Chapter 68
“Sir Log, I think Amy was involved in the atrocity of whipping the servants.”
Hearing those words, Selakia knew she couldn’t leave Amy and Aldrich together in the mansion. They had to be separated in case of any unforeseen incidents.
Deep down, Selakia had always believed that Amy was merely one of Aldrich’s subordinates and wouldn’t have committed crimes independently.
However, Magritte’s words didn’t seem to carry such a simple meaning.
“I’ve watched Amy grow up in this mansion. She’s practically like a daughter to me. I thought I knew her better than anyone else… but now, I honestly don’t know.”
Magritte had only recently started observing Amy carefully after discovering a pattern among the servants Aldrich took out his anger on.
They were all unconnected, with no one to check in on them regularly. In other words, even if Aldrich harmed them, there would be no one to report it.
It wasn’t unusual for a servant to disappear from the mansion without a word. That made them suitable targets for Aldrich’s malice.
But even as their employer, Aldrich didn’t know the detailed personal information of the servants. It would be more accurate to say he simply didn’t care.
So how could Aldrich have selectively targeted unconnected servants so accurately?
Apart from Head Maid Magritte and Steward Thomas, Amy was the only one who paid attention to every little thing the servants did.
It was only circumstantial, so Magritte hadn’t dared to voice her suspicions anywhere. Even if she found evidence, it would have been difficult to doubt Amy, whom she cherished like a daughter.
“Have you heard the rumor that Sir Log poisoned the former duchess? It was the first rumor to spread among the servants. And I suspect… it was Amy who first…”
Hearing that, Selakia could no longer think of Amy as being in league with Aldrich.
The fact that they weren’t closely connected was a relief.
It seemed Aldrich didn’t have many minions under his control, so without Amy, he wouldn’t be able to act recklessly.
Nancy, who was to share the duties, looked sullen, while Amy, who was to accompany her, seemed fairly fine.
She even looked a little happy. Meeting a princess was a rare honor for a servant, after all.
Selakia carefully warned Nancy to watch over Amy but still couldn’t shake her unease, so she went to find Roberta.
Roberta was adjusting the saddle on the horse she would ride, standing in the rain.
“Lady Belphona.”
Selakia raised her umbrella over Roberta’s head. Roberta turned with a bright expression.
“Yes, milady?”
“Are you planning to ride in the rain?”
“Of course. Have you ever ridden in the rain, milady? Rain like this doesn’t obstruct vision and actually cools you off—it’s quite pleasant.”
Roberta rubbed the thick neck of her horse as she spoke.
“Would you like to ride as well? If you’re not used to riding, I can let you ride my horse.”
Selakia hesitated, unsure what to say.
If it were Nancy, she could have spoken freely, but Roberta was still difficult to approach.
“Well…”
Selakia struggled to choose her words, and Roberta blinked the raindrops from her eyelids, asking:
“Why?”
“I… I have a favor to ask.”
“Do tell.”
“Could you accompany Nancy to the villa by carriage?”
“By carriage with Nancy?”
Roberta stared at her as if questioning the reason.
Selakia couldn’t admit she was uneasy about Nancy riding alone with Amy. She wanted to ride with them herself, but it was customary for the mistress and maid to travel in separate carriages.
Instead, Selakia offered Roberta an incentive she couldn’t resist.
“If you ride in the carriage with Nancy, I’ll give you a reward.”
“…Yes?”
“I’ll give you an extra 30 Pegels on top of your usual wage…”
“Milady.”
Roberta cut her off sharply.
When they first met, Roberta had been delighted by an extravagant wage offer. Selakia thought she would smile brightly again, but for some reason, Roberta didn’t look very pleased.
“I may be obsessed with money, but I still know my duty as a bodyguard. I don’t need a reward; just give me the order.”
“But this isn’t part of your official bodyguard duty. It’s a personal request.”
“Then request it personally.”
“Excuse me?”
“We’re close enough now, aren’t we?”
