“I’m not sure,” Samantha admitted, her voice uncertain. “But it doesn’t seem like the lady used black magic. So why did that priest bring it up?”
Lily fell silent, deep in thought. None of them were uncomfortable with the idea of their lady using black magic, but the more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed. Yet, the priest’s claim that there was a trace of black magic on her lingered in her mind. Could it be true? Could the lady have used black magic, and they, being untrained in such things, simply failed to recognize it?
“It’s possible the priest is suspicious of her,” Amanda suggested, breaking the silence. “He might have lied about the black magic just to justify keeping her under surveillance. They can’t outright accuse someone of her rank without solid grounds.”
“How would he know?” Samantha asked, skeptical. “We erased every trace thoroughly.”
“Well, he’s a priest. He might have some method we don’t know about. What should we do?” Amanda’s tone was grim, and the room grew heavier.
Lily chewed anxiously on her thumbnail. If their lady was truly under suspicion, it was their responsibility to protect her. After all, they were the ones left behind in the count’s estate. Amanda’s voice cut through the tension, low and deliberate.
“I have an idea.”
“What is it?” Lily asked, intrigued.
“They said people who use black magic to enhance their bodies break down quickly, both physically and mentally. They don’t live long.”
Lily’s eyes sparkled with understanding. Amanda smirked faintly, satisfied that Lily had grasped her meaning.
“Has the incinerator been used today?” Amanda continued.
“They ran it once in the morning, but with everything going on at the estate, it hasn’t been used since.”
“Then I’ll check if the shoes I threw in are still there.”
The maids exchanged knowing glances, their collective realization punctuated by suppressed giggles. Their ordinary-looking eyes glinted faintly in the dim light of the room.
“I couldn’t stand that bastard anyway. Now we can get rid of him too.”
“Let’s hope the shoes didn’t burn completely. Even if they’re gone, it won’t matter much, but having them would be even better.”
Their thoughts were aligned. The same victim came to all their minds: the servant whose shoes Lily had stolen.
Poor Charlie. Losing his shoes would be the least of his worries now.
* * *
The five maids wasted no time. That morning, Rose, who was on patrol duty, wandered the first floor and garden before making her way to the incinerator.
The incinerator was cluttered with half-burned trash, but Rose managed to locate the shoes Lily had discarded. They were half-burned, yet the sturdy soles and heel portions remained intact. On closer inspection, faint bloodstains seemed visible. Carefully, Rose wrapped the charred shoes in an old cloth she had brought and hid them in her room.
Rose recalled the conversations she and her friends had shared the previous night. Lily had stolen Charlie’s shoes the day before the incident. When the lady requested men’s shoes, the five maids had chosen Charlie without hesitation. While the count had several loyal servants, Charlie was by far the worst. They had hoped that if the shoes were discovered, suspicion would naturally fall on him. They hadn’t anticipated this opportunity to use their plan so directly.
After finishing her morning patrol, Rose had about an hour of free time before breakfast. Taking care not to wake Amelie, who was still asleep in her bed, Rose quietly changed her clothes and slipped out of the room. By now, the non-night-shift staff would be waking up.
Rose crept into the building where the male servants lived and softly knocked on Charlie’s door.
“Charlie, Charlie.”
Her whispered voice carried a note of urgency, carefully feigned. Among the maids, Rose was the one responsible for gathering rumors. This role required her to be friendly, approachable, and quick to smile. Her pretty face made her especially popular among the male servants.
It was a relatively safe role compared to the others, but it had its own challenges, which made Lily and Amanda occasionally feel pity for her and go out of their way to help her out.
“Huh? Rose?”
Charlie emerged groggily, his face still half-asleep. The sight of Rose startled him fully awake. She put a finger to her lips in a hurried ‘shh’ gesture, her expression urgent.
Rose gently pushed him back into his room and followed, closing the door behind her.
“Rose, what are you doing here at this hour?”
Charlie looked bewildered. Rose forced a smile onto her face, though his clueless expression made her stomach churn. She maintained the illusion of urgency, ensuring the tension in the air remained palpable. But no matter how much she acted, Charlie seemed oblivious, grinning stupidly.
Clearly, the fact that Rose was visiting him had sparked some misguided hope.
