Chapter 13

Julie, who works as a servant in the House of Marquis Juan, is fifteen years old.

Today is the day she goes to the bustling market once a week to do the shopping for the servants. She bought sewing thread, various buttons for the servants' clothes, and some cheap sweets that her friends had asked her to get. Just as she was about to head back, she was suddenly dragged into an alley.

As Julie struggled, flailing her arms and legs in fear, a voice whispered in her ear, "Julie, it's me. I've been waiting for you all this time." The man then showed his face.

"Huh? Diego? Why? Didn't you go to the United South?"

"Just come with me for a moment. I have something important to tell you."

Diego pulled Julie along and entered a dilapidated bar.

"Diego, what's going on?"

"Julie, listen carefully. This is about something important concerning the young lady."

Julie, though confused, nodded earnestly.

"I didn't go to the United South. After the master ordered me to go and rescue the young lady, I was stopped by the mistress."

"The mistress? Why?"

"I was told not to go to the United South and to spend two months enjoying myself in the empire. I was given money."

"Why would the mistress do such a thing..."

"I think the mistress doesn't want Mademoiselle Bertine to return."

Hearing this, Julie immediately thought of Dorothea. Dorothea had often told the other servants and herself, "If the mistress and the young lady are alone, let me know immediately."

The mistress was a quiet and kind person to both the servants and the young lady, so it was a topic of discussion why she would say such things. They concluded that Dorothea, who loved the previous mistress, might dislike the current one.

"Is that why Dorothea has been wary of the mistress all along?"

"What? I haven't heard anything. Has the young lady been mistreated by the mistress?"

"I don't know. But she kept telling us not to leave the young lady alone with the mistress."

"Why did Dorothea keep it to herself? Julie, listen carefully."

Julie looked at Diego with a serious expression.

"Tell the master what I'm about to tell you. I can't return to the mansion. You have to tell him."

"But I'm just a servant. I can't enter the master's room."

"You don't have to. Knock on the window from outside at night. Wait until the mistress's room is dark, then knock on the master's study window from outside."

Julie started to tremble.

"Diego, this is scary."

"Even if it's scary, you have to do it. It's for the young lady. Don't tell the other servants. We don't know who is on the mistress's side."

"Okay, okay, I understand."

"The master needs to know what the mistress is doing. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. I'll try. It's for the young lady."

Diego repeatedly looked out the window, concerned.

"Listen, the mistress is the sister of the queen. We don't know if this is just her idea or if the royal family is involved. If the royal family is involved, I can't be seen. The master could get involved."

"Is that so? I don't understand, but I'll try."

Diego emphasized, "Make sure to tell the master what I was ordered to do by the mistress. Also, tell him I'll be here at the same time tomorrow," before disappearing.

Julie returned to the House of Marquis Juan, but her heart was pounding, and her palms were sweaty. However, she was determined to see it through. The young lady was her savior.

---

This happened five years ago.

When Julie was ten and had just started working as a maid in the mansion, there was a commotion because a silver spoon was missing. Julie, who was new and didn't know the ropes, was suspected because she had been wandering in and out of the kitchen.

"I've never even touched a silver spoon!"

The other servants didn't believe her easily.

Just as she was about to be accused, Bertine, who was looking for Dorothea, heard the commotion.

"It's best not to suspect people until the very last moment. It might have fallen somewhere. Let's search more thoroughly."

Thanks to the young lady's words, they searched again and found the silver spoon in the kitchen waste. It was concluded that the cook had dropped it in the waste before it was thrown out, and Julie's suspicion was cleared. The cook apologized repeatedly.

Bertine called Julie to her room after the incident, gave her a sweet, high-quality pastry, and said, "I'm sorry. If I had noticed earlier, you wouldn't have had such a scary experience."

"The young lady is not to blame."

Tears welled up as she said this.

"There, there. Poor thing. If you ever have any trouble, come to me. Mistakes happen to everyone, but it's not right to suspect someone without evidence. I'll talk to them."

Bertine hugged Julie and comforted her. Julie ate the pastry alone later. It was sweet and rich with butter, a luxurious and delicious treat she had never tasted before. After that, Bertine often checked on Julie and gave her candies and pastries.

"Sending someone to help the kind young lady Bertine? Telling me to enjoy myself in the empire!"

Julie was suddenly afraid of the mistress, who usually spoke in a gentle voice.

At night, Julie quietly got out of bed and opened the door to go into the hallway. A fellow maid in the same room called out to her.

"Julie? What are you doing?"

"I, I'm thirsty. And I need to use the toilet. My stomach is a bit upset."

"Okay, take care."

"Thank you."

She ran to the sunroom, opened the glass door at the end, and went outside. The master's study had thick curtains, but she tapped on the window with her fingertips.

Three times, four times. When the curtains didn't open, Julie panicked. She was about to tap harder when the curtains finally opened slightly, followed by the window, and the master looked out.

"Master."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Julie, the servant. Master, I have a message from Diego."

The curtains and window were suddenly opened wide.

"Diego? What's going on?"

Julie relayed Diego's words. The marquis listened without changing his expression, but his fingers were gripping the window frame so hard they turned white.

"I see. Diego will be there tomorrow. Julie, thank you. You did well. I'll give you a reward later."

The marquis said, "It will be troublesome if someone sees you. Go back to your room immediately," and closed the window, quickly drawing the curtains.

Julie hurried back to the sunroom, wiped the dirt off the bottom of her slippers, and returned to her room. She was shaking, even though it wasn't cold.

---

The next day, Elias, a young private soldier of the House of Marquis Juan, was in the alley bar.

"Diego, the master has ordered you to head to the United South again."

"I see. This might be a matter involving the royal family. Are you sure about this, even though you're a noble?"

Elias, with a sly smile on his well-kept face, replied, "I'm the fourth son of a baron. If anything happens, I'll be removed from the family before I'm punished. I can't forgive the idea of not helping the young lady. I'm going to help her."

"Understood. We have a ship arranged to cross the continent. First, we need to find the young lady."

Thus, the two of them crossed the continent by ship, obtained horses, and headed for the capital, Ibit. They urged their horses to go faster and finally arrived in Ibit, immediately requesting an audience with the representative of the United South, Cecilio.

---

In the office of Cecilio, the representative of the United South, Ibit.

"I apologize for bringing you all the way to the United South, but the daughter of Marquis Juan is heading to a region called 'The Deepest.' She is accompanied by a male guard and a maid. I want to explain the situation to you first."

Cecilio explained the situation to the two men, who were surprised.

"Sir, did you refuse the marriage with Mademoiselle Bertine?"

"Yes. Our envoy delivered the refusal and received a written confirmation. Yet, she came to this country with the intention of marrying. We haven't received any further communication from the royal family of Sanlouan."

The document he showed had a statement and date confirming the receipt of Cecilio's letter, which was three days before Bertine left the country.

"The royal family knew the marriage was refused but still sent the young lady, Captain."

"It seems so."

"It looks like there are issues between your royal family and the prime minister."

"That's not for me to judge. For now, we will follow the young lady. Can you tell us her destination?"

"Of course. I'll write a letter of identification for you. It should make your travel much easier."

Thus, the two private soldiers, without rest, set off to follow Bertine to the deepest part of the United South.

"Captain, Cecilio is quite different from the rumors."

"Yes. He understood the situation and even wrote us a letter of identification."

(Now, we must carry out the master's orders.)

Diego urged his horse to go faster.