“Butler, where did you find my earrings?”
“They were under the very depths of this girl’s bed.”
“No, I’ve never even seen these earrings before.”

Jane’s voice was filled with indignation, giving the impression she had been wronged.

“Are you really not the thief?”

“Yes, Miss. I would never do such a thing.”
“But… there’s evidence that you’re the culprit, and no proof that you aren’t.”
“This is someone framing me!”

Jane cried out in despair.

“Then, do you have any proof that someone framed you?”
Jane looked at my cheerful face with a hopeless expression.

“That kind of proof….”

“Miss, her room was packed up, appearing as though she were preparing to leave. She must have been planning to steal and run away.”

At the butler’s words, I nodded as if I had expected it.

“So, you were planning to escape before being caught stealing the earrings, weren’t you?”
“No, it’s a misunderstanding. I was just….”
“Just what? Then why were your things packed?”
“That’s… because I was going to meet someone I love and resign.”

“Someone you love?”
“Yes.”

“You have someone you love? Who is it?”

At my question, Sebastian let out a loud noise, startled.

“Espin!”
“What is it?”

Sebastian’s eyes darted around quickly. Unable to come up with a suitable excuse, he remained silent.

I turned back to Jane and pressed her further.

“So, who is it that you love? You’ve only ever been in this mansion as a maid…. Could there be an accomplice?”

At those words, Sebastian stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Espin, we should throw out thieves like this from the mansion immediately.”

“How could you….”

Jane looked at Sebastian with a shocked expression.

“Jane, were you the one behind all the times my rings and earrings went missing?”
“N-no. It wasn’t me. I swear it wasn’t.”

Even while pleading her innocence, Jane’s gaze remained fixed on Sebastian, seemingly hoping he would stand up for her.

‘She still doesn’t realize what kind of man Sebastian is, does she?’

For the clueless Jane, I decided to push even harder.

“But Jane, shouldn’t you be answering while looking at me? Why are you staring at Sebastian? Why do you keep looking at him?”

“Espin, there’s no need to listen to a thief’s excuses. Let’s just throw her out.”

Sebastian acted as if he had been falsely accused himself, jumping up in anger.

“Sebastian, there might still be an accomplice. We need to be certain.”

“An accomplice? Just look at her face; she’s obviously greedy for money. She probably acted alone.”

“No way. Earlier, Jane clearly said she was planning to run away with someone she loves. That person must be the accomplice.”

“….”

Sebastian quietly moved behind me. In the distant mirror, I could see Sebastian signaling Jane to keep her mouth shut.

“Jane, just confess before things get worse. Otherwise, it’ll be hard for you to endure.”

At my cold threat, Jane’s eyes wavered.

“I really didn’t steal anything.”

“Sigh…. Sebastian, what do you think we should do in this situation?”

Jane looked at Sebastian with hopeful eyes, clearly expecting him to save her.

“Cut out her tongue. In the Arcadia Kingdom, we cut out the tongues of thieves.”

At Sebastian’s thoughtless suggestion, Jane broke down completely.

“Her tongue? That’s too cruel.”

Jane’s eyes trembled, and she suddenly looked up, unable to hold back any longer.

“Seba…!”

Just as Jane was about to call out Sebastian’s name, he stepped forward and slapped her across the face.

Slap.

The loud sound of the slap echoed through the drawing room. Jane’s head tilted weakly to the side.

“Oh my. Sebastian….”

“These uneducated people only learn through beatings. Treating them like nobles is useless.”

At Sebastian’s words, Jane completely collapsed.

“How could you… how could you….”

In complete shock, Jane stared blankly at the floor, repeating the words “how could you” before raising her head with wide, furious eyes.

“Sebastian, how could you do this to me!”

With a face flushed red, her blood seemingly boiling, Jane screamed in despair, but the maids held her back.

Sebastian returned and stood in front of Jane.
“Are you crazy? A mere maid and you dare!”