Roberta raised an eyebrow, as if slightly disappointed.
“I’m not a money-obsessed miser, milady. I do like money, but I also have a sentimental, human side. Didn’t you know?”
“…?”
“Otherwise, how could I have endured over a year of mercenary life, which reeks of nastiness and pays poorly?”
Selakia was startled by the emphasis Roberta put on the word “mercenary,” and it took her a moment to fully grasp what she meant.
“Sentimental…? Lady Belphona, have you grown attached to me?”
Roberta muttered in annoyance at Selakia’s dumbfounded question.
“What kind of question is that? Do you mean you haven’t grown attached to me, or did you think I was a cold-blooded person who doesn’t understand attachment?”
“No, I meant…”
“Either way, it feels worse than the time I was squashed by a horse’s backside.”
Roberta didn’t wait for an answer. She handed the reins to a passing stablehand and turned sharply away from Selakia.
“Please forgive me if I badmouth you to Nancy today.”
“…”
“Nancy won’t respond, of course, but at least it might tickle your ears a bit. Try to endure my little revenge.”
Roberta’s tone carried her usual cheerful edge, leaving Selakia unsure whether she was genuinely upset.
She couldn’t read Roberta’s expression, so she had no way to tell.
Roberta eventually walked toward Nancy at a slower pace than usual, seemingly willing to fulfill the favor without reward.
Selakia didn’t stop her, too preoccupied with weighing whether it was a joke or not.
If it was a joke, where did it start and end?
Was the part about growing attached to her a joke too?
Her head was as foggy as the rain-streaked window.
The raindrops slid down the carriage window as it jolted along. Selakia stared blankly outside.
She wasn’t interested in the passing misty scenery. Her mind was only on Nancy and Roberta in the following carriage.
With the noble and knight Roberta accompanying them, Amy couldn’t misbehave toward Nancy.
What troubled her more were the small practical matters.
…Is she really badmouthing me?
Even Chester and Erica, with whom she was casual, had never spoken ill of her. Why would Roberta, someone she considered somewhat close, say such things?
She didn’t even know where her judgment had gone wrong. If she offered a reward, Roberta would have been delighted.
Selakia’s eyes drooped with gloom. She worried about how to handle Roberta in the future.
“…”
Selakia was about to sigh deeply but pressed her lips together. Instead, she raised her eyebrows sharply. The persistent gaze she had been ignoring was getting under her skin.
“Why… why are you staring like that?”
Tenus asked immediately, as if waiting for her to speak.
“Why are we bringing Amy?”
“To keep an eye on her. She shouldn’t do anything bad while we’re away.”
“Such a sense of chivalry.”
Tenus twisted his lips in cold sarcasm.
“If you’re so worried, why not just punish her instead of bringing her along?”
Sometimes Tenus seemed to want Aldrich and Amy punished more than she did. She wondered where his confidence came from, that nothing Amy did would matter.
Selakia glanced at the man with his neat, intellectual appearance.
The Seidon family carriage was larger and more comfortable than most, but space was still limited, so Tenus was unusually close.
She noticed Tenus’s heavy scent in the air, his body warmth, and how his long legs almost touched her. She shivered, pressed her back against the seat to create some distance, and cleared her throat before answering.
“Weren’t you supposed to be uninterested in Amy? You treated her as a stranger earlier.”
Indeed, when Amy boarded the servant carriage, Tenus ignored her completely. He had only nodded briefly to Nancy.
“According to the records, Amy was born and raised in the Seidon household. You can’t not know her…”
“I told you to pretend not to know her,” Tenus continued innocently.
“I’m pretending I don’t know her.”
Selakia’s face twisted in confusion.
“How does what I said mean I should pretend not to know Amy?”
She was utterly exasperated, letting out short, frustrated sighs.
It seemed Tenus had misunderstood her earlier instruction to overlook Amy’s misdeeds. The misunderstanding was incredible, almost foolish.
For someone she had trusted implicitly, it was hard to believe.