She glared at him internally, hiding her disgust under an anguished expression.
“Charlie, you’re in trouble,” she said in a hushed tone.
“What? What do you mean?”
His face, brimming with expectation moments ago, quickly deflated. Rose lowered her voice further, leaning in closer as if revealing a grave secret. Charlie’s posture stiffened visibly under his thin sleepwear. His shoulders squared, his back straightened, and his body tensed.
Rose was fully aware of what such reactions meant when men were around her.
“I was on patrol this morning. You know the royal knights are still here, right?”
“Uh, yeah, but what does that have to do with me?”
“The knights found a pair of men’s shoes in the incinerator. Bloodstained ones.”
Charlie’s face flickered with alarm. He remembered the recent incident when someone had stolen his shoes. As a favored servant of the count, he was considered high-ranking among the male staff and had flown into a rage, interpreting the theft as a challenge to his authority. He had even stormed into the women’s quarters.
Rose casually glanced around his room—his private space, earned by currying favor with the count.
“So, what do you think the knights will do next? Of course, they’re going to check everyone’s shoes. You’re the only one who recently got new shoes. And everyone remembers the scene you caused when your shoes went missing.”
“But I didn’t do anything! They were stolen!”
“Shh! Keep your voice down. Do you want to wake everyone?”
Rose’s feigned urgency silenced Charlie. He clamped his mouth shut, his panicked expression tinged with his usual foolishness.
This simplicity, Rose thought, is why he could gleefully commit vile acts without guilt.
“Listen,” she continued, “I overheard the knights. They think the culprit might try to escape, so they’re secretly investigating everyone today. The day after tomorrow, they plan to arrest all suspects.”
“What should I do? I’ll just tell them my shoes were stolen!”
“You could, but do you think they’ll believe you?” Rose grabbed his hand, her eyes glistening with feigned tears. “Charlie, they’ll interrogate you, and you might avoid execution, but this is a noble’s murder. You know how they treat commoners. What do you think they’ll do to you?”
Her voice cracked with false emotion. “Lily, the first witness, was beaten during her interrogation.”
“Beaten? But she looked fine!”
“They beat her where it wouldn’t show. You know how nobles treat us. If that’s how they handle a witness, what do you think they’ll do to a suspect? I heard they’ve called for torture experts from the imperial prison.”
Tears began streaming down Rose’s face, and her voice trembled with staged fear. Charlie, flustered, tried to wipe her tears away. Rose wanted nothing more than to bite his fingers off.
“Charlie, you have to run. Even if they find out later that you’re innocent, the torture will ruin you.”
“Why are you helping me?” Charlie asked cautiously.
“Idiot, isn’t it obvious?”
“What?”
Rose threw her arms around his waist.
“Charlie, I’ve loved you for so long. I’m serious. Let’s run away together.”
She tightened her grip, as if she truly meant it, though in truth, she wished she could squeeze the life out of him.
Would her ploy work? As if to answer her question, she felt something hard pressing against her abdomen. This bastard, she thought with revulsion.
“Tonight, at midnight. I’ll have a carriage ready at the back gate.”
Rose whispered tearfully, “Charlie, I love you.”
Charlie embraced her tightly, his own foolish emotions stirred. As she left his room, Rose resolved to take a long shower. She could still feel his arousal against her, and it made her wish she could hang him upside down.
* * *
After Rose secretly left Charlie’s room, having secured his agreement, the other maids began executing the next phase of their plan in earnest.
Samantha, under the pretense that her younger sibling was ill, had gone out of the estate earlier that morning. She was meeting with the people necessary to handle Charlie’s “situation.”
Everything had to proceed flawlessly.
* * *
Charlie spent the entire day consumed by anxiety. He couldn’t comprehend how things had escalated so drastically simply because his shoes had been stolen.
Distracted by his thoughts during work, he received scolding after scolding from the butler, who eventually dismissed him, suggesting he take a rest since he didn’t seem well.
Charlie found himself in the servants’ lounge, his legs bouncing nervously as he sat. Two maids soon entered—Lily and Amanda. They prepared tea and set out some cookies, seemingly ignoring his presence as they chatted among themselves.
“Lily, are you feeling better?” Amanda asked gently.
“Yeah, a little,” Lily replied.
