Chapter 30
“How did you get in? Didn’t the servants stop you?”
As soon as I finished greeting, I sent Mari out and asked Ray.
“Well, I didn’t see anyone else, but Mr. Kent, the deputy butler, asked me a few questions.”
She smiled as she took off her outer coat. Unlike Mari and me, her demeanor was relaxed.
“Yes, that’s the person.”
Blick was probably handling Lucilla’s personal care, and Kent took care of the practical matters. He was someone who adhered to the rules, so I was worried about how difficult it would be to get past him, especially with the lockdown in place.
“How did you get his permission?”
“Well, it’s usually easy.”
Ray answered as though explaining something simple.
“Everyone has a weakness that can be exploited.”
“So… you figured that out and got in easily?”
“Yes.”
Ray answered as if it was a given, and I stared at her blankly, as if I had been hit with something.
“Would you like me to explain?”
I nodded, and Ray shrugged her shoulders.
“People are all the same. If you give them a bribe with a smile, they’ll like you. So, first, I gave him a cake.”
She showed me a small bag she had brought. It was empty inside, and the exterior had a picture of Mama Dain’s famous chocolate cake, which was run by Ray’s mother.
“Did he let you in after receiving that?”
Well, thinking about it, Mama Dain’s cakes weren’t overly sweet, yet they boasted perfect flavor, and they were sold in limited quantities every day, making it hard to refuse.
“No. He said he liked sweets but couldn’t let me in. However, he seemed sorry about it. That was the first hint.”
“Hints…?”
“The second hint was that people’s weakness is the pressure of power. So, I told him I was from the royal family. That I had to meet you secretly.”
“Isn’t that a lie?”
“But I really am from the royal family. I just resigned before coming.”
A hollow laugh escaped me. Twisting facts was Ray’s specialty. Sometimes she even lied, but unless it was a major crisis, she would stop at twisting the truth.
“Did that work?”
“No, he hesitated for a moment, and though he felt more sorry, he said if I came from the royal family, I should show him a decree or meet the family head’s deputy first. He was cautious and prudent, which was also a hint.”
Ray explained.
“Any more hints?”
“He was holding a tragic novel in one hand, and his nose was red as if he had been deeply immersed in it.”
“So, what conclusion did those hints lead to?”
“Tears.”
“…What?”
“He’s soft-hearted. Especially when it comes to tears and emotions.”
Ray answered as if it was simple.
“It wasn’t logical, but I concluded it from a few hints and feelings. And then I cried.”
Looking closely, I noticed that there were still tear stains on her cheeks. Her eyelids were red, so it seemed like she had given an excellent performance.
“I told him my family had been blessed by the princess, that I had to deliver my father’s last words to her in person, and that if I didn’t, my father wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully in the next world. I also said that if I didn’t get this done, my older brother might beat me to death… and I cried while saying that.”
Bold.
She had mixed two tragedies of unknown origin into a melodramatic play. At first glance, it sounded like nonsense, but I knew Ray’s acting. I also knew how persuasive her tears could be.
In the first life, she had used those tears to escape the Empress’s wrath multiple times. Later, she joined the Empress’s opposition and tried to assassinate her but was caught and killed. People said, “If she had begged with tears, she might have survived.”
In her second life, Ray, who knew her abilities, was scouted by Grace. She spread a dramatic, sad story about her background, a story fit for a saint.
When the war with Yulcan broke out, she must have realized that the group calling for the war’s halt wasn’t going to succeed, and she was killed. But until then, she had handled Grace’s image.
“Anyway, in the end, Mr. Kent, the deputy butler, promised to let me in as the princess’s maid!”
Ray finished the story casually.
“Of course, this was when both I and the princess wanted it.”
Ray smiled sweetly. In her seemingly innocent eyes, I saw her very practical nature.
“Right.”
I smiled back.
“I told you to think about the conditions.”
Although she had resigned and rushed here, Ray’s loyalty wasn’t guaranteed.
“Call her.”
I sat down and said, hoping I could meet her terms and that I could grab her hand before the Duke of Serve did.
“It’s simple.”
Ray said.
“The salary will just be the same as what I got in the royal family. The job will be unlimited. Food and lodging will be as circumstances allow. The period will be as long as the princess desires.”
“…What?”
I raised an eyebrow. Considering that I might have to pour my entire allowance into Ray, this was unexpected.
“I told you that everyone has a weakness. It applies to desires too.”
Ray’s eyes sparkled.
“So what I really want is simple.”
For a moment, I saw her from the first life in my mind. She, who wasn’t born into nobility, couldn’t take power directly, but she aimed to get as close as possible to the Empress, the highest power.
If that thought hadn’t changed, then what she wanted was likely…
“To be the princess’s closest maid. To ensure that no one gets closer to her than I do.”
Ray spoke without hesitation.
“So, when the princess rises to the highest position, I want to be by her side. I want the entire empire to know that I am the princess’s right hand. That’s my condition.”
She finished her statement.
A few seconds of silence passed, and I slowly looked at Ray’s face. Finally, I understood why Ray had been loyal to Grace in her second life.
“That’s your ambition.”
Her dream was to be someone’s wings.
Grace, in the second life, was someone who could fly higher than even the Empress. Ray must have realized that quickly. When the war with Yulcan broke out, Ray must have realized that her flight was actually a fall.
“Yes. Whether it’s ambition, greed, or vanity, that’s what I want. I want to fly high and fly for a long time.”
There was a small flame burning in her eyes.
“Do you think I’ll fly high?”
“Yes.”
Ray answered with a confident expression.
“When I first met you, just seeing what happened at the banquet with your father, I could tell. You’re not ordinary, you want to change the current situation where your family was taken, and you have the ability to do so.”
“…”
“And then, as a month passed, I kept hearing stories. How you tamed the Pegasus, became lovers with the first prince, gave huge bribes to many of the family’s servants.”
“…Did that leak?”
“Only among the maids. But I know.”
She nodded as she spoke.
“I know you will rise high. But even if not, it doesn’t matter.”
“…”
“If you retire, I won’t choose another master.”
It was true. Once she chose a master, Ray wasn’t the type to change. She directly confronted a master whose ideals didn’t match hers.
That was what made Ray special.
I gathered my thoughts and slowly smiled before speaking.
“I’ll grant all the conditions you mentioned.”
“Really?”
Ray asked, genuinely happy.
“If I rise high, I’ll bring you with me. I don’t know how high, but definitely higher than now.”
She smiled broadly, showing all her teeth.
“And one more thing.”
I added.
“What is it?”
“I promise I won’t fall.”
“…Fall?”
I nodded at her confused face.
Although she had served the Empress and Grace, Ray had never blindly followed them. She had the ability to shake the world, but she met a very fast end.
I admired all her actions, so I decided to give her a happy ending in this life.
“I’ll make sure you won’t regret coming to me.”
