082
For a few days, everything was peaceful.
I went to visit family head grandpa to fulfill a favor Angela had asked of me, and while I was there, I ended up getting three roasted sweet potatoes. That put me in a really good mood.
But you know, as I was cheerfully walking along, patting my full stomach, I happened to overhear something.
“Still, don’t you think the Lord of the House is being a bit too much?”
“He treats Miss Angela and Miss Shupetty so differently—it’s like night and day.”
Since I heard my name, I instinctively stopped walking. Then I looked up at Lina, who was with me—
Furrowed brows of anger.
Lina ground her teeth.
“Those little…!”
The maids gossiping behind the stairs didn’t even realize Lina was there and continued whispering.
“I feel bad for Miss Luarel. She stutters when she speaks… shouldn’t they hire a tutor for her?”
“Right? Miss Angela has her own private tutor too.”
“It just feels like they’re neglecting her. I mean, Miss Shupetty isn’t even his real daughter, but he treats her so well.”
“Yeah, not that it’s a bad thing, but he really does seem to dote on her too much.”
That’s all I managed to hear—because the next moment, Lina flew into a rage and charged out like a rhino.
“Hey! What did you just say?!”
“Gasp!”
“You think everything that comes out of your mouth counts as proper words? Say it again in front of me. Go on, say it again!”
Growling. Barking! Snarling!!
Lina, with her sleeves rolled up, went full force into the fight—and to me, it sounded like this.
[For the emotional well-being of our young participants, this is Yupyrhos stepping in to replace all profanities with dog barks! Woof woof! (ᗒᗨᗕ)]
Even Yupyrhos showed up, spinning around in a frenzy, and I just lifted both hands to cover my eyes.
“Oh my lady, what do we do!”
But maybe Lina misunderstood what I was doing. She gently let go of the maid’s collar and rushed over to me.
“I’m not crying.”
“You shouldn’t have to hear such things… I’ll scold them properly again later.”
“No, really, I’m okay…”
It didn’t even sting my heart.
I just thought, well, that happened.
Instead of focusing on the gossip about me, my attention was somewhere else entirely.
‘I want more snacks!’
And looking at those maids reminded me of some familiar faces I hadn’t seen in a while.
“Lina, it’s been a while since we hung out in the kitchen—want to go there?”
“Would you like that? It just so happens we have nothing scheduled after this…”
“Yup! I want some meat pie!”
Grinning, I dashed down the hallway.
Meat pie, wait for me! I’m coming!
But… when I got to the kitchen, all I found was the meat pie.
The person I wanted to see wasn’t there.
***
“Hmph.”
“What’s wrong, Shu?”
“Daisy isn’t here.”
I’d thought maybe I’d run into her at dinner—but still no sign of her.
She wasn’t in the kitchen either…
“Daisy?”
Diegon raised an eyebrow at his youngest daughter.
There were over a hundred maids working in this mansion.
It was impossible to remember each of their names.
“She wears round glasses, has short hair, and she’s really short.”
“I see. Maybe she’s on vacation?”
“But the head chef said she wasn’t…”
Shupetty pouted her lips.
Her expression was so adorable that Diegon almost laughed—but he held it in.
A father shouldn’t laugh when his child is clearly upset.
It could make the child feel like they’re not being taken seriously.
‘I don’t really know why she’s so hung up on this, but…’
Anyway, according to ‘Easy! Raising a Daughter Alone as a Dad’, that’s how you should handle it.
Diegon relied heavily on the book, filled with stories from single fathers and widowers.
“The maids assigned to food service technically belong to the kitchen staff, but to take leave, they have to get permission from the head maid. I’ll call her later and ask.”
“Okay…”
“Were you close to her?”
When he asked more directly, Shupetty nodded her head.
‘Normally, no one reports each maid’s vacation to the lord of the house.’
The same goes for resignations.
Those matters are typically handled at the level of the head maid or butler.
