“Miss Hailey.”

As Hailey stepped into the mansion and removed her hat, Peter, who had just entered from the opposite direction, spotted her and greeted her warmly. Striding over, he cheerfully said, “Good morning.”

Hailey returned a light smile and replied in a half-joking tone.

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a good morning.”

“Did something happen… Ah.”

Peter, who had been blinking in curiosity, suddenly averted his gaze. He must have already heard the rumors.

Hailey was struck by a realization—she now understood what functioned as the mansion’s CCTV.

The numerous servants scattered throughout the estate. Their eyes were always brimming with curiosity, and their tongues were even quicker to spread news. There were no secrets in this place.

The only time they fell silent was when the Duke appeared.

She recalled the moment Tayton had left the mansion. Dressed in the silver tie and vest she had chosen on the third attempt, he had worn the hat and gloves she handed him, leaning on his cane.

The blue tie she had initially picked had to be returned to the wardrobe.

How annoying.

The maids lined up at the entrance all bowed their heads low, as if money had been scattered on the floor. Not one of them dared to lift their gaze until the sound of the carriage wheels faded into the distance, at which point they finally exhaled in relief.

They were careful never to look directly at the Duke, as though meeting his eyes would bring upon them some terrible curse.

The Duke, in turn, paid them no mind. To Tayton, the maids were no different from the sofas, desks, or fireplaces strategically placed throughout the mansion. The furniture inside the house had no reason to fear or despise him, so why should he care?

It was an utterly bleak and desolate scene.

“Ah.”

As if just remembering his errand, Peter pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to her. Snapping out of her brief reverie, Hailey looked at him with curiosity.

Peter smiled warmly, his features friendly and inviting.

At that moment, Hailey understood why he had been assigned as the mansion’s gatekeeper.

This place was rife with ominous rumors. If a visitor’s first encounter was with someone like Peter, it would certainly help ease their apprehension. He had a way of making people feel comfortable.

“A letter has arrived for you, my lady.”

“A letter? For me?”

Hailey’s eyes widened in surprise, as if she had heard something completely unexpected.

Peter continued in a friendly tone, “Yes. A messenger boy just delivered it.”

Hailey took the envelope from him. The sender’s name was elegantly written on the front.

Daniel Salmon.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave now. I hope you have a pleasant rest of your day.”

Tipping his hat slightly, Peter turned and headed outside.

As Hailey opened the envelope, she made her way toward the morning room.

***

“Miss Hailey.”

A hesitant voice called out behind her. It was Anna.

Fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, Anna spoke with an awkward tone.

“Would you like me to prepare some tea?”

Hailey stared at Anna for a moment.

Yesterday, no one had offered her tea. Given that afternoon tea was a customary practice here, their failure to do so had been a deliberate slight.

And yet, today, Anna was asking if she wanted tea.

“Thank you, Anna. That would be lovely. Oh, and don’t forget the milk and honey, please.”

Recalling the bitter tea Madam Mastis had served her before, Hailey quickly added her request.

Anna’s face lit up with a bright smile as she left the morning room.

“Of course, Miss Hailey! Right away!”

It seemed Anna had realized that Hailey wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. At the same time, she must have also recognized that Hailey was someone who didn’t forget those around her.

“Maybe she’ll take my side in the future.”

Gazing at the door Anna had just exited through, Hailey let herself sink into the sofa.

Daniel Salmon.

She looked at the name once more before carefully unfolding the letter. A single sheet of paper slipped out.

“Hmm…”

The message wasn’t long. However, as Hailey read through it, her expression shifted several times.

The letter, which began with words of concern for her well-being, ended with an unexpected statement.

“I have business near the mansion. Let’s meet tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Café Violet in front of the clock tower.”

She read it aloud once more, but doing so didn’t change the contents of the letter.

“No matter how delicately raised, it’s only been two days.”

Hailey shook her head as if conceding defeat, but a shy smile lingered on her face. She didn’t dislike it—she just found it awkward and unfamiliar.

When Hailey was ten years old, her mother passed away. Since she had always been frail, it wasn’t entirely inaccurate to call it a farewell long foreseen.

After that, Baron Salmon and Daniel devoted themselves to ensuring that young Hailey never felt the absence of her mother. The warmth of those two, as remembered in her memories, was enough to make even an outsider like Hyein smile.

To Hyein, it was an utterly foreign emotion. Having lost her parents in an accident and grown up under a taciturn grandfather, she had never before experienced such unconditional affection.

That wasn’t to say she resented her grandfather. When no one else was willing to take her in, he was the only one who had reached out to hold her hand.

Having spent his entire life in academia, he was rigid and dull by nature—too clumsy and uninformed to care for a young granddaughter properly.

