Home/The villainess's personal maid is very good at her job/ch 65

Episode 65

"Here, Luna. Let's share this."

"Yeah. Thanks, Janet."

Janet handed over the water bottle without drinking directly from it, and Luna accepted it with a bright smile.

After taking a sip, she let out a sigh.

"Hey, Janet. Can I tell you something?"

"What is it?"

"I told you before—that I'm adopted."

"Ah, right. You did."

Glance. Janet glanced at Richard.

'Is this something Lord Richard should hear too?'

Then again, Luna could see Richard too—if it were a secret, she probably wouldn't be bringing it up now.

Smiling awkwardly, Janet nodded.

"Yeah. What is it?"

"You see, I was adopted at age three. My parents are wonderful people. So I never really thought much about being adopted. But……"

Hoo.

Letting out another deep sigh, Luna's voice wavered.

"Recently, they told me a secret they'd been keeping from me."

"A secret?"

"Yeah. It turns out I wasn't adopted from an orphanage. They found me while walking along a river—they saw a child being swept away by the current and rescued me."

Found a child swept away by a river while taking a walk, and raised her?

It sounded like something out of a fairy tale. Janet let out a small gasp of admiration.

It was a beautiful story, so different from her own—having lost her memories in the war, left at an orphanage, then adopted for labor exploitation.

But Luna seemed to feel differently.

"That means my biological parents might not have abandoned me……"

Hing. Luna let out a sound and slumped her shoulders.

"What if they're still looking for me? I feel so sorry for them."

As she continued, Luna began to cry.

Startled, Janet stared at her blankly.

Honestly, she felt a bit flustered.

Bringing up this topic during a break in swordsmanship class, and choosing her as the listener.

It might sound cold, but she also felt that Luna had picked the wrong person.

As Luna had said, Janet was also adopted.

She knew that fact too.

And her story wasn't as fairy-tale-like as Luna's. In the first place, how many orphans had such a story?

'And she's crying about it to me?'

It wasn't like complaining about hunger in front of someone starving.

And Richard was right there too.

While Janet stood frozen, Luna's crying grew louder.

"Sniff, sob. I wish I could find my biological parents even now."

"Don't cry. You'll definitely find them, Luna."

"Really?"

Wiping her tears, Luna asked—Janet nodded.

After all, if she was sad, she should comfort her.

"Of course."

"Come to think of it, I have a scar. Do you think it could help me find my parents?"

"What kind of scar?"

"This one."

Luna showed the back of her right hand.

Sure enough, a small scar was visible on her white hand.

"It was there before my parents found me."

"Is that…… a burn scar?"

"Yeah. Right. My parents also said it looked like a burn scar. The shape is unique—maybe it could help me find them?"

Janet examined the scar on Luna's hand closely.

The scar on her hand was shaped like a small circle with two lines rising from it.

"That really is a unique shape. It kind of looks like a rabbit……"

"Right? I thought the same thing."

Luna, who had stopped crying, smiled softly.

And at that moment—

Startle.

Feeling a presence beside her, Janet turned her head.

"……Lord Richard?"

Richard, who had been staring off into the distance, was now looking at the two.

Him? No.

More precisely, at Luna.

Luna, who had been tilting her head innocently, widened her eyes at Richard's intense gaze.

"L-Lord Richard? Is there something on my face……"

"You. How old are you?"

"Me? I'm eighteen."

Stammering, Luna added.

"My parents said they remembered my age when they found me in the river. They couldn't remember anything else, though."

"Eighteen, you say……"

"That's right."

Nod, nod.

As she nodded eagerly, Richard's eyes trembled.

His blue eyes—so similar to Luna's.

---

'As I thought, she resembles Lord Richard.'

Luna's eyes, that is.

The moment she saw Luna's unique blue eyes, she'd thought of the Marchioness of Ortega and Richard. Seeing them together made the resemblance even clearer.

"Those two have been spending a lot of time together lately."

Watching Richard and Luna sitting side by side in the Academy's common garden, Theo spoke.

"Luna said Richard has been looking after her."

"Richard? That guy?"

At Theo's muttering, Janet looked up at him.

"Theo."

"Yes, Janet."

"Are you and Lord Richard close?"

"……Pardon?"

"You two don't seem to like each other very much."

At Janet's question, Theo averted his eyes.

"I'm not sure. I don't dislike him, but……"

No. Did he dislike him?

There was a time when he'd tried to get along with Richard. It was only natural—he was the only son of the Marchioness of Ortega, who was practically his benefactor.

But—

"He dislikes me."

"Richard dislikes you?"

"Yes."

Theo nodded and added bitterly.

"He didn't like it when the Marchioness brought me in."

"Ah……."

She had many questions, but Janet kept quiet. She felt it might be something she shouldn't pry into.

'Come to think of it, Theo said he fought in the war too, didn't he?'

She didn't know Theo's exact age, but he seemed similar to her or slightly older.

The war had happened six years ago—meaning he'd fought at quite a young age.

'Maybe Theo and the Marchioness met there?'

The Ashleyad War.

The very war that had taken Janet's memories.

Looking at it this way, it struck her how many people were connected to that war.

Each with their own story, caught up in it.

While Janet was briefly lost in thought, passing students glimpsed outside and gasped.

"Eek! They're together again today?"

"I'm so jealous. Imagine getting Lord Richard's attention."

"Cold to everyone else, but warm to his girl."

The two excited students seemed not to notice Janet and Theo.

Hmm.

Oh.

With silent reactions, Theo and Janet exchanged glances. Of course, their ears were still focused on the students' conversation.

"Don't you think Lord Richard has a crush on Luna?"

"Yes! But Luna says that's not it?"

"Huh? If it's not a crush, what is it?"

"I don't know. She said they're like siblings. Lord Richard is like an older brother to her, and she says he treats her like a younger sister."

"Come on, that can't be…… oh."

"Gulp."

"Let's go."

"Y-yeah. Let's hurry."

The two girls, hopping excitedly, finally noticed Janet and Theo and hurried away.

……They didn't have to run like that.

Watching their retreating backs, Janet let out a dry laugh.

"You'd think we were monsters or something."

"……."

Her playful remark was met with silence.

Normally, Theo would have said something like, "At least I'm not the only monster, so I won't be lonely."

"……Theo?"

Janet looked up at him in puzzlement.

"Ah, yes. Janet. What did you say just now?"

"Nothing important."

"Oh, I see. That's good, then……"

Trailing off, Theo stared seriously out the window again.

At Richard and Luna, sitting side by side.

Looking between the two and Theo, Janet bit her lip.

The conversation she'd overheard flashed through her mind.

The strikingly similar eye colors of Luna and Richard. Richard's visible agitation upon hearing Luna's story.

Slowly piecing it all together, Janet drew a sharp breath.

'What if……'

Could the Marchioness of Ortega have a hidden daughter?

She pondered seriously for a moment, then let out a weak laugh.

No way.

If such a story existed, it would have spread through high society.

'What am I even thinking—how rude.'

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