* * *

“Mary, you look uncomfortable. Is it because of yesterday’s incident?”

Mary, who was served dessert by me today as well as yesterday, shook her head with a happy smile.

“Not at all. Tanya committed a crime, so she’s just receiving her due punishment.”

Well, well, look at the audacity.

Truly, Sybel has a good eye for people.

I was worried about what if Mary didn’t act according to my plan, but fortunately, she was more selfish and cunning than I thought.

‘I thought she’d just push Tanya with a few words on my behalf, but to think she’d suddenly slap her.’

“Were you close?”

“…No, we weren’t.”

I know.

I deliberately chose a maid who wasn’t on good terms with Mary to frame as the culprit.

Tanya is the type who likes to take leadership and won’t be satisfied unless she becomes the leader in any group.

Because of this, ever since I empowered Mary, there have been known and unknown conflicts of opinion between them.

And yesterday’s incident added fuel to their conflict.

I pushed a delicious-looking apple pie towards Mary and spoke as if granting mercy.

“You can be honest. I’m in a good mood today, so I might show leniency to that little rat for your sake.”

“R-Really?”

Perhaps she still had a shred of conscience, as Mary brightened up and defended Tanya, saying she didn’t act with ill intentions, as if advocating for herself.

“Go tell that little rat. She can return to the main building today. Mary, for your sake, I won’t fire that nasty little rat.”

At my words, Mary excitedly left to deliver the news to Tanya.

I savored the moderately cooled tea, and as if waiting for Mary to leave, I asked the visitor who came to see me:

“How is Tanya?”

“After a day, her resentment has peaked, and she’s grinding her teeth in anger. Tanya is recognized for her abilities among the maids, and her mother has also worked as a maid in the main building for a long time, so she has influence. She’ll move well on the board that the Master has set up.”

Terry answered, impolitely picking up a madeleine with her hand and bringing it to her mouth.

From the beginning, finding Sybel’s spy wasn’t a particularly difficult task.

Nothing that happens in the annex escapes Terry’s eyes.

Like an assassin, Terry hid in the shadows, monitoring everything in the mansion, and if necessary, she didn’t hesitate to use secret passages in the mansion that even I didn’t know about.

So there’s no way she missed Mary cutting off a part of my hair under the pretense of grooming it and hiding it in her sleeve.

Coincidentally, we were also attacked by shadow crows that day, knowing they needed a part of the target’s body.

Therefore, what I pondered wasn’t how to pick out Sybel’s spy, but how to use his words.

‘Dismissing Sybel’s spy would be amateurish.’

Even if I dismissed Mary, another maid would take her place.

If that’s the case, it’s better to use Mary.

I intended to make her a double agent.

So I kept Mary close and carefully observed how the relationships among the maids changed.

Fortunately, it seemed to have gone according to plan.

Mary’s choice will end up strangling her own neck.

“Terry, for Tanya…”

“Yes, I’ll compensate her appropriately.”

Terry said, as if reading my mind, while habitually pouring tea into my cup.

* * *

The travel preparations proceeded smoothly.

Naturally, Leo was very excited and spent almost three days carefully packing and unpacking his travel luggage, then packing again.

Finally, in Leo’s travel bag that received his final approval, there was a half-full piggy bank, a bundle of high-quality parchment used for magic practice, a fairy tale book I once read to him at bedtime, an expensive quill pen now shabby with missing feathers

and ink stains, and lastly, a few cleaning tools that Leo frequently uses.

“Lady Belinda! I’m all prepared!”

“…I see.”

Although there were a few things I wanted to remove from the travel luggage, I decided to just be grateful for now that Leo, who came here empty-handed, had packed so many things even for a short trip.

With Leo’s luggage loaded, all travel preparations were complete.

“L-Lady Belinda, please take care on your journey.”

“Don’t forget to bring back souvenirs when you return.”

“I… don’t need any souvenirs. As long as Lady Belinda returns safely…”

“Master, the head maid says she really wants a souvenir.”

“N-No, I don’t!”

I swallowed a sigh at the bickering of my employees who started arguing about whether it was true or not in the middle of saying goodbye to me.

Unfortunately, Terry and Vivian won’t be joining this trip.

“You’re going to see snow? Why?”

“Because it’s winter.”

“…Ah?”

