Chapter 14
“Yeah. How did Rachel show up?”
In the quiet of dawn, when everyone was asleep, Hereis asked the man standing before him.
The man was a direct knight of the Shadow Order, someone who only followed Hereis’s commands.
He was also the only knight in the order whose face could be revealed.
Now, he was serving as Catherine’s guard—his name was August.
“She was just having tea time with Lady Catherine. So far, nothing unusual has happened,” August reported on the secret mission Hereis had assigned him.
He recalled watching Rachel and Catherine having tea during the day.
From afar, they looked like a loving mother and daughter.
‘Rachel even brushed off dust from Catherine’s hair.’
“I see. Keep watching her. That woman wouldn’t hesitate to use even her children to achieve her goals,” Hereis ordered.
“Oh, come on. But they’re still her real children, right? She seemed to care about Lady Catherine quite a lot,” August remarked.
“You’ll find out soon enough whether that’s real or not,” Hereis replied seriously.
August sighed and nodded.
So that was the real reason. When he was given the mission of being Catherine’s bodyguard, he had wondered why.
“In the end, this is all about keeping an eye on Rachel, huh?”
From the beginning, his real job was to spy on Rachel while using his role as Catherine’s guard as an excuse.
Since Rachel often stayed with the children, it was the perfect way to watch her closely.
“….”
“That girl thinks the Duke cares for her,” August muttered, thinking of Catherine.
The young girl was so grateful to the Duke and happily told others that her mother loved her.
But the truth was, his master hadn’t assigned him to protect Catherine out of love or concern for her.
Of course, Catherine didn’t know that.
“Well, I guess she can believe whatever she wants. But don’t you think it’s a little sad? Maybe you could at least play along with her a little?”
August spoke thoughtlessly from Catherine’s perspective, but the cold response he received made him shut his mouth.
“Don’t waste your thoughts. Just focus on your mission.”
Right. His master was right.
Catherine’s thoughts or feelings didn’t matter to him.
His duty was to serve the people of this household, not concern himself with anyone else.
“Babysitting at my age… What a hassle,” August grumbled before disappearing into the shadows.
Helen, Catherine’s maid, had noticed that the mansion had been noisy lately.
“Look! Lady Eleanor gave this to me!”
“No way! Eleanor gave you such an expensive gift?!”
“Wow, I’m so jealous!”
Irene, a maid who served Lady Eleanor, had changed lately.
She used to complain about being assigned to a lady who was treated like nothing more than a nuisance.
But suddenly, she started praising Eleanor and spreading stories about her kindness.
“Lady Eleanor is different from other nobles! She’s kind and considerate! Even a lowly maid like me is treated so well by her!”
Helen noticed this change in Irene.
It was a good change, but still…
“Helen, what about your lady? Has she given you anything?”
Irene held up the jeweled necklace Eleanor had given her and spoke with pride.
For some reason, Irene loved to compare their mistresses, but Helen never understood why.
“Uh, no. Lady Catherine doesn’t give me gifts like that. Haha.”
“Ah, poor you. But I guess only my lady is that generous!”
“Well… I don’t mind.”
“Don’t lie! Our Lady Eleanor is—”
‘Seriously, I don’t even want it!’
The necklace was beautiful, but Helen had never been interested in jewelry.
She found it unsettling when nobles gave such expensive gifts to their servants.
There was always a price to pay for such things.
“Helen! Perfect timing. Go to Lady Eleanor’s room on the second floor.”
“Huh?”
“Lady Eleanor wants to see you.”
A passing maid relayed the message, and Helen quickly made her way to Eleanor’s room.
“You called for me, my lady?”
“Come in, Helen,” Eleanor said with a soft smile.
She looked much more composed than the last time Helen had seen her.
“Yes. Did you need something?”
“You’re Catherine’s maid, right? I’ve heard she relies on you a lot. How is she? Do you like working for her?”
Eleanor gestured for Helen to sit across from her, then asked the question.
‘What does she mean by that?’
“If you’re interested, would you like to work for me instead? I noticed you’re very skilled.”
Helen froze.
She was Catherine’s maid.
But now, Eleanor was secretly offering her a position.
“That….”
It felt like she was being asked to betray Catherine.
“Is she mistreating you?”
Eleanor raised an eyebrow as if she was already convinced the answer was yes.
Helen realized she needed to choose her words carefully.
She licked her dry lips before speaking.
“N-no. I like my current position.”
“What? Even though she mistreats you, you still want to stay?”
Eleanor looked completely bewildered.
“Are you afraid of her?”
“That’s not it!”
Despite Helen’s insistence, Eleanor refused to believe her.
Instead, she assumed Helen was too scared to leave.
“No, I truly appreciate your offer. But I want to continue serving Lady Catherine.”
Helen tightly shut her eyes and firmly expressed her thoughts.
“…Why?”
“There’s no particular reason. I’m just a maid. I must serve. Lady Catherine is my mistress, but ultimately, I serve the Duke of Valentine first and foremost.”
In other words, Helen’s highest loyalty was to the Duke.
And since the Duke had assigned her to Catherine, her duty was clear.
In truth, Catherine had chosen Helen first.
“I want her. Please give her to me.”
But the Duke had been the one to make it official.
“Take care of Catherine, Helen.”
“Yes, my lord. I will do my best.”
Helen had no noble background or recommendations.
She had only been chosen because of Catherine’s whim.
After that, she had to work hard to learn how to serve a noble lady.
It was an absolute order, one that had never changed.
“The Duke gave you to Catherine…?”
“Yes, my lady.”
‘Why does she look so upset?’
Eleanor suddenly seemed deep in thought.
Her expression darkened as if something had been stolen from her.
“…I see. If that’s your decision, then I won’t force you. But if you ever change your mind, you’ll always be welcome here.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
Eleanor smiled, but her violet eyes seemed somewhat dimmed.
Helen bowed and left the room cautiously.
Now alone, Eleanor’s expression hardened.
‘Why?’
She couldn’t understand why Helen had refused her offer.
‘She said Catherine doesn’t mistreat her? Lies! That girl is cruel to servants. There’s no way she treats her maid well!’
There was a reason Eleanor had wanted to recruit Helen.
In her past life, Helen had secretly helped her.
‘My lady, would you like this? It’s my dinner, but I haven’t touched it yet, so it’s clean!’
‘You’re giving this to me? But what about you?’
‘I’m fine! I feel bad that you’re not eating properly…’
Helen had been loyal, kind, and hardworking.
Eleanor had planned to escape from this house with her this time.
‘Why? Why did she choose Catherine instead of me?’
Eleanor clenched her teeth in frustration.
