Chapter 9
“…Do you think I’m involved in this?”
The gaze from Edbon, whom I had always thought of as indifferent, now felt notably colder.
That cold stare slowly swept over my face. It appeared casual, yet I could feel it quietly and discreetly probing my thoughts.
He didn’t answer for a long while, but the silence that followed was enough for me to understand exactly what he was thinking.
Edbon Martinhez was suspicious of me.
“No, I don’t believe you’re directly involved.”
At last, after the long silence, Edbon spoke. But what came out was a carefully masked response that revealed nothing of his true thoughts.
There wasn’t an ounce of trust toward Anditne in that answer.
It was far from the attitude one would show toward family.
“It’s just that I don’t understand something.”
“Excuse me?”
Edbon Martinhez began to corner me slowly.
“How did you know the head maid had made a deal? A secret one at that. I’m curious.”
For a moment, my heart sank.
…This was something I should never have brought up in front of Edbon.
Was I too overwhelmed to think straight?
Or was I too fixated on finding out who the head maid had met with?
I’d made a truly stupid mistake.
Whether I heard it from the maid herself, or the man in the robe—
There were only two possible sources from which I could’ve learned about that secret deal.
“W-Well…”
Excuses swirled chaotically in my mind.
Should I say I received an anonymous letter?
Or maybe I overheard the head maid talking?
“Actually…”
…Or maybe I should just tell him the truth?
That I can see into the lives of others. That’s how I knew the maid was acting suspiciously.
But if I do that…
Would he even believe me?
…My excuses were flimsy, and the truth was absurd.
“So, um…”
I had to come up with an excuse that Edbon would find acceptable…
If I couldn’t—
What would happen to me?
Colluding with someone who poses a threat to the family.
The dungeon. Horrific torture.
These terrible possibilities kept flashing through my mind, turning everything blank.
“The reason I knew about that is because…”
Despite his wife’s suspicious behavior, Edbon Martinhez neither raised his voice nor scolded me.
…It was hard to tell if he was being rational or just indifferent.
Why isn’t he pressing me?
I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking from that unreadable expression, and I was frozen, unable to form words.
That’s when—
“Did someone perhaps tip you off?”
Before I could say anything, Edbon spoke first.
Like he was offering me a way out.
“…Yes.”
A lifeline tossed at the very last moment.
I seized it with all I had.
Even though I knew it was frayed, bound to snap eventually—
It was the only choice I had.
“I received a letter not long ago. There was no name, just a brief message warning me about the head maid. So I kept an eye out just in case…”
“A letter, I see.”
Edbon nodded slowly.
“Hm. Then we’ll have to find out who sent it.”
“…Yes.”
My situation was clearly suspicious.
He had every reason to question me thoroughly about how I came to know what I did.
But instead, Edbon gave me a way to survive.
“If we can find the sender, it’ll be much easier to identify who made the deal with the head maid. Do you still have the letter?”
“…No. It felt ominous, so I burned it.”
“Hmm. That’s unfortunate.”
He accepted my answer far too easily.
All the distrust he had shown just moments ago on the stairs—hidden away, like it was never there.
…But I knew better than to think he truly believed me.
He was simply choosing to let me go—for now.
Like a predator lying in wait, keeping quiet until the right moment.
He’d sheathed his claws because he decided it wasn’t time yet.
“…If not for you, I could’ve died. I really had no idea.”
“Yes. I don’t suspect you. If anything, I should be thankful. Thanks to you, we were able to uncover the head maid’s plot.”
Edbon Martinhez was drawing a clear line.
He wasn’t sharing a single piece of his thoughts with me.
Everything he did—everything for the sake of the family—excluded me entirely.
“…But what if it’s not the royal family behind this?”
“…It still needs to be investigated further, but I agree. I don’t believe your family would do such a thing.”
Edbon shook his head gently.
“There’s no way your family would be involved.”
Tap, tap.
As he crossed the corridor to his office, Edbon glanced at Anditne’s room.
