When I arrived near the forest, I wandered around without letting my guard down.
Of course, this place was far too close to the Duke's estate for magical beasts to appear.
Still... you never knew.
Contrary to my expectations, no matter how carefully I looked around, there was nothing particularly unusual.
"Eil, whatever you see there, whatever you experience, report every last detail. No matter what it is, it'll be top-grade intelligence."
Death's earnest warning flashed through my mind.
Unfortunately, the forest itself seemed completely ordinary. Just handing over a map of the Duke's estate would probably be enough.
"I've got a rough idea of where all the buildings are, so this should..."
I casually sat on the stump of a felled tree, mentally organizing my report for Death.
That was when it happened.
Rustle.
Shff!
A strange presence suddenly made itself known.
What was that?
It moved far too quickly to be a person.
Yet it felt far too small and insignificant to be a magical beast.
With trees surrounding me on every side, I couldn't even tell where it would jump out from.
Sensing an unfamiliar threat, I instinctively reached for the sword at my waist.
Grrr!
A fluffy white ball of fur leaped into view, baring its tiny teeth in an intimidating growl.
"...A pig?"
I froze mid-motion, my attack halted as soon as I realized what I was looking at.
"...No. A fox?"
The source of the strange presence was a pig—
No.
A white fox.
It was so unbelievably fluffy that I'd almost mistaken it for a pig. The fox was so puffed up with soft fur that its naturally pointed ears were barely visible.
...Calling it fat was probably a little mean.
Let's just say it was pleasantly plump.
"Grr... whine..."
Something seemed wrong.
It kept holding one of its front paws in the air, letting out pitiful little whimpers as if it couldn't put weight on it.
"Are you hurt?"
"Grr..."
When I carefully stepped closer, sensing something was amiss, the fox narrowed its ruby-red eyes and growled in warning.
Even so, it didn't run away.
Its paw really must have been hurting.
"I'll help you. I won't hurt you."
Softly soothing it, I crouched down and gently examined the tiny paw it was holding up.
Just as I'd suspected.
A long wooden splinter had lodged itself deep into the center of its paw pad.
"So that's why you were crying."
Pop.
The thorn slid free with a satisfying little sound.
After checking the wound, I tore a strip from the hem of my maid uniform and carefully wrapped the injured paw.
"Grr... grrr..."
As soon as the simple first aid was finished, the fox began circling around me as though trying to thank me.
Now that I look at it... what an unusual little thing.
Only after relaxing did I truly notice its appearance.
Pure white fur, as white as fresh snow.
Eyes the color of spilled blood.
"I wonder if this belongs to Duke Cassio. Well... that's one more thing to report."
Some nobles liked collecting rare animals with unusual appearances.
It wasn't especially strange.
Still...
Death had told me that anything could qualify as top-grade information.
Might as well include it.
"Del!"
I was absentmindedly stroking the fox's head as it rubbed affectionately against my skirt when someone's voice echoed from nearby.
Perk!
The fox's ears immediately sprang upright from beneath all that fluffy fur.
Naturally, I turned toward the sound as well.
"...Huh?"
The instant I saw someone approaching...
I froze.
As though time itself had stopped.
"Grr!"
The fox leaped from my arms, wagging its long tail furiously as it sprinted toward the newcomer.
"Huh—!"
Only then did I snap back to reality and hurriedly stand up.
"Del. Where did you run off to?"
A boy with hair as black as midnight bent down and gently stroked the fox that had thrown itself into his arms.
Beneath those dark bangs shimmered a pair of violet eyes.
My jaw slowly dropped.
Wait... isn't that the sickly little kid I met in the Black Forest a few days ago? The one I rescued from those evil assassins...?
My mind went completely blank.
Why are YOU here?!
As I stood there dumbfounded, something suddenly came to mind.
The portrait of my target.
The one I'd carelessly stuffed into my clothes not long ago.
"N-No way..."
With trembling hands, I hurriedly pulled out the folded paper.
My gaze bounced back and forth between the crude portrait...
...and the boy standing before me.
The illustration.
A terrible feeling settled in my stomach.
The portrait Death had given me did not depict someone this handsome.
And yet...
For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to doubt that the boy in the drawing and the boy before me were the same person.
Which meant...
The boy standing in front of me...
...was my target.
Liss Cassio.
Looking closely, the portrait kind of resembled him...
...No, wait.
Was comparing that face to this terrible sketch an insult?
"Did you do this?"
Suddenly—
No.
Ten million gold coins—
No.
Liss spoke.
Still caught in my confusion, I hastily crumpled the portrait and shoved it back into my clothes before meeting his eyes.
He was pointing at the makeshift bandage wrapped around Del's paw.
"Yes. There was a splinter in his paw, so I treated it."
"You..."
His tone sounded oddly displeased.
Had I angered him by touching something that belonged to him without permission?
It was entirely possible.
Nobles were notoriously prideful.
Still...
I couldn't exactly argue with my precious ten million gold—
No.
My target.
The only thing to do was apologize.
"Are you..."
He stared at me.
"...an angel?"
"...Pardon?"
The completely unexpected question slipped my lips before I could stop it.
An angel?
What kind of nonsense was that?
Although...
If I had to choose, I was probably closer to an angel than anything else.
Just then, Del wriggled free from Liss's arms and ran straight back to me.
The fox happily buried itself against my chest, swishing its long tail while letting out cheerful little growls.
"Grrr... grrr..."
Watching Del act so affectionate, Liss quietly stared at the scene in amazement.
"Del is following someone else..."
His voice was calm, almost emotionless.
"I've never seen anything like this."
So Del belongs to the young master, not the Duke.
Another detail to remember.
"By the way... who are you?"
He looked me over.
"You seem to be a maid, but I've never seen you before."
I couldn't help being surprised.
Most nobles hardly paid attention to servants.
Many couldn't even remember their names, let alone recognize their faces.
This young master must be surprisingly observant.
That deserved a place in the report too.
"My name is Eil. I just started working here today."
Putting on my friendliest smile, I bowed politely.
Whatever happened, there was no benefit in making my target dislike me.
My mission wasn't simply to eliminate him.
I also had to uncover the Cassio family's secrets.
Even if I could never become close to the master of the house as nothing more than a lowly maid...
It would be enough if he remembered me as 'Servant Number One' whenever we crossed paths.
This is the perfect distance.
Neither too close nor too far.
That would make my investigation easier.
And more importantly...
It would keep me from becoming emotionally attached to my target.
That would make everything afterward much simpler.
"...Eil."
Liss quietly repeated my name.
He seemed lost in thought for a moment before glancing down at Del, who was still comfortably nestled in my arms.
Then he slowly spoke.
"I happened to be looking for someone to take care of Del."
He looked straight at me.
"Eil. You'll do."
"...What?"
"From now on, work by my side."
...
Excuse me?
What did my ten million gold—
No.
What did Liss just say?
Work beside him?
Me?
"M-Me?"
"Mm."
He nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"I'll inform the head maid. You can start today."
Now, here's a basic rule of noble households.
An ordinary maid wasn't allowed to serve directly beside the master.
Which meant...
"My personal maid."
He smiled faintly.
"You'll be my first one. I'm looking forward to working with you."
A...
Personal maid?
Before I could even answer, Liss casually turned around and walked away.
Del immediately jumped out of my arms and happily trotted after him.
"...Ah."
I stared blankly after them.
"So this is what they call moving up in the world..."
...
As if!
"I'm doomed!"
If I became his personal maid, I'd be glued to my target every single day!
When was I supposed to investigate?
When was I supposed to report to Death?
Damn those ten million gold coins!
I never should've saved him back then!
