Macy asked me after I had washed and changed clothes. It was already lunchtime.

Louise was removed from the front line as a consequence of provoking my anger. Instead, Macy, who became the attending maid, fussed over me nervously. Her trying so hard without knowing what to do was a bit cute.

As I was debating whether to go down to the dining room or have a light meal brought up, I suddenly thought of Rashid. What would he be doing now?

“What about His Grace?”

“He was in his office, but left a little while ago.”

“I see.”

Thinking it might be better to move around a bit, I decided to go down to the dining room for lunch.

The dining room of the ducal residence was decorated with all sorts of ornaments. From silver candlesticks, fresh flower arrangements, to elegant furniture that must have guarded this place for a long time, nothing was carelessly placed.

While it lacked the sophisticated and elegant style that follows trends, or the delicate and labor-intensive charm that comes from careful decoration, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Whether it was Rashid’s taste, or perhaps there was a family tradition of not disturbing the old-fashioned charm, the Penvernon mansion had a classical elegance, or to put it less kindly, was a bit outdated.

And unlike other noble houses, there were no family portraits hanging in the dining room. Not just the dining room. There were no family portraits in the banquet hall, ballroom, gallery, corridors, or anywhere else.

Is it because he doesn’t want to see the people he killed? I vaguely tried to imagine Rashid’s thoughts but then dismissed them. It would soon be of no concern to me anyway. Healing his wounds was not a task assigned to me.

After finishing my meal and returning to my room, Harriet was waiting for me.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Yes, I have something to listen to as well.”

I dismissed Macy and sat alone in the room with her.

* * *

Louise entered my bedroom with a pale face. She was noticeably fidgeting, probably from nervousness, showing a side I hadn’t seen before.

“…My lady.”

Her timid voice was pitiful.

‘It’s all an act.’

I steeled myself, recalling all the sentences I had read until now. I couldn’t be fooled by her anymore.

Harriet found a small wooden box under Louise’s bed. It was a box full of jewels. I didn’t need to ask Louise where these sparkling items came from to know their origin.

“I have something I want to ask you, Louise.”

“Please, go ahead.”

Her shoulders, already drained of energy, flinched.

“Bring it here.”

At those words, Harriet, who had been standing in the room, showed the box she had been holding behind her back.

“……!”

Louise quickly turned her head after confirming the box in Harriet’s hands. Perhaps because she never expected this situation, her reaction showed she was too flustered to even pretend to be calm.

“Louise, what might this box be?”

Louise was visibly shaking, quite literally. But I had no intention of showing mercy. My resolve was firm.

“I, I don’t know.”

“How could you not know, when it was found in your room?”

“That’s impossible! I’ve been wronged, my lady! This is a conspiracy!”

“What conspiracy?”

Louise began to stammer out excuses.

“So-someone who envies me must be behind this. It’s a plot by someone who wants my position as your attending maid!”

Louise continued with a long-winded explanation. I frowned as I watched Louise, who had turned pale and didn’t know what to do.

“Who found that box? Surely that person must be deceiving you, my lady.”

“Mrs. Ronan found it in your room herself.”

“Th-then the head maid…”

“Louise, why are you so surprised about that box? I haven’t said anything yet.”

Only then did Louise realize her mistake and began to tremble.

I hadn’t even asked her about the contents of the box, yet her immediate claim of ignorance and innocence was, ironically, proof that she knew better than anyone what was inside. She had dug her own grave.

“Come to think of it, we also have this.”

I nodded, and Macy hesitantly handed over a letter. It contained things Louise had been trying to relay to the Emperor. Inside were detailed accounts of the happenings in the Penvernon mansion, including stories about me.

We found it by checking each servant’s letters and interrogating every messenger one by one.

Louise wasn’t worried about Alisa’s suspicions, but she was careful about the people in the mansion. Therefore, she communicated with the imperial palace by passing messages through multiple people.

“I hear that because of His Grace the Duke, mages can’t freely roam near the mansion. They can’t even use carrier pigeons. So you had no choice, right?”

That was common knowledge for people living in this world.

The reason Louise couldn’t use magic to ensure the security of the document within the mansion was because of Rashid. Rashid’s magical power acted as a kind of barrier, detecting and blocking the flow of magic even when he wasn’t in the mansion.

It was the same for capable ducal families everywhere, with only differences in sensitivity.

Not only are magical security devices expensive, but the use of unauthorized magic is impossible inside this mansion. It’s also impossible for mages to approach the vicinity of the mansion without permission. It was for the protection of the Penvernon family.

“Shall we look for a magical tool now? There must be something somewhere that can identify the author of a document. Right, Harriet?”

“Yes, I’ll fetch one if you say the word.”

“My, my lady…”

Cornered, Louise fell to her knees, trembling. She who once held her head high and tried to keep Alisa under her thumb now looked like a drowned rat.

‘What should I do with you?’

I pondered over various ways to deal with Louise.

If I were to blame her solely for being a spy, she might have room for excuses, but Louise was also guilty of theft, so even if I openly expelled her, it would be difficult for the Emperor to say anything.

Still, for the Emperor’s sake, I wouldn’t have her flogged, which was fortunate for Louise.

And yet, even so…

I really gave it a lot of thought.

“Louise.”

“Y-yes, my lady.”

“You have three choices.”

Louise looked up. Her eyes had lost their light. I held up one finger towards her.

“First, you can be quietly expelled.”

After that, whether she goes to the Emperor crying and making a fuss is not my concern. Whether the Emperor will take pity on Louise and take her back, or discard a maid who couldn’t even spy properly, is entirely up to the Emperor’s discretion.

I wonder what choice the Emperor will make? Louise would know better than I.

“Second, you can receive punishment according to your crimes.”

The judgment is not mine to make, but the magistrate’s. It’s obvious what decision he would make for a maid who committed crimes against nobility.

“Third, …forget the past and start a new life.”

It was just a feeling. Nothing more. Just because I felt uneasy about manipulating her life in a negative direction.

“A new life…?”

“If you choose that, I’ll give you this.”

At my signal, Harriet handed the box to Louise. It contained Alisa’s jewels that she had stolen.

Consider it severance pay for working over a year. I’m being generous. It’s not mine anyway. I’m just putting on airs.

“A city like Aden in the west would be good. I hear it’s not big, but quiet and peaceful. Settle there and start a new business with that. For example, you could open a shop to help ladies dress beautifully…”

Louise’s eye for fashion is admirable. She was more skilled at recommending clothes that suited others rather than making them herself. She would do well in a role like a stylist, creating ways for people to dress. It would be a waste to let such talent rot.

“To dress beautifully…”

Louise murmured absent-mindedly.

“Yes. This is the option I’m proposing. What will you do?”

Louise looked at the box in her hands, then back at me. She looked at the box again.

Then back at me.

A faint light appeared in her eyes.

* * *

“Are you sure about this?”

Harriet asked for my opinion. I nodded.

Louise had left. She had only one bag. The small box inside the bag was something I didn’t know about. Nor did I know about the items inside it.

In fact, it wasn’t my gift, but Alisa’s. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it a keepsake.