“Where did it go…?”
I muttered as I stared at the dirt, where only stones could be seen.
Something felt wrong. I was the only one who knew about it, yet it had vanished.
That mana stone had been proof that I reacted to spells. I’d hidden it myself to destroy the evidence—yet it was gone.
“What is this…?”
Something unusual was definitely happening. For now, I gathered the soil back together.
The sky had grown dark at some point. It wasn’t something I could find just by poking around the garden. It was best to head back.
Someone must’ve dug it up.
But how had they even known it was there?
As I stepped out with a grim face, I heard footsteps approaching.
“Oh my!”
“…!”
It was the gardener. His sudden exclamation startled me even more. He looked shocked to see me.
“Miss?”
His eyes dropped down to my hands—to the shovel I was holding. I hadn’t found the small one today, so I’d brought the large shovel instead.
“Why are you holding a shovel…?”
“I was looking for something.”
“You were? In the garden?”
“Yes.”
He gave me a suspicious look, which left me slightly puzzled.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have dirt on my face or something?”
“Gasp.”
He flinched as if I’d accused him. Was that really so surprising?
Ah.
It made sense. Given my past reputation and the so-called vicious look in my eyes…
And of all things, I’m standing here suspiciously with a shovel.
Clink.
I quickly dropped the shovel to the ground.
“I was only holding it to look for something.”
So please, stop looking at me like that.
Anyone passing by might think I’d buried a body or something. The gardener nodded awkwardly at my words.
“If you leave the shovel there, I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.”
As I was about to pass him by, I paused and asked,
“Have you recently dug anywhere in the garden? Maybe to plant flowers or trees?”
There were no signs of any new planting around the lilac tree, so I hadn’t expected much. As expected, the gardener shook his head.
“Nothing new has been planted in the garden recently. If you tell me what you’re looking for, I’ll bring it to you the moment I find it.”
“Hmm… no, that’s all right.”
I had a strong feeling someone had deliberately taken it. Instead of describing the mana stone, I turned and headed back to the mansion.
Who could’ve taken it?
Only the gardener and the family had access to the garden. If not the gardener, that left only Father and Milan.
Of the two, Father visited the lilac tree more often. He and I had even run into each other there once.
But Father would’ve asked me about it if he’d seen it.
He had seen me lingering around there unusually. If he’d noticed anything, he would’ve asked me directly.
That left only Milan. I decided to go see him at once.
“Milan.”
When I called from outside his room, Milan came out. He crossed his arms and looked down at me.
“This is rare. You came to find me?”
Come to think of it, I wasn’t sure how many days it had been since we’d last talked. Ever since the incident at Count Burtz’s estate, things had grown even colder between us.
I had no reason to approach him, and even when we passed each other, we hadn’t exchanged a single meaningful word.
He’s even skipped family dinners lately, saying he’s too busy…
“Don’t you have something to tell me?”
I went straight to the point.
“Something to say?”
“Haven’t you found something recently? Inside the mansion?”
Why are you pretending not to know?
Still, I’d asked him directly, so I expected an answer. But his response was far from what I’d imagined.
“What are you talking about? I don’t know what you mean, coming here all of a sudden.”
What?
My eyes widened. I’d been so sure it was Milan, yet he was denying it?
“You really didn’t take it?”
As I narrowed my eyes, he replied,
“Sounds like there was something to find. What was it?”
I kept my mouth shut. If I said anything more, it felt like it’d only lead to unpleasant words. When I fell silent, Milan spoke dryly.
“If that’s all, you can leave now.”
Click. The door shut.
____________.𖥔 ݁ ˖𓆰♕𓆪 ֶָ֢._________
The next day, I went to see Father.
“Father. Did you happen to see anything unusual in the garden?”
“What are you talking about?”
I tried to bring it up subtly, but as I expected—Father wasn’t the one. As I walked back to my room, I ran a hand through my hair.
“Then who was it?”
It wasn’t like there were many people who could access the garden!
That meant one of the three had lied. I didn’t care if someone had shown it to an informant—but it made me uneasy that something I hadn’t disposed of was simply gone.
“Ah!”
I flung open my door in frustration—and startled Anna, who was inside.
“Did I open the door too loudly?”
“No, not at all, miss.”
Anna quickly shook her head. I entered casually.
