Home/How That Extra Maid Survives/ch38

Chapter 38

Rahan, who had been frozen with his hand on the doorknob, unable to move, met Lexi's gaze as the door swung open.

"I'm… I'm sorry! You told me not to get too close, but…!"

He saw her torn dress hem, caught on something.

He hadn't heard any tearing sound from inside.

That meant it had been prepared in advance as well.

At her thorough preparation, Rahan clicked his tongue, then checked the torn fabric.

He'd merely been curious, but at the glimpse of skin, he was startled and quickly turned his head.

"Wear this."

Why had Lexi come out and staged this scene?

'What would I have done in that situation?'

He wasn't fond of moving on a stage set by someone else, but dancing on the stage she'd built felt rather pleasant.

Stepping inside, he saw a potion bottle bearing Rikael's signature rolling on the floor.

Rikael, who appeared close to Lexi, came to mind, and his mood soured again.

His once-composed heart wavered.

'What to do now.'

His heart grew deeper each day, yet he still couldn't find his footing.

What about Lexi's feelings, one might ask.

Someone might laugh it off as a meaningless process, but to him, it was an important matter.

Whether to reveal his heart or suppress it as it was.

Rahan was, before being Rahan, the head of the Rohambriga family.

"I… I'm innocent…! It's all their fault! If they hadn't followed me, I would never have come out into the open!"

As Rahan approached, Keor, reminded of the painful memories, trembled and bowed his head.

Seeing Keor insist it wasn't his fault even now made his stomach churn.

The people who had died because of Keor would never rest in peace.

Thud. Rahan's sword pierced the back of Keor's bowed hand.

'She probably wants this much done.'

Lexi had gone to the trouble of healing his wounds, but she wanted Keor to suffer again.

If Keor were left in good health, he'd be prime for trouble-making, so a proper blow was needed to make things easier when Heald interrogated him later.

"Gwaaaah!"

Unable to pull out the embedded sword, Keor twisted and screamed.

Glancing over, he saw Lexi trembling, covering her ears.

Looking closer, he saw there was no strength in her hands covering her ears.

It seemed his guess was correct.

Rahan smiled faintly, then let out a sigh of frustration.

'At least if Lexi's existence could be clearly proven….'

The more he dug, the more the differences between the current Lexi and the past Lexi came to light.

It wasn't simply that she'd reformed—everything was different.

Even if a person suddenly changed, could the very foundation of their thinking be altered?

Enough to devise such meticulous plans?

'Who is Lexi…?'

The Duke of Rohambriga had a duty to protect all in his domain.

So he couldn't recklessly love a woman of unknown identity and endanger others.

That was the obligation that came with his authority.

"You have already confessed to committing the crimes alone. Are you now claiming there are other culprits?"

His cool voice asked without inflection.

Lexi had emphasized the harm Keor had done to her, but there was no reason to bring that up to Keor and invite her resentment.

He merely applied a light pressure for what was to come.

"Ye… yes! The… ugh… there are…!"

His eyes, as if determined not to die alone, were stained with rage.

Thud. As he pierced the other hand, another agonizing scream followed.

"Krrrraaaaagh!"

"Ha. Do you take me for a fool?"

At Keor's scream, Rahan's light sigh scattered.

"I… I'm telling the truth…. Really…! I'll… tell you… everything…!"

His exhausted voice slowly faded.

Lexi seemed appropriately satisfied.

Wiping the blood from his sword, he sheathed it.

Keor, who had already lost his will to fight, was in a state fit for further coaxing.

"…I'll come again."

Phew— As the momentary pain subsided, Keor let out a sigh of relief.

He didn't realize this was exactly what Lexi wanted.

According to his confession, the torture would continue.

This time, as long as he confessed properly, only his broken mouth would be left intact.

---

"Kyaaagh!"

Keor's agonizing cries echoed.

The tightness in my chest felt relieved.

