Chapter – 20
Mary added, noticing my glare full of dissatisfaction.
“Ah, um… I’m sorry.”
But I quickly relaxed my expression.
“It’s fine. It’s not your fault that I can’t go out.”
As I said that, I subtly studied Mary’s face.
She looked at me as if I were incredibly pitiful.
Well.
Objectively speaking, being confined to this mansion for years was hardly different from imprisonment.
Most noblewomen hadn’t been apart from their husbands for years either.
‘I’m just an extremely unusual case.’
For a noble, this was a tremendous disgrace.
But I didn’t really care.
Because I’d gone through something similar in my previous life.
I hadn’t truly been imprisoned, but a highly contagious disease had swept the world.
As a result, everyone spent more time at home, and as a freelancer, there was no situation where I absolutely had to leave the house.
I had ended up living entirely inside for, generously speaking, about two or three years.
‘Of course, there’s a difference between choosing not to go out and being forced not to.’
And comparing it to that was unreasonable anyway; this mansion was spacious and had everything I needed.
The people here didn’t particularly like me, but they generally provided whatever I needed.
Except for letting me go out.
‘Even Kain, who used to dislike me so much, has become somewhat more polite.’
Though his displeasure never completely disappeared.
‘But here, I should at least appear pitiable.’
“Mary, can I ask you a favor?”
“Yes! Of course! Just… nothing that costs money or involves killing anyone!”
“…Setting aside the money part, do you really think I’d make you kill someone?”
What does she take me for?
“Heheh. Really? Anyway, what favor is it?”
Mary scratched the back of her neck as she spoke, and I hesitated for a moment.
Her face gradually grew serious.
“…You’re not really going to make me kill someone, are you?”
“It’s not like that!”
Hmm.
‘How do I ask her to go to the Information Guild and get me a capable personal agent?’
I glanced at Mary’s expression.
She blinked innocently, as if waiting for my answer.
It made me feel even more conflicted.
‘I know Mary’s a good person.’
But whether I could really trust her was another matter.
‘Well, I have no choice.’
I decided to trust Mary.
Not completely, just halfway.
“You know, Mary… I grew up on a rural estate.”
Mary nodded.
“So even though I’m learning diligently, I still have a lot to improve.”
“Don’t worry too much! You’ll learn quickly.”
I approached Mary and firmly held her hand.
“Thank you, Mary. But I’m still worried.”
“Milady…”
Her expression was so warm.
“So… here.”
I took a pouch out of the drawer.
Inside was the emergency fund I had secretly saved over time.
Not stolen, exactly, but let’s say I had quietly gathered what belonged to me.
It wasn’t really stealing, but I acted as if it was.
Deliberately, I made sure Mary could see inside the pouch and pulled out a necklace.
“Milady, this is…?”
“I know there’s a place called the Information Guild in the capital. Can you take this there and get a personal agent assigned?”
A personal agent.
They are usually affiliated with the Information Guild but are assigned exclusively to one particular client.
The information they provide is expensive, but security is extremely strict.
‘At least, that’s what I remember from a novel.’
So, the name was clear…
Ah, I remembered.
“Cassius.”
Mary, who had been staring at the necklace, looked up at me.
“Isn’t that the name of a famous trading house?”
I shook my head.
“It’s well-known, but they also act as an Information Guild.”
As I spoke, I realized too late:
‘What if young Mary asks how I know this?’
While I was worrying about that, Mary said with admiration:
“Wow, nobles really are amazing.”
“Huh?”
“Even a young lady like you knows information that someone like me, a commoner, would never know in my whole life.”
‘Does she think I know it because of noble education?’
It was a huge misunderstanding, but I didn’t bother correcting it.
I needed her to be a little more misled.
“Well, something like that. I just learned it recently, too.”
“I see…! The House of Ashtria really is incredible. For me to become a personal maid here… am I allowed to be this happy?”
