* * *
“……”
“The strange thing is, no one knows where he keeps all those slaves or what he does with them. I couldn’t find out how he keeps it all under wraps. It hasn’t been long since his wife passed away, so maybe she died of a broken heart?”
Camille shuddered as if disgusted.
“Anything else?”
“Like what?”
“Suspicious circumstances or something.”
“Hmm.”
Camille stroked his chin, lost in thought.
“He’s running a loan shark operation through a front man, and recently he’s been spouting some strange nonsense. Apparently, he’s obsessed with young women. Probably slaves or something.”
“……”
“Ah! A while ago, I heard that a woman entered Joslyn’s mansion, so I looked into it. Her name was Magala Valérie.”
Camille, who had been describing someone’s appearance as thin and likely in her mid-thirties, suddenly furrowed his brow.
“But that woman, she’s connected to Lady Brienne.”
“What?”
“Your love tutor and Her Majesty the Queen Mother’s aide. Lady Anaïs Brienne, Countess Brienne.”
“What kind of connection?”
“She’s the wife of a distant cousin of the Brienne family, or something like that.”
Camille, feeling a headache coming on, rubbed his temples.
“Why is that woman going in and out of Joslyn’s house?”
“That’s……”
Camille leaned forward and gestured for Max to come closer. Max lowered his posture and leaned in.
“I don’t know.”
“……Camille Desaint.”
Camille burst into hearty laughter and raised his hands in surrender.
“So I looked into her a bit, and apparently, she used to act as a guardian for Lady Brienne but suddenly disappeared. But recently, she’s been staying at the Brienne estate.”
“……”
Camille shrugged, saying he’d told everything he knew. Max, who had been squeezing information out of him like wringing a dry rag, sipped his tea without a word.
He seemed satisfied, as if he’d gotten enough answers.
“Since I’m running errands for you, mind telling me why? Why are you so interested in Otto Joslyn all of a sudden? What’s the reason for digging this deep?”
Camille asked, puzzled. While it was true that Max often got into trouble and stirred up gossip, had he ever been this interested in someone else’s affairs?
After a moment of thought, Camille spoke again.
“Let me ask you something. Did you ask me to look into Joslyn because of Lady Brienne?”
“Yes.”
“……”
Camille covered his mouth with his hand, stunned. He stared at Max with an unfamiliar gaze. Noticing the change, Max asked bluntly.
“What?”
“Then, was the reason you humiliated Joslyn last time also because of Lady Brienne?”
“Something like that.”
Camille looked as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Why?”
“Because that bastard is plotting something vulgar against Brienne.”
“So why do you care? I’m genuinely curious. You don’t usually care about other people’s business, do you?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Since beating around the bush won’t get me anywhere, I’ll ask you directly. Do you have special feelings for Lady Brienne?”
Max let out a frustrated sigh and retorted.
“Special? Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Otherwise, why would you care what someone is plotting behind the scenes? Especially you, who usually avoids meddling in other people’s lives at all costs.”
Had Max ever stepped in when someone was in trouble? Camille thought back but couldn’t recall a single instance during the time he’d known him.
Max spoke as if it were obvious.
“It’s simple. Anaïs Brienne is Grandmother’s person. An attack on Anaïs is essentially an attack on Grandmother. I can’t just stand by and watch someone like **Josselin** challenge that authority.”
“……”
Does that even make sense?
Camille stared at Max with a complicated expression for a while, then decided against arguing further.
‘Anaïs Brienne…’
The owner of the salon, whom he hadn’t had the chance to meet properly yet. He had already thought she must be an extraordinary woman to handle Max’s temperament, but now he was even more curious about her.
If Amour resumes consultations, I should drop by and see her. Camille glanced at Max with interest, but Max, deep in thought, finally spoke.
“Camille, find out **Josselin**’s weaknesses.”
“Yes, yes. As you wish, Your Highness.”
* * *
After Magala Valérie moved into the Brienne estate, an unspoken rule emerged among the servants. Whenever Anaïs and Georges left for the salon, Magala effectively took charge of the estate.
She roamed every corner of the house as if it were her own.
“Who cleaned this tea cabinet? There’s still dust here.”
“Did you leave the footprints in front of the fireplace to clean next year?”
“Oh, my. Managing ingredients like this and still getting paid? It’s clear Anaïs has been too lenient with you all.”
Magala Valérie never stopped nagging. It seemed as if most of the food she ate was spent on talking, which might explain her thin frame. Even as the weather grew warmer, more servants volunteered for outdoor tasks. They preferred working in the heat over listening to her endless complaints.
Though Magala acted as if she ruled over everyone, she still couldn’t treat Faye, who had a long-standing bond with Anaïs, too harshly. Despite their mutual dislike, the two avoided direct confrontation and simply ignored each other.
Faye, the nanny, who had been observing the situation with growing unease, began to notice something about Magala’s behavior as she meddled in every aspect of the estate.
Over the past few days, Magala had been wandering around the estate, pretending to genuinely care about the household. What struck Faye as odd was when Magala insisted on cleaning Anaïs’s room herself.
‘What is she looking for?’
Unable to shake her suspicion, Faye peeked into the room and saw Magala frantically rummaging through drawers, closets, under the bed, and even pillowcases.
Just as I thought. This is why you shouldn’t take in stray animals.
Any remaining shred of humanity Faye had for Magala vanished at that moment. Though she didn’t know what Magala was searching for, Faye knew there was nothing to find in Anaïs’s room. She decided to wait for a more decisive moment before acting.
* * *
“Find out how she suddenly came up with such a large sum of money and how she managed to connect with the Queen Mother.”
“Where on earth is it!”
Magala, forgetting she was secretly rummaging through the room, let out a frustrated growl before covering her mouth. She was certain there had to be clues in the Brienne estate related to the recent changes in Anaïs’s life. But even after several days, Magala had found nothing.
The only thing she discovered was that the Brienne estate was exactly as she had left it. If anything, the worn-out furnishings made her wonder how the place hadn’t collapsed already.
She hadn’t expected to find a stash of money, but not even a single contract was in sight. Still, there was one silver lining.
‘If there were a man, there’d at least be a love letter or two.’
Magala smirked.
After searching Anaïs’s room and study, she found no evidence of any romantic involvement. Feeling she could at least save face with **Josselin**, she decided to stop searching the estate.
It was time to remember the real reason she had come here.
* * *
For dinner, roasted turkey was served as Magala had requested. Magala sat across from Anaïs and talked about the day’s events, mostly recounting the servants’ mistakes and how she had corrected them.
Feeling uneasy about the gossip, Anaïs tried to stop her, but Magala deftly changed the subject.
“Anaïs, don’t you think it’s time for you to marry?”
