Home/The villainess's personal maid is very good at her job/ch 30

Episode 30

"I'll pray for your success, Lady Graham."

"Thank you, Mrs. Sinclair."

Leaving the warm farewell behind, Janet exited the library.

With books in her arms, she was walking back to Julietta's villa when her gaze turned toward Geron's villa.

She recalled what Mrs. Sinclair had told her before she left the library.

"If you're preparing for the exam, why not ask Madam Joanna, Lord Geron's nanny, for help?"

"Lord Geron's nanny?"

"Yes. Madam Joanna used to be a professor at the Academy."

After retiring early, she had worked as a private tutor for Academy applicants, and it was said that not a single student she taught ever failed the entrance exam, earning her the nickname 'Bullseye Joanna.'

'But how did she end up becoming Lord Geron's nanny?'

Being a nanny to the Ludwig direct line was certainly a prestigious job, but it seemed far removed from teaching.

Her questioning gaze lingered for a moment.

'What does that matter now?'

What mattered now was that she had only one month left until the special admissions exam.

She briefly considered asking Joanna for advice, but then recalled their disastrous first meeting.

'Hmm. It seems asking Madam Joanna for help will be difficult.'

But she still had a reliable ally.

Janet turned away from the path to Julietta's villa and headed toward the North Servants' Library.

---

"A special admissions exam?"

"Yes."

The day after leaving a meeting request note at the North Library.

The two met in a corner of the North Library.

The North Library, built for servants, had few visitors on weekdays.

Few people came all the way to the library after their grueling work to borrow books.

Thanks to that, the empty library served as an excellent meeting place for the two.

Janet relayed Julietta's words to Theo exactly as they were—that if Janet passed the special admissions exam, Julietta would return to the Academy as well.

"Such a thing happened."

"Yes. But I don't know much about the Academy exam. Her Ladyship doesn't seem to know much about the special admissions exam either."

"So you asked to meet me to seek help?"

"That's right."

Nodding, Janet added as if in explanation.

"In any case, this is also for her Ladyship's sake. Right?"

"Of course. Absolutely."

In truth, even if it had nothing to do with Julietta, he would have been willing to help if Janet wanted to attend the Academy.

Since meeting Janet, they had been able to smoothly eliminate those who had been harming Julietta.

Moreover, he could feel Julietta changing for the better.

Janet was practically already a benefactor.

If there was something his benefactor wished for, how could he refuse?

And…….

……And?

"Theo?"

At Janet's call, Theo snapped back to attention.

"Yes, Miss Janet."

What was that? He'd just felt something very strange.

But Theo pretended nothing had happened and spoke.

"As you said, I'll do my best to help you pass the entrance exam."

"Thank you, Theo."

At Janet's smiling gratitude, Theo's eyebrow twitched slightly.

Then—

"Or how about this?"

The words he let out were half on impulse.

"Let's study together until the Academy exam."

"With…… Theo?"

"Yes. Actually, I was also planning to take that exam."

At Theo's words, Janet's eyes went wide.

"Really? Then will you be attending the Academy too?"

Ah, of course, we have to pass first.

Janet added self-consciously, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at Theo.

"Yes. That's likely what will happen."

"That's great. I was worried about whether I'd be able to adapt to Academy life."

Speaking with genuine delight, Janet extended her hand to Theo.

"Let's study hard and pass together."

Staring blankly at the outstretched hand, Theo smiled stiffly and clasped it.

"Yes. Let's do that."

---

Thump.

A massive pile of reference books was dumped onto Janet's desk.

Following behind the servant carrying them, Julietta appeared with a proud expression.

"How about it? With this much, you won't need anything else, right?"

"Yes. This is definitely more than enough."

"I'm a person of action, you know."

Huhu.

Julietta chuckled softly and lightly tapped Janet's arm.

"If you need to, you can study during work hours. With only a month—no, less than a month left—I'll make that allowance."

"……Thank you for your consideration, my Lady."

Of course, Janet had no intention of doing that.

She was still Julietta's handmaiden. She had to do her job properly and study.

But such thoughts lasted only a moment.

She suddenly realized this might be a good opportunity.

After the arrests of Shien and Nova, and the drug discovery incident—

Julietta's dependence on Janet had noticeably increased.

It was certainly pleasing as a handmaiden to have grown closer to her mistress, but if Julietta continued to rely solely on Janet, it would have a negative effect on both of them in the long run.

"Um, my Lady. How about keeping a few helpers for my work?"

"Helpers for your work?"

At once, Julietta's brow narrowed.

"Is that really necessary?"

"That way, I can focus on my studies with peace of mind. I truly want to attend the Academy with you, my Lady."

At Janet's earnest plea, Julietta gave her a flatfish stare. After glaring at her with obvious displeasure, she let out a shallow sigh.

Then—

"If you insist that much, I suppose……"

"Does that mean you'll allow it?"

"Just for one month."

"Yes, my Lady."

At her cheerful reply, Julietta pouted and turned her gaze out the window.

The blue sky and lush greenery came into view.

"The weather is nice."

"It is, isn't it? It seems early summer is approaching."

When she first entered Ludwig, it was still chilly, but in the past two months or so, the world had turned green and grown much warmer.

"Alvin said this is the most beautiful time in the garden. Would you like to take a look?"

"Who's Alvin?"

"The gardener at your villa, my Lady."

"……Ah, I see."

So the gardener's name was Alvin.

Seeing Julietta mutter this belated realization, Janet chuckled.

Then—

"It's a garden they've worked hard on—they'll surely be delighted if you look around."

"Why would I be happy looking at a garden?"

"Because this is your garden, my Lady. If the owner is pleased, the gardener would be happy too, wouldn't they?"

"……You always have a knack for making things sound convincing."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Hmph. Compliment, my foot."

Though she spoke primly, Julietta readily followed Janet into the garden.

'Come to think of it, how long has it been since I last walked in the garden?'

Strolling through the well-maintained garden, Julietta thought.

At some point, Julietta had begun to dislike going out. Even strolling in the garden had become unappealing.

Meeting people and dealing with others had become deeply uncomfortable and frightening.

What if they turned their backs and whispered about her? What if they were the ones spreading rumors about her?

Crushed by anxieties and fears she had cultivated alone, even breathing had felt suffocating.

"You mustn't trust people, my Lady. They are all enemies. They're all full of pretense!"

"Everyone will be busy gossiping about you behind your back, you know?"

Hadn't even Nova, who had cared for her for so long, said such things?

But—

'Now that I think about it, it's strange.'

While telling her not to trust people, Nova always said, "The only person you can trust, my Lady, is me!"

And yet it was that very 'Nova' who had been harassing young servants and extorting bribes.

Since Nova's arrest, Julietta had been slightly surprised at how unfazed she was.

She had been shocked, but that was it.

In the past, she would have thrown a fit, insisting it was impossible.

Rather, now that Nova was in custody, she felt her heart gradually growing lighter.

It was as if a puzzle that had been put together wrong was slowly falling into place.

She had lived in pain believing what Nova told her was the truth, but now she was realizing that might not have been the case.

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