…No, no matter what, I didn’t expect that “soon” to come this early.
‘Is it true that the first try is hard, and the second is easy?’
Idel pondered as she looked down at the scattered shards of pottery on the bed, as if they had accidentally fallen and broken.
‘A frog fell into the washbasin, and the pillow I loved is torn.’
All by ‘accident’, of course.
After the servants realized Idel wouldn’t rashly tell the adults the truth, they quickly became accustomed to ‘doing bad things’.
Diane was astonished at how easily people could come to dislike someone, but well.
‘It’s not so much that they have real malice against me, but rather it’s for venting their frustration and for fun.’
The thrill of being able to manipulate someone they couldn’t even touch before.
In any case, Idel was quite pleased with how smoothly her plan was going.
‘It’s time to start soon.’
Idel called Diane while cutting out letters from the newspaper.
“Diane, go tell the servants today that I accused you of something.”
“Accused me?”
“Yeah, I was trying to make you arrange the bed, but I caused a scene saying you took my hairpin. When you found it between the bed’s slats, I claimed you were pretending it wasn’t you and that I threatened to go find Sylvia.”
“Ah…”
“But since things didn’t go as I wished, add that I won’t say anything if something goes missing for a while. They’ll probably think there’s some pride involved.”
The girl, who had been helping her make an ‘anonymous letter’ with candle wax, blinked for a moment.
“Are you saying… you want someone to take your belongings?”
“Yeah. This way, if I go to see Sylvia, it’ll seem like no big deal until the truth comes out.”
“Miss…!”
“If you’re going to make that face, at least stick another note on the paper. Anyway, for now, just drop some trivial items on the floor. Like a brooch or a ribbon…”
“Yes! I’ll deliver this letter soon as well. I hope your plan succeeds quickly!”
Diane smiled slightly, looking a little nervous.
Instead of responding, Idel urged Diane to hurry up and make the letter.
After all, Idel needed that anxious situation to deceive Melisa.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
The instructions given to Diane had an immediate effect.
Someone had taken the jewelry carelessly dropped near the door.
‘I guess my plan to make them think I’m not going to make a fuss for a while has worked.’
Idel glanced at the clock and left the room. It was Sylvia, the head maid’s, break time. Since Diane had confirmed what Gianna told her, there was no doubt.
No one stopped Idel. No one asked where she was going.
‘Just as I wanted.’
With a satisfied expression, Idel stood in front of Sylvia’s small office.
She could hear quiet voices from inside.
‘So, Sylvia. Isn’t it better for me to go to my brother quickly? You want to get married soon, right?’
‘Even so, I can’t ask the Duchess or the Duke for a guarantee! That evaluation is their exclusive right.’
‘No, I’m not asking you to suddenly bring up the guarantee; I’m just asking you to mention, subtly, that I’m someone you can trust… Honey, are you mad? Look at me.’
What a mess, what a mess.
Idel clicked her tongue lightly at the whiny sounds spilling out.
‘They’re really trying to suck everything dry.’
She had no intention of listening to the charm of a man she wasn’t interested in. Quickly raising her hand to knock, she opened the door without waiting for a response.
The image of “Idel” that she maintained at the Duke’s residence was not of someone who upheld etiquette among the servants.
The man, who had been trying to wrap his arms around Sylvia’s waist in a display of affection, jumped back in surprise and created distance.
It was an obviously suspicious action, but Idel ignored it and went straight to Sylvia.
“Sylvia.”
“Miss Idel? What brings you here…? Moreover, it’s my break time right now.”
“How would I know that?”
Cutting off Sylvia’s words like a child, Idel immediately got to the point.
“Sylvia, things are disappearing from my room. It seems someone is stealing my stuff.”
“Things are disappearing.”
Sylvia momentarily stiffened her expression seriously.
If Idel’s words were true, it would be quite a significant issue. It would mean that a mere servant was looking down on the Duke’s family.
However…
‘Lately, the servants have been quite dissatisfied with Miss Idel.’