“Anna. Have you heard anything from my father or brother recently?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean… did they come to my room while I was away?”
Still, I wasn’t sure Anna would actually tell me. Our relationship wasn’t as close in this life as it had been in the previous one.
“There hasn’t been anything unusual.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Is there something else you’d like to ask?”
“No. Nothing.”
I was about to tell her to get back to her work when another thought struck me.
“Anna. Have you found anything unusual in the mansion?”
“Pardon?”
“Have you picked up anything strange?”
“Oh… no, miss.”
Since she denied it, I couldn’t push further. Honestly, I hadn’t expected to get an answer from her anyway.
“But Anna.”
“Yes?”
“Never mind.”
I closed my mouth before finishing the thought.
Are you hiding something from me?
Anna couldn’t keep her hands still. She was pressing her fingertips with her nails—one of her distinct habits.
A nervous tic that only showed when she was anxious.
There’s definitely something… Could it really be Anna?
I hadn’t even considered her until now.
Though the garden was meant for the family, it wasn’t completely off-limits to Anna.
Maybe she came into the garden and saw me there?
Even if that wasn’t the case, she was clearly hiding something.
Later that afternoon, I called Anna to the drawing room.
“Come in and eat while we talk.”
I offered her refreshments. Since we’d had a similar moment before, she didn’t seem too uncomfortable.
“I actually lost something in the mansion.”
But as soon as I said those words, her face stiffened noticeably.
“You lost something, miss?”
“Yeah. That’s why I asked earlier.”
“I see…”
Anna didn’t touch her tea or the cake. She just sat there, hands folded politely in her lap.
She might’ve been pressing her nails under the table again.
“Aren’t you curious about what I lost?”
“Ah…”
Her eyes flickered. I hadn’t meant to press her, so I kept my tone soft.
“It’s something I really need. It’s not something you see often—if you saw it, you’d recognize it right away. If you ever come across it, please return it to me.”
I didn’t dislike Anna. In fact, I secretly wished she would bridge the gap between us as my maid.
It’s not like you need it. So just give it back, Anna.
Even without saying the words aloud, my meaning would’ve been clear.
Anna nodded, her expression confused.
“Yes… yes, miss.”
I told her to enjoy the tea and snacks and left the drawing room first.
Why would Anna have taken it in the first place?
I couldn’t even guess.
A little while later, Anna came into my room.
“Miss, I have something to return to you.”
I hadn’t expected her to give it back so soon. I welcomed her warmly so she wouldn’t feel afraid.
“Really?”
When I held out my hand, she hesitated before placing something on my palm. It was small enough to fit in one hand, so I couldn’t see it clearly right away.
Only after she pulled her hand away did I get a good look at it—and my eyes widened in shock.
What is this?
What Anna returned to me wasn’t the mana stone.
“I’m sorry, miss!”
I stared at it blankly, and Anna suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me.
____________.𖥔 ݁ ˖𓆰♕𓆪 ֶָ֢._________
“It wasn’t Anna.”
What she had returned was a ruby brooch. She said she’d picked it up in the hallway after I dropped it.
No wonder I hadn’t seen it around. When did I lose this?
Apparently, she’d been struggling with her younger brother’s medical expenses and was conflicted because she lacked the funds. When I brought up the topic earlier, she thought I’d caught on.
“You could’ve just told me.”
I couldn’t scold her.
Though this version of Anna had never spoken to me about it, I already knew her brother was frail and sickly.
And with her trying to repay her parents’ debts on top of that…
I accepted the brooch and gave her a lump of gold instead. Showing leniency to Anna wouldn’t hurt me in the slightest.
Besides, the Anna in this world isn’t truly on my side.
I’d sensed it from the very first day here. Her loyalties lay more with Father and Milan than with me. Of course she wouldn’t wholeheartedly serve the family’s troublemaker daughter.
So just this once, I let it go. She thanked me profusely and left.
I hope this changes Anna’s heart, even a little.
If I could make my maid truly loyal to me, a lump of gold was a small price to pay.
“But if it wasn’t Anna… then who was it?”
I was back to square one.
“The gardener wouldn’t have the nerve.”
He trembled just from looking at me—how could he lie?
And things weren’t as strained with Father anymore, so… the only person who came to mind was him.
“Milan.”
What in the world is he thinking?
