Chapter 44

What nonsense is this?

‘Didn’t you let me go in style?’

Are you now going to treat me like a maid? Huh?

However, I did not open my mouth recklessly. Despite everything, I do have a brain.

Talking back to a duke by a maid... I don’t care, but since I decided to go my separate ways with Raphael, I intended to avoid talking to him as much as possible.

“Hmm. What will you do, Daisy?”

But as always, Lu did not act as I wished.

“What do you want to do? This master will follow your wishes.”

Raphael looked at me. And I glared at Raphael.

This guy is really getting on my nerves.

What good is ten years of friendship? It’s no help at all in living as a maid.

‘What will you do?’

Originally, my role was to bow my head in front of His Excellency, Duke Raphael, and act as if his words were the words of heaven and his commands were the commands of God.

But.

‘You let me go easily from the island, and now you’re suddenly changing your mind and asking me to cooperate with an investigation. No matter how I think about it, it’s suspicious, isn’t it?’

Judging from the situation, Raphael didn’t seem to care much about the news of my appearance on Queen Island, but he seemed to have changed his mind after today’s meeting.

Then, it’s a fork in the road.

Which path will help me maintain my life as a maid in the Weatherwood household?

<1. Cooperate with the investigation. Keep my mouth shut to avoid revealing my identity, but end up becoming a criminal. I’ll be on the run and be chased out of Weatherwood.>

Worst case. Next?

<2. Refuse the investigation. A national-level investigation of the Weatherwood household begins. Dean Ket’s artifact is exposed to the public and taken away. I’ll be chased out of Weatherwood.>

This is also a pretty bad worst case. Both options are out.

In that case, I’ll choose the last resort.

“Master.”

I stood right next to Lu, with my eyes wide open.

“I will follow Master’s orders. After all, Maid Daisy is a submissive maid to her master.”

Lu, with a grin, patted my back and asked.

“Do you mean you don’t want to?”

“If Master wishes.”

“Well, if my maid doesn’t want to, I should stop. Duke Jenail? I will refuse the Duke’s request. Oh, will I be executed if I refuse?”

Lu’s rough actions and anxious Dscherro, and me watching them.

Lu’s attitude is clearly rude.

The interesting thing is, because of her exceptional beauty, no one is shouting, “Rude! Impolite!”

Some even seem to think she’s a kind noblewoman who cares about her employees, judging by the sympathetic looks they give me.

In this superficial world, thank you.

‘This is a good strategy.’

Now, if the head butler accuses me of a crime, I can shift the blame to Lu.

After all, the one who understands a maid’s heart is not the Duke but a fellow gardener, right?

“Raphael.”

But oh no.

“Is there a problem?”

An uninvited guest has joined the conversation.

“No, Duke Dscherro. Did everything go well?”

“More or less.”

……This is, a bit.

‘It’s become very uncomfortable.’

At least for now, the Sword Saint is more dangerous than Raphael. My heart was pounding.

I bowed my head slightly and hid behind Lu.

The Sword Saint must have already heard the results of the duel from Jin. If my presence catches his attention while he’s closely watching Viscount Weatherwood.

And if the Sword Saint’s remarkable intuition and insight find similarities between me and Viscount Weatherwood……. Things could get more complicated.

The Sword Saint, who had exchanged a few words with Raphael, turned to Lu. He bowed his head slightly with a gentle smile, contrasting with Raphael.

“Pleased to meet you, Lady Weatherwood. I am Dscherro Bucklegrayden. But I don’t see Gray Weatherwood.”

The two warriors standing side by side exuded an unprecedented, intangible pressure.

The discomfort of not wanting to stay in one place.

Sensitive people began to keep their distance. Of course, this doesn’t apply to Lu.

She laughed brightly and accepted the Sword Saint’s greeting.

“Pleased to meet you, Duke Bucklegrayden. My husband mentioned you. Unfortunately, he is recuperating. He suffered great mental and physical injuries from a magic trap.”

Jegersi, who was standing guard, asked with suspicion.