Complaints reached her ears several times a day, and recently, there were even rumors that Miss Idel was lying.
‘For example, she claimed that someone had stolen something from her when it had just fallen behind the bed.’
As someone serving the Duke of Clementine’s family, she tried to keep personal feelings out of her work as much as possible.
‘Honestly, it’s hard to trust Miss Idel.’
From the incident with Miss Gianna to this theft, it wasn’t the first time something had happened.
If the Duchess hadn’t advised her to observe for a while, she would have made some sort of decision long ago.
With a light sigh to clear her unnecessary thoughts, she calmly nodded and opened her mouth.
“I understand, Miss Idel. I will send Veronica to confirm.”
“What? Confirm? What’s there to confirm if I say so?”
“Do you remember who took which item, Idel? If you do, please tell me the name of the servant. I’ll investigate right away.”
“W-Well…”
Idel pouted her lips, as if feeling insulted by Sylvia’s words. It was a question she couldn’t answer either.
“Hmph! What do I care about that?”
Idel, pretending to be annoyed, turned her head and subtly raised an eyebrow.
“What’s that over there?”
“That…?”
Curious about what she was referring to, Sylvia turned her head to where Idel was looking and gasped softly. Standing in the corner was her fiancé, Demaric.
Noticing Idel’s gaze on him, Demaric quickly bowed his head and greeted her.
“Ah, hello, Miss Idel.”
“I thought you were a ghost! What are you doing over there?”
“Haha, well, I’ve been here from the start…”
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, making a hesitant protest. Of course, Idel didn’t care.
“So you’ve been here all along and didn’t even greet me?”
“Ah, well… I thought Miss Idel was having an important conversation with Sylvia…”
“Excuses. Wait, did you just call Sylvia?”
It was not Demaric who answered Idel’s quick question, but Sylvia. She felt that if she didn’t intervene, things would not end well.
Otherwise, Demaric would face a humiliating situation with Idel.
“Miss Idel, allow me to formally introduce him. This is Demaric Anton, an aide working in the Duke’s office. He is also my fiancé.”
“Oh, so that’s why you called him Sylvia?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Idel looked back and forth between Demaric and Sylvia, letting out a short snort. It seemed she lost interest as she realized there was nothing particularly special about it.
“Well, sure. That aside, I hope you can resolve my issue quickly. How long will the confirmation take?”
“It shouldn’t take long. Time is crucial in situations like this. I was actually about to go see Veronica to explain the situation.”
“Ah, great. Should we go then?”
Sylvia let out a light sigh at Idel’s impatient gesture, as if to say why she wasn’t moving quickly.
She had clearly mentioned that she was on her break when asked about the matter at first, but it seemed Idel had completely forgotten.
‘Or maybe she doesn’t care whether the servant gets to rest or not.’
Suppressing her rising personal feelings, Sylvia was just about to nod in understanding when…
“Wait a moment! Miss Idel, Sylvia is still on her break!”
“What?”
“She hasn’t had a break since yesterday and was just about to catch her breath.”
“Demaric.”
Despite Sylvia’s voice trying to stop him, Demaric stood firm.
“No, Sylvia, taking a break is really important.”
“And my belongings disappearing isn’t important?”
“W-Well, what I mean is, um, I’ll communicate with Veronica! I’ll do it instead of Sylvia.”
“You?”
“Yes, since I’m right nearby… It’s not something that must be conveyed by the head maid.”
Flustered, he finished explaining to Idel and looked at Sylvia, as if to say to trust him, tapping his chest.
“Sylvia, if you don’t trust me, feel free to include a letter! So you should take a break. I want you to value your time.”
“…Thank you, Demaric. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yep, just trust me!”
With that final word, Demaric quickly exited the office, looking as if he couldn’t afford to waste even a moment.
Idel, watching his retreating figure with cold eyes, found herself speaking to Sylvia, who looked touched.
“…Your fiancé is really kind.”
“Yes, I think that’s enough.”
“…”
Was it because of her perfectly trusting gaze? Somehow, it felt frustrating, even though it wasn’t her issue.
