EDBO l CH 05

Episode 5

I’ve learned a few things by eavesdropping on the maids’ conversations.

First of all, Amelia Cedric used to live alone in the annex of the duke’s mansion.
Even back when the former duke and duchess were alive, it had always been that way — proof of how much they adored their youngest daughter. The garden around the annex was filled with the prettiest flowers and trees.

The family’s second son — Amelia’s middle brother — had left home over ten years ago to become the master of the Magic Tower. So the duke and duchess’ love for their youngest daughter had only deepened.

Then both parents died young, and five years ago, Amelia suddenly disappeared as well.
That was when the Cedric family completely fell apart.

The maids shuddered as they recalled those days.

“The kind duke didn’t smile once. It was terrifying.”
“We lost count of how many servants were replaced.”
“Just thinking about that time still gives me chills…”

No wonder the knights who came to fetch me didn’t recognize my face — the entire order must have been replaced.
And I knew exactly what that “replacement” meant: they’d all been executed by Bastian’s sword.

Curiously enough, while the mansion’s servants were changed over and over again, the staff of the annex remained untouched.
Apparently, Bastian never interfered with this building.

The head servant of the annex, Monica, was the daughter of a minor baron. During Amelia’s absence, she had managed the small administrative tasks here.
No wonder she had such charisma — it wasn’t just an aura.

When I asked why she and the others never left, one of the maids replied,

“We believed our lady would come back someday!”

That part actually made my nose sting a little.
The more I learned, the more pitiful Amelia’s life seemed.

Orphaned young.
One brother a psycho, the other ran away.
Then an unexplained disappearance and years spent pretending to be a commoner.

At this point, I honestly wanted to ask the author what was wrong with their head.
How could someone write such a tragic life and only mention it in two or three lines of the original story?

While I silently cursed the “creator,” the maids kept feeding me all sorts of desserts and snacks.

“My lady, this is your favorite lavender tea. Please, at least smell it…”
“And these are your favorite cookies. Do you remember them? sob”

They didn’t forget to ask me nostalgic questions between bites either.

And… unfortunately, the snacks were really good.

Maybe this life wasn’t so bad after all.

But peace didn’t last long. The door burst open, and a maid rushed in.

“My lady! His Grace is on his way to the annex right now!”

My pleasant mood instantly plummeted.

“That psycho— I mean, His Grace?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Why so soon?”

Why?
Already?
I’d only been here for an hour!

I remembered the knights who had “escorted” me earlier. Even when kidnapping me, they’d been too efficient.
Well, to serve a lunatic like him, you’d have to be quick-witted.

Still, that didn’t make this good news.

Sigh.

Seriously, what kind of person hears a report and shows up immediately?
You’re a duke — don’t you have anything better to do?

I looked around at the cute little maids bustling about.
Sorry, girls. I didn’t realize you were the harmless kind.
You’re about to lose your beloved master again within a day of her “return.”

“My lady, congratulations!”

“…What?”

“You’ll finally meet His Grace again!”

Their cheerfulness was almost tear-inducing.

“Y-Yeah… I heard.”
“You must be so happy!”
“You must’ve missed him so much!”
“I can’t believe I’ll see the two of you together again!”
“I’m going to cry from happiness!”

God must have given these annex maids loyalty in exchange for any sense of awareness.

We were doing fine a minute ago — why ruin it now?

“Oh, it’s been so long since we last saw His Grace in person!”
“He hasn’t come to the annex in ages!”
“My heart’s pounding already!”
“Hearts are supposed to pound, Irene. If it doesn’t, you’re dead.”
“There’s no one like our duke — so kind and gentle!”
“The lady has returned, His Grace is coming here, it’s such a happy day!”
“Should we throw a party tonight?”

Girls…?
Can you not see my face right now?

“Aren’t you happy too, my lady?”
“Of course she is!”

They giggled and chirped among themselves while I quietly cradled my head in despair.

Sigh.

I’d almost forgotten — Bastian Cedric had the face of an angel in public.

Bastian Cedric was a meticulously civilized lunatic. Not a single crack in his façade.
He’d been trained as an heir since childhood, mastering every form of etiquette and diplomacy.
He was a genius at maintaining his image — polite to nobles and commoners alike, even courteous toward those who tried to kill him.

Everyone praised him for it.
No wonder he’d been the capital’s most eligible bachelor for years.

And yet, this psychopath was so calm and calculating that even after murdering dozens, he was never caught — not until he kidnapped the heroine.

The number of mysterious deaths in the mansion alone was enough proof of his thoroughness, yet the annex maids had no idea.

I knew he’d gone insane long ago — but of course, no one here did.
If I tried to tell them, “Bastian’s a serial killer, you guys!” they’d probably throw me into an asylum without hesitation.

“Our lady’s gone mad!”

Yeah. Life’s a solo mission. I have no allies here.

Sigh.

Of course, not everyone in the novel trusted him.
At one point, Marquis Pluto had tried to expose Bastian’s true nature.

How did that end?

Bastian slit his throat.

He snuck past the marquis’s guards in the dead of night, stabbed him himself, and walked away unscathed.

“The dead tell no tales.”

That was Bastian’s favorite saying.

And as if that weren’t enough, the lunatic even attended the marquis’s funeral — with a mournful expression.

“He always cared for me when I was little… I’m heartbroken.”

The same marquis, mind you, who had once tried to poison him when he was five.

“What a crazy bastard…”
“Pardon, my lady?”
“Nothing. Keep doing what you’re doing.”

Honestly, I couldn’t tell if he was just insane or truly brilliant.

After a moment’s thought, I decided it was both.

While I was lost in grim thoughts, the sweet but clueless maids chattered on, discussing what outfit I should wear to meet him.

“Would a three-quarter-sleeve evening dress be nice? Or maybe something fancier since it’s been so long?”
“You’ve grown so much, my lady. We only have a few dresses that still fit — we must call the tailor soon!”
“Of course, you’d look beautiful in anything!”

Right. What would they know?

I told them to pick whatever they wanted, and they immediately burst into tears.