“Eil, it’s the first time I’ve seen you not focus on me. What were you thinking about?”
…The biggest problem is that I still haven’t figured out the secret behind Lise’s power—or even whether he truly has any power at all.
Honestly, I’ve never felt such humiliation in my life as an assassin.
“When will—”
At the low voice that drifted in, my mouth moved on its own as if I had been waiting for it.
‘I wonder if I could kill you,’
“…I was thinking whether you take good care of your belongings, young master.”
The torn handkerchief lay limply across my hand, its frayed edges fluttering weakly.
This was already the fourth time I had to face such a pathetic state and mend it with needle and thread.
He had plenty of money, so he could easily just buy a new one, but Lise insisted on bringing this one to me every time, asking me to sew up the holes.
“Hm? Of course I take care of it properly. That’s why I use it every day.”
It was his most cherished handkerchief—and also the one he ruined most often.
Because he cherished it, he used it often. And because he used it often, it wore out quickly.
As a piece of cloth used so frequently, it inevitably became dirty and worn.
But Lise didn’t understand this simple logic at all. Or maybe he simply didn’t want to understand it.
“Master, usually if something is precious, people hide it away. They don’t… use it like this so carelessly.”
I barely suppressed my rising irritation and forced my stiff lips into a gentle smile.
“Hide it? Why?”
Lise tilted his head, his violet eyes widening innocently.
Meeting his unguarded gaze, I lightly waved the tattered handkerchief in front of him.
“If something is precious, you handle it carefully so it lasts longer. Otherwise, this handkerchief will disappear soon.”
Soon disappear, indeed. Judging by its condition, it looked like it could be used as firewood right now.
If this were the Black Rose hideout, this ruined cloth would already be thrown into a stove to help cook potato soup.
‘And I’d probably be the one tossing it in myself.’
If this childish little target in front of me wasn’t worth ten million gold coins, I would’ve already torn this rag apart—
‘P.S. Do not hesitate to use any means necessary to gain the target’s trust.’
Just as my temper was about to flare, the postscript from Death’s letter cooled my mind like ice.
Right. Everything is for the ten million gold coins… I endure.
Apparently, my words worked, because Lise’s expression slowly darkened.
“That was my mother’s keepsake. No matter how worn it gets, I can’t throw it away.”
…What? That was his mother’s relic?
He never said that, so how was I supposed to know?
More importantly, he’s the one who ruined such a precious keepsake, yet he looks so gloomy saying it?
‘Hmm. I take back the “childish brat” assessment.’
Until now, I believed that properly cherishing something meant keeping it hidden and preserving it perfectly.
But hearing his story… maybe using it every day with affection was his own way of cherishing it.
Though that’s still a bit excessive.
“…I’ll try to sew it as best as I can. But please, not again. The fabric won’t last anymore.”
I swallowed a sigh and began sewing with practiced hands.
Watching me, Lise slowly leaned closer.
“Eil really can do everything. You said you used to work as a maid at Baron Gerald’s estate, right? And you studied abroad too, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Yes. No. Unfortunately, I don’t even know who this “Gerald Baron” is. And as for studying abroad—I’ve never even been to a harbor, let alone another country.
My impressive résumé was nothing more than a fabricated identity created for infiltration into the Cassio ducal estate.
Since it was a highly closed-off household, I had put a lot of effort into forging a perfect background.
“Why did you leave your job at the baron’s estate?”
“The pay was chicken droppings. There, finished. Please be more careful with it.”
After finishing the repair, I handed him the neatly mended handkerchief and stood up briskly.
I still had to finish cleaning the bedroom, which I had left unfinished because of this sudden sewing request.
Lise looked at me with a slightly regretful expression.
“Eil, when you finish cleaning the bedroom, could you bring the documents from the annex study? Damon said he needs them signed today.”
“Alright.”
Leaving Lise’s office, I glanced out the hallway window.
The warm sunlight had already begun to fade, and the once-lush trees now looked dry and skeletal, like bones.
The Riverd Empire had very short spring and autumn seasons, so late summer lingered long and winter arrived quickly.
I also regularly send reports to Black Rose in line with the seasons… but despite my diligence, I had gained no real progress even after half a month.
‘Well, it can’t be helped.’
To be fair, Lise hardly ever used his power.
The reason was simple: I dealt with the assassins who came every night.
Just yesterday, I had tied up two foolish assassins and thrown them far away.
Since they only appeared at night while everyone slept, I hadn’t been able to get proper rest lately.
“I really need to charge for target protection in my next report…”
Even aside from that, the Cassio ducal estate was eerily peaceful.
‘No matter how infamous it is, this is strange.’
There was a plausible reason, though.
Since there were no dedicated guards in the estate, the servants all trained in martial arts and self-defense to protect themselves.
So most assassins were handled by the servants themselves.
No wonder they all had such unusually well-developed thighs and arms for ordinary people.
After dusting off the bedding, I continued cleaning while pondering three questions I couldn’t include in my report.
The first was the absence of the duke.
“No matter how much he avoids public appearances, it’s still strange that I haven’t seen him even once.”
The estate was large enough that “accidentally” meeting someone was nearly impossible.
Still, it was strange that I hadn’t seen even a single strand of his hair.
Even Death, who rarely joked when discussing work, sometimes half-jokingly suggested I confirm whether the duke was even alive.
The target stayed in the east wing, while the duke stayed in the west wing.
The estate was so large that it was practically two mansions in one.
Since I had already studied the layout, I knew exactly where the duke stayed.
But it was in the opposite direction from Lise, so there was no chance of meeting him.
Even Lise, my only real lead, had no contact with the duke whatsoever.
Naturally, I, his personal maid, also had no way to meet him.
“It seems the father and son don’t have a good relationship… but I can’t write anything certain in the report.”
Even asking other maids about the duke was difficult—they avoided the topic entirely.
The only people who might know had been working there for a long time, but the moment the duke was mentioned, their faces would pale and they would step back in fear.
‘They fear even mentioning him. But the source of that fear doesn’t seem to be the duke himself.’
Strange indeed. They feared the duke, yet their fear wasn’t caused by him.
In the end, all I had learned in half a month was basic maid work, minor information about the target, and the estate’s layout.
Suppressing my frustration, I finished tidying the bedding and stared at the first-aid kit on the table in the center of the room.
That was the second question.
