Home/The villainess's personal maid is very good at her job/ch 19

Episode 19

「Salvation」

The small letters on her wrist glowed faintly.

'Why is it reacting again all of a sudden……?'

Unlike last time when it had responded, no original work information surfaced alongside it.

But she didn't think it had reacted without reason.

'All I did was check the tea leaves and think about placing a new order.'

……Could it be?

Tilting her head, Janet whirled around and stared at the cupboard.

A moment later.

Leaving the kitchen, Janet walked briskly toward a certain place.

Her destination was the North Library, built for the servants.

'Philosophy section, fifth row, third from the back.'

Ah, found it.

Janet pulled out an old book titled 'Signs of Calling' and quickly flipped through the pages.

Flip, flip, thump.

She stopped her hand at a page that seemed to catch among the rapidly turning leaves.

There, like a bookmark, a small note was inserted.

Janet took out the note and confirmed the message.

'Left path of the North Forest adjoining the back of Julietta's villa.'

After committing the location to memory, she took out a pen, filled in the date and time on the note, and tucked it back into the book.

"Done."

This was the method Kendrick had taught her for making contact with 'Illinia within Ludwig.'

"It must be hard to always meet outside, so when you need something, you can communicate with the Illinia agents hidden inside Ludwig."

"There are Illinia agents hidden inside Ludwig too?"

"Illinia is everywhere."

After borrowing a book so as not to look suspicious, Janet returned to the villa.

Or rather, she tried to return—

'……A bottom?'

Her steps halted in front of the black villa closest to Julietta's.

A small bottom sticking out through the bushes had an enormous presence.

'I recall this is the villa of her Ladyship's twin brother, Lord Kendrick.'

Ah, it wiggled.

Janet hesitated for a moment.

Should she pretend not to see that bottom, or should she acknowledge it?

The owner of the bottom was easy to identify.

In all of Ludwig, there was only one child who could roam freely and wore clearly expensive pants.

Geron Ludwig.

The Grand Duke's late-born youngest son.

'I believe he's seven this year.'

Information about him was also briefly recorded in the 'Ludwig Reference Notebook.'

'I think he was born between the Grand Duke and a widow.'

Like all the women who bore the Grand Duke's illegitimate children, she too had not known his true identity at first.

She had simply thought he was a handsome, powerful middle-aged man.

And so, unaware, she had given her body and heart to the Grand Duke, who soothed her loneliness—and Geron was born from that.

'His birth mother is said to be recuperating at a rural estate.'

She had been somewhat old to bear a child, so her health had apparently declined sharply after giving birth to Geron.

Or perhaps she was shocked to learn that the man she loved already had a family.

'What a piece of garbage of a man.'

That the head of this magnificent house was such a trash—it was unbelievable.

Meanwhile, the wiggling bottom was slowly backing up.

Inch by inch.

Like crawling, the child's body emerged from the bushes.

"Huff!"

The child raised his upper body and let out a small breath.

His thoroughly tousled hazel-colored hair had leaves stuck here and there.

Whether they'd gotten stuck while crawling through the bushes or were part of his disguise, she couldn't tell.

As Janet was engaged in her own serious consideration—

"Wah, aaah!"

The child, who had been panting and looking only at Kendrick's villa, finally noticed Janet's presence.

Startled, Geron screamed and lost his balance.

Just as the child's body was about to fall backward, Janet lunged forward and caught him.

"Are you alright?"

Blink, blink.

The child looked up at Janet with wide eyes.

After a silent exchange of gazes, his head slowly moved up and down.

"I'm glad you're alright."

At Janet's gentle smile, the child's small mouth fell open.

"Who……"

"Pardon?"

"You, wh-who……"

The child's words trailed off and he lowered his head. He seemed quite shy.

"I am Janet Graham. The new handmaiden of Lady Julietta."

Hup.

The child's eyes went wide as he looked at Julietta's villa, standing beside Kendrick's.

"……!"

From his frightened expression, it seemed Geron too had heard the rumors about Julietta.

"Her Ladyship is not as frightening as the rumors say. She's kinder than you'd think, and she has an unexpectedly cute side too."

"……Really?"

"Yes. Really."

The child was adorable as he pondered.

Frowning deeply as if trying to grasp the truth, then tilting his head.

Finally giving a small nod, he fidgeted with his fingers.

"……Mm."

"You believe me?"

Nod.

"Thank you. I'm glad."

Janet consciously restrained her hands.

Otherwise, she might have unconsciously patted the child's round head.

"So what brings you here? Didn't your nanny or someone come with you?"

At Janet's question, the child flinched.

Like a child caught doing wrong, he seemed at a loss, then his shoulders drooped.

"Se-secret……"

"Ah. A secret, is it. Then I shouldn't pry further."

"……Really? You won't, won't ask more?"

"Yes. It's your secret, after all."

She had to respect a child's secret.

"Still, please come with an adult next time."

The Ludwig estate was quite vast, after all.

If anything went wrong, there could be an unfortunate incident of someone getting lost within Ludwig.

"……"

But instead of answering, the child pouted his lips slightly. His hands fidgeting with his pants radiated timidity.

"Um……"

"Yes, my lord."

"……Today's thing, is a secwet……"

Trailing off, the child glanced up at Janet.

Janet tactfully nodded.

"Yes. I'll keep our meeting here a secret."

Only then did the child's darkened face brighten a little.

When Janet offered to walk him back to his villa, Geron stubbornly shook his head and went off alone.

'I'm worried.'

Unable to help herself, Janet quietly followed Geron at a distance, confirmed that he safely returned to his villa, and then turned back.

'More importantly, why did he come all the way here?'

She thought hard, but nothing came to mind.

Whatever the reason, she hoped she could see him again.

The image of Geron's wiggling bottom kept coming to mind, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

---

The next day, at dusk.

Janet headed to the meeting place.

The left path of the North Forest adjoining the back of Julietta's villa.

'Is this it?'

Walking along the path, she saw a black handkerchief tied to a tree.

Feeling that it marked the spot, she stood and waited quietly—and soon, a greeting came along with the sound of footsteps.

"Have you been waiting?"

Turning around, Janet was slightly surprised to see the approaching figure.

'A servant?'

The person wore a comfortable gray shirt and black pants. It was the uniform of a Ludwig servant.

'Ah. So they're hidden as servants.'

Just as she was about to greet them with that thought in mind—

"……"

Janet's face, which had been about to speak, turned serious.

Hmm?

As she tilted her head as if racking her thoughts, the other person actually became flustered.

Just as they were wondering what she was thinking—

"……Theo?"

At the name that came from Janet's lips, Kendrick's heart lurched.

'How did she recognize me?'

He was currently disguised using a magical tool.

Of course, he had also been disguised when meeting Janet, but he had changed his appearance to something entirely different from that time.

Brown hair, brown eyes.

A gentle impression.

The disguise tool he used was something unique to Kendrick in this empire.

It changed not only hair and eye color, but even each individual's unique aura.

Furthermore, with double and triple layers of perception-disturbing magic, people who spoke with him often couldn't recall his face once they turned away.

It made them think, "What did that person look like again?"

Only those he permitted could distinguish his face.

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