“That’s why I told you not to draw attention by acting out. You need to stay low and keep out of sight.”
Catherine didn’t bother to hide how pathetic she thought it was. There was also a hint of self-pity—like she was wondering how she ended up working with someone like this.
“Don’t go stirring things up. Just be grateful that Renee doesn’t know anything about this and keep quiet.”
At the mention of Renee’s name again, Erin’s anger surged, and she was about to speak. But Catherine strode up and pushed down hard on Erin’s shoulder, forcing her to close her mouth.
“Remember this. If you mess things up, I’ll be the first one to come after you.”
Faced with that small but heavy warning, Erin pressed her lips shut.
It was clear that if something went wrong because of her, Catherine wouldn’t let it slide.
No—even if Catherine let it slide, she herself wouldn’t come out of it unscathed.
“You should go now. And instead of hanging around here, shouldn’t you be serving Lady Renee properly? That’s probably where your way out lies, too.”
Even at the end, Catherine brought up Renee’s name as if she wanted to provoke Erin one last time.
Erin knew it was meant to provoke her, but she still left the room in a storm of irritation.
“She’s totally doing it on purpose.”
Catherine had long since figured out that Erin was touchy about Renee.
The fact that she kept mentioning her name, even though Erin was this angry, felt like a form of spite.
“She’s probably worried I might actually become the duchess or something.”
Erin tried to calm herself, but her emotions had already passed the boiling point.
Instead of settling down, her anxiety only grew. The more solid Renee’s position became, the more Raynan’s affection leaned toward her.
What even made Renee different from her?
Besides being a little prettier, there wasn’t a single thing that made her better than Erin.
“Yeah. She just got lucky, that’s all.”
Erin replayed all the moments she’d seen Renee.
How she didn’t even glance properly at precious gems, how she draped herself in beautiful, delicate things and acted like she didn’t care—none of it sat right with her.
While Erin would’ve done anything to get a closer look, Renee always acted the same.
And above all, Erin couldn’t stand the way Renee casually said things like, “You go to the party instead of me,” or “Can you shop for me?”
It hurt Erin’s pride. Being stuck in a situation where she had to stay close to someone like Renee.
Because that was the only way she could even hope to see Raynan.
Wasn’t that exactly what was happening now? No matter how mad she got, no matter how annoyed, she still ended up back in front of Renee’s room.
After trying to push down her emotions with a deep breath, she stepped inside.
“Oh, Erin. You’ve been busy lately, huh?”
Seeing Renee greet her so casually made all her effort to calm down nearly vanish.
But Erin forced a smile and approached Renee, determined to get through this and push her away one day.
“Lady Renee.”
****
As Erin stepped into the room, she called out to me in a cheerful voice. That side of her didn’t seem much different from before.
Then again, she had always been one of Schneider’s people from the beginning, so maybe it was meaningless to expect a different side of her.
“Why have you been so busy lately?”
Not having anything natural to say, I asked her with a smile.
Luckily, it didn’t seem too awkward, and Erin replied in her usual friendly tone.
“Lady Catherine has been assigning me some tasks.”
“Ah, Catherine…”
The moment Catherine’s name came up—of all times—I couldn’t keep a natural expression anymore.
Seeing the awkward look on my face, Erin widened her eyes and asked,
“Were you looking for me, by any chance?”
“No, not really. I just thought you must be tired.”
“No, I’m sorry for being away so often.”
“Since Cecile is here, don’t worry too much about this place.”
Erin opened her mouth to say something, but I was too tired to continue the conversation with her.
So instead of waiting for her reply, I turned to Cecile and said,
“I need to see the Duke for a moment.”
“Shall I go ahead and let him know?”
“No, I think he’s probably in his office. If he’s not available, it can’t be helped—but I’ll go check.”
“Understood.”
As Cecile responded, Erin moved to stand beside her.
“I’ll accompany you, Lady Renee.”
“No, you’ve been busy until now. Take a break. I’ll go with Cecile.”
“No, it’s precisely because I’ve been away that I should go with you now.”
Even continuing the conversation was tiring—being alone with her on the way to see Raynan made it worse.
Erin, who had kept a subtle distance until recently, now suddenly sticking close made me even more uncomfortable.
“No. I’ll go. Like Lady Renee said, you should rest a little,” Cecile said firmly to Erin.
Whether she sensed my discomfort or thought it was her responsibility, Cecile’s clear stance was a relief to me.
I knew that if Cecile said so, Erin wouldn’t insist any further. She had always been hesitant around people with strong personalities like Cecile.
As expected, Erin didn’t argue after Cecile spoke.
“Then I’ll just tidy things up here. Please go ahead.”
I stared at Erin. Even that felt calculated, like there was an ulterior motive behind it.
Even the smallest actions from Erin didn’t feel normal anymore.
Maybe I was being overly sensitive—but it was true that I could no longer treat her like I used to.