Plus, lower-ranked employees tended to change frequently. Some took long breaks for reasons like marriage, childbirth, or extended parental leave.
House Pashayen was considered quite generous as an employer. They even allowed up to three years of parental leave, if requested.
Diegon didn’t know exactly who Daisy was, but it was possible she had left for one of those reasons.
Still, since his daughter asked, he opened his mouth to respond.
“Don’t worry. Should I summon the head maid right now?”
Dinner was nearly finished anyway.
He flicked his fingers, and the senior servant standing by the door quickly rushed off to carry out his command.
“Heh, it’s quite something that she remembers the names of all the maids.”
“Shupetty has always been sweet and caring. As expected of my daughter.”
“She’s not just your daughter. She’s also my granddaughter.”
“Yes, of course.”
Diegon replied indifferently to his father and fell back into thought.
He wanted to pat her head—but she was sitting too far away.
Today, aside from Cecilia, everyone was present, and the four children were seated neatly beside him.
‘I know it’s not proper, but I want to feed her while she sits on my lap.’
They say spoiling a child like that makes them unruly, but honestly, even if she were raised like a little princess, Shupetty would still turn out polite.
She was just naturally well-mannered and mature—it amazed him sometimes.
As he mulled over his thoughts, dessert was served.
When he saw Shupetty devouring her strawberry ice cream with great gusto, Diegon couldn’t resist and casually offered.
“Would you like some more?”
“Gasp! I can really have more?”
“Come here. I’ll give you mine.”
He hadn’t taken a single bite of his ice cream on purpose—and as Shupetty rushed over, he lifted her and sat her on his lap.
“You’re going to spoil her to the point she can’t even walk on her own.”
His father, who had been watching them, finally spoke up, but Diegon just brushed it off with ease.
“They say teenagers eventually start pulling away from their parents. I did too, didn’t I?”
“You were distant from us from the start.”
“That’s… a rather irresponsible comment. I think you need to read a few parenting books, Father.”
“You were already such a cheeky brat back then—I figured you’d grow up just fine.”
While the two bickered, Shupetty quietly and diligently finished her bowl of ice cream.
Right then, the head maid arrived. Her name was June, and her hair had turned completely white with age.
“You called for me, my lord?”
“Ah, I heard a maid named Daisy hasn’t been seen around lately.”
At those words, a flicker of hesitation passed across June’s composed face.
June had served House Pashayen faithfully for 50 years. She was known to be fair, gentle, and clear-headed—and she also had the habit of not reporting things unless they were fully confirmed.
Diegon, knowing her character well, exchanged a quick glance with his father.
“Go ahead, speak freely. It’s alright.”
“Yes, my lord. As you mentioned, Daisy hasn’t been seen recently. She vanished quite suddenly, so we’ve been quietly investigating her whereabouts.”
“She vanished?”
“I’ve already informed the butler and sent someone to check her home. A few others disappeared around the same time, and we’re still confirming the details.”
A maid had gone missing.
In truth, something like this—no matter how serious—wasn’t typically something that would reach the lord’s ears. So June’s careful handling of it made sense.
‘Still…’
It’s a strange time for such a mysterious disappearance…
Diegon’s eyes darkened.
Across from him, Violet also put down her dessert spoon, a spark of intrigue lighting up her expression.
“Head maid, compile a list of the missing maids who were close to that child and bring it to me.”
“Yes, deputy head.”
Diegon bowed slightly toward Violet in acknowledgment.
Now that his older sister was handling the issue, he turned his attention back to Shupetty—who looked thoroughly shaken.
Clatter!
Shupetty dropped her spoon and muttered in a trembling voice, face dead serious.
“Where did Daisy go…”
Just then, a shimmer of light sparkled around her—and a small bird named Podong appeared.
“Podong, help me find Daisy, please.”
“Ppip!”
Seeing her go that far, it was clear: they had to find Daisy.
But then—at that moment…
