Chapter 18
The path to the servants’ lounge wasn’t difficult to find. Every time I passed through a corridor, I would hide beside a cabinet or statue and secretly eavesdrop on the servants’ conversations to figure out the way.
“Hurry up. We need to rest while Vice Captain Rain is here. After that, there’s evening roll call.”
“We’re going to the servants’ lounge, right?”
“Yeah, let’s go together.”
Just like now.
Pressed tightly against the side of a statue, I quietly followed the maids walking ahead.
Well, even for me, getting my identity exposed to the servants in this state would be… troublesome.
So I told myself to be careful, but—
“Kyaaaaaah!”
One servant, her hair tightly tied back, screamed in terror.
The servant next to her shrieked as well.
“Kyaaaaaah! What’s wrong with you?!”
“A ghost, a ghost!”
“Where is there a ghost?”
“The shadow following us! Didn’t you see that shadow with ears?!”
Ah, damn it.
The sunset outside the corridor window must have cast my shadow far too clearly.
One maid who had glanced back shuddered after seeing my shadow.
“It could’ve just been a mouse!”
“Have you ever seen a mouse standing on two legs?! And it was way bigger than a mouse!”
I quickly hid completely behind the statue. My shadow disappeared at once.
“I-I’m scared. You heard that story last time, right? About the teddy bear’s shadow roaming the corridors.”
“Yeah… I heard it. But wasn’t that supposed to be the young master’s teddy bear?”
“Do you believe that? A young master and a teddy bear? That’s ridiculous!”
“I’m saying it might really be a ghost possessing a teddy bear wandering around. And the young master is bewitched by it!”
“Watch your mouth! Let’s just hurry to the lounge.”
Now they were calling me a ghost?
For a moment, I was stunned by a title that didn’t suit the western witch of the demon realm at all. Then I hurried after them.
At the end of the path, the scene that the “Let’s Clear All Misunderstandings About Blake” alliance had been hoping for unfolded before me.
Amid the servants gathered in a circle, whispering among themselves, the maid I had seen yesterday stood tall.
The one who said she had a male servant friend at the billiards room.
“Is this all the notes? Did you check if there were any others nearby?”
A nearby maid replied,
“We checked everything. For now, Molly, what you have is all there is.”
Ah, so that maid’s name was Molly.
Having learned her name, I focused back on the conversation.
“So, to sum it up, the death of the social club employee was really suspicious, and the cause of death wasn’t instant but more like poisoning?”
A freckled maid said, looking over the notes Molly was holding.
Then, frowning as if something felt off, she asked again,
“Wait a second. Molly, didn’t your friend say the young master killed him?”
Molly, who had been listening quietly, slowly nodded. Despite the questioning looks around her, her expression remained fairly calm and composed.
But she couldn’t completely hide the flicker of unease in her eyes.
“…Ah. Yes, that’s right. I thought my friend’s words were trustworthy. She’s worked there for quite a long time.”
However, her opinion quickly met strong opposition.
“But if you checked the notes, you saw it, right? The blackened skin, one of the signs of poisoning! And like the note says, the timing of the collapse and the fact that many coworkers didn’t even know the employee’s face—don’t they all point to one thing?”
The servants murmured among themselves.
The freckled maid, raising her voice confidently, declared,
“Therefore, it means the young master didn’t kill that employee!”
“But Molly’s friend works at the billiards room and said so herself.”
Another servant countered.
The freckled maid shook her head again.
“Molly’s friend didn’t even see it herself—she just heard about it. And when you put all these notes together, it makes sense!”
Then Molly, who had been silent, quickly agreed.
“Yeah… now that I think about it, that could be true. I guess my friend must have been mistaken.”
The way she slipped out of it so smoothly—she was no ordinary maid.
‘No matter how I look at it, she’s suspicious.’
Still, at this level, my plan could be considered a success.
Hiding behind a sapling near the lounge bench, I couldn’t suppress a satisfied smile.