The door was tightly shut.
His eyes were on the door, but in his mind, he was still seeing Anditne’s face—so flustered, so unsure.
“…”
But his gaze quickly returned to his path, without a hint of regret.
Click.
“Master.”
As the office door opened, a knight—Noah—stood waiting in the middle of the room.
“Did you find anything?”
“Yes. The young master’s maid has been embezzling money from him for about nine months. And today, Madam overheard a conversation in my room involving that same maid.”
Edbon sank into his chair.
That Anditne had overheard a conversation—at the servants’ quarters of all places.
That alone was suspicious.
What reason would Anditne have to go there?
“What about Anditne’s personal maid?”
“She says Madam never asked for the family seal. She also confessed that under the head maid’s orders, she stole Madam’s jewelry and falsely accused the young master’s nanny.”
The part where the maid begged for forgiveness, claiming she lied out of fear, never reached Edbon.
“Sigh…”
As he listened to Noah’s report, Edbon closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.
Anditne had been telling the truth.
He hadn’t believed her, yet her insistence on her innocence had turned out to be true.
But…
While partial truths can often confuse people—
This time was different.
“The royal family must be plotting something again.”
“Yes. I’ll investigate.”
Only the royal family had both the means and the motive.
The wealth and power to employ a dark mage—and the gain from bringing down the dukedom.
Only the royal family would benefit.
“…Something so dangerous, they’re desperate to keep it hidden.”
A normal life-binding spell would only kill the person bound by it.
…The explosion.
But the head maid had affected those around her, which was undoubtedly dark magic.
And its intent was clear—
To eliminate anyone who might catch on to what they were doing.
Had it not been for him, Anditne—who had been closely involved with the head maid—would’ve surely died.
…A vicious determination never to be discovered.
He didn’t know what the wicked royals were plotting this time.
But if he could expose them now, he could finally tighten a leash around their necks.
“Noah, this one’s going to be especially difficult. Use as many knights and as much money as you need.”
“Yes. I won’t let you down.”
“One more thing. Find out if there’s anyone else like the head maid within the house.”
“Yes, understood.”
Edbon gave a slow nod, signaling Noah to leave.
“Then, Master, I’ll take my leave.”
Click.
Left alone in his office, Edbon Martinhez stared blankly out the window.
“…”
Before long, his thoughts returned to Anditne.
She had claimed she had nothing to do with this.
…But if that were true, how had she known about the head maid’s secret?
Yet, she didn’t seem to know everything either.
To the royal family, Anditne was probably just one of many pawns.
Someone they could use however they wished—no different from the head maid.
Of course, she’d never admit that.
In truth, Edbon didn’t care whether Anditne was involved or not.
He had never expected anything from her anyway.
Whether she was connected to this or not, his opinion of her wouldn’t change.
To Edbon, Anditne was someone he could cut off without hesitation when the time came.
<“…What if it’s not the royal family?”>
She had never been on his side.
Which should have made it an easy problem—one he didn’t need to worry about anymore.
“…But why?”
For some reason, Edbon couldn’t get her out of his mind.
The way she clearly pleaded with him to believe her.
The hands that clung to him, crying uncontrollably.
The way she asked—so unlike her usual self—whether he believed the royals were responsible.
“…”
He couldn’t pinpoint it, but something about it all felt… strange.
Different from the usual Anditne.
And those eyes…
Edbon knew better than anyone how much Anditne despised him.
Her eyes had always been full of contempt, disdain, and hatred.
But the way she looked at him earlier—there was none of that.
Those eyes were void of hostility or hate.
In six long years of knowing her, he had never seen such a look.
A woman so transparent it was almost comical.
Someone who never hid her thoughts, always picking fights openly. Annoying, but predictable.
He’d never had to worry about her or be on guard.
But now, that same foolish woman who couldn’t even hide her feelings… had looked at him without hatred.
…For the first time, Edbon Martinhez found himself thinking about Anditne.
