It was a clear breakdown in conversation.

Good grief.

Luna clicked her tongue inwardly and looked away.

What had she been thinking, feeling sorry for him? An orphan who had once lived as a maid, pitying someone else. Deprivation amid abundance—what a sentiment that didn’t suit her at all.

She found it laughable that she had even entertained such a thought, if only for a moment.

In the end, not a single word passed between them inside the carriage, and only silence hung in the air.

Before long, the coachman’s voice came from outside.

“We’ve arrived.”

When the carriage door opened, Caesar rose from his seat first and stepped out without a word. Luna followed after him shortly after.

Beneath the dazzling sunlight, the gazes of those around them naturally drifted toward the two. Whatever their feelings, they had to play the perfect couple once again.

And so the two of them walked side by side to carry out the day’s scheduled engagements.

* * *

Two days later.

The garden of the Grand Ducal residence was quiet. Only the sound of wind brushing through the leaves rustled busily about.

A moment later, a bush in one corner of the garden shook unnaturally. With a crackling rustle, Yuriya emerged from within.

She quickly swept her gaze around, then carefully drew out a folded note she had hidden inside her clothes and opened it.

Written on that note was a secret order.

Yuriya read the contents with a grave expression, then released the note into the air.

Whoosh.

What had been a small piece of paper just moments before burst into flame mid-air and scattered into ash in an instant.

All evidence was now gone.

To carry out the order, Yuriya transformed herself back into the ordinary maid Yuriya she always appeared to be, then walked leisurely through the garden.

And before long, she found herself crossing paths once again with the Grand Duchess, who had been strolling alone near the rose garden nearby.

She had seemed to be in low spirits ever since returning from the party.

‘Again?’

Yuriya clicked her tongue inwardly. In her eyes, the Grand Duchess always seemed to have nothing to do.

Whether she had no work at all, the woman wandered through every corner of the Grand Ducal residence day after day, getting in the way at every turn.

As always, Yuriya lowered her head and simply waited for her to pass.

“Hello. Working hard again today, I see.”

“Ah… yes, good day, my lady.”

Her goal had been to exist quietly, as though she weren’t even there, but the newly arrived Grand Duchess took far too much interest in those around her. Before she knew it, they had become the sort of acquaintances who exchanged greetings without any awkwardness.

And even now, it was no different.

“Have you eaten before working?”

“Yes. I had a good meal this morning, so I’m fine.”

“Even so, you need to eat three proper meals to get through the work. Otherwise you’ll wear out quickly.”

A pampered noble lady acting like she knows things. Yuriya sneered inwardly and gave a small scoff.

She really seemed to have nothing to do. Why on earth did she roam the estate like some excitable wild filly.

You wouldn’t run into someone this often even if you were standing guard overnight.

Yuriya was full of complaints on the inside, but she kept her smile in place and answered politely.

“Yes, my lady. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. Keep at it today.”

“Yes.”

Still, it was true that her presence had made things easier. All suspicion over the fire at the Grand Ducal residence had been directed squarely at her.

Grand Duke Valenstein also seemed to still believe the Grand Duchess was the one who had set fire to the study.

The days of having to see her were numbered.

She just wanted to stop running into her already. Yuriya glanced once in the direction the woman had disappeared, then withdrew her gaze and moved her feet in the opposite direction.

* * *

“My lady, someone has come from the imperial palace.”

The moment Noah finished speaking, Luna sprang to her feet. She headed straight to the drawing room to receive what had arrived from the palace.

It was the magic tool Caesar had mentioned. It had finally arrived at the Grand Ducal residence after receiving the Emperor’s approval.

She had been on edge wondering when it would come, since it had still not arrived even as the expected time drew near.

Of all times, it had to come while he was away.

Caesar had stepped out briefly on urgent business. She was a little concerned about when he would return, but Luna couldn’t contain her curiosity and had no choice but to check for herself.

At last, Luna opened the box that had come from the imperial palace and took out the magic tool inside to examine it.

It was in the shape of a long rod. Aside from the handle, a faint light was coiled within it, like opaque glass.

It looked ordinary on the outside.

This thing really tracks mana?

According to what Caesar had told her, if you brought it near an object suspected of having had mana used on it, a red light would appear in this part.

Luna tightened her grip on the hand holding the magic tool.

Her heart began to pound as though it might burst. Now was the moment to clear her name. After that, I’ll make sure to accept a proper apology. She made that vow to herself as she set off.

