Episode 6
I paused to think.
Is there a secret way to send these reports? Or… do I have to stick it in my wall again with a knife? I still haven’t thrown that one away… But that would mean someone breaking into my room while I’m sleeping, right? Ugh, no way!
Just imagining it made me whimper. Still, crying about it wasn’t going to solve anything.
“First, let’s find paper and a pen.”
Since the letters disappeared after a while, they must have used special paper or ink.
This time, I searched my room more carefully than before. I must’ve missed something earlier.
Probably near the desk…
People usually keep familiar tools in familiar places. Paper and pens would likely be stored at the desk.
I checked the top, then bent down to look under, but saw nothing strange. So I opened the drawers one by one.
Clatter, slide.
Clatter, slide.
And then—
“…Hm?”
The third drawer sounded hollow when I tapped the bottom. Very slight, but Lillian’s sharp hearing picked it up instantly.
Could it be…?
I ran my fingers along the drawer’s bottom panel and found a tiny groove. Hooking my nail in, I carefully lifted it up.
Creak.
The panel popped out, revealing a thin hidden compartment. Inside were special paper, ink—
—and a half-finished letter.
[ Infiltration successful. Should complete probation without issue. Operative #32, who infiltrated earlier, was eliminated by the Grand Duke… ]
“This is…”
The handwriting was Lillian’s. Just looking at it triggered a faint memory buried in her body.
Be careful. Many maids who tried approaching His Grace were thrown out without notice.
You remember Karen, right? They say that’s why she was dismissed.
That maid—Karen—was #32.
A flash of her vivid red hair came to mind.
So she wasn’t “dismissed.” She was… eliminated.
Chills ran down my spine. If I was living as Lillian now, then #32’s fate could easily become mine.
I need to stay sharp!
Whether it was Grand Duke Pelium or the spy organization behind this, if they discovered the truth about me, I’d be erased just as easily.
“Haa…”
I steadied my breathing and looked over the half-written letter again.
[ Infiltration successful. Should complete probation without issue.
Operative #32 was indeed dealt with by the Grand Duke, but her body is missing. All evidence destroyed, so no major issue. However— ]
And that’s where it ended.
Judging by the timing, Lillian must’ve written this just days before I took over her body.
Why she stopped halfway, I don’t know.
But for me, it was a stroke of luck.
I used her draft and the scraps of memory to guide me as I wrote my own coded report.
[ The Grand Duke met Madam Brant regarding salon patronage. No further social activity. Currently in seclusion. ]
That was it. I stretched those three short lines into something longer, nearly adding unnecessary details like “Madam Brant is very pretty and married.”
Still, I did my best.
I double-checked the code, folded the letter just like the ones I’d received, and peeked outside.
The corridor was empty.
Step by careful step, I snuck toward the west annex’s back gate, pretending I was just going for water if caught.
Please, don’t let me run into anyone…
I was a terrible liar. Even with excuses prepared, I’d just stammer my way into suspicion.
At last—
“I found it!”
Counting bricks from the left, I stopped at the ninth one. There, I slid the letter into the gap between the stone and the ground.
Yes. This is the spot.
The drop location changed each time, but there was a pattern. With Lillian’s faint memories, I managed to figure it out.
Thank goodness…
If not, I’d still be clueless and probably wake up with a knife at my throat.
Mission complete, I crept back to my room.
“Phew, finally!”
Farewell, sleepless nights. I collapsed into bed and, for the first time in days, slept deeply.
If only it had ended there.
Unfortunately, peace didn’t last long.
[ Insufficient information. ]
Another letter had appeared at the drop point. In just two days.
But that’s really all I know!
There wasn’t anything more to report about the Duke. What was I supposed to do, make things up?
“Haa…”
I sighed heavily.
Looks like I had no choice but to give myself “overtime.”
“Lillian?”
“You already finished that much?”
“My goodness!”
Ignoring the shocked maids, I quietly grabbed their laundry and hung it up too.
Slap, shake. Slap, shake.
Quick but neat—skills I’d picked up while surviving in my relatives’ homes. Soon the mountain of clothes was almost gone.
Just blankets and carpets left…
Which meant lunch break would come early.
I planned out the rest of my day.
Lunch, then patrol the main building’s first floor, the garden, and the east annex.
That was Grand Duke Pelium’s usual route—and now, my “extra work.”
He rarely left his private spaces like the study, office, and bedroom. Even in his own estate, he stayed hidden.
No wonder it’s so hard to even see him!
Still, by listening carefully to the staff around me, I’d started piecing things together.
“His Grace has risen.”
“He went to the study, so let’s tidy the office first.”
“The order His Grace requested just arrived. What should we—”
“I’ll report it to him.”
“His Grace wants his meal in the office today. Keep it simple.”
“Yes, Steward.”
“Good morning, Sir Günther.”
“And to you, Steward. Is His Grace—?”
“Urgent papers, but he’ll be heading to the training yard soon.”
Just ordinary, everyday conversations.
But thanks to them, I finally had a rough map of his movements.
For someone I hadn’t seen for days, this was real progress.
