Home/The villainess's personal maid is very good at her job/ch 114

Episode 114

"I'm worried about Lady Lacey too."

"Is that really the reason?"

"Of course. What other reason could there be?"

Richard narrowed his eyes and glared at Kendrick.

Whether he noticed or not—

Kendrick just smiled cheerfully.

"Is this really alright, Father?"

At Richard's grumpy question, Liam Ortega shrugged.

"Well, if he says he's worried and wants to come along, what can I do?"

Though he spoke casually, the Marchioness's gaze quickly flickered between his daughter and Kendrick.

He had already heard from Janet about the dream she'd had while unconscious.

Including the fact that she and Kendrick had been close friends on the battlefield.

'So that boy back then was our Janet……'

Having looked after Kendrick on the battlefield, Liam had naturally noticed the boy he'd grown close to.

He'd pretended not to notice their secret friendship.

And he'd watched how Kendrick fell apart after that close friend—'Leon'—died.

Kendrick had been in a truly precarious state back then.

Watching a boy he'd treated like a son fall apart like that had been painful in itself.

And to think that friend had been Janet all along.

'Is this…… what you'd call fate?'

Even as he thought that, the Marchioness couldn't shake a strange unease.

Still, it felt wrong to force apart two children who'd just recalled their childhood memories and were healing from their wounds.

Tsk.

Instead of clicking his tongue, he pursed his lips and fixed his gaze out the window.

Just as the carriage carrying the four was heading north—

Rumble.

The carriage slowly stopped, and one of their escort knights hurried over.

"What is it?"

"Well, it seems there's a problem with a carriage ahead."

"Ours?"

"No, not ours—someone else's."

Someone else's?

They were passing through a narrow road, and this was the only way north.

Raising an eyebrow, the Marchioness asked the knight.

"Did you confirm which house it belongs to?"

"Well……"

Hesitating, the knight reported quietly.

"It's not a family carriage—it's a Temple carriage."

---

A short while later.

One more passenger joined the carriage.

"I apologize for taking up space."

The young cardinal bowed politely.

"Not at all. We're happy to help. But what business does the Cardinal have in the North?"

At the Marchioness's question, the cardinal smiled gently.

"After the strange incidents at the hunting party, I've been concerned about the beasts resembling demonic beasts. I was planning to look around the North—perhaps I might find some clues."

The Empire didn't have many demonic beasts. The only place they could be seen was in the North.

So his claim was that he was heading north to investigate them.

But——

'Is that really all?'

The Marchioness subtly positioned himself to shield Janet.

Noticing his movement, the cardinal's lips curled slightly.

'Oh dear. Was my excuse seen through?'

---

Chapter. Mother and Daughter

The previous evening.

Cardinal César Valois had offered a prayer to Dake.

'Lead the Empire so that it may not fall into danger.'

He was currently staying in the capital.

Originally, he'd planned to return to the Western Temple right after the hunting party, but——

'……No matter how I think about it, I can't shake this feeling.'

He remained in the capital because of the incidents at the hunting party.

Humans lost in hallucinations.

And strange beasts resembling demonic beasts.

But what bothered him even more was Janet Ortega.

'The Sacred Sword definitely reacted.'

The 'Sacred Sword' passed down through the Ortega family was a type of holy sword.

And holy swords did not easily respond unless wielded by someone permitted.

It was said that even drawing the sword from its sheath was impossible for anyone not of Ortega blood.

'I'd really like to speak with her.'

He'd already visited the Ortega townhouse several times.

To help treat Janet, who had been unconscious since the hunting party.

But embarrassingly, his divine power had no effect on her.

So he'd heard that Janet had regained consciousness two days ago, but he hadn't visited her immediately.

Originally, he'd planned to treat her and use that as an opportunity to talk.

In the end, he fell into contemplation again.

'At the hunting party, Lady Ortega seemed wary of me.'

Even though Lady Ortega had woken up, he didn't think she'd be willing to meet him.

'How can I approach her naturally and have a conversation?'

Just as César was deep in thought—

"Cardinal César."

"Ah, Chalo."

A young priest named Chalo approached him slowly.

"What is it?"

"I've brought news regarding the Ortega family."

At the mention of the Ortega family, César's eyes sparkled.

"What is it?"

"It seems Lady Lacey Ortega, the Marchioness's wife, is in poor health. The Ortega family is planning to travel north to see her."

"……I see."

César slowly nodded.

It was unfortunate that the Countess was unwell, but perhaps this could be an opportunity.

"When are they leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

Startled by the tight schedule, César frowned and stood up.

"Then we must leave tomorrow as well."

"You intend to follow them?"

"Yes."

Or perhaps get ahead of them.

Just as he was quickly gathering his things and about to leave the prayer room, Chalo hurried after him.

"You're aware that coughing cases are increasing across the Empire?"

"Yes. I know. We've already dispatched many priests across the Empire."

Recently—actually, for quite some time—the number of patients complaining of coughing and lung pain had been increasing across the Empire.

They'd thought it was an ordinary flu or pneumonia, but it wasn't.

Existing medicines had no effect on them. The only thing that worked was priests' divine power.

Thus, many priests had already been dispatched across the Empire.

"I'm worried since it's highly contagious."

"Yes. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to have spread widely in the North yet…… still, please take care, Cardinal."

Those with exceptionally strong divine power—like the cardinal—often found that healing through divinity didn't work on them.

Like dropping a single drop of water into a concentrated solution—nothing happens.

Because they already possessed such dense divinity, ordinary divine power wouldn't take effect.

"Understood. I'll be careful."

As the cardinal answered, he paused.

He thought of Janet—the one he'd poured his divine power into multiple times but couldn't heal.

'Yet I felt no particular divine presence from her.'

"Cardinal?"

"Ah, no. Let's go."

Shaking his head, César resumed walking.

To resolve all his questions, he absolutely needed to speak with Janet.

He quickly finished his preparations and left the capital's temple the next day.

Shortly after, by a convenient coincidence, his carriage broke down, and he joined Janet's party.

Since the carriage was built for five, Chalo couldn't ride with them.

He took one of the Ortega escort knights' carriages and followed behind.

Smiling, César looked around at the carriage's occupants and closed his eyes for a moment.

'Surely this is all Lord Dake's arrangement.'

After reciting a short prayer silently, he opened his eyes.

The scenery outside the carriage window rushed by.

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