Ah, Ronald should’ve seen this with me!
While I was enjoying my triumph—
The servants, still immersed in their detective roles, continued discussing.
“But who left these notes?”
A male servant from the kitchen spoke up.
“Someone who knows the real culprit. They didn’t want the young master to be wrongly accused.”
“I knew it! The young master may be a bit scary, but he’s not someone who would just kill people. You all know that none of the servants in this estate have ever been hurt or killed and thrown out.”
That’s right, exactly!
The conversation was finally heading in the right direction.
Watching these admirable humans passionately debate, I glanced at the paper clenched in my hand.
They need to see this too for it to be complete.
How should I do it?
As I pondered, the two servants who had entered the lounge with me joined the discussion.
This was my chance.
Rolling forward in a flashy somersault, I crept closer behind them.
This time, I was near a trash can.
Thanks to the magic I had accumulated over the past few days by staying close to Blake, it was finally time to use a spell.
‘It’s been a while, so it feels a bit awkward.’
Still, why not try a little experiment?
Squeak, squeak.
Right then, a mouse jumped out of the trash can and landed on the floor.
I had been wondering what spell to use, but the answer came immediately.
Alright, little mouse. Deliver this last note to them.
‘Delivery!’
The moment I chanted silently, my magic stirred.
I could tell right away—it had worked.
As if possessed, the mouse approached me, picked up the note in its mouth, then nodded slightly with bright eyes and ran toward the servants.
“Squeak! Squeak!”
At the noisy sound, the servants’ attention dropped to the floor.
The moment they saw the note in the mouse’s mouth—
“Ah! What is that?!”
“There’s more evidence! Another note showed up!”
Shouts of shock and excitement erupted everywhere.
The maid who unfolded the final note trembled slightly.
“Blake LeBlanc… actually cares about the servants more than anyone…?”
“That’s what it says? Really?”
“Look, it’s true.”
“Come to think of it, even if he doesn’t return greetings well, he’s never harmed us.”
“Right. He may be prickly, but he’s never reduced our wages or benefits…”
“To be honest… I’ve never seen a place that takes better care of its people than this estate.”
And yet such a person killed someone over a mere mistake?
Now that they thought about it, the rumor was utterly absurd.
The atmosphere quickly turned solemn.
“Maybe all this time, we’ve been closing our eyes and ears, only listening to what we wanted to hear.”
“The person who left these notes must have known that, and wanted to clear the young master’s name.”
Leaving their quiet voices behind, I silently exited the lounge.
Walking back toward the mansion, I fell into thought.
It seemed certain that Molly’s claim about hearing things at the social club was a lie.
Watching her closely, it had been easy to tell she was lying.
And Ronald had said that the social club only had female employees.
‘Tomorrow, I should go talk to that maid Molly.’
After safely returning to my room, I stretched out my legs and drifted into a light, drowsy evening nap.
My magic had worked, and the rumors about Blake had been cleared up. I felt much lighter.
Perhaps because I fell asleep so peacefully, a face I longed to see appeared in my dream.
‘Vivian! You’ve been doing well, right?’
‘Maaax!!! I missed you!’
‘You’re still being yourself even there. But don’t get hurt. It puts me in a difficult position.’
‘I’m doing great. I made friends, and I even got a contractor.’
‘Well done. You’re someone who deserves to be loved, Vivian.’
‘Yeah. My wines are doing well too, right?’
‘……’
‘…Why aren’t you answering? Max? Hmm?’
‘I should get going now.’
‘Hey! Hey! You bastard, Max!’
Max was walking away.
“Max… don’t you dare touch my wine…”
It was a dream that started well but ended badly. I tossed and turned, groaning at the thought that Max might have taken all my wine, not even noticing the blanket slipping off me.
“Leave… some for me…”
“…Ha.”
But soon, it felt like someone pulled the blanket back over me.
I was too busy chasing after Max in my dream, shouting that he had thrown away my wine, to open my eyes.
Still, it was a sweet and restful break.
