Chapter 21
Several days passed like that.
The sense of accomplishment from catching the spy hiding in the mansion thanks to a clue from Ronald lasted only briefly.
“Are you seriously going to do this?”
Seeing Blake, who had become a little more cooperative with my approaches lately, I thought we’d finally gotten somewhat closer. Apparently, that had all been my imagination.
Planting my hands on my hips, I shouted,
“There wasn’t any clause about a ban on going outside in the contract!”
“No.”
“Why not?!”
“Rumors have already spread among the servants. They say a scruffy, ugly brown teddy bear possessed by a ghost has been wandering around the estate.”
Dressed impeccably in his neatly fitted uniform, Blake adjusted his sleeve and spoke casually.
The words left me utterly shocked.
Scruffy and ugly?
What? Ugly?
The description hit me even harder than the previous comments about me being a “ghost.” Staggering backward, I grabbed the wall for support.
“You added that middle part yourself, didn’t you?”
“No.”
As if that wasn’t infuriating enough, Blake maintained an uncompromising attitude, leaving no room for negotiation.
“Does it only count if it’s written in the contract? The contract also says you shouldn’t unnecessarily reveal your identity.”
“Ugh! Then I just won’t get caught!”
“Sure you won’t.”
I glared at him from the doorway, arms crossed and eyes narrowed into triangles, but it had absolutely no effect.
In a firm tone, Blake warned me.
“Anyway, don’t move from here when I’m not around. If you cause a commotion and attract suspicion, you’re not the only one who’ll be in trouble.”
“No! How am I supposed to stay here every single day? I have things to do too!”
“What things?”
“Finding the portal!”
At that, one corner of his mouth curled upward mockingly.
“If I remember correctly, you said it’d be difficult to find it on your own. You’ll need my help anyway.”
Isn’t that right?
His smug expression practically said those words.
I parted my lips to argue, but nothing came to mind.
“Looks like you don’t have anything to say, so I’m leaving.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned around, grabbed the doorknob, and walked out.
“Hey! Wait a sec—”
Bang!
The door slammed shut, leaving me alone in the room.
“At least wait a moment…”
I muttered helplessly.
I’m seriously powerless.
Feeling the faint magic still lingering throughout my body, I let my words trail off.
I’d tried to view him kindly because he was a tragic secondary male lead despite his prickly personality, but this guy really…
“I’m getting revenge. I’m not letting this go. No matter how kind and innocent a witch I am, this treatment is completely unfair!”
Eventually, I collapsed onto the floor and ground my teeth while venting my frustrations.
“Blake, you jerk! I hope you trip while walking! And when you fall, your pants come off and you embarrass yourself!”
Of course, saying that didn’t make me feel any better.
It wasn’t like those words would ever reach him.
And if his pants really did come off, I’d rather it happen right in front of me so I could laugh.
What would be the point if it happened somewhere I couldn’t see?
Finally drained of energy, I sprawled out on the floor and stared blankly at the black-painted ceiling.
But then Blake’s irritating face floated back into my mind.
I shot upright.
“Just you wait. If you think you’ve got me completely under your control, you’re making a huge mistake.”
Being told not to go out only made me want to leave even more.
Of course, Blake was right that finding the portal in this form would be difficult.
But I had other things to do right now.
And I didn’t want to sit around this room doing nothing.
“…Heh heh.”
As I strode toward the door, a sinister smile spread across my face.
If Max saw it, he’d probably faint.
What was it he called this smile again?
“A smile right before a catastrophic incident.”
“If you were that worried, you should’ve stayed here and guarded me.”
Maybe I’d been too obedient lately and lowered their guard.
Whatever the reason, the mustached butler wasn’t in the room today.
“To dare call the great Vivian a scruffy, ugly teddy bear.”
I’d show him.
A woman’s—no, a teddy bear’s—transformation is innocent!
“Now where would the bathhouse be?”
For the first time since my refreshing outing, I had ventured into the mansion alone.
The hallways were enormous.
Maybe they seemed bigger because I’d become smaller.
“It’s huge…”
Until now, I’d only traveled between Blake’s bedroom, the greenhouse, and a small section of the corridor.
Now I was completely absorbed in admiring the magnificent paintings lining both sides of the hall.
“Ooh, this is a painting by an artist who used to sell his work for next to nothing. So he became successful after all?”
Some familiar works from nearly two hundred years ago even caught my eye.
While I was wandering and appreciating the artwork, I finally came to a fork in the path.
A staircase on the left.
A staircase on the right.
Which one led to the bathhouse?
As I stroked my chin and pondered, voices suddenly drifted from behind me.
“This way. Today’s our chance.”