As he raised his hand to strike her again, the butler and other attendants stopped him.

“Sebastian, you’re more violent than I thought, aren’t you?”

“What?”

Sebastian, regaining his senses, looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“This side of you feels unfamiliar.”

“No. No, it’s not like that. In the Arcadia Kingdom, we impose very strict punishments on criminals. It’s only because I can’t stand the sight of such criminals. I would never act this way toward others.”

Watching him immediately discard Jane to save his own reputation made me feel sick.

“Sigh… Jane, are you still not going to reveal your accomplice?”

Jane sat down blankly, appearing as though she had lost the ability to speak.

‘This is the true face of the man you loved.’

I hoped that Jane would finally realize what kind of person Sebastian truly was.

“Butler. Lock Jane in the underground prison for now.”

“Yes, understood.”

Unlike when she entered, Jane was dragged away without any resistance.

“Espin, I apologize for showing such a violent side of myself.”

Sebastian nervously bit his nails, likely worried that I might have discovered the truth about him.

“It’s fine. Sebastian only acted that way because he despises crime.”

Sebastian’s shoulders flinched momentarily. Then, regaining his composure, he took my hand with a tender expression.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“To become the queen of the Arcadia Kingdom, this level of understanding is only natural.”

Finally reassured, Sebastian’s stiff expression softened into a relaxed smile.

“Yes, my lady. I hope you’ll take this money and secure the seal. It’s for our brilliant future together.”

“Trust me.”

“Oh, and if that thief says anything strange, please don’t believe her. Criminals like her often try to drag others into their mess to reduce their own punishment.”

“Really? Thank you for the advice. I’ll make sure not to believe anything Jane says.”

I smiled brightly at Sebastian, and he returned the gesture with a smarmy grin.

***

“Why is the atmosphere so strange today?”

The butler had gathered all the maids and attendants in one place. Everyone who worked in the mansion and interacted with the lady and the guests was present.

“Is this because of Jane’s theft?”
“Maybe… but surely it’s not because we’ve been ignoring the lady, right?”
“It could be. I got scolded by the lady just a few days ago.”
“Doesn’t the lady seem a bit strange these days?”
“She feels like a completely different person.”
“Well, it can’t be that. Haven’t we been careful these last few days?”

The maids and attendants began whispering nervously among themselves.

“Look, the butler is coming.”

As the butler appeared, the murmuring immediately ceased.

Ahem.

Standing before the group, the butler was unusually expressionless today.

The elderly butler, who carried an air of dignity, scanned the crowd before speaking.

“The reason I’ve called you all here today is to inform you of your dismissal.”

“What?”

Everyone’s mouths fell open.

“It was my failure to notice that you’ve been disrespecting the lady.”

“But… even so, dismissing us like this is….”

“Your severance pay will be provided in full upon your departure. If you wish, I can also write you a letter of recommendation.”

“But dismissing us without any prior discussion is too unfair!”

One of the attendants protested. The others nodded in agreement and began to voice their complaints.

“Silence. Disrespecting the lady is something neither maids nor attendants should ever do.”

“I… I never disrespected the lady.”

One of the attendants shouted indignantly, but the butler looked at him coldly.

“Turning a blind eye is just as bad. Your dismissal is the least severe punishment you could receive. If anyone feels this is unjust, raise your hand.”

The maids and attendants quickly exchanged glances.

‘If anyone raises their hand now, it’ll only cause bigger problems.’

They understood that the butler could impose harsher consequences for their behavior toward the lady.

Realizing the hidden warning in his words, no one dared to raise their hand.

After a long moment of silence, the butler continued.

“Replacements for all of you have already arrived at the mansion. Complete the handover by tonight and leave.”

“T-tonight?”

“Yes.”

With that, the butler turned and walked away without looking back.

“Ha….”

Left behind, the newly unemployed staff could only let out heavy sighs.