Chapter 4
When I arrived near the forest, I stayed alert while looking around.
Of course, there shouldn’t be any magical beasts this close to the ducal estate, but you could never be too sure.
Unlike my expectations, nothing particularly unusual came into view no matter how much I searched.
“Aile, whatever you see, whatever you experience—report everything without missing a single detail. No matter what it is, it’ll all be top-grade intelligence.”
Des’s stern warning echoed in my mind for a moment.
Unfortunately, it seemed like there was nothing special in the forest. Just handing over a map of the ducal estate would probably be enough.
“I’ve roughly figured out the building layout, so this should be—”
I was sitting casually on a chopped tree stump, organizing what I would report to Des, when—
Rustle!
Shhhhk!
A strange presence suddenly emerged from somewhere.
“What…?”
It moved too fast to be human, yet it was too small and insignificant to be a magical beast.
Because trees surrounded me on all sides, I couldn’t tell where it would jump out from.
Just as I instinctively reached for the sword at my waist upon sensing danger—
Grrrrr!
Something fluffy and white suddenly leapt out in front of me, growling aggressively.
“…A pig?”
I almost swung at it reflexively, but froze when I confirmed what it was.
“No… a fox?”
The strange presence turned out to be a white fox making odd noises.
It was so plump and fluffy that I almost mistook it for a pig… no, that’s too harsh. Let’s say it was chubby.
Grrk… whine…
But something was off. It was limping, holding one paw up while whining in pain.
“Are you hurt?”
Growl.
Sensing something unusual, I carefully approached. The fox lifted its ruby-red eyes and growled in warning.
But it didn’t run away, so it must really be in pain.
“I won’t hurt you. I’ll help.”
I gently calmed it and crouched down in front of it, slowly examining its raised paw.
As expected, there was a long splinter stuck in the center of its paw pad.
“So that’s why you were crying.”
Pop.
With a clean sound, I pulled the splinter out.
After checking the wound, I tore a bit of my maid uniform hem and wrapped its paw.
Grrr… purr…
Once I finished the basic first aid, the fox began circling me as if grateful.
“Now that I look at it… it’s a strange one. Pure white fur like snow, and blood-red eyes.”
Now that I had relaxed, its unusual appearance finally stood out to me.
“Is it a pet of Duke Cassio? That gives me more to report.”
Some nobles liked raising exotic animals. So this wasn’t particularly strange.
But Des did say anything unusual was top-priority intel… so I’d have to report it.
“Del!”
As I was patting the fox, which kept rubbing its face against my skirt like a spoiled child, a voice suddenly came from nearby.
Flinch!
The fox’s ears perked up sharply at the sound.
I also turned toward the direction of the voice.
“…Huh?”
The moment I saw someone approaching, I froze completely as if time had stopped.
Grrrr!
The fox in my arms shook its tail and ran forward.
“Hey, Del, where were you?”
Black hair as dark as the night sky, violet eyes beneath it—he gently called the fox “Del” and stroked it as it jumped into his arms.
Watching him, my mouth slowly fell open.
“What…? That boy… isn’t he the sickly kid I saw in the Dark Forest a few days ago? The one I rescued from assassins…!”
My mind went completely blank.
Why are YOU here?!
At that moment, I remembered the portrait I had carelessly stuffed into my clothes earlier.
“…No way.”
I hurriedly pulled it out, comparing the boy in front of me with the ridiculous sketch.
The feeling was bad. The portrait Des gave me definitely did NOT look that handsome.
And yet… strangely enough, I couldn’t doubt that the boy in front of me and the one in the drawing were the same person.
So… this boy in front of me is the target, “Lys Cassio”…?
The more I looked, the more the portrait sort of resembled him… or was that insulting the real face?
“You did this?”
Suddenly, Lys spoke.
Still confused, I quickly shoved the paper back into my clothes and met his gaze.
He was pointing at the improvised bandage on Del’s paw.
“Yes. There was a splinter in its paw, so I treated it.”
“You…”
His tone sounded somewhat displeased. Was he angry that a mere maid touched his property without permission?
That would be understandable. Nobles had pride that reached the sky.
But I couldn’t afford to offend a ten-million-gold target, so I had to apologize.
“…An angel?”
“…Pardon?”
I unconsciously blurted back at the absurd words.
An angel? What?
As I was confused, Del suddenly jumped from his arms back into mine.
The fox nestled into me, wagging its tail and purring happily.
Seeing this, Lys stared at the scene with curiosity.
“I’ve never seen Del act like this before…”
He muttered in a dry, surprised tone.
Only then did I realize—this fox wasn’t the duke’s pet, but the young master’s.
“By the way, who are you? You look like a maid, but I’ve never seen you before.”
He immediately recognized I was new. That alone surprised me.
Nobles rarely paid attention to servants, let alone remembered their faces.
So I smiled gently and bowed.
“I’m Aile. I started today.”
No matter what, I couldn’t afford to be disliked by the target.
My mission wasn’t just to eliminate him, but also to uncover the secrets of the Cassio family.
Even if I couldn’t become close, I should at least be remembered as “that maid” who wasn’t uncomfortable to deal with.
“Let’s keep the distance just like this. Not too close, not too far.”
So I could investigate easily—and not get emotionally attached.
“…Aile.”
He quietly repeated my name, thinking for a moment while looking at Del still in my arms.
Then he spoke:
“I actually needed a maid to take care of Del… Aile, you’ll do. From now on, work by my side.”
Something incomprehensible hit me like a bolt of lightning.
What did this ten-million-gold just say? Work by his side? Me?
“Me…?”
“Yes, you. I’ll tell the head maid. Start today.”
Basic rule: low-ranking maids are not allowed to serve directly beside their master.
So that meant…
“You’ll be my personal maid. You’re the first. Take care of me.”
Personal maid…?
He said it so casually, then turned and walked away without waiting for my response.
Even Del followed him immediately.
“…So this is what they call a promotion…”
…Yeah right. I’m doomed!
If I become his personal maid, I’ll have to stay by his side all the time—when am I supposed to investigate or report anything?!
Damn it, ten-million-gold! I should’ve never saved him back then…
