Chapter 18
When I came to my senses, Noel was already next to Lilith, smiling and laughing together.
‘It’s a relief that Noel is being kind to Lilith.’
Since Verdi was with them, I wasn’t too worried.
‘Actually, more than those two…’
I glanced at Johann.
“Shall we go too?”
I was more worried about being with Johann.
The ceremony hadn’t started yet, so we walked around and looked at the other nobles.
“The ceremony will begin once His Majesty and the imperial family arrive, so we still have some time.”
“Yes.”
I nodded and quietly followed behind Johann.
“Sorry if I’m bothering you.”
“It’s not that hard. It’s fine. Honestly, this is easier for me.”
Johann answered in a calm voice. His indifferent tone reminded me of Crowde Shainon.
‘What if Crowde is actually younger than he looks, or maybe Johann is way older than I thought…’
No matter how I looked at it, it was hard not to compare him with Crowde.
“This ceremony may be in honor of the first Duke, but it’s basically just a banquet. So there’s no need to be nervous.”
“Really?”
Johann probably said that to comfort me, but unfortunately, I had never been to a banquet before—not even a small one. Whether it was a ceremony or a banquet, both made me nervous.
Still, I listened to Johann’s explanation seriously and hurried my steps to keep up with him. His strides and pace were faster than mine, so I started to get slightly out of breath.
“There’ll be merchants and guilds attending too, not just nobles. If you’re looking for a new position, it’s good to show your face.”
“Yes.”
I nodded, panting a little. At that point, I was practically running after him.
Then Johann suddenly stopped walking.
“…?”
I used the chance to catch my breath, but he looked at me quietly.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
Johann shook his head and began walking again. When I followed him, it felt much easier than before. His stride and pace had clearly slowed to match mine. He must’ve noticed me struggling and adjusted for me.
“…Thank you.”
I hesitated, then told him.
Johann didn’t respond, just kept walking quietly, as if he didn’t understand why I was thanking him. Just walking beside Johann made people come over to talk. Of course, they spoke to Johann, not me, but standing next to him meant they noticed me too—and I was able to greet them.
‘Even if it’s just like this, getting seen might help later.’
Half of them changed their expressions when they found out I was Lilith’s maid.
‘At least the other half didn’t avoid me, so that’s something.’
Honestly, I expected more than half to avoid me. Of course, I didn’t believe those who welcomed me were doing it purely out of kindness.
Just like I was looking for a sponsor for Lilith, they probably had something they wanted from her too.
After each greeting, Johann quietly explained who they were.
“That baron has a bad reputation.”
“That merchant group is struggling financially lately.”
“There are rumors that man beats his servants.”
He even warned me about who I should avoid. I was amazed at how he remembered so much about everyone we ran into.
“Count Blanca, who we just greeted, was apparently close with Beryl Shainon.”
At Johann’s words, I thought of Count Blanca, who had shown interest in me earlier.
‘Was he observing me because he knew Beryl?’
Since I served Lilith, Beryl’s daughter, that made sense.
“The Count has three sons. I’ve heard they’re all pretty rough. If they don’t like someone, it can get difficult.”
Thinking back to the conversation Johann and Count Blanca had, I recalled he had recently lost his wife.
‘Three sons, huh…’
I took mental notes of what I learned about Count Blanca.
‘I wonder if they’d be kind older brothers to Miss Lilith.’
I suddenly pictured three picky older brothers being sweet to Lilith.
Then I shook my head.
‘Things never go how I imagine them.’
Still, Count Blanca was worth remembering. He wasn’t a bad candidate.
As I turned my head, I noticed the back of a man nearby. His large frame seemed strangely familiar.
“Do you know him?”
Johann noticed where I was looking and asked.
“…No, I don’t.”
I hadn’t seen his face yet, but I was sure I didn’t know anyone who would be here.
I shook my head.
His pitch-black hair kept catching my eye, but I forced myself to ignore it.
“He’s not a noble.”
“Really?”
His presence felt more noble than most of the others around, so that surprised me.
‘Wait… can Johann really tell just from looking at someone’s back?’
His memory was seriously impressive. Without noticing how amazed I was, Johann continued.
“Blake is a merchant from another country. He’s established himself here in the Empire in the last year or two, and recently he even started a guild.”
If he had both a merchant group and a guild, he was probably in a good position. He’d have enough money and power to protect Lilith too.
“He’s like a tyrant, but very cautious when it comes to his only daughter…”
“Sorry? What did you say?”
Johann turned to look at me and asked again. I quickly shook my head.
“No, I was just talking to myself.”
It seemed I had spoken out loud without meaning to. I stared at the man’s back a little longer, then looked away. He probably wasn’t a bad option, but something about his overwhelming presence bothered me.
My instincts were warning me—he felt dangerous. Dangerous enough that I called him a tyrant without realizing it.
‘I can’t take Lilith into an uncertain situation like that.’
Right now, keeping her safe came first.
I turned away from the man who kept drawing my gaze and walked on.
After walking with Johann for a while, I noticed something. Many people approached us when they saw Johann, but after they walked away, they would whisper and glance back.
‘Why are they all reacting like that?’
I checked the reactions around us.
‘Is it because of me…?’
Maybe they were curious because they knew I was Lilith’s maid and that’s why they were whispering?
I started to feel sorry toward Johann, but then I realized… most of the attention wasn’t on me. It was on Johann.
“I’m sorry.”
Johann whispered so only I could hear.
“Yes?”
He turned to me with a troubled look on his face.
“Noel probably thought that being with me would help you find a good opportunity… but it might be harder than expected.”
“…”
I wanted to ask why, but Johann’s expression made it hard to say anything.
I just quietly nodded.
But I didn’t need to ask to find out the reason. While I was trying to ignore the stares and listen to Johann’s explanations—
Thud.
I bumped into another noble’s servant while walking.
“Ah!”
I let out a short cry as I lost my balance and fell forward.
The servant didn’t even look back, as if he hadn’t seen me because I was small—or maybe he just ignored me on purpose. It didn’t hurt, but the noise was enough to draw attention from the surrounding nobles.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Johann offered his hand, and I took it to stand up.
“The Young Lord of Harriet is with a young lady I’ve never seen before?”
Suddenly, whispers and stares turned toward us again—this time louder than before.
