Episode 72

After a restless night of tossing and turning, I finally greeted the morning without having truly slept. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I watched the light slowly creep up over the horizon. It was the familiar beginning of a day. Soon enough, I could hear the sounds of people waking up and moving around, preparing for the busy day ahead.

I dressed in the official uniform and followed Hanna, the head maid, and my predecessor into Igon’s office. The scent I had come to recognize greeted us at the entrance.

“Good morning.”

Hanna said as she bowed, and both my predecessor and I followed her lead, bowing as well.

Igon, his gaze still fixed on the papers on his desk, acknowledged the greeting with a small tilt of his head before returning to his work. After Hanna gave a brief report, she left the room, leaving only my predecessor and me behind.

My predecessor silently guided me through the tasks, showing me how to assist Igon with various duties. Since neither of us could speak, the training was conducted through subtle gestures and careful observation.

Then, I heard a soft sound—a dull thud. Igon had lowered a red string beneath the desk, attached to a small weight that made a quiet, blunt noise as it touched the ground. The weight wasn’t a simple stone, but a polished mineral, extending the string under the desk.

My predecessor moved to retrieve the document Igon was offering and handed it to him. It seemed the red string had a specific purpose, a signal for something important. Following my predecessor’s lead, I approached the desk as well, tidying the string while he handled the document. Upon closer inspection, the weight wasn’t an ordinary stone—it had been carefully carved from a crystal.

As I glanced over Igon’s desk, I noticed several containers holding strings in other colors—green, yellow, and blue, each neatly arranged in sequence. When I found an empty space where the red string belonged, I carefully and quietly placed it back, making sure no footsteps echoed across the room.

Just as I finished, the sound of Igon’s pen stopped abruptly. His gaze turned to me, sharp and binding, like invisible strings wrapping around me. His eyes, clear and polished like a spotless pane of glass, revealed nothing of his thoughts, though I sensed he was observing me closely. One corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly—a mixture of curiosity, mild approval, and perhaps a hint of annoyance.

I bowed my head, slowly stepping back. When I finally looked up, Igon had already returned his attention to the documents on his desk. My predecessor, who had finished his task, gestured for me to follow him out of the room.

I followed my predecessor out of the room quietly. We made our way to the office where Igon’s aides worked. These aides were said to be the scions of noble families, many of whom had even studied abroad. Among them, Igon’s first aide was particularly valued—not only was he exceptionally skilled, but he also had a calm and composed nature. Yet, even he couldn’t remain in Igon’s study, where every sound seemed to irritate Igon’s heightened senses.

The aides’ office was located at the end of the corridor on the lower floor. This was because Igon had cleared all the rooms near his study to ensure complete silence. As we walked through the halls, our shoes were covered with cloth to muffle the sound. The quiet was so deep, it felt almost oppressive.

I found myself reflecting on the past. I had believed Igon had betrayed me, but now, it seemed possible that the one suffering from a sense of betrayal wasn’t me, but Igon. Perhaps, just as I resented him, he harbored resentment toward me.

Knock, knock.

The sound of the knock brought me back to the present. I managed to put on the light smile that a servant might wear.

* * *

Throughout the day, my predecessor and I found ourselves climbing up and down the stairs dozens of times. As I became more familiar with the duties, I realized that there were many precautions required for the sake of security. One more thing I learned was that my predecessor was truly a diligent worker. Yet, with his impaired hearing, he must have faced certain difficulties that made it challenging to continue in this role.

By the time we were halfway through our tasks, a thought crossed my mind—could it be that Igon hired me simply as a worker? Was this truly just about hiring the right talent? Whether this guess was true or not, I knew that I couldn’t afford to let my expectations cloud my judgment, nor could I allow myself to be disappointed. I jotted down additional notes beside those my predecessor had given me, summarizing what I had learned today and what I would need to keep in mind going forward.

Tap.

This time, it was a green string that fell. It signaled the time to prepare tea. I took over the task, preparing the tea in my predecessor’s stead, making every effort to minimize noise. Throughout the entire process, there wasn’t a single unnecessary sound between Igon, my predecessor, and myself.

I brewed the tea, while my predecessor carried the tray and placed it gently on Igon’s desk. Igon’s fingers, which had been rhythmically tapping the table as if calculating something, wrapped around the handle of the cup. There was no comment like “The aroma is nice,” or “The taste is good.” He simply drank, his movements impeccably graceful.

He looked every bit the noble descended from a line chosen by the gods to walk the earth. And yet, his demeanor remained detached, as though he had no interest in me whatsoever.

He neither looked my way for long nor approached me. In fact, he acted as if he had completely forgotten about the incident from the previous night, showing no personal interest at all. It felt as though I had imagined the entire encounter. I wanted to check on the injury to his leg, but the opportunity never arose. Instead, I busied myself with organizing documents, delivering them, and serving tea to Igon, wrapping up my first day’s tasks.

