Chapter 11
From that day on, Elisha started following Isaac everywhere.
Because she never knew when Mila might try to make him drink the medicine, she needed to catch them in the act, which meant she had to do surveillance.
Elisha hid behind trees and didn’t take her eyes off Isaac even for one second.
This was truly perfect stalking… no, surveillance.
“…Little Madam? What are you doing here?”
“Sh-Shh! Be quiet!”
In truth, Elisha was the only one who believed she was hiding perfectly.
Her surveillance was so sloppy that she got caught by Garnet, Ruby, and Spinel almost every time.
And even Isaac and Mila had already noticed Elisha’s presence.
“…What is she doing?”
Isaac frowned as he looked at Elisha, who was completely visible behind the tree trunk.
Mila, standing next to him, also sighed with an annoyed face.
“Why else? She’s watching you, Young Master, trying to find something to use against you.”
Mila found Elisha just as irritating.
Thinking someone was watching made it harder to force Isaac to drink the medicine.
She needed Isaac to get sick as soon as possible, then blame it all on Elisha.
But the constant interruptions made her furious.
‘Even when I hinted about it to the Duchess, she just laughed it off…’
Mila had carefully brought it up to the Duke and Duchess, but they only thought Elisha was trying to get close to Isaac.
No—in fact, they even found that admirable.
“People say young women these days feel uncomfortable around their in-laws. But she’s approaching Isaac first. What a kind child. No, it’s not enough like this. I should create opportunities for them to spend time together.”
“That’s a wonderful idea, my dear.”
Instead, the Duke and Duchess tried even harder to make situations where Isaac and Elisha could spend time together.
To win over those strict two like that—
that girl clearly had skill hidden behind her innocent act.
“Let’s go for now, Young Master. You don’t need to care about a woman like that.”
Mila turned her gaze away, placing a hand on Isaac’s back.
In the end, Isaac was still on Mila’s side.
‘No matter how much she charms the Duke and Duchess, she can’t beat their real child.’
Isaac was the precious youngest son of the ducal house, receiving endless love.
Blaine also cherished Isaac more than anything.
Even if Elisha saved the Duke by taking down assassins, there was no way an outsider like her could be treated better than Isaac, their family.
Mila was sure of it.
And since she had completely controlled Isaac, she was convinced her chance would come.
‘Just you wait, Elisha Lowell. I’ll definitely drive you out of this house.’
***
“Hoo… this isn’t easy…”
After following Isaac all day, Elisha was completely exhausted and slumped in a chair.
She had chased Isaac around for days, but she had nothing to show for it.
Thinking she had wasted another day, she let out a deep sigh.
Clang! Clang!
Next to her, loud hammering on metal echoed.
This was the blacksmith shop inside the ducal estate.
Over there, Garnet, Ruby, and Spinel were pouring molten metal and hammering iron.
With every strike, the strong muscles in their arms stood out.
“Little Madam?”
Garnet noticed Elisha and lowered her hammer before walking over.
Ruby and Spinel also stopped working and looked in Elisha’s direction.
“Little Madam, were you busy again today?”
“What’s that leaf stuck in your hair?”
“Worried?”
“Well… there’s something bothering me.”
“Something bothering you?”
Elisha brushed the leaf off her hair and sighed again.
Garnet wiped her hands and tilted her head.
Elisha hesitated, wondering if she should ask the Jewel Sisters for help.
But she quickly shook her head.
If she brought up Mila first, it could easily be misunderstood…
“Is it because of Lady Mila?”
“…H-How did you know that?!”
Elisha flinched at the blunt question.
The Jewel Sisters looked at each other and shrugged.
The rumor that Little Madam was following Isaac and Mila around had already spread among the maids.
Elisha thought she was hiding, but there wasn’t a single maid who hadn’t seen her.
‘Did she think we wouldn’t know?’
‘She’s so adorable, right, Spinel?’
‘The best.’
The three sisters exchanged looks and nodded.
Then they looked back at Elisha.
Elisha was taking deep breaths, trying to calm her pounding heart.
“U-Um…!”