Meanwhile, some noblewomen in training probably made the Grand Duchess’s face seem insignificant in comparison.
‘Why do I feel guilty?’
“Anyway, can you do me this favor?”
“Of course! But why a personal agent?”
“Well, these days, every noble secretly keeps one.”
“Wow, really? I’ve never heard that before!”
Watching Mary get so worked up, I awkwardly smiled.
‘Of course, it’s all a lie I just made up.’
Hiding that thought, I nodded in understanding.
“It’s natural that you didn’t know. Nobles consider it dishonorable if this fact gets out.”
“Ah, so that’s why…!”
“Yes. Asking me for this is just part of noble life. So don’t let anyone hear about it.”
I put my index finger to my lips to emphasize the secrecy.
Mary nodded firmly, as if making a vow.
“Trust only me, Milady!”
Seeing her so eager made me a little uneasy.
‘Will this really be okay…?’
Mary left the Ashtria Mansion, checking the necklace tucked in her arms.
It was a rare piece worth several years of her salary; losing it would be a disaster.
‘Can I really do this right?’
Although her mistress was young, she was still a noble.
The thought that she was running an errand for a noble made Mary’s hands sweaty.
‘Most personal maids do this, after all…!’
She nodded and headed toward the Cassius Trading House.
Cling.
As she opened the door, an employee greeted her with a bright smile.
Mary awkwardly smiled back, scanning the interior of the Cassius Trading House.
The capital’s Cassius Trading House was large and visited by many people.
She had been there a few times before.
‘If what my mistress said is true, this is also an Information Guild…’
Mary remembered what Lilia had told her and walked toward the counter.
“Can I help you, miss?”
“Ah, um… I came to buy something a bit special today.”
“Special? What kind of special?”
“Could I… buy a voice?”
“A voice…?”
The clerk looked Mary over, as if judging whether she was capable of paying for the voice.
Mary discreetly showed the necklace in her arms to the clerk.
“It’s not for me… I’m here on behalf of my mistress.”
Only then did the clerk relax, smiling.
“Apologies. This way, please.”
The clerk led Mary to a back room.
Inside, there was a staircase leading up to another room.
Mary’s eyes widened.
‘There’s this kind of space inside the store?’
The upstairs felt completely different from the lower floor.
If the lower floor was like a general goods store, this felt like a library full of countless books.
As Mary looked around in awe, someone called to her.
“What kind of voice are you here to purchase?”
Snapping out of her daze at the unfamiliar voice, Mary coughed lightly and approached the man.
She took the necklace from her arms and handed it over.
“My mistress told me to give this and request a personal agent.”
The man’s eyes narrowed.
“A personal agent, you say?”
“Yes? Nobles…”
Mary hesitated, remembering what Lilia had told her—that it must not be revealed outside.
‘But this is the Information Guild, so it should be fine… right?’
“All nobles keep at least one personal agent, right? My mistress said she needs one.”
The expressions of the two clerks listening to her babble subtly changed.
By the time Mary looked at them again, the expressions were as casual as ever.
“I see. However, this is beyond what we can handle here, so please wait a moment.”
“Oh, yes.”
The clerk guided Mary to the reception room.
Meanwhile, Mack, who handled reception at the Information Guild, looked at the necklace with concern.
A clearly expensive necklace.
And a personal agent, known only to a select few high-ranking nobles.
‘This is by no means a trivial matter.’
He immediately contacted the representative of the Cassius Information Guild.
“A personal agent, you say?”
The clerks immediately realized that the necklace Mary handed over was no ordinary item.
For matters involving someone high-ranking, only someone high-ranking could be summoned.
“Yes, that’s what she said.”
The owner of the Cassius Trading House had never appeared in person.
They always communicated through a cloaked agent.
This time was no different.
The man holding the necklace examined it, shining light on the pendant and turning it this way and that.
Then he let out a small chuckle.
“It seems the person she serves is someone of considerable standing.”