Despite the refreshing feeling inside, I pretended to tremble and lightly grabbed Rahan's sleeve.

He flinched noticeably, then covered his face with his large hand before gripping my hand and pulling me closer.

The shortened distance felt inexplicably reassuring.

Of course, the pricking guilt was a bonus.

"…Inform His Highness Heald. Strengthen the guard…."

As soon as we left the prison, Rahan gave separate orders to the waiting knights, and only after a short while did he approach me.

"It might be best to change before we go."

It wouldn't have been a problem to return immediately, but seeing Rahan's slightly flushed face made me feel like I'd done something wrong.

'He must be old enough to know everything, but he's so innocent.'

How does he plan to live in this world?

"Yes, that would be best."

It was better to change rather than walk around like this and invite unnecessary gossip.

Accepting Rahan's suggestion, he led me to one of the palaces near the prison.

"Is it alright to use this place so casually?"

"It's my private quarters for when I stay in the imperial capital, so it's fine."

True to the name of a ducal family, they'd given him not just a guest room but a whole small palace.

'Ah, so this is that place? The one Vinet frequented.'

The palace, granted to only four families since the empire's founding, including the founding contributors, was more like a large mansion than a palace.

Vinet, the villainess, had stayed here more often than at the capital's ducal residence, mainly because it was closest to Heald's palace.

"I'll wait here."

The head attendant of the palace guided me to a room.

As expected of the imperial family, they had prepared a dress in advance, and when I put it on, it fit perfectly as if tailored.

'I've never worn anything this expensive before.'

Have I made it?

With such silly thoughts, I looked at myself in the mirror and spun around.

The dress, with layers of chiffon blooming like a flower below the waist, was surprisingly comfortable.

After admiring the dress that suited my taste, I hurried downstairs, remembering Rahan was waiting.

"Where is Sir Rahan?"

He'd said he'd wait, but only the head attendant was in the spacious hall on the first floor.

"His Grace is currently in the reception room. He asked me to tell you to rest comfortably until his guest departs."

"A guest?"

"Marquis Selfios has visited."

"…Mar…! Ahem. I see."

Marquis Selfios.

Why was the maternal uncle of Second Prince Damian here?

'Did he notice Keor was freed from brainwashing?'

No, it was too soon for that.

'He wouldn't visit without reason.'

That sly old fox wouldn't move without purpose.

I wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but there was no way to do so….

'…Why is there no way?'

Come to think of it, there was a secret passage connected to the reception room.

'It was probably built secretly by the imperial family.'

The palace was supposedly a reward for families who had served the imperial family, but in reality, it was closer to a prison built to control powerful families.

They gave the honor of a residence in the imperial capital instead of the land or goods they truly needed.

Even that had a secret passage to monitor families that had grown larger than the imperial family.

'You can also use it in reverse. For example, leaking only the information you want them to know, keeping in mind that there are listening ears.'

They couldn't even give a proper reward—why build such an absurd facility?

Heald was skeptical of it.

Recalling Rahan, who had used this space effectively, Heald had told Vinet everything he knew.

'The problem is that Rahan already knows this space exists. But well, it should be fine.'

He knew of its existence, but even Rahan wouldn't be able to detect anyone in the passage, thanks to the secret magic placed on it. So I wouldn't be caught eavesdropping.

"If you need anything…."

"I'm fine. More than that, I'd like to look around the area. Just the fenced-in part, though."

Just the private grounds allowed to Rahan.

As expected, the head attendant readily agreed without question.

"As long as it's within that area, feel free. I'll assign an escort."

As someone of his position, he must have heard who I was, yet he remained exceedingly courteous.

"No, I'd like to look around alone. I'm feeling a bit stifled."

I smiled without adding extra explanations and declined the escort.

"Understood. I hope you enjoy your time."

As soon as the head attendant left, I walked briskly, recalling the descriptions from the original, and found the passage.

