Episode 11
“Haa…”
I felt completely drained.
Who would have thought my secret spying would make Madam Brandt tease me like that!
Even after that day, she kept joking in a similar way, and each time I had to defend myself desperately. Because it really wasn’t true!
‘At least I got to eat lots of snacks.’
The head chef’s sweets were amazing—worthy of being the Grand Duke’s top chef.
Patting my full belly, I walked toward the west annex. Everyone should be there by now.
But then—
‘The Grand Duke?’
I spotted his shining golden hair. Next to him stood a man with dark brown hair.
‘Who’s that? I’ve never seen him before.’
He didn’t look like anyone from the estate.
But wait—wasn’t the Duke supposed to be meeting Madam Brandt? Why was he here?
I couldn’t understand.
‘…Better to stay quiet and just pass by.’
I decided not to eavesdrop this time. The atmosphere was even more dangerous than when he was with the knights earlier.
‘That scar…’
Even from a distance, the big scar on the man’s face stood out in my memory. I turned away, planning to leave it for another time.
Or at least, I tried to.
“…first, about ‘the spy’…”
W-what?!
My footsteps froze.
I had to hear this.
‘Huu—’
I steadied my breathing and carefully moved closer. I’d never been caught before, so I dared to take the risk.
Fortunately, no one else was around.
“…then… let’s move somewhere else.”
“As you wish, this way…”
Of course—right when I found them, they changed locations! Terrible timing.
I quickly followed, hiding my presence as much as I could.
Rustle—
They moved fast, almost like they were using secret passages at the back of the mansion. I had memorized the layout, but they made me feel like I knew nothing.
‘Ugh, seriously—!’
I hurried after them, but hiding my steps slowed me down.
‘Where’d they go?’
I lost them by just a second. They had to be nearby, but I couldn’t see them.
“Where on earth did you go…”
I muttered without thinking.
At that moment—
“Are you looking for me?”
A chill ran down my spine.
That was the last voice I wanted to hear.
“Eek—!”
It was the Grand Duke, Pelium!
My legs gave out, and I dropped to the ground, covering my mouth.
He approached like a predator.
“You’ve been bothering me for a while now.”
Step.
“So you were following me.”
Step.
“You hid yourself well, but I’m very sensitive to things like this.”
Stop.
He lowered himself right in front of me, scarlet eyes burning.
“Why?”
“H-huh?”
“Answer me.”
His cold hand lifted my chin. His fierce voice cornered me completely.
“Why were you spying on me?”
I was terrified. My whole body shook against my will. My mind went blank.
“Um, I, well, that is…”
Then, Madam Brandt’s teasing suddenly flashed through my head.
Without thinking further, I squeezed my eyes shut and shouted:
“I—I’ve been secretly in love with you!!”
In love with you—
With you—
You—
My loud confession echoed around us.
Then silence. Finally, the Grand Duke spoke.
“What?”
His beautiful face was twisted with shock. I’d never seen him look like that before.
‘Uh, Your Grace… You’re confused, right? Well, so am I…’
But I couldn’t stop now. I had to keep going.
“Remember last time, when I was hurt and you cared about me? That was so kind, and cool, and—”
I babbled on. He just listened quietly, then asked in disbelief:
“…You fell in love over that?”
“Yes!!”
I nodded hard. I could sense this was my only chance to survive.
“……”
His face returned to its usual coldness. He stared at me with those terrifying red eyes, as if trying to see straight through my lie.
I swallowed nervously.
Then he murmured:
“So, you followed me because you like me…”
“Th-that’s right!”
He lowered his gaze for a moment, thinking. Then, unexpectedly, the corners of his lips curled into a smile.
“I just thought of the perfect position for you.”
“…What is it?”
His smile grew darker. My heart sank. That beautiful smile felt more like the devil’s grin.
He leaned in close, his lips brushing near my ear.
“You’ll be my personal maid.”
* * *
News in the Grand Duke’s mansion spread faster than anything.
Especially if it involved Pelium himself.
“W-what?”
“Lillian…?”
“She became His Grace’s personal maid?”
Pelium, who normally let only the butler serve him, had suddenly taken on a personal maid.
And not just anyone—a brand-new maid who had only worked four months.
“Unbelievable!”
“How can this be?”
The other maids buzzed with shock.
Soon they surrounded me, firing questions like an interrogation.
“Lillian, tell us the truth.”
“How did you catch His Grace’s eye?!”
“You’ve been sneaking around a lot lately, no wonder…”
“Why him, of all people?!”
Everyone knew Pelium’s terrifying personality, so they pitied and worried about me.
“Haha…”
I also thought the same.
A personal maid? It sounded fancy, but really, it wasn’t much different from before. Same pay, same treatment, same hard work.
Actually, it was worse—because now I had to please the master himself.
‘And this isn’t just any master—it’s Pelium.’
In other noble houses, personal maids enjoyed perks and even some influence.
But here? My master was that Pelium, and I was already under suspicion.
‘Should I just be glad he didn’t kill me on the spot?’
Honestly, I thought he wouldn’t believe me at all.
But my terrified face must have looked to him like a shy girl confessing love.
Compared to poor No. 32 (Karen), who was disposed of recently, I was very lucky.
‘Still… it’s terrifying, stressful, and suffocating…’
Tsk, tsk.
I turned at the sound. It was Ivy, looking annoyed.
“You brought this on yourself. Maybe you approached His Grace on purpose from the start.”
W-what?! How did she know…?
Her sharp guess left me speechless. Luckily, I had a defender.
“Hey! That’s too much!”
Anna scolded her with a frown.
“Lillian may be clumsy, but she’s not crazy enough to approach His Grace on purpose! She almost died not long ago, remember?”
…
Her words stabbed my conscience. Quietly, I lowered my eyes.