“…Huh?”

Terry’s face showed that she couldn’t understand my travel purpose at all, and it was the same for Vivian.

Their expressions said they couldn’t comprehend why I would travel just to see snow in winter.

These unromantic ones.

In the end, instead of proposing they join the trip, I gave them a month’s vacation.

Without me saying anything, Terry had already infiltrated a few Rats as employees in the annex to monitor the mansion’s situation and prepare for unexpected events while the annex was empty.

Additionally, I had one more prepared gift for Vivian.

“Vivian, this is payment for the magical tool you made.”

“Wow, it’s high-quality paper. Thank you! I’ll definitely use this paper to write the magic formula when I make an incredible magical tool.”

“Oh my, what should we do with this dense one.”

Terry expressed my exasperated feelings on my behalf.

What I gave Vivian was a deed for a two-story building in her name.

It’s a cozy shop opposite the Bluebird Dress Shop, and being located in a bustling area, it costs quite a bit, befitting the notoriously expensive real estate in the capital.

However, I didn’t touch a penny of my inheritance to buy this building.

This was because a status window suddenly appeared a few weeks ago, announcing the quest completion.

I splurged that quest reward to the fullest, providing Vivian with a building to use as her dream magical tool workshop, interior decor, and even expensive magical tool research equipment, all fully equipped.

On the polished wooden desk, I placed the patent registration certificate for ‘Cecil’s Lullaby’ that arrived a few days ago.

It was the first patent certificate in Vivian’s name.

It was also payment for the magic gun and the ‘Elixir of Life’ that Vivian would complete later, but the workshop was essential for her to become independent after I left.

Of course, all of this isn’t free.

The contract Vivian unknowingly signed before.

It included a clause allowing a portion of the profits from the magical tools Vivian sells to be transferred to a certain account.

The name of that account is Leo’s piggy bank.

But Vivian treated all of this as merely expensive scrap paper.

No wonder Terry, who handled all of this on my behalf, would feel frustrated.

‘It was a good decision to set up Vivian’s workshop opposite to Bluebird. If anything happens, Terry will help.’

I gave Terry a nod, signaling her to take care of the rest.

Terry nodded and soon opened the mansion’s massive doors with Vivian.

“We’ll be looking forward to your return.”

I left the mansion, sent off by the butler and head maid.

The mansion’s employees lined up in two rows, bowing politely to see me off.

They all had their heads bowed, so I couldn’t see their expressions, but they must be thrilled to death.

After all, the tyrant who ruled the mansion would be away for as long as a month.

There was, however, one maid with a gloomy face.

“Oh, my Lady!”

She was in such a hurry that she committed the outrageous act of blocking Belinda’s path.

“Mary, what’s the matter?”

She looked a mess.

Her unkempt hair was disheveled, and the dark circles under her eyes suggested she hadn’t been sleeping well, indicating severe emotional distress.

‘Well, being bullied by a boss is different from being ostracized by coworkers.’

My tyranny was directed at the general population, and they only had to endure it during work hours, but ostracism from colleagues you live and work with is different.

From the moment she opened her eyes until she closed them again, Mary must have been extremely tense.

After that incident, Mary was noticeably shunned by her fellow maids.

Although the ostracism was led by Tanya, they had their own justifiable reasons.

To the maids, Mary was as good as an internal enemy who tried to frame Tanya to get on my good side.

“Please take me with you. You’re not taking any dedicated maid with you. I, I will definitely be of help.”

Mary pleaded with me desperately.

I could fully understand her feelings.

Everyone had at least refrained from bullying Mary in front of me, but once I left, their persecution would likely become more blatant.

“Oh, Mary.”

I called her name as if in sympathy.

What can you do? That’s exactly what I wanted.

I raised my voice loud enough for the bowing maids to hear.

“It’s because you’re here that I can leave the mansion. You must control the underlings well while I’m gone.”

Underlings.

I could clearly see Tanya’s hand, which was bowing nearby, clench into a fist at those words.

“B-But…”

“Enough. Stop being a nuisance and return to your place.”

At my suddenly harsh words, Mary retreated with a face that looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.

A superior who isn’t respected and acknowledged becomes everyone’s enemy.

Probably by the time I return from my trip, I will be the only one she can rely on.

Not Sybel.