“A moment ago, you said you were injured in a duel with Jin...”

Shut up.

I elbowed Jegersi’s waist. His face turned pale instantly, and he clutched his side, breathing heavily.

‘I hit him lightly, but he’s overreacting.’

I met Raphael’s eyes. I pretended not to notice and turned away.

“Oh. Is the Viscount in very poor condition? I had an urgent matter to discuss with him about the duel. It’s a shame. I will make sure to compensate the Viscount for the problems caused by today’s incident.”

Raphael looked at the Sword Saint with a puzzled expression.

“A duel?”

“...Ah, the Duke might not have known. Viscount Weatherwood’s sword skills are quite impressive. It’s not surprising, considering his father, the hero of Midwinter. It seems he was even more impressive than expected.”

“Who did he duel with to receive such high praise?”

“With our Jin.”

“...That means Jin...”

Raphael’s words trailed off.

He seemed to think it was better not to mention the result of the duel.

Jegersi, who had been listening intently, sighed in disappointment.

‘This reaction means... Could the result of the duel not be clearly known to the public?’

It’s not bad for me if the duel with Jin is quietly resolved.

But if Jin denies his defeat and doesn’t step down from the heir position, that’s a definite problem.

“Oh, Lady Weatherwood. Jin mentioned that he wants to learn swordsmanship under Viscount Weatherwood. Have you heard of this?”

“...Swordsmanship?”

The already uncomfortable situation became ten times worse.

‘Why did you bring this up suddenly?’

Jin. I told you to keep quiet. Why are you spreading this around?

“Viscount Weatherwood also agreed, apparently. He plans to send Jin to your house soon. It would be a great honor for Jin to have Viscount Weatherwood as his teacher. Please take good care of him.”

When did I agree to this?

The already extremely uncomfortable situation became a hundred times worse.

I swallowed slowly to regain my composure.

‘Did I just see a damn liar?’

Who’s lying? Jin? Or the Sword Saint?

‘No, Jin can’t lie.’

But the Sword Saint I know wouldn’t make such an obvious lie either.

It must be...

‘He’s targeting the Weatherwood household.’

The goal is Dean Ket’s artifact. So, it’s more likely that the Sword Saint, not Jin, made up this ridiculous story.

‘Has he changed his plan? Instead of wiping out the Weatherwoods, he wants to send Jin into the Weatherwood mansion to keep an eye on things himself.’

What do I do? I’ve fallen into an unexpected trap.

Lu, who had been blinking silently, soon burst into a small laugh.

“Oh, a disciple.”

No, don’t look at me. You can’t determine the truth by looking at my face. Those two monsters are perceptive. They’ll definitely be suspicious.

“I’ve never heard of this. My husband usually tells me even the smallest details.”

Fortunately, Lu didn’t look at me.

“I’m in a dilemma. What should I do?”

What should I do?

I need to get out of this predicament as soon as possible. Otherwise, the crazy Lu will cause even bigger trouble.

How can I avoid accepting Jin as a disciple?

‘...No, come to think of it, bringing him in might not be so bad, right?’

First, regarding the Sword Saint’s sinister plan.

Jin is not a magical artifact. For any information she discovers to reach the Sword Saint, some form of communication, like a letter, would be necessary.

‘If I accept Jin into the household, but cut off her means of communication with the Sword Saint, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?’

Second, regarding the butler assassin’s request.

The butler assassin wants ‘chaos within the <Clone> guild due to a change in the guild master.’ Ultimately, to escape the <Clone>’s attention.

‘If I introduce them and let them reach an agreement, it might work, right?’

Third, regarding the head butler’s permission.

‘He’ll be happy to take an unpaid maid off my hands.’

This... might not be so bad after all?

“What should I do?”

Cough. Hmm.

I’ve made my decision, so let’s act.

I need to convey my intention to accept Jin in a completely unsuspecting and very natural way.

“Master.”

“Hmm?”

“The mansion is short of cleaning staff.”

The room fell into a sudden, cold silence.

Damn.