Since she had already been found out, Elisha decided to ask the Jewel Sisters about Mila.
If she had information, it would help.
“Th-Then what kind of person is Mila? Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I feel like she doesn’t really like me…”
Clang!
At the same time as the question, a sharp metallic sound rang out.
Spinel slammed the hammer down without realizing it.
A dark shadow fell across the Jewel Sisters’ faces.
“Lady Mila is the kind of person who…”
Garnet’s voice dropped low, and a deep wrinkle formed between her brows.
“She’s exactly what you think she is, Little Madam. Strict and sensitive.”
“Do you think there’s anyone she even likes? Honestly, there’s not a single maid in this ducal house who hasn’t clashed with Lady Mila. Harassing young maids is basically a rite of passage for her.”
“Mean.”
The Jewel Sisters clicked their tongues and shook their heads.
Even though they looked extremely strong, they seemed to have suffered a lot because of Mila.
They said Mila was hired staff too, yet she ordered the maids to do chores.
She checked the cleaning and meal menus and nagged like she was the lady of the house.
But in front of the Duke and Duchess, she acted like an angel.
And so on.
Complaints about Mila went on for a long time.
“However, Little Madam… could it be…”
After venting for a while, Garnet narrowed her eyes.
“Did Lady Mila bully you too, Little Madam?”
“Really? If that’s true, we’ll never forgive her!”
“Purge!”
In an instant, Garnet, Ruby, and Spinel moved in close.
Their shadows fell over small Elisha.
“E-Eek…”
With sparks in their eyes, Elisha’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.
Garnet spoke fiercely.
“Just say the word. We only stayed quiet because we had no excuse. But if you say so, we’ll deal with her immediately.”
“That’s right. We’ll erase her from this world without anyone knowing.”
“Quickly.”
The three of them cracked their fists.
Their serious faces showed they were absolutely not joking.
If Elisha said the word, they looked ready to bury Mila in the dirt on the spot.
“We’ve been waiting for this day—”
“N-No! It’s okay! Really, it’s okay!”
Elisha waved her hands desperately, stopping them.
Mila was still a noblewoman, so if things went wrong, the Jewel Sisters would be the ones in trouble.
No—before that, it was just scary!
“E-Everyone, calm down first…”
Elisha wiped cold sweat and soothed the three of them.
‘…Huh?’
Just then, over Garnet’s shoulder, Elisha saw a familiar figure from behind.
A boy with black hair and elegant clothes, typical of the ducal family’s men—
‘Young Master Isaac?’
Isaac, without Mila by his side for once, was hugging a small bag tightly as he walked deeper into the garden alone.
He looked around as if checking whether anyone was watching, then hurried inside somewhere.
Something about it felt suspicious.
Elisha tilted her head.
‘Where is he going right now?’
***
“He went this way, I think…”
After parting from the Jewel Sisters, Elisha carefully walked in the direction Isaac had disappeared.
She felt like she had to follow him.
‘The ducal estate really is huge… really huge.’
The gardens were much larger than she expected.
The areas thick with trees and bushes felt like a small forest cut off from the outside world.
Isaac, whom she thought she would catch quickly, was nowhere to be seen.
How long had she walked?
Far ahead, she sensed movement.
Elisha carefully lifted her head above the bushes.
In that moment, her eyes widened.
“Meooow.”
A cat?
A small cat with completely black fur was wiggling its hips and rubbing its head against Isaac’s leg.
“Have you been waiting a long time? You’re hungry, right?”
Isaac quietly crouched down and petted the cat.
His eyes were gentle and warm, unlike usual.
He looked like nothing more than a pure young boy who loved animals.
“Today, Mila’s watching me especially closely, so it was hard to sneak out…”
Isaac muttered and rummaged through his bag.
Elisha leaned her head farther out over the bushes to see what he was doing.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she carefully watched the boy and the cat.
‘Is he feeding the cat?’
Just then, Isaac sensed someone and snapped his head up.
When he made eye contact with Elisha, who was poking only her head out from the bushes, he jumped back in shock.
“Eek! Y-You! Wh-What are you doing there?!”