The second day was much like the first. There were no significant challenges. Occasionally, I needed to add brief details to the documents Igon asked me to deliver, but I had no trouble reading or writing. Igon never seemed to recognize my handwriting. The new body and hands made my penmanship awkward at first, especially since Liliana’s body favored using her left hand. The writing produced by my left hand differed greatly from what it had been before. But like the first, the second day passed without incident.

“Are you facing any trouble from the others?”

On the third day, the head maid approached me with this question. Without much thought, I shook my head. It wasn’t that there was no trouble at all, but it wasn’t significant. My bread might be slightly more misshapen, or my soup a little colder than the others’. But no one was foolish enough to openly display hostility towards someone who had previously worked at the palace. The situation was different.

Despite being a maid, I was treated very differently than when I first came here as Evelyn. I was given food, clean clothes, and my own room. It was much better now. Not just the treatment, but my state of mind as well. What I earned through my work wasn’t an intangible dream, nor did it feel like walking on thin ice that might crack beneath my feet. I appreciated that.

After the fourth day, Igon called in the heads of several families under his command to the estate. I wasn’t privy to the topic, but the meeting began, and one of my duties was to monitor its progress, unsure of when it might conclude. I delivered documents, timed breaks to serve refreshments, and observed for the right moments to do so. With a fair amount of support staff, the tasks proceeded smoothly.

My predecessor’s efforts particularly shone during this time. His intuition and sensitivity went beyond that of an ordinary person. After about ten days without any issues, he was reassigned elsewhere, leaving the work in my hands.

From then on, it was just the two of us in the office. I stood there like a piece of furniture, always on hand in Igon’s study. If he told me to deliver documents, I did; if he wanted tea, I brewed it. Staying by his side, I was constantly on edge, wary of old habits from my time as Evelyn slipping through, so much so that the tension made my neck and back ache.

Yet, Igon behaved more detached than I had anticipated. It made me wonder if what he truly wanted was a “quiet” attendant. The sound of papers being shuffled filled the room, a constant background to our silent routine.

I watched the man sitting straight-backed at the desk, sunlight spilling over him. Perhaps sensing my gaze, he turned his head. I quickly averted my eyes to the floor, but it was too late—I had already been caught. He didn’t say anything. The sound of his pen moving across the paper stopped, and silence stretched between us. I felt tense, as if his sharp gaze was piercing into the top of my bowed head.

When the sound of the pen resumed, scratching lightly against the paper, I cautiously lifted my head. His eyes, as perceptive as a wild animal’s, locked onto mine. Before I could look away, I was caught in his gaze. He stared intently for a moment before finally speaking. What I feared wasn’t a reprimand, but the vague dread that he might recognize me. Yet, contrary to my expectations, he simply handed me a document with a seal pressed into it.

I took the document, bowing deeply before hastily leaving the office. My cheeks burned, feeling as though the intensity of that gaze had left a mark. A warm breeze blew through the open window that faced the garden, carrying with it a hint of the approaching hot season. Even the night winds carried a fresh scent of greenery.

And oddly enough, I hadn’t seen Liam anywhere within the estate. I thought that if I returned here, we might run into each other by chance. Given that Igon was busy with family matters, and our paths rarely crossed unless something significant happened, it wasn’t impossible. But it still felt strange. Why hadn’t I seen him? Had he left for somewhere?

* * *

Uneventful days followed. The first real trouble occurred about a month into my time working at Igon’s side. It all started with the second aide. Due to his negligence in handling and filing sealed documents, we faced the arduous task of rewriting them all. I called it a disaster because the volume of work was overwhelming. The documents in question were announcements concerning changes in tax rates for merchants operating within the duchy, which were to be distributed to all the subordinate families. As with anything involving a seal, it was an extremely important matter.

The task of rewriting the documents kept not only the aides but also Igon and me awake through the night. The frustration directed at the second aide during those hours was almost palpable—no words were needed to express our thoughts. That night, three pen nibs broke from overuse.

When we finally finished the work, Igon said something unexpected—words I never thought I would hear from him.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Hearing those words made my chest tighten unexpectedly. It was a strange feeling. To think I would feel this way about Igon. I felt grateful, but strangely, a sense of loneliness also swept over me. He had once been closer to me than anyone in my world, yet now, the distance between us felt immense.

It was true that, with a new body, I needed to live a different life. But this left me feeling deeply conflicted. It became clear that he had indeed called me here for practical reasons. Foolishly, up until just before, I had thought he might have some hidden agenda. My initial doubts, which had started to fade by the second day, had now completely vanished.

Igon didn’t see me as Evelyn. He didn’t seem to think I had any connection to her. If that was the case, why had he chosen me in the first place?

Looking back, Igon had always been the type to get what he wanted, no matter what it took. He pursued his goals without hesitation, regardless of how trivial they might seem. Yes, even hiring a maid like me had been something he put effort into. Kenneth and I had been wrong in our assumptions. It seemed that Igon’s reasons for hiring me had nothing to do with Evelyn at all.

 

TL/N: predecessor here means guide or butler