Luna arrived in front of the room she had previously used and came to a stop.

She took a deep breath in front of the door, then brought the magic tool to the handle and began moving it slowly.

But the rod showed no reaction whatsoever.

If there were traces of mana, a red light should appear… but no matter how many times she shifted its position, it remained still.

“Is this thing… broken?”

Luna muttered quietly and sank to the floor, looking worn out.

Still unable to give up, she moved the magic tool in circles around the handle.

She was growing tired.

It felt hopeless, with no other way in sight to put an end to the suspicion.

She had stopped moving the magic tool and was simply holding it still against the handle.

A faint light began to seep into the magic tool, slowly at first, then filling up into a vivid red.

The light grew brighter and brighter, until the rod that had been colorless at first was now stained red.

It was an undeniable trace of mana.

“Just as I thought…!”

And at that moment, a memory she had forgotten suddenly surfaced.

The day she had come out of his study.

She had run into Yuriya right in front of the door. She had said something about running an errand for the head butler, if she recalled correctly. But Yuriya had looked unusually flustered that day.

Even if she herself had been the last person to enter the study that day… there was no way of knowing whether Yuriya had slipped inside afterward without anyone noticing. It felt like finding a missing puzzle piece.

Luna hurried over to Noah and asked her again about that day.

“There’s something I forgot to ask.”

“Please go ahead, my lady.”

“The day the fire broke out at the Grand Ducal residence. You said the servants found me first, didn’t you?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Then… who was the first person to find me? I mean, the first person to open the door.”

Noah hesitated for a moment, as though searching through her memory of that day, then spoke.

“Ah, that… as far as I know, I believe it was… a maid named Yuriya. But why do you ask all of a sudden?”

The moment Noah finished speaking, Luna turned on her heel and broke into a run. It felt as though the puzzle pieces that had been scattered in disarray were finally falling into place.

Looking back on it now, the fact that she had run into Yuriya so often in the garden also seemed strange.

Would a maid who was busy all day long have that much time to wander around?

On top of that, Yuriya was a newcomer who hadn’t been there long. That innocent-looking face and youthful air had kept Luna from suspecting her at all until now.

Her suspicion was steadily turning into certainty.

Sweat seeped into her palms.

Starting from the garden where she had so often crossed paths with Yuriya, Luna ran through every corner of the Grand Ducal residence, asking after her whereabouts.

And she followed the trail of testimony from the servants.

She ran until her feet felt like they were on fire, and after quite some time.

Where Luna arrived was the study where the fire had first broken out.

Bang.

The moment the study door flew open, Yuriya, who had been busily rummaging through the bookshelves and drawers as though searching for something, snapped her head up.

The instant her eyes met Luna’s, Yuriya’s face stiffened almost imperceptibly, then she hastily lowered her head with a look of startled alarm.

It was a reaction that anyone could see was unnatural.

“Yuriya. What brings you here?”

“Ah, yes, my lady. It’s nothing other than—the head maid ordered me to clean.”

“This is where the fire started. His Highness should have said that no one is to touch anything here until the person who set fire to the Grand Ducal residence is caught.”

“I, I’m terribly sorry, my lady. I must have gotten confused. I mistook the study for the office…”

Luna stared at her in silence.

Thinking back on it now, there were more than one or two strange things. The very first encounter in the garden. The way she couldn’t even meet her eyes and trembled. And now she was rattling off lies without so much as a flinch.

If all of this had been calculated performance from the very beginning.

Luna lifted one corner of her mouth and slowly opened her lips.

“Yuriya. I find it hard to believe you mistook the study for the office. The reason you’re here is because you’re the one who set the fire. Why don’t you drop that clumsy act?”

“What? My lady, wh, what do you mean by that? I truly know nothing about this. Pl, please don’t say such frightening things just because I’ve done wrong.”

Yuriya dropped to her knees right where she stood.

She bowed her head, hunched her shoulders, and pleaded as she spoke.

Just like at their first meeting, her eyes, trembling as she begged, quickly filled with tears.

It was a performance so perfect that anyone watching would believe a helpless maid was being threatened.

As Luna looked down at the pleading Yuriya with an expression of faint amusement, her gaze came to rest on one spot.

A bracelet barely visible on Yuriya’s wrist.

It was something far too expensive-looking to be worn by a mere maid.