Episode 85
Her tone had a subtly sharp edge. I hurriedly denied her words.
“That’s not true! Miss Sylvia is very kind to me.”
“Really? Then how is she kind to you?”
“…Why do you ask?”
I couldn’t figure out why she had brought me here.
I had imagined being locked up in a cramped space without even a bed if I was kidnapped, but this place was much nicer than the servants’ quarters at the County mansion.
‘This is strange. Prea isn’t the type to be considerate towards someone she’s threatening.’
“I asked you to stay at our mansion for a while. So I’m asking if you’re comfortable. I wouldn’t want rumors spreading that the Seirthe Marquisate treats its guests worse than the Veronica County; my pride wouldn’t allow it.”
Her words made me think I was wrong to assume I had been kidnapped.
But she had clearly said…
“Didn’t you say there wouldn’t be a place for me at the Veronica County when I returned?”
And she had also said Sylvia wouldn’t notice my disappearance. I needed to know whether that meant Sylvia would be too preoccupied to notice or if she had taken measures to prevent Sylvia from finding out.
Either way, it wasn’t a good sign, since it meant Prea was planning to target Sylvia.
Prea, perhaps noticing my anxiety, smirked and looked at me.
“You look serious.”
“…I was just worried that I might be kicked out when I return to the Veronica County for not properly serving you, Lady Seirthe.”
I quickly made an excuse.
She stroked my hair. Her touch felt strangely cold.
“That won’t happen. I like you. But you still deserve to be punished for displeasing me.”
“Punished?”
I wished the punishment would be something like a flick on the forehead, but judging by Prea’s icy glare, that seemed unlikely.
“I said I was angry. You disobeyed me, a mere maid, so you should at least offer your life.”
There was no falsehood in her words.
My face paled, and I recoiled. Prea’s past misdeeds flashed through my mind, and I just wanted to escape.
Prea’s eyes narrowed, seeing my reaction. Her beautiful face, like a blooming rose, leaned closer, her fingers tangling in my hair, and she whispered,
“Are you scared? I thought I was being quite generous to a disobedient little maid.”
‘Generous?! You just threatened to kill me!’
It hadn’t been long since I escaped death, and now I was in a strange place, facing a sharp blade threatening my life.
I didn’t know if I was constantly threatened because I was originally destined to die or if I was accelerating my own demise.
I vaguely thought I probably wouldn’t die because of my divine power, but I didn’t want to experience the fear of being at death’s door.
“I-I just thought you were a k-kind person because you wanted to be friends with my mistress…”
I stammered, trying to avoid suspicion, and let tears stream down my face. I had to make Prea think I was a powerless maid so she would lower her guard, giving me a chance to escape.
As I sobbed and trembled, Prea wiped away my tears.
“L-Lady Seirthe?”
“I wonder why… I usually dislike these fake tears from clever children, but… I don’t find yours so unpleasant?”
I froze. I wondered when she realized I was faking it.
Did she already know I was once a bird? If so, I had been too careless.
“Shall I tell you something?”
“…”
“Children as clever as you are well aware of my true feelings. You just act as if you don’t know anything and try to lower my guard because you’re afraid of the consequences.”
Her words reassured me slightly. She knew I was lying, but she didn’t seem to know about my true identity.
‘Then it’s okay. I still have a chance to escape, even if she knows I’m lying.’
Then how should I respond? Further lies would only fuel her anger.
“…Yes. Actually, I sensed that you didn’t like Miss Sylvia. But I didn’t want to believe that your smile and kindness were fake.”
People believe it’s true if you hide a lie within the truth. So, to appease her anger and escape safely…
“So I avoided you because I didn’t want to see you do anything to hurt my mistress. I don’t care if you punish me. But please, don’t hurt Miss Sylvia.”
Having read countless romance fantasy novels, observing the loyal maids beside the heroines came in handy. The words flowed naturally.
Perhaps my acting was even better because of the life-or-death situation and my survival instincts.
“Valerie, you’re truly devoted to your mistress. But I’m going to break that trust. There’s someone who looks just like you, attending to your mistress right now.”
“What…?”
So that was why Prea kidnapped me. She was planning to replace me with someone else.
“Of course, she’ll be exposed soon. I didn’t spend that much time training her. But it’s enough time to trap your unsuspecting mistress, isn’t it?”
“…I’ll go back and tell her everything.”
“You’re so naive in these matters. It’s fine even if you tell her the truth. But do you think they’ll believe a lowly maid accusing a noble lady, especially the daughter of the prestigious Seirthe Marquisate? And you’re a new maid, too.”
So that’s why she hadn’t harmed me. She was planning this all along.
As she said, even if I returned and told them the truth, it was highly unlikely that the people at the Veronica mansion would believe me. Even if Sylvia believed me, it would make it difficult for me to stay there.
“If I were you, I would interrogate you, suspecting you of colluding with spies, whip you, and then kick you out. So you have nowhere to go, Valerie.”
She seemed pleased, toying with my hair.
‘Is she happy that I have nowhere to go? If I have nowhere to go, then I have nowhere to go. Why would that please her?’
As I pondered that, I felt the soft fabric of my clothes.
A clean body, clothes of fine quality, a luxurious bed. And Prea hadn’t harmed me while I was at the Seirthe Marquisate.
The meticulous Prea wouldn’t handle things this way. She would kill the troublesome maid and erase any evidence that pointed to her.
As long as I was alive, even if I was framed now, suspicion would eventually fall on her if something happened later.
“Yes, as you said, Lady Seirthe, there would be no place for me at the Veronica County. And I might be whipped. I wouldn’t even be able to find work then; my life would be ruined.”
Her eyes sparkled at my lament. I couldn’t mistake the emotion in her strangely gleaming eyes.
It was like the thorns of a rose. A possessive desire to keep what she wanted by her side, even if it meant damaging it with her thorns.
“There might not be a place for you at the Veronica County, but there are other places. I told you, I like you. So come to me after you’re punished and have nowhere to go. I’ll cherish you.”
Her smile was seductive.
‘I seem to have a knack for attracting strange people. Now even the villainess is interested in me.’
Thanks to that, my safety was guaranteed for the duration of my stay here, but I wasn’t happy about it.
And I was worried about Sylvia. With her abilities, she would probably avoid the trap, but since the original story was changing, I couldn’t rule out the possibility of something going wrong. So I had to go back quickly.
As I glanced at the door, Prea spoke in a friendly tone,
“Valerie, aren’t you hungry?”
‘Would you have an appetite in this situation…?’
“I’m fine… I’m not hungry.”
Prea’s bright smile faltered slightly. Then, a suffocatingly forceful voice came out,
“I wasn’t asking for your opinion.”
“Ugh…!”
My fingertips stung, and I winced.
It felt like something sharp and pointed had pricked them. And it was probably Prea.
‘I thought she wasn’t going to lay a hand on me.’
It seemed I was wrong.
“You have to obey me immediately. If you can’t even welcome me and entertain me as I command, I won’t like you.”
She was truly a villainess. Even my bad owner, a terrible villain, hadn’t harmed me.
“…Thank you for your consideration, Lady Seirthe. I was actually hungry.”
“You’re quick-witted, I see. Don’t try to escape. I’ll release you when the time is right.”
“Yes. I’ll be waiting.”
Having spent months appeasing my owner, who wanted to kill me, I was used to hiding my true feelings in front of unpleasant people. My fingertips stung, but it would heal quickly with divine power, so it was fine.
After Prea left, I was lost in thought.
Speaking of owners, what if the fake maid impersonating me was discovered by Cesar before Prea sent me back to the Veronica County…?
Cesar would surely lose his mind.