“Abuse of servants within government quarters is strictly prohibited.”
At Masera’s chilly voice, a shiver ran down my spine for no good reason.
‘Typical regretful male lead. Doesn’t even bother to hear the whole story and just jumps to conclusions based on what’s right in front of him.’
Falling into the classic cliché of being unfairly misunderstood by the male lead, I let out a sigh.
From where he was standing, I probably looked exactly like the evil hypocrite who acts sweet on the surface and then beats her servants behind closed doors.
Still, I decided I might as well explain the truth.
“I never ordered anyone to be beaten. I was hungry, came to the kitchen, and walked in on this—I was trying to stop it.”
Regretful male lead trait number two. Doesn’t believe a word I say.
Sure enough, Masera just kept staring at me with those cold, frozen eyes.
It was about time for him to unleash a barrage of sharp remarks about me.
Probably things like, ‘You’re truly awful,’ ‘You somehow still manage to disappoint when I didn’t expect anything,’ or ‘With your lies and violence, you’re a disgrace to humanity.’
But even if he suspected me now, there was nothing I could do. I’d just have to prove everything later, get Rose kicked out, and wipe that smug look off Masera’s face.
“My Lady is absolutely not that sort of person. Please punish me instead.”
Rose spoke up with this pitiful look, like she was nobly taking the fall for the noble she served.
Masera looked back and forth between Rose and me, then nodded.
“Alright.”
That unexpected response put matching question marks on both my face and Rose’s.
Masera added,
“I’ll have you brought before a military tribunal.”
It was beyond unexpected—it was downright shocking. Rose blurted out, eyes wide.
“Wh-what? You’re saying you’re apply military law?”
“Once you’re inside these quarters, you’re under military jurisdiction.”
Maybe she’d thought this would just be treated as some minor servant matter and earn her a light slap on the wrist, because Rose’s face went white as a sheet.
“You lot may leave.”
At a small tilt of Masera’s head, the young apprentice servants bowed low, sniffling.
Word must’ve spread from someone tending the lamps, because before I knew it, the other servants were crowding outside the kitchen. Their eyes on me were as sharp as needles.
“I mean, I always found Rose irritating, but it’s still kind of sad seeing her take the fall for her master.”
“So Lady Cynthia was actually the one behind everything after all?”
I heard someone whisper.
I immediately turned my head and gave them a warm, sweet smile.
“Everyone. I know you probably don’t have the best impression of me, but whispering behind my back before there is even any clarity on the matter—that’s a form of violence, too. If you’re curious, why not come ask me openly and fairly?”
A few of the servants quickly looked away, like they hadn’t expected me to push back so directly.
Masera stood there with his arms crossed, silently staring down at Rose.
Just meeting his harsh gaze made me feel like I’d confess secrets I didn’t even have.
“I-I only did it under my lady’s orders…”
Even though it was the dead of winter, sweat was dripping down Rose’s face as she stammered.
Masera asked,
“So last night, you beat the apprentice servants because they didn’t clean the tub properly?”
“That…”
Maybe she realized she’d be punished either way, because Rose finally opened her mouth.
But before she could throw me under the bus, I cut in fast.
“I was on death’s door at that time. Not exactly in a position to be giving orders.”
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but yes—I was under the same impression.”
Masera only half-agreed, but at least he acknowledged it.
Right then, Rose, her face ghostly pale, started sputtering excuses.
“Well, the thing is, My Lady did wake up in the middle of all that…”
“Funny. Because this is exactly what Eugene told me: ‘I visited every day, but Big Sis Cynthia was always asleep. So she hadn’t bathed up until today.’”
Masera’s words somehow felt like he was publicly executing me on the spot.
At the same time, the servants standing near me slowly inched away.
I mean—I’d scrubbed down thoroughly the moment I woke up! This was so unfair.
But that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“I heard from Dahlia, who’s been nursing me this whole time, that you never once came into my room. So how would you know whether my tub was clean or not? And just how exactly did you hear these so-called orders from me?”
I stepped up close to Rose and asked in a calm tone.
She floundered, mouth opening and closing with nothing to say.
Not giving her any chance to recover, I went straight for the kill.
“And also—you’ve been threatening the apprentice servants under my name to sneak away ingredients from the kitchen, haven’t you? Planning to pin it all on them if you ever got caught.”
Well, more likely she was planning to pin it all on me.
