawn perfectly.
“Please, come aboard, Miss Janet.”
“Vice Captain Theo?”
Gasp.
The name slipped out unconsciously before Janet hurriedly clamped her mouth shut.
Her startled eyes darted toward the coachman. Seeing her transparent reaction, Kendrick—Theo—let out a small chuckle.
“He’s one of my people as well, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Ah.”
With a short sigh of relief, Janet nodded.
“That’s good. I got scared thinking I’d called you by the wrong name in front of an outsider.”
“That wouldn’t have been a problem. It’s a name that can be used openly in public to begin with.”
Answering leisurely, he extended a hand toward her.
“So it’s an alias?”
“That’s right. Given the nature of my profession, using my real name would be troublesome.”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
After all, it would indeed be strange for the vice leader of an information guild to use his real name.
Accepting the explanation without protest, Janet took Theo’s hand and climbed into the carriage.
The interior was spacious and immaculate. The seat and backrest she carefully leaned against were exceptionally comfortable as well.
“Is there anything uncomfortable?”
“No. It’s very comfortable.”
“That’s a relief. I considered bringing something even finer, but I thought drawing too much attention wouldn’t be ideal.”
…Well.
This already felt more than noticeable enough.
Swallowing those words internally, Janet looked at Theo with nervous eyes.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to come personally.”
“I believe I did mention I would send a carriage.”
“I never imagined the vice captain himself would be riding in it.”
At Janet’s honest answer, the corners of Theo’s lips curved lazily upward.
“I thought it would be best for us to meet once more before you officially step into the Ludwig estate.”
Tap, tap.
The man’s large hand lightly knocked against the carriage wall.
“And there are a few things I needed to give you beforehand.”
Give her something?
Meanwhile, the carriage slowly began to move.
Perhaps because the ride was so smooth, there wasn’t the slightest discomfort even as it rolled forward.
“I should have given it to you the other day, but I completely forgot.”
By “the other day,” he meant when they met at the post office.
‘That explains it. I wondered why he was following me.’
Apparently, he had something to deliver after all. The item Theo pulled out was a small notebook.
“That’s…”
“A notebook containing internal information about the Ludwig estate.”
Information about Ludwig?
Taking the notebook, Janet flipped through it lightly.
Inside were explanations about the estate’s internal and external structure, along with information on several key figures.
“That should make it easier for you to adjust to life at Ludwig.”
“It definitely will. Thank you for being so considerate.”
“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 over something this minor.”