This was only going to get more exhausting.
A sigh came out naturally. Like the past few days, it’d be easier if she just kept disappearing now and then.
But of all days, she seemed determined to stick close again starting today.
Should I just ask Raynan to switch her out because she makes me uncomfortable?
But what if that only makes things worse?
There was no guarantee she wouldn’t end up crying and begging again.
“Lady Renee?”
“Hm?”
Just as my worries seemed to be endlessly spiraling, Cecile’s voice brought me back.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Ah…”
It didn’t feel like I’d been thinking for long, but we were already in front of Raynan’s office.
“Are you really okay? You’ve been acting a bit strange lately…”
“Sorry for worrying you. I’ve just had a lot on my mind… I’m sure I’ll be fine soon.”
Cecile nodded at my words. Given that we had just gotten engaged and returned from the Imperial Palace, it must’ve sounded like a reasonable explanation.
“If you ever feel even slightly unwell, you must let me know right away.”
“I will.”
After hearing my response, Cecile looked reassured and informed Raynan’s aide that I was here.
Thankfully, Raynan was in his office and allowed me to come in.
What I hadn’t expected was that, perhaps because he’d been in a meeting, several people had to leave the room because of my visit.
I had come partly to avoid Erin and partly to talk about Catherine.
It wasn’t even something that would take long, so I felt bad that people were being driven out because of me.
“I only needed a moment… I didn’t mean for everyone to leave…”
“Don’t think of it that way. Thanks to you, I get a bit of a break, too. You came at just the right time.”
Raynan spoke casually, like it was no big deal, and guided me to sit on the sofa.
Seated beside me, he somehow looked like he was in a good mood.
“You coming to see me—it’s a rare thing.”
It seemed to be something that made him quite happy.
Seeing his satisfied smile made me smile too, just for a moment, forgetting the worries that had been filling my head and heart for days.
“I have something to tell you. Since you should rest, I’ll just say it quickly and go.”
I might’ve felt more at ease seeing him, but that didn’t mean he was, and I didn’t want to take up his time. The urgency to let him rest made me speak faster.
But seeing me try to rush things, Raynan looked a little disappointed.
“I can spend as much time as you’re willing to stay.”
“Oh… is that so? Then… should I bring some tea?”
“That’s not something you need to do. Just tell me what you came to say.”
“Well, aside from Erin and Marvin… I think there might be another of Schneider’s people inside House Loerian.”
The moment Schneider’s name came up, Raynan’s expression noticeably changed.
He didn’t seem to expect that name to come from me.
In a much lower voice, he asked,
“Who are you talking about?”
“I’m not certain, but I think Catherine might also be one of Schneider’s people.”
This time, Raynan looked genuinely shocked.
Just as I was about to ask if he was okay—because he hadn’t moved a muscle—he blinked.
“Catherine?”
“Yes.”
Until now, Raynan had always looked like he already knew whatever I told him.
Even when someone intruded, he hadn’t seemed surprised. But at the mention of Catherine’s name, he was clearly taken aback.
Seeing him still struggling to believe it, I nodded again and explained,
“Schneider spoke as if it wasn’t a coincidence that I became Edwin’s nanny. Like he had placed me there on purpose.”
“So it wasn’t a coincidence…”
“Yes. And if it wasn’t a coincidence, that means Catherine chose me deliberately.”
“Right. Unless I personally chose someone, Catherine would have been the one handling the maids.”
“Yes. And Erin’s been stepping away a lot lately, saying Catherine gave her tasks…”
“Is that so?”
“I just felt like I needed to tell you.”
“You did well. Once we know who to check, it won’t be hard to confirm.”
“I’m sorry. I know you trusted Catherine a lot.”
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.”
“She’s been head maid for so long… I figured you must’ve had confidence in her.”
“No. In the end, there’s no one who can be trusted completely. But more importantly, I have a question for you.”
“Go ahead.”
“If it wasn’t a coincidence that you became Edwin’s nanny—why you? Why would they pick you, specifically?”
At that question, I paused. It was a natural thing for Raynan to wonder.
I had two choices: to be honest, or to try and lie my way out of it somehow. It was a hard decision, especially because I didn’t even know my own position clearly.
“Renee?”
“To be honest… I don’t really know.”
“You don’t know?”
“Schneider said it like… I was one of his people too. But I honestly have no idea what he meant.”
“He said that?”
“Yes.”
I was never good at lying anyway. And Raynan sometimes seemed to read me so easily, like he could see right through me.
So rather than trying to lie for no reason, it felt better to be honest.
Besides, it was too frightening and heavy a worry to keep to myself.
I wanted to tell someone—anyone—and ask for help. Especially if that someone was Raynan, who might be able to give me a clear answer.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at me—as if he could see everything inside me that way.
“Would you… be willing to investigate my background for me, Duke?”