I’d been saving that as future ammo to drive her out, but thanks to Masera not behaving exactly like a typical regretful male lead, I got to use it right now.
“What? My Lady! Even if you were just going to use me up and toss me aside, how could you slap such a terrible false charge on me—!”
I breezily ignored Rose’s screeching.
“Brigadier General Masera, would it be alright if I personally checked the purchase records for food supplies to this residence?”
Masera nodded without hesitation, readily agreeing to my request.
What was his deal? I mean, I appreciated it, but still—this was gonna take some getting used to.
* * *
Thanks to my professional experience in kitchen work, I could tell that while the paperwork showed no discrepancies, there was definitely a difference in the actual inventory.
So she’d been pretty meticulous, huh.
“Rose. You might fool everyone else, but you can’t fool me. You’ve been skimming ingredients to sell on the side, haven’t you?”
Rose clenched her fists tight and glared daggers at me.
“My Lady.”
She still had that look in her eyes like she was somehow the one in control. Stepping close, she leaned in and whispered in this dark, sinister voice.
“You’re staking your life on this, aren’t you? Considering you’re just a fake.”
“Yeah. I am.”
It wouldn’t be long before they tried to kill me on Count Queensguard’s orders anyway. I’d been racking my brain over how to handle it, so thank goodness Masera stepped in.
I cast a leisurely smile at Rose, then glanced at Masera standing a little ways off, along with the aide and the steward who were cross-checking the records.
“Go ahead. Tell them I’m a fake. You’re already a proven liar and a serious criminal who stole military supplies.”
This wasn’t just any noble estate—it was a military facility.
Embezzling military provisions could count as treason, colluding with the enemy, which was punishable by death.
“Your fatal mistake was getting caught before the marriage. The Count and Brigadier General Masera have their eyes set on the wedding as their top priority—they’ll protect me. Meanwhile, you’ll end up shouldering all the charges and getting executed.”
Apparently she hadn’t thought it could go that far, because Rose went pale as a ghost.
“E-executed? How do you even know that?”
“Didn’t you sign a confidentiality agreement and get the security briefing when you came here? Guess you didn’t pay much attention.”
I shrugged my shoulders and lowered my voice.
“Not that it matters. Even if you’d completed your little mission, you wouldn’t have gotten any reward. You’d just be killed off too. That’s how Count Queensguard operates.”
Rose’s face twisted more and more, panic creeping in as she finally grasped the danger she was in.
Then, once it all clicked, she dropped right to her knees and started begging.
“My Lady, I’m truly sorry. Please, for the sake of all the time we’ve spent together, forgive me. My younger siblings are starving—I had no choice!”
She sounded like she was pleading with me, but from the volume, it was obvious she was really trying to wring some pity out of Masera.
The servants who’d come with me from the Count’s household didn’t have family, including Rose. But I played along, pretending to buy it.
“I knew about your situation. That’s why I overlooked what you did back at the County. But pulling the same stunt here? And using my name to do it?”
I gently helped Rose to her feet and spoke in a warm voice, then leaned in to whisper so only she could hear.
“Cooperate with me and I’ll get you out of this. I need information on Count Queensguard.”
“Y-yes. I’ll keep my mouth shut and do whatever you want.”
Once I heard her answer, I put my mask back on and resumed the performance.
“Rose, I don’t believe you acted alone. There must be accomplices among the servants who came with us from the County, isn’t that right?”
She seemed to catch on that this was her cue to frame someone else, because she nodded with a very serious look.
“Jessie and Peregrine.”
“Alright.”
And with that, Rose was led away by the soldiers, a tiny spark of hope still on her face.
I watched her retreating back for a moment, then turned to Masera with a downcast, apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry. This is all because I failed to properly manage my servants.”
“Are you saying you want me to consider their circumstances, forgive them, and send them back to the County?”
At Masera’s question, I lowered my eyes and slowly shook my head.
“No, I don’t intend to forgive them. Please handle it according to the law. Jessie and Peregrine too—they’re accomplices.”
Honestly, that promise I whispered to Rose was nothing but false hope.
‘No point getting help from a traitor.’
That was something I’d learned through two painfully intense lives.
I let my eyes slide over to Charles, who was standing at a distance watching all this unfold.
I shot him a playful little wink—basically telling him to just stick to being my docile little watcher.
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