Chapter 27
That night, Margaret was summoned by Katz and went to his office.
“Did you call for me, Your Excellency?”
“I called you at this late hour because I want to discuss what happened yesterday.”
“When you say ‘yesterday’…?”
“Vivian, that girl.”
Margaret flinched.
Yesterday, Sally had accused Vivian of being a thief.
Rahel had defended Vivian, and Katz had taken Vivian to Isella’s grave earlier today.
It was clear that whatever story would come out would be unfavorable for Sally and herself.
“I should have mentioned this yesterday, but due to the memorial day, it got delayed. Sally, has she apologized to Vivian?”
“Ah…”
“Didn’t she accuse Vivian of stealing? If she made a mistake, she should apologize.”
Until now, Katz had thought well of Sally.
Sally could be sharp and rude with the servants, but with him, she behaved politely.
Yet now, he was defending Vivian.
In other words, he was questioning Sally’s claim that she had seen Vivian steal.
“Sally said she wouldn’t apologize because she’s certain the girl stole.”
Margaret felt a sense of danger and subtly defended Sally.
“I didn’t witness it myself, so I can’t say much, but as Your Excellency knows, Sally is not the type to fabricate stories.”
“Do you suspect that Rahel lied to protect Vivian?”
“Of course, I don’t want to doubt Miss Rahel, but I thought it best to consider various possibilities.”
“Possibilities…”
Katz’s eyes narrowed at Margaret’s words.
“Well, as you said, we should consider all possibilities.”
Though it sounded as if he was agreeing with Margaret,
“There’s even the possibility that Sally, who dislikes Vivian, staged something to drive her away.”
“…!”
“That would be fair, wouldn’t it?”
His words and gaze pierced Margaret’s composure, as if he could see through the truths she and Sally were hiding.
“But possibilities are just possibilities. Without clear evidence, one shouldn’t hurt the girl based solely on suspicion.”
His words seemed not only to defend Vivian but also to cover for Sally’s falsehood.
Margaret swallowed hard.
Her palms, clasped politely, were sweaty.
“And you, as her governess, should understand this better than anyone.”
Only then did Margaret realize that Katz’s trust in her was wavering.
If she defended Sally one more time, not only could Sally’s injustice be overlooked, but Margaret’s position could be in jeopardy.
She forced her expression into calmness and replied.
“Your judgment is wise, Your Excellency. I fear I was briefly swayed by personal feelings and lost my objectivity.”
“Then I trust you will explain this matter properly to your young lady.”
“I will advise Sally to apologize to Vivian and reconcile.”
At that moment, the faint chime of the clock could be heard.
Katz, having received the answer he desired, nodded benevolently.
“It’s late. You may leave now.”
Margaret exited the office with proper manners.
Thud.
As the door closed, his gaze turned cold as if nothing had happened.
How did I gain the duke’s trust anyway…
Margaret had been chosen as Rahel’s governess by chance.
When Isella returned Rahel to the duke, Margaret happened to be the only servant of a similar age with a child of her own.
In high-ranking noble families, they would select governesses and even governesses from fallen nobility, but Katz chose from among the household staff.
He needed not just an “excellent caretaker,” but someone “trustworthy enough to keep Rahel’s secret.”
But Margaret’s gaining Katz and Rahel’s trust was no accident.
Rahel was nearly five years old when she arrived at the duke’s estate, and winning the heart of a child already attached to her mother was no easy task.
Margaret had spent years carefully earning that trust.
And now, because of that girl…!
Margaret gritted her teeth.
The fortunate thing was that Vivian still didn’t know Rahel was a boy.
The secret she alone knew could serve as a good reason why Katz wouldn’t dismiss her.
There’s still a chance.
Of course, Katz wouldn’t budge with the current methods, so she would need to devise another plan.
I’ll wait patiently for the right moment.
Margaret disappeared leisurely into the dark hallway.
3. Awakening
“Then today’s class ends here.”
The instructor left after concluding the last lesson, leaving only Rahel and me in the room.
Now, the remaining time was ours to enjoy freely.
Normally, we might have had tea under the shade of the trees in the garden, but with the rain, that wasn’t possible.
As I pondered what to do on this gloomy day, an idea suddenly struck me, and I asked Rahel.
“Hey, Rahel. Can we go to the basement since it’s raining? I want to watch you practice magic.”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
We left the room side by side.
The rain pounded against the windows, and beyond the glass, the dense green forest stretched out.
It was the height of summer.
It’s already been two months since Rahel’s mother’s memorial day.
A lot had happened between us during that time.
One of those things was the basement I had mentioned.
A few days after the memorial, Rahel had taken me to the basement.
Unlike a normal basement, it could be accessed through a hidden staircase in Rahel’s room, and the space was vast enough to be called a training hall.
There, Rahel revealed her hidden magical abilities.
She also told me about her unique constitution, which absorbs the surrounding mana.
Of course, knowing the original story, I wasn’t surprised that Rahel could use magic or had a special constitution.
But I was still happy.
The fact that Rahel was sharing her secret with me meant she trusted me more.
And there was another change.
[Do you… really hate boys?]
Even while playing, Rahel would occasionally ask such a serious question.
[Yeah. I don’t like boys. I’ll only play with you, Rahel.]
When I answered that, her expression darkened.
Huh? Is that not the answer she wanted to hear?
I pondered the reason for a moment.
Is Rahel afraid that I’ll eventually marry a boy and leave her behind?
Seeing her like that made me feel both cute and pitying.
At the same time, I felt proud that I had become such an important friend to her.
To ease her worry, I made my stance on life clear.
[I won’t play with boys, and I won’t hold hands with them. Of course, I might greet them sometimes.]
[….]
[So don’t worry, Rahel!]
After hearing my promise, Rahel looked somewhat confused.
Anyway, after that, she stopped bringing up topics like marriage or boys.
I guess Rahel finally feels safe.
Thus, our bond grew even stronger.
Ah, and the biggest change after that day was…
“Miss.”
Just as I was gazing at the green forest outside the window, I recalled the biggest change.
At that moment, the butler appeared.
“The duke has asked if you would like to join him for tea. Of course, Vivian, you may join as well.”