“You’re right. We should’ve finished this long ago.”
“We simply didn’t have the opportunity until now. If we’d been discovered, we could’ve died.”
“…Fine.”
Huh?
What’s that?
Maids?
My heart pounding from the fear of being discovered, I slipped into a slightly open room beside the staircase and listened.
“We should hurry. What you’ve been waiting for will be there.”
“Once this is over, I’ll feel completely refreshed. It’ll be like washing away years of grime.”
Refreshed. Washing away grime.
‘Ah-ha!’
I instantly figured out their destination.
They must be heading to the bathhouse I’d been searching for.
For someone who had been desperately looking for a bathroom, this was a golden opportunity.
The two women climbed the left staircase without hesitation.
I quietly followed behind them.
Past the stairs.
Down the corridor.
All the way to the room at the end.
But when I finally reached their destination, I frowned.
‘Huh? Excuse me, ladies, this isn’t a bathhouse.’
What is this place?
The moment I stepped inside, towering bookshelves dominated my vision.
The two women in maid uniforms seemed thoroughly familiar with the room and strode forward without hesitation.
Their movements were strangely captivating.
Like cats.
Or perhaps panthers.
I couldn’t take my eyes off them.
Swiftly weaving through the shelves, they finally stopped at an unexpected corner of the room.
“Here.”
At this point, I knew.
Their destination was definitely not a bathhouse.
But there were many things that didn’t make sense.
The women moved far too skillfully for ordinary maids.
And this was clearly not somewhere maids should be entering freely.
So who were they?
By then, I was hiding behind a bookshelf, holding my breath as I watched.
Tap. Tap.
One of them nudged the floor with the tip of her shoe, nodded, and bent down.
A hidden door swung open.
Creeeak—
The two women immediately jumped inside.
Thunk.
Watching the door close behind them, I squeezed my eyes shut.
“…Ah.”
For a moment, I debated what to do.
Should I pretend I never saw any of this?
Wouldn’t everything be fine if I just ignored it?
“Haaaa…”
I followed them thinking they were heading to the bathhouse, and look where that got me!
If Blake found out, he’d definitely yell about me causing trouble again.
Should I call someone now?
But running around the mansion in this form looking for help would attract far too much attention.
And if I went searching for Ronald, I’d lose track of those two.
I never should’ve seen this.
After hesitating, I finally clenched my fist.
Then I dragged my heavy feet toward the hidden door.
No matter how I looked at it, something was suspicious.
What if these people intended to harm the LeBlanc family?
‘…Whatever.’
Taking a deep breath, I moved to the other side, found the concealed handle, and pulled with all my strength.
The door was surprisingly heavy.
My body wobbled.
Then I tumbled through the opening into a pitch-black space below.
Crash!
Something shattered beneath me as I landed noisily.
When I lifted my head—
“Bookshelves… and maps?”
Dim orange candlelight illuminated a vast, gloomy chamber.
Huge maps covered the walls.
Pins had been stuck into various locations.
It was undoubtedly a strategy room.
And maids had entered this place?
That was definitely strange.
As I carefully crept forward, I discovered one advantage of living in this body.
‘…Oh. My footsteps don’t make any noise.’
Maybe it was thanks to my soft, plush paws.
Even without trying particularly hard, I moved around without making a sound.
I squeezed myself into various corners and searched for where the two women had gone.
Then—
“Where could it be?”
“I was told it was stored here. We just need to find the trade route rights for the border commerce.”
“It’s not here. Maybe it was moved already?”
“No. He spent all his time traveling outside. When would he have had the chance to worry about internal imperial affairs? It’s definitely here.”
There they were.
The two maids were frantically rummaging through a large cabinet in the center of the room.
‘I’ve never seen these maids before.’
Too focused and anxious to notice my presence, they continued searching.
‘Hmm. What should I do?’
The contract specifically said not to reveal my identity unless absolutely necessary.
So stepping out in front of them was out.
Which meant I should approach this from behind.
Just then, I spotted something useful.
My eyes landed on a portrait hanging behind them.
An elderly man with a white beard and stern violet eyes.
The face felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
I glanced at him and silently mouthed,
‘Sorry. I’m borrowing your face for a moment.’
At least I should apologize for the rudeness I was about to commit.
Then I slipped into a dark corner beside the portrait and snapped my fingers toward it.
A ripple of magic surged outward.
The wrinkled face inside the painting twitched and came alive.
‘This is projection magic.’
Projection magic.
A special spell that projects my appearance onto an inanimate object, allowing it to mimic my expressions and movements.
Ahem.
Clearing my throat, I raised my voice in a deep, imposing tone.
“You insolent fools!”
