Since I had left the house immediately afterward, I hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye to André.
When I returned from my outing, I was greeted by Michelle, whose expression was noticeably brighter than it had been that morning.
“Michelle, did something good happen?”
Her cheeks were rosy like peaches, and honestly, it made her look adorable.
I mean, not to brag, but being my personal maid wasn’t the worst job in the world. Most days, my only plans were to lounge around the house, which meant there wasn’t much need for dressing up or preparing for outings.
But lately, with all my frequent trips out with Armin, Michelle had been run ragged—ironing clothes, fixing my hair, taking care of my skin. She could’ve used ten extra arms just to keep up.
So seeing her in a good mood actually lifted my own spirits. You know what they say—joy shared is joy doubled.
“No, my lady. What would I have to be so happy about?”
“Then why do you keep smiling like that? That’s the expression you only get when you’re really in a good mood.”
I reminded her not to underestimate my observational skills—we’d been together for over ten years—but Michelle stayed unshaken.
“This is just my usual expression. You must be imagining things.”
“No way. You were clearly upset this morning.”
“Of course not. I looked just like this earlier too. Now, come sit down, my lady. I need to fix your hair.”
There was something a little off about how firmly she was denying it, but when Michelle got that serious look on her face, I knew not to push it.
She began removing the many pins stuck in my hair, carefully organizing them one by one.
“Isn’t this a hassle?”
“Not at all. You’ve started dating, my lady—how could I not be thrilled?”
The way she talked about tomorrow’s outfit with excitement radiated a sort of pride, like she finally felt she was doing a proper job as a maid.
“Ah, Michelle. About André—ow!”
I was just about to bring up something about André when the moment I said his name, Michelle’s hand slipped and the tip of a pin jabbed into my scalp.
“Ouch!”
“Oh no! I’m so sorry, my lady. My hand slipped!”
“It’s okay. Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. But what were you saying just now?”
“I was talking about André. He’s staying here for a while, right?”
“Well… I’m not sure? How would I know?”
Her awkward smile made me raise an eyebrow in suspicion.
“What do you mean you don’t know? You always kept track of his schedule.”
Since before he came of age, André had been working with his father to run their merchant guild, so he often traveled between regions. He was practically my only close friend, so when he was in town, we always spent time together. It didn’t make sense that Michelle, my personal maid, wouldn’t know his plans.
“Huh?”
“You always seemed to know, that’s why I asked. Never mind, forget it.”
“Ah… haha. Did I really do that?”
“Yeah. Well, it’s not like you have to know André’s schedule… Ow!”
“A-ah, my lady! I’m sorry. I slipped again…”
She seemed oddly flustered. Something was definitely off with Michelle today.
Then again, she had been unusually busy lately. Until now, I rarely had visitors, but now that Armin was coming by almost every day, she had to play hostess constantly. And today, with André stopping by out of the blue, she must’ve been exhausted.
I had to reassure her several times that it was really okay. She kept apologizing for poking me with the hairpin, but it felt like she was way too sorry over something so minor.
And just like that, the topic of André faded from my mind.
As Michelle continued removing the pins from my hair, I chatted with her about where Armin and I had gone today, what we did—just silly little things.
“Oh! That reminds me—”
“Hm?”
I was just telling her about the delicious brioche we’d eaten earlier and suggesting that next time we went to the bookstore, we should stop by that café for dessert.
Suddenly, Michelle opened her mouth in an incredibly awkward tone. So awkward, I almost mistook her for a robot.
“Now that I think of it, I believe André said he was leaving for his next trading location this weekend.”
She was staring directly at the back of my head as she said it. Truly, my competent maid never did anything halfway.
“Is that so? Well, André’s been eager to inherit the trading company, so I guess he’s working hard.”
“R–Really? He wants to take over the guild soon?”
Michelle’s face flushed red again as she asked.
“Yeah. He used to be completely unambitious, but now he’s grown into this determined merchant… maybe he got it from hanging around Sasha too much.”
“Ah… I see…”
“Do you know where he’s headed?”
“He said he was going to Iluca.”