Even so, he had sent Hyein to university. That alone, she believed, was enough to say he had fulfilled his duty.

“Hmm… It’s too short notice to send a letter of refusal. I have things to ask him anyway, so should I go meet him? But will Madam Mastis even allow me to go out?”

She was lost in thought when Anna returned, pushing a tray.

“My lady, I’ve brought your tea.”

“Thank you, Anna.”

Hailey placed the letter down on the table and lifted the warm tea to her lips. The morning sunlight gently warmed the room.

The sweet tea glided smoothly down her throat. Closing her eyes, Hailey savored this rare moment of leisure. The whirlwind of the morning routine now felt like a distant memory.

***

Clomp. Clomp.

Tayton’s footsteps echoed in the silent hallway. The servants, fearing they might cross paths with the man in the black velvet mask, hurriedly disappeared, leaving behind a heavy stillness.

Jacob followed closely behind the duke, reporting his schedule.

“The Marquis of Eaton and Count Dimitri will be arriving shortly. In the afternoon, you are expected to attend the council meeting.”

“The council meeting. That table full of old men arguing over nothing. So now they’re calling these endless, fruitless conversations a ‘meeting’?”

Tayton sneered as he strode toward his office.

“Next week, there will be a royal service at the temple attended by the royal family and high-ranking nobles.”

“Find an excuse.”

“I’m afraid we’ve run out of excuses. With all due respect, there’s been growing talk about your continued absence from temple services. Perhaps it would be wise to attend at least once…”

Jacob stepped ahead of him and smoothly opened the door. Tayton entered the room without hesitation, his voice turning even colder.

“You expect me to waste my time on that nonsense? I’ve already done my duty by donating to the temple. What has this so-called ‘god’ ever done for me?”

This ‘so-called god.’

Jacob glanced around in alarm at the duke’s blasphemous words. Unbothered, Tayton continued in the same indifferent tone.

“My father’s dying wish was for me to stay far away from the temple.”

That was Tayton’s go-to excuse whenever he wanted to avoid something. If that had truly been his father’s final wish, then Jacob had already heard over ten different versions of the late Duke Pedro Gunner’s supposed last words.

“…Understood.”

The duke irritably removed his hat. Jacob accepted both the hat and the cane, carefully placing them in their respective spots before subtly observing Tayton’s expression.

His employer was usually in a bad mood, but today, he seemed particularly irritable. A competent aide must always gauge his master’s mood—sometimes even better than the master himself.

Jacob quickly ran through possible reasons. There were countless things that could have upset Tayton, but he had a strong hunch. And he was rarely wrong.

“How was Miss Hailey Salmon?”

“Hah.”

As if he had been waiting for the question, Tayton let out a cold scoff. His silver eyes stared into the distance, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk.

Then, he turned his gaze to Jacob, who instinctively adjusted his glasses to hide his tension.

Even after four years as the duke’s aide, he had never once felt completely at ease. That was not because of Tayton’s rumored curse, but because the man himself was never one to be taken lightly.

“Find out everything you can about Hailey Salmon.”

“…About Miss Hailey Salmon?”

Before he could stop himself, Jacob responded like an incompetent aide, questioning his master’s words. Tayton’s eyes narrowed in displeasure, and Jacob quickly corrected himself with a nod.

“Yes, understood. How detailed should the report be?”

“As thoroughly as possible. Down to how many spoons they own and how bad her sleeping habits are.”

He probably wasn’t actually interested in the number of spoons in her house. Jacob, guessing at his master’s true intentions, showed a hint of curiosity.

“This is the first time you’ve investigated a governess. Is there something about her that concerns you?”

“I have a bad feeling.”

At those words, Jacob’s posture stiffened slightly. His voice dropped.

“Do you believe Miss Hailey Salmon is connected to this case?”

“This case?”

As Tayton repeated the question, he soon realized the implication and shook his head with a look that said it was absurd. Jacob relaxed his tension.

“But it’s certain that she’s not ordinary.”

Not ordinary?

Jacob barely held back from questioning again. A competent aide never makes his superior repeat himself.

He looked at Tayton with a puzzled expression, but the duke didn’t seem inclined to explain further.

Miss Hailey Salmon.

Jacob murmured the name, trying to picture her face. Was she a lady with a cute appearance? A proud noblewoman? Or perhaps a woman with a sensual figure?

Unable to envision Hailey’s face, having never seen her before, Jacob eventually gave up with a light shake of his head.

He would meet her soon enough. If she didn’t end up running away in tears like the other noblewomen before her.

“She doesn’t seem like someone who will back down easily.”

As Tayton muttered to himself, a servant knocked on the door and announced the arrival of Count Dimitri. Exchanging a meaningful glance, the two men promptly moved to the drawing room.