It was hard to call it a hidden passage—it looked so ordinary that you'd wonder if there was a passage here at all, which made it easier to find.

Behind a large statue, I fumbled with the knot between the tree trunk beside it.

'It must be around here… found it!'

When I touched a part of the ceiling above the knot, the door behind the statue quietly opened.

I stepped inside without hesitation.

The door, which opened without a sound or sensation, disappeared shortly after.

---

"How fascinating."

As I took each step, the darkness ahead lit up.

The light followed my footsteps, leading me forward.

[…I hear.]

A voice came through.

It was faint, but as I moved forward, it grew closer.

When I stopped at the end of the blocked passage, the sound came through as clearly as if from a speaker.

[There's no helping it, is there? Since you wouldn't permit a visit, Duke, I had to come myself. As they say, a thirsty man digs a well.]

A greasy middle-aged voice came through.

It sounded almost like a scolding, but the resonance of his voice carried genuine regret and apology, making it hard to fault.

'That's typical of Marquis Selfios.'

He was an ambitious man full of greed, but outwardly he appeared to be a gentle, kind-hearted noble.

To the extent that if Vinet were a knockoff version, Marquis Selfios was the original—he was meticulous in his self-management, always cloaked in kindness and goodness.

Unlike Vinet, he wasn't a bully; he was kind to the weak.

'Which makes him even worse.'

Because behind that kindness, he'd casually use them as disposable tools and kill them.

[I apologize for that. As you may have heard from the rumors, there has been some absurd gossip circulating within the household. I've been busy dealing with that.]

Rahan also expressed regret, but his meaning was sharp.

'With all your schemes, why would I trust you enough to let you in?'

Something like that.

[Ah, I heard about that as well. Still, I'm relieved the culprit has been caught.]

So what? The culprit's already caught, right? So it's over.

[Well, we'll have to see after further interrogation. We still haven't found the one who started spreading the rumors.]

The culprit is right here—so it's not over yet. Don't you think it's too early to relax?

[Oh, I do hope the one who has been troubling you, Duke, is revealed.]

Stalling won't help, will it? You've already cleaned up the evidence. There's only one culprit, so just catch him and be done with it, right?

[A conclusion will come soon enough. I intend to exact the price for targeting Vinet.]

The price for your schemes will be paid in full, so wait patiently.

[Of course. It should be paid.]

Try all you want—it won't make a difference.

[Ah, speaking of which, I hear Sir Adren of the North is coming to the capital. Have you heard anything about the reason? This incident has many similarities to 'that incident' in the past. If Count Nordic intends to make an issue of it, I worry the peaceful imperial court may become unsettled.]

So that's why you came all the way here. You brought him here, didn't you? You know well that when that man gets angry, he sees nothing else. His Majesty will be displeased too—can you handle that? Let's not fan the flames. Let's call a truce here and pacify that man to send him back.

'Sir Adren? One of Count Nordic's knights?'

Interpreting the sharp exchange, I tilted my head at the name.

Count Nordic must have sent a trusted retainer, but Marquis Selfios seemed convinced it was all Rahan's doing.

He said he'd come and go quietly.

'As expected, those inside the family are the problem, aren't they?'

Someone must have been quick to report it like a little bird.

[Even if he does take issue with it, it's a matter of the past. The methods are similar, but it's merely coincidence, isn't it? Even Count Nordic wouldn't seize on a coincidence to make trouble. There must be another reason. So don't worry too much.]

It's your scheme, so you'll bear the consequences.

He drew a clear line.

Hmm, I revise my earlier thought—he's not naive.

Rahan is just as much a snake as Marquis Selfios.

'Why on earth does a man like that die?'

It's a real mystery.

The conversation eventually reached a lull.

As the meaningless chatter prepared to end, I too left the space.

'…Ha! I should have waited just a little longer.'

I shouldn't have rushed.

Looking up at the person before me, I regretted it, over and over.

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