“Honestly, the knights went too far, didn’t they? You’re just a witness, and yet they hit you like that.”
Charlie couldn’t help but listen in on their conversation. Rose had told him Lily had been beaten during her interrogation, but hearing it confirmed sent chills down his spine.
“Aren’t knights supposed to protect ladies? Do they think commoners don’t count as women?” Amanda continued indignantly.
“It’s a good thing they didn’t hit my face,” Lily added, rolling up her sleeve to reveal a bluish-red bruise on her forearm.
Charlie involuntarily gasped at the sight. Quickly, he averted his gaze, his heart pounding in fear. As he looked away, Lily and Amanda exchanged knowing glances but continued their act, chatting as though oblivious to his reaction.
“I saw the knights poking around near the incinerator earlier,” Amanda said casually.
“Looking for evidence, I bet,” Lily replied. “They need to catch the culprit soon.”
“Yeah. It’s terrifying to work here with a murderer on the loose. What do you think will happen if they catch whoever it is?”
“What else?” Lily’s voice took on a deliberate weight as she answered.
“They’ll be subjected to excruciating torture and then executed. The culprit’s a commoner, isn’t he? They probably won’t stop at breaking his fingers or limbs. They might carve him up like a piece of meat, just like they did to the count. And then? A public beheading for everyone to watch.”
“Of course. It’s the murder of a noble, after all. Even if someone’s only suspicious, they’ll be dragged off to the dungeon for interrogation.”
Listening to their conversation, Charlie’s imagination ran wild. He envisioned himself locked in a filthy dungeon crawling with insects, his body mutilated by torture, wounds festering and attracting swarms of bugs. His legs began to shake even more violently.
“I bet all the servants hope they catch the culprit soon,” Lily mused.
Amanda nodded in agreement. “Absolutely. Whoever could do something so horrific deserves the harshest punishment. Even if someone’s just suspicious, no one will defend them. For all we know, they could be the killer.”
Charlie couldn’t take it anymore. He bolted from the lounge, his mind racing in panic.
He had been wavering about whether or not to flee. The money he had earned from his questionable dealings with the count and Gallet was substantial, far more than a regular servant could dream of, but most of it was already squandered. And though Rose was undeniably beautiful, staying at the estate promised the possibility of earning more.
Perhaps Gallet might even protect him? After all, they were accomplices, weren’t they? But Lily and Amanda’s words made him reconsider. Would Gallet protect him, or would he see this as an opportunity to eliminate a liability?
Lost in thought, Charlie rounded a corner and collided with someone, stumbling to the ground. A sharp, startled cry escaped the other person—it was Amelie, Rose’s roommate.
“Watch where you’re going!” she snapped.
“What? You ran into me!” Charlie retorted, brushing himself off.
Amelie ignored his protests, brushing off her skirt as she stood. She made to leave but paused, grabbing his arm.
“Have you seen Rose?” she asked.
“What? Why would I… why would I know where Rose is?” Charlie stammered.
Amelie suppressed a smirk. “She said she was coming to see you. Haven’t you noticed how often she watches you?”
“What? Rose watches me?” Charlie’s voice rose, a mix of confusion and disbelief.
“Of course,” Amelie scoffed. “Though I can’t imagine why. Honestly, what’s so great about you?”
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Charlie snapped, his temper flaring.
Amelie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, looking him up and down disdainfully. “I mean, it’s a miracle someone like Rose would even look at you.”
“What? Look at me! I’m tall, good-looking, and I make good money!” Charlie fumed.
Amelie bit back laughter but managed to maintain her mocking tone. “Sure, if you say so. Anyway, if you see Rose, tell her I’m looking for her.”
With that, she brushed past him, leaving him stewing in frustration. Once she was out of sight, she allowed herself a quiet, satisfied chuckle.
As for Charlie, her words only added to his growing anxiety. He realized he didn’t have time to hesitate. He needed to pack his things and meet Rose tonight to escape.
Rose had said she’d saved up everything she earned for their future together. A small house in the countryside didn’t sound so bad.
Besides, even if she discovered later how little money he had left, she’d forgive him. After all, she clearly loved him enough to risk everything to warn him.
But as much as he tried to reassure himself, he couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom.
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