Home/The villainess's personal maid is very good at her job/ch 5

Episode 5

Partner. Same boat.

A blunt yet awkward arrangement of words.

"As I said before, I'm now your backer, Janet."

"But then, Vice-Captain, you'd be at too great a disadvantage……."

The man cut off Janet's hesitation with a firm reply.

"Of course, Miss Janet will also have to do her utmost to fulfill the contract."

"Don't worry about that. I'm confident in my ability to give my best."

At Janet's spirited answer, Theo let out a soft laugh.

"This is your letter of recommendation, Miss Janet."

"My letter of recommendation?"

Curiosity flickered in her dark blue eyes.

"May I open it?"

"Of course."

Janet carefully unfolded the letter. The first name that caught her eye was 'Liam Ortega.'

That name was surely……

"Lord Ortega, the Marchioness of the North?"

"Correct. You know of the Marchioness?"

At Theo's surprised question, Janet blinked.

"Ah, that's……."

……Come to think of it. How did I know that?

Janet was far removed from high society. That was only natural, given she had been adopted as a substitute for a servant.

So she had no real means of hearing stories about the Marchioness.

'Or perhaps…….'

Swallowing lightly, Janet's gaze slowly sank.

'Maybe it's a name I heard during the period of my lost memories?'

In truth, Janet had no memories at all from before the age of fifteen.

At fifteen, when Janet—a war orphan—had been adopted into the Viscount Graham household, she had already been suffering from memory loss.

She could barely recall her own name and age, and had no other memories whatsoever.

Where she was born, who her parents were, how she had become separated from her family.

'It's probably the aftermath of the war that erased my memories.'

The Viscount and his wife actually liked that about Janet.

They said it was good that she had no troublesome memories of the past.

Well. Janet herself had initially tried to recover her lost memories, but……

'I gradually stopped caring.'

She didn't hold any hope that her parents might still be alive, nor did she think her past memories would necessarily be happy ones.

'What does it matter if I never find my memories? What matters is the present and the future.'

And even now, she was moving forward to protect that important future.

"It's just something I picked up somewhere, that's all. Anyway—"

Answering naturally, Janet tilted her head and asked.

"For the Marchioness Ortega to write a letter of recommendation for me—does that mean Lord Ortega is also connected to Illinia?"

Instead of answering, Theo simply smiled in silence.

'So it's a secret.'

Janet tactfully closed her mouth. She wasn't so obtuse as to pry into someone's secrets.

"If anyone asks about your relationship with the Marchioness Ortega, just answer as written on the inside paper."

"You even prepared this for me?"

"We need to avoid any unnecessary suspicion. I recommend you memorize the note's contents in advance, just in case."

"I will."

With that, the conversation came to a close.

In the brief silence that followed, Janet began memorizing the note's contents.

It would be better to have them committed to memory before arriving at the Grand Ducal Ludwig residence.

Theo leaned his head against the window, quietly observing Janet.

'I wonder if she gets motion sickness?'

Fortunately, she showed no signs of it. Her cheeks looked a little pale, but they had been that way since the first time he saw her.

After watching Janet intently, Theo suddenly spoke.

"If there's anything you want to ask, feel free."

"……Pardon?"

"You kept glancing this way. It seemed like you had something to say."

Struck directly at the heart of the matter, Janet's cheeks flushed slightly.

'Oh dear. Was I really doing that?'

But her embarrassment was brief.

"Actually, there is something I'm curious about."

Janet decided not to miss the chance to satisfy her curiosity.

"Why did you suddenly start speaking to me so formally?"

Hm?

At the question that completely missed his expectations, Theo's eyes widened. At the man's rare show of fluster, Janet's eyes also went round.

It was Theo who let out the first hearty laugh.

"As I said earlier, we're partners now."

"So it's about showing respect for a partner?"

"Precisely."

Oh. That's really it?

Nodding with admiration, Janet murmured in a surprised tone.

"Vice-Captain Theo…… I think you're actually a remarkably considerate person."

Considerate?

At words he'd never heard in his life, Theo let out a dry chuckle.

Anyone around him would have said that was preposterous.

Meanwhile, the carriage slowly came to a stop. Looking out the window, Janet could see towering trees.

"It's about time for the uninvited guest to step out."

"You're getting off here?"

"I need to get off around here to avoid prying eyes."

Clack.

The carriage door opened.

Fresh morning air rushed in. The faint dawn light from when they'd departed was nowhere to be seen—the world was now bright.

"If you need anything or have questions, send word to Illinia anytime. Or you can come find me in person."

"Yes. I'll do that."

"And."

"……?"

The man who added that stepped down from the carriage.

The morning sun cast light upon his profile. His perfect side profile looked like a masterpiece painting.

"From now on, you can just call me Theo comfortably."

Because I don't like seeming cold.

Grinning as he curled the corners of his mouth, he added playfully.

Having missed her chance to respond, Janet blinked as the carriage door closed.

'Ah.'

It was only after the carriage started moving again that Janet came to her senses.

After a moment of fluster, she hurriedly opened the carriage window and stuck her head out.

But—

'He's gone?'

Theo was nowhere to be seen. Janet's eyes darted around frantically as she drew in a sharp breath.

Then—

"I got it! From now on, I'll call you Theo! Because I don't like seeming cold either!"

Behind her spirited shout, she could almost hear a man's laughter from somewhere.

---

"Lady Graham has a remarkably loud voice, doesn't she?"

At the back of the departing carriage.

Hobbs murmured from beside Kendrick, who had hidden himself among the thick bushes.

"Indeed. Good to see she's full of energy."

"You seem rather pleased?"

"Hobbs."

"Yes?"

"You talk too much. That's your problem."

With a fresh smile and a sharp rebuke, Hobbs gave him an incredulous look.

"That's the first time I've ever heard that!"

The first time.

Chewing on those words, Kendrick added teasingly.

"Miss Janet said something interesting. She called me a considerate person."

"……That's also a first."

Unbelievable. How on earth did she come to think that?

At Hobbs's deflated muttering, Kendrick shrugged.

His dark gaze fixed on the spot where the carriage had departed.

"Hobbs."

"Yes, Vice-Captain."

"Send some clothes and accessories to Miss Janet."

He recalled Janet's small travel bag.

It was so tiny it was hard to believe it belonged to someone relocating to a new home.

Janet's clothes were in a similar state.

The sleeves and hemlines were noticeably shorter than her frame.

Though neatly laundered, signs of wear were visible here and there.

She'd probably been given clothes when she was brought home at around fifteen, and hadn't received a proper new outfit since.

"She's my partner and my sister's only handmaiden. I can't have her being looked down upon wherever she goes."

From the moment she became Julietta's handmaiden, attention would naturally be drawn to her.

A well-crafted appearance was one of the finest weapons for deception.

"A battlefield needs proper weapons, after all."

---

Janet arrived at the Grand Ducal Ludwig residence well past noon.

At the coachman's notice that they were approaching, Janet looked out the window.

"Wow."

An uncontrollable exclamation escaped her.

The gates of the Ludwig residence soared high into the sky.

Who knew gates could be built so tall?

But the breathtaking sights were only beginning.

As the enormous gates slowly opened, the immense Ludwig mansion revealed itself.

A garden spreading endlessly into the distance, and a long road cutting through it.

The large mansion far ahead, and the buildings scattered across the grounds.

'Is that forest also inside Ludwig territory?'

The estate was so vast that it was impossible to tell where the boundaries ended.

"We have arrived, Miss Janet."

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