Chapter 20
“I’ll give you three seconds. Talk. Three, two—”
“It’s a man!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes…?”
“You’re sure your friend is a man?”
“W-Well… unless that friend changed their gender.”
At that, Vivian’s smile deepened.
“Wrong. That settles it. You’re a spy.”
“I’m not!”
“Yes, you are.”
Vivian let out a mocking chuckle. Faced with the ridicule from the cute doll, Molly was left speechless.
“You were ordered to spread the rumor that Blake killed an employee, weren’t you?”
Molly frantically shook her head, but the expression on Vivian’s face clearly said she already knew everything. Her heart sank.
“The Billiard Social Club is staffed entirely by women. A messenger like you, who only receives orders and spreads rumors, probably wouldn’t know that. I heard it’s an upper-class social gathering attended only by nobles.”
All women?
Molly’s dismayed expression was impossible to miss. After quietly observing her, Vivian casually asked,
“You don’t want to die here, do you?”
Of course she didn’t.
“Absolutely not!”
“Other servants who don’t know any better might have believed what you said, but I didn’t. If you keep lying…”
Silence fell between them. Then Vivian cheerfully declared,
“You’ll receive the appropriate price for what you’ve done.”
A price.
Molly didn’t know exactly what that meant, but fear immediately gripped her.
If Young Master Blake found out about all this, she might face a terrible punishment. Or perhaps she’d be thrown out of the estate and lose her means of earning money.
Watching Molly’s face gradually turn pale, Vivian quietly added,
“Or you could join our side.”
Molly’s eyes lit up.
If there was another way to survive, she was willing to hear it.
Vivian had perfectly understood her mindset.
“How about becoming a double agent between the person who gave you this mission and us? Just make up some lies about the situation inside the LeBlanc estate for them, and pass any information they give you to me.”
What do you think? Easy, right?
Vivian spoke as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
Molly bit her lip.
One wrong move could cost her life.
“If you don’t want to, just say so. I’ll find another solution.”
As she said that, Vivian ominously raised her fist.
Still unable to forget how completely helpless she had been moments ago, Molly swallowed hard.
Is this teddy bear really a guardian angel? Even if it isn’t, it’s definitely something extraordinary.
A magician, perhaps?
Whatever it was, it possessed enough power to control her fate.
And Molly valued her life above all else.
The reason she earned money was simply to live more comfortably and eat her fill.
There was no reason to refuse.
Quickly shaking her head, Molly said,
“No, I don’t hate the idea. I’ll do it!”
“I’ll make sure you’re paid well. Well, not by me—by Blake or Ronald.”
It was a vague promise, but Molly believed it completely.
After all, she already knew how wealthy the owner of this estate was.
“Alright. Then what should I do?”
“The first thing you should do is tell me who gave you this mission.”
Vivian plopped down onto a bench. Then she silently mouthed, Ding!
The stiffness binding Molly’s body instantly disappeared.
Finally able to move freely again, Molly obediently sat beside Vivian.
“…That person is the child of a noble family. He’s in the same social circle as the young master.”
“I didn’t ask for a riddle.”
“I-I was about to tell you! It’s Young Master Brown.”
“Brown?”
Watching Vivian’s adorable side profile as she pondered the name, Molly nodded.
“That’s right. Brown. He told me to make sure this rumor spread properly.”
“Has this happened before?”
“Sometimes. The money I get from jobs like this is pretty good, so I made a little mistake…”
“Pfft! Molly, you’re a funny one.”
“Huh?”
“It wasn’t a mistake. It was a calculated choice. You don’t do things that lose you money.”
“No, Guardian Angel!”
Vivian smirked.
People like this were actually easy to handle.
Those with a strong attachment to life and money would move willingly as long as you gave them what they wanted.
“If you join our side, you won’t lose anything. I’ll even make sure that Young Master Brown never gets the chance to threaten you.”
“Thank you.”
Molly no longer bothered asking about Vivian’s identity and simply expressed her gratitude.
She had clearly recognized the overwhelming difference in power between them.
“Guardian Angel, despite your cute appearance, you’re incredibly powerful…”
“Thanks for the flattery. Compliments are always nice to hear.”
“Um, how will I be able to meet you in the future?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll come find you whenever I need you.”
Vivian patted Molly’s shoulder.
Then she clapped twice.
The stars in the night sky immediately began spinning in circles.
Molly stared at the beautiful sight in complete fascination.
“From now on, spread the word among the estate servants that Blake is absolutely not a bad person.”
You can do that, right?
When Vivian asked, Molly confidently declared that she could.
Vivian clapped again, and the spinning stars returned to their original places.
“It was just a simple illusion spell. Did you like it?”
“I’ll do my best!”
“Good. Then I’m counting on you starting tonight. I’m going to sleep!”
Yawning so widely it looked as though her mouth might split, Vivian waved her hand.
Molly weakly waved back as she watched the small teddy bear wobble toward the main building’s entrance.
Soon, silence returned to the servants’ quarters.
Staring blankly into space, Molly slapped her cheeks a few times.
The stinging sensation told her it wasn’t a dream.
She staggered back to her room, pulled the blanket up to her neck, and closed her still-wide-awake eyes.
Only when morning finally arrived and she managed to get some sleep did Molly truly accept that the previous night had been real.
As she went about her usual maid duties, she found herself unconsciously looking around.
She half expected the special teddy bear who called itself a guardian angel to suddenly appear again.
She spent the entire morning doing laundry and running errands, but the teddy bear never showed itself.
Molly even asked the other maids about it.
“Have any of you seen a teddy bear around this estate?”
“You mean the one that belongs to the eldest young master?”
“Yeah. Has anyone actually seen it properly?”
“Not me. But some people say it has yellowish fur and green eyes.”
Ah, so that teddy bear really does belong to Young Master Blake.
But nobody else knows it’s a guardian angel.
Now she finally understood.
The reason Blake suddenly carried a teddy bear around.
Because it’s a guardian angel!
Normally, practical-minded Molly would never have believed something like that.
But after experiencing magic firsthand, she had no choice.
While diligently sweeping and scrubbing the entrance floor, Molly made a vow.
If the Guardian Angel gave her money, guaranteed her safety, and continued standing on her side with that incredible power…
Then I’ll do my absolute best to accomplish every task entrusted to me in this estate!
Just then, another maid approached her.
“Molly, I heard you were there when that note about the eldest young master was being discussed yesterday. I wasn’t around. What was it about?”
Molly grinned.
“Oh, that? You’re curious? I’ll tell you properly.”
The maid, who already liked Molly because she was always cheerful and hardworking, eagerly leaned in to listen.
“Well, you know how Young Master Blake is a good person who takes care of the servants’ wages and benefits, right? It turns out that story about the social club was completely misunderstood…”
The maid’s eyes sparkled as she listened intently to every word Molly said.
At that very moment, atop the railing overlooking the estate’s central staircase—
Vivian sat leaning against the edge of the banister, using a “Listening Spell.”
As she listened, she closed her eyes and smiled contentedly.
The operation had been a complete success.