Funny how she’d just said she thought he mentioned it—but now the answer came out pretty exact.
“Iluca, huh…”
I vaguely remembered Sasha and André mentioning that name in one of their past conversations.
“That’s in the colder northern region, right?”
“Yes.”
“I think I heard the security there isn’t that great. He’ll have to be careful.”
“R–Really? It’s not safe there?”
Michelle’s voice suddenly shot up, making me lift my head in surprise.
“Whoa, you startled me.”
“He told me it was a safe area…”
“He did? That’s odd… From what I heard, it’s cold, harsh, and people struggle during winter. There’s a lot of crime due to hunger.”
“…I don’t understand.”
“Huh?”
With an exasperated sigh, Michelle muttered,
“Why would he have to go to such a place?”
“Well… probably to make a profit through trade?”
If André was heading to Iluca, then it meant the business Sasha had discussed with him had been finalized.
But it was supposed to be confidential until things were wrapped up, so I pretended not to know and changed the subject.
“Michelle.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“But André going to Iluca isn’t really something he needs your approval for, right?”
“Well… no, it isn’t.”
But Michelle’s face looked so disheartened that I decided to let her off early.
Maybe I’ve overworked her lately. She looked downright pale.
I’ll make sure to bring her something tasty on the way home tomorrow.
* * *
Normally, Armin would’ve come to pick me up from home, but today, he specifically asked to meet in the city. Even someone as dense as me could tell he had something special planned.
Maybe I was too excited—I’d rushed and ended up arriving a whole hour early.
Michelle had gone all out dressing me up today. She’d put me in a red suspender skirt with a pair of bloomers underneath that puffed out like two little pumpkins. My thin legs were covered in white stockings, and I wore round-toed Mary Janes on my feet.
“Today’s concept is cuteness. I dare say I’ve maximized your charm, my lady.”
Michelle had even winked, confident that the look would definitely charm the Young Duke. I couldn’t complain—after all, even I had to admit it looked pretty cute.
Though I had a parasol, I didn’t bother opening it and just let it hang from my arm while I wandered around the city. I had nothing better to do while waiting for Armin.
That’s when I noticed a pair of people: an old woman and a shady-looking man hovering near her. The elderly lady looked frightened.
Normally, I would’ve thought twice before sticking my nose into someone else’s business, but I was in such a good mood that I walked straight toward them without hesitation.
As I approached, the man’s expression twisted. He looked like someone whose shady plan had just been interrupted by an unexpected witness.
“Ma’am,” I said kindly, locking eyes with the old woman. She looked startled by the sudden attention.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
“Hey! Why are you talking to her outta nowhere? Mind your own business and move along, will ya?”
“Ma’am, do you actually know this man?”
“Ah! I said stop talking to her and get going!”
The man barked at me and took a step forward. He was much bigger than me, but clearly, I was a noble—he couldn’t afford to lay a finger on me.
“Step back unless you want to regret this for the rest of your life.”
I mimicked Armin. I couldn’t quite replicate his tone, but the cold stare I gave him probably looked convincing enough.
It seemed to work—the man flinched and stepped back. I turned back to the elderly woman and smiled gently.
“Ma’am, is something wrong? Is there something I can help you with?”
“Well… he said there was something wrong with my safe, and I was on my way to the bank…”
She was obviously tense, but she explained her situation calmly. The man let out a sharp, stifled noise. That alone told me everything I needed to know.
A scammer, I thought immediately, and focused on reassuring the elderly woman.
“Oh? And how exactly did he learn about this issue with your safe?”
“The bank manager supposedly sent him… said it was an errand.”
“An errand?”
“He gave me this letter.”
She handed me a letter, written on paper far too fine for common use—something only nobles would use. It appeared to be from the bank manager, just like she said.
It claimed there had been a problem with her safe, that she might be involved in a fraud incident, and they needed to verify the contents to return her assets safely.
“Ma’am, he gave you this letter?”
She nodded, and I let out a dry laugh.
Different era, same scam. This was basically medieval voice phishing.
I turned to glare sharply at the man.
