Episode 14 –
Ian froze in place, shocked.
Estella gave him a quick glance and gestured with her chin, signaling him to step back.
Something in her gaze overwhelmed Ian, and he instinctively took a step back. But then he quickly widened his eyes and reached for anything he could use as a weapon.
Estella, however, was faster. She swung the cutting board in a smooth arc—
Thud!
If there were such a thing as a giant walnut in the world, and someone smashed it with a cutting board, it would probably make that exact sound.
“Aagh!”
With a familiar scream, someone popped out from under the kitchen island.
“Wait, wait! This is a misunderstanding!”
A red-haired intruder, now sitting on the floor, waved his hands in panic and backed away on all fours.
Estella calmly brought the bread knife to his neck.
Elegant yet quick, her movements were flawless and precise—without the slightest misstep.
“I said wait!!”
“Explain yourself to the inspector.”
“No, I’m not a thief—”
Ian, who had nearly been stunned by her smooth moves, finally came to his senses and grabbed Estella’s hand holding the knife.
“Ma’am.”
Though the sudden touch was unexpected, Estella quickly understood his signal and asked,
“You know him?”
Ian sighed and nodded.
“He’s my secretary, Jack.”
Once the intruder’s identity was revealed, Estella lowered the knife and stepped back.
Jack, finally able to breathe again, looked like he was about to cry from the unfairness of it all.
“Who is that woman?”
“That temporary maid I mentioned before.”
“The one filling in for Kamila?”
As Jack got up, he rubbed his forehead where he’d been hit the hardest.
“How does a maid have that much strength? I thought my brain was going to explode!”
Ian also seemed relieved now and ran a hand through his hair.
“When did you get back?”
“Just now… Ow, it hurts.”
“Why didn’t you say something instead of hiding?”
“I got here earlier than expected and was hungry, so I quietly went to the kitchen. I didn’t want to wake anyone up… Argh, this is going to bruise for sure.”
Jack explained his reasoning:
It was early in the morning, and he didn’t want to wake people, so he just wanted a quiet bite and to leave.
“Ugh, what kind of bad luck is this?”
Jack glared at Estella, who simply let out a small sigh and put down the cutting board.
“Seems like a misunderstanding.”
It didn’t sound much like an apology, and Jack opened his mouth to argue, but Ian stopped him.
“You’re the one who snuck in.”
Jack pouted and said, “But still—”, yet Ian ignored him.
Estella also didn’t bother to argue further.
“I’ll go prepare some bread and fruit for you both.”
She placed the knife on the kitchen island as if nothing had happened, then headed toward the pantry.
Maybe it was Estella’s calm attitude, but as she walked to the pantry, Jack shouted bitterly,
“What kind of maid is like that? She’s better with weapons than some pros!”
Ian didn’t even look at Jack as he replied,
“Better than someone who panics.”
Jack stopped rubbing his bruised forehead and frowned.
“Wait… Are you talking about me?”
“Maybe.”
While they exchanged words, the Baroness returned with bread, water, and a pouch filled with ice.
“I recommend using ice to reduce the swelling.”
“If you hadn’t hit me with the cutting board, I wouldn’t be swollen at all…”
Clearly, it hurt a lot. Jack kept grumbling.
Estella looked at him calmly and said in a flat voice,
“It’s normal for staff to take action if someone is found sneaking around at night.”
She didn’t even blink.
Jack let out a dry laugh.
“Excuse me?”
Just as he was about to say more, Ian interrupted.
“She has a point. Let it go.”
“But—!”
“Then why were you hiding in the first place?”
“…That’s…”
Jack wanted to argue, but then he shut his mouth.
Even he had to admit Estella was right.
If he were in her shoes, he wouldn’t have stayed calm either—finding a stranger hiding under the table in the dark.
“Still… she didn’t have to hit so hard. She could’ve just asked first…”
Grumbling, Jack kept muttering as Ian turned to Estella and said,
“Ma’am, that’s enough. You may go. I’ll take care of things here.”
“Understood.”
She gave a small nod and left the kitchen.
Once the door closed, Jack burst out in frustration.
“I don’t like that woman!”
****
After leaving the kitchen, Estella went straight to the nearby door and descended into the basement storage.
“I messed up.”
Though she looked calm on the outside, Estella was flustered.
She quickly made her way down the basement stairs and closed the door behind her without turning on the light.
Now alone in the silent space, she leaned back against the door and slowly slid down.
“I could’ve just kicked him once… Why did I have to swing the cutting board too?”
Despite her sharp senses, she hadn’t even noticed Jack entering the house.
Sure, during the noisy daytime she might’ve missed a sound—but this was early morning.
Everything was quiet. If the big front door had opened, she should’ve heard it.
That’s why she had assumed he was an enemy and reacted instantly.
The problem was… the moment she sensed a threat, her old instincts kicked in. She still reacted the way she used to in her past life.
“I thought I got rid of that side of me…”
The old Estella—Stella Rivers—was still there.
“…What if I get fired?”
A maid known for violence?
“No one would like that.”
Estella was usually calm about everything, almost emotionally flat.
But the idea of being fired shook her.
This was one of the rare jobs where she could live and work near Ayla.
“I need to last at least three months…”
Even after this temp maid job ended, she planned to stay at Kamila’s place and keep working, leaving Ayla in their care during her shifts.
“To make that future happen, I have to finish this job well…”
She wanted to hand the maid job back to Kamila without problems, and part as good friends.
Leaning her head back and closing her eyes, Estella whispered,
“…I need to do better from now on.”
She sighed deeply, then raised her head and turned on the light.
The basement lit up in a dim, orange glow along with a faint gas smell.
Looking at the dull light, Estella refocused her thoughts.
First, she needed a shower.
To move past her recent “crime,” she had to work hard. That meant getting clean and starting her chores.
Estella began searching for soap.
It was the best thing she could do right now.
But as she wandered the basement looking for soap, she stopped in her tracks.
Her expression tightened.
“This is…”
Realizing something, she ran a hand through her hair with an annoyed sigh.
“Ugh…”
She had discovered something annoying.
She stared at the dusty floor—clearly disturbed—and tried to deny what she was seeing.
She walked around, pretending to check other things.
But the more she looked, the more certain she became.
“A hidden passage…”
What she’d found was likely the entrance to a secret passage disguised as a wooden cabinet.
It was well-hidden, but she had plenty of experience spotting these things.
“Figures.”
So that’s how Jack snuck in undetected.
After staring at the passage for a while, Estella turned away.
Pretending not to know anything, she grabbed a bar of soap and left the basement.
****
Meanwhile, Ian and Jack were headed to the study with the food Estella had prepared.
Ian didn’t usually like eating in his study, but for a private conversation, the soundproof room was better.
“Ugh, my head still hurts…”
Sliding into a chair, Jack gently pressed a cold bottle to his bruised forehead.
Ian, skimming documents, clicked his tongue.
“Told you not to sneak around.”
“Don’t act like you don’t know. I came through the basement passage to avoid being seen. But as soon as I got out, someone came in. I couldn’t go back without making a racket, so I hid in the kitchen.”
Jack pouted.
“And what kind of maid swings a knife and cutting board like that? She didn’t miss at all!”
“It was perfect.”
“What?”
Jack lowered the jar from his forehead.
“That’s what you’re focusing on? I got smacked in the head!”
He glared at Ian, then suddenly looked horrified.
“Wait a sec. What’s with your eyes right now?”
“What?”
“Don’t tell me… are you interested in her or something?”
