“That’s right. He gives off such a fierce air that it’s hard even to look him in the eyes.”

He was praised as the most handsome man in the empire, yet tension was plain on the maids’ faces. Annette could guess how meticulous and demanding his personality was.

“Still, is it all right for someone like me, who is only here to work temporarily, to go? Won’t he get even angrier?”

“That is why they called you and me. You have only been working for a week, so it does not matter if you get fired. I am the youngest, so I am the easiest target. Do not make a mistake under any circumstances.”

Annette wondered why they would send an inexperienced maid like her when the demanding duke was watching. It seemed the maids sent the easiest targets to clean because they were afraid the blame would fall on them.

She should follow their advice and work without making any mistakes.

There were five maids cleaning the study. The maid with the highest standing among them went to the front and knocked carefully.

“We are here to clean.”

When they entered the study, Duke Howard stood beside his desk with his arms crossed.

His appearance was handsome enough to seize her gaze for an instant. Yet the intense pressure he exuded forced her to look away immediately.

Unlike Kynel, he had red eyes. His irises resembled blood, and simply meeting them made her feel as though she would be drawn in.

Arrogant, haughty, and bored, he gave the impression of a noble born to be exalted.

He gave off such a cold aura that Annette turned away even from the glances she stole at him. Grabbing a rag, she headed toward the window.

Annette was assigned to clean the windows. Cleaning the floor, windows, and desk meant working closest to the duke, making her task one of the hardest in this situation.

Just as the other maids said, the duke seemed intent on supervising whether they cleaned properly. His gaze swept over the room without pause.

A sharp gaze bore into her back throughout her walk toward the windows. Duke Howard stared intently at Annette’s face, like he was examining her.

Just feeling his gaze on her made her mouth go dry and every hair on her body stand on end. Her body trembled faintly, but Annette calmly continued walking.

Then it happened.

The duke suddenly grabbed Annette’s hand. He shoved her against the wall hard enough to make a thud, then seized both her hands and raised them above her head.

It happened in an instant. Annette was so startled that she could not even breathe. Her eyes widened as she looked at the duke. Duke Howard glared at her with a savage gaze.

What in the world is going on?

The stunned maids froze, making it clear this was the first time something like this happened.

“Everyone except this girl, get out.”

Duke Howard’s voice, reaching her ears at last, sank coldly. His body trembled with rage.

“Excuse me, but what did she do wrong…”

“Did you not hear me? Get out.”

“Y-Yes, Your Grace.”

The maids hurriedly grabbed their cleaning tools and left the study. Duke Howard showed no particular reaction even after the door closed.

What mistake did I make? Could I have made a mistake while cleaning the windows? No matter how much she thought about it, there was nothing. She only just began cleaning, so there was no way she could have done anything wrong.

Still, Duke Howard was clearly angry because she made some mistake she did not know about.

His gaze upon Annette grew more murderous. Simply meeting his eyes made it feel difficult to breathe.

He exuded a chill like the Siberian plains. The pressure that seemed capable of freezing even the air around them made her body tremble faintly.

Just when she felt she might freeze completely, unimaginable words came from Duke Howard’s lips.

“Did you think I would not know just because you disguised yourself as a maid?”

What was he talking about? Did he think she was a spy?

If he expected dangerous people to infiltrate the estate, should he not have hired employees so carelessly? Was this all to lure enemies in on purpose?

If so, it was unfair. A spy? She only came here with a lecherous ulterior motive and was frustrated because she did not get to see Kynel’s face.

“I do not understand what you mean.”

“Hah, you do not know? You must have thought I would not notice because you were in disguise. Did you take me for an idiot?”

Duke Howard let out a short, incredulous laugh, grabbed Annette by the hair, and pulled hard.

She thought it was firmly secured, but she could not overcome his powerful grip.

Her scalp felt like it was being ripped away as the brown wig quickly came off. The faded blond hair hidden beneath it spilled down to her hips in an instant.

“You will not pretend you do not know now, will you?”

Duke Howard removed Annette’s glasses too, looking utterly dumbfounded. Annette was so shocked that she simply blinked and froze in place.

What on earth did the original Annette do for the duke’s reaction to be this terrifying?

According to the original novel, there were people who envied Duke Howard and tried to sabotage his work. They planted women to seduce him and uncover his weaknesses.

Their schemes failed, however. Duke Howard was portrayed as such an attractive man that even the female spies confessed their wrongdoing.

Could Annette have been one of them?

There was no detailed explanation about the spies, so it was a plausible theory. The situation was so unexpected that her unfocused eyes wandered.

No. It cannot be. Surely not…. The man standing over her with both her arms restrained felt too overwhelming, so Annette avoided his eyes and spoke.

“L-Let me go.”

“How long did you think I would remain unaware?”

“I do not understand what you mean.”

“What did you come here to do to me?”

“I-I am not here to do anything. I only came here to work.”

Why was he acting like this? Was Annette really a spy?

Come to think of it, Annette’s body was sturdy. That did make the possibility that she was a spy seem plausible. Was that also why she usually exuded such a gloomy air and only wore dark-colored dresses?

Still, why would a noble lady become a spy? Would dressing only in dark colors not make her look even more suspicious?

As countless questions whirled through her mind, shocking words came from Duke Howard’s mouth.

“Didn’t you say you’d get out of my sight if I slept with you just once?”

Annette’s startled eyes turned toward the duke again.

“Pardon? Me?”

“If not you, then who else?”

“…”

Annette could not understand what that man was saying. Slept with him? Could Annette have been one of the many women he slept with, rather than a spy?

Stunned, Annette could only stare at him.

Surely not. She wanted to believe he was angry only because she hid her identity, but the moment she heard Duke Howard’s next words, Annette was horrified.

“How long do you intend to keep following me around?”

“F-Following you around?”

What in the world was this situation? Duke Howard looked at Annette like she was his stalker, and her mind went blank.

No. It cannot be. It must not be!

She wanted to think that way, but she could not.

“This is absurd.”

His contemptuous gaze toward Annette told her this impossible situation was true.

“You begged so desperately for me to f*ck you that I allowed it once. Was that night so blissful for you? Then again, I was incredible enough to be unforgettable.”