"Why are you curious about that? Will anything change depending on my answer?"
"Nothing changes."
He calmly answered my question.
"I just want to know what the person she's serving thinks."
"Well..."
I blinked and slowly opened my mouth.
"It's true that Charlotte is capable. Even when Annie, who knew nothing, was called to Aileen, she knew what was going to happen, but she controlled her surroundings so that Annie could not say anything, let alone tell me."
Annie didn't know Aileen's temper because she had never experienced it, but she would have known. How cruel a cute and lovely noble lady can become. And she skillfully silenced the other maids as well.
Since Annie quit, no one has posted her name anywhere near me, even by mistake.
If Charlotte's abilities hadn't shined through, I probably would have found out the truth sooner.
"That..."
"I guess it was out of necessity. Anyway, Aileen needed someone to vent her anger to, and Alfred, you were planning to send someone to stick by my side and keep an eye on me."
Charlotte simply did her job as a competent maid following Alfred's orders.
"Me too. To escalate the situation, I needed to show the circumstances that the 'employers within the mansion were hostile to me."
Because it was a necessary role in the picture I was drawing.
In the end, Charlotte loses the position of next head maid and is forced to move out of the mansion she thought she would stay in for the rest of her life and find a new job.
There was no regret. Because she and I just did what we had to do.
It was Charlotte who had to bear the consequences, but it could have been me who paid the price if had she not fallen into the trap I had set.
After answering calmly, I raised my head and unexpectedly saw Alfred smiling softly.
'I was wondering if you were trying to blame it on someone you once had under you because it was so cruel...'
"What's funny?"
"I thought you looked alike even though you didn't have a drop of blood in each other."
"With whom?"
"With the late Viscount."
I don't even know that guy's face.
I rolled my eyes as if I was dumbfounded, then turned around and headed back to the dining table. The refreshing voice of the Viscountess, who had already arrived and was seated, came out.
"So, Sir Daniel, I need you to leave the mansion as well."
It was clear that the Viscountess, who had regained her motivation, had a much more proactive personality than I thought.
Daniel, who had suddenly been kicked out one day, looked at me with puppy-dog eyes.
I smiled and waved.
"Oh my. I hope you return safely."
***
The Viscountess looked clearly worried.
"You've only known each other for a while, so is there really a need to meet to say hello?"
When I thought about the heartless biological father sending an assassin to his daughter, whom I had not seen in over a decade, I could understand her concern about sending me out to the downtown area.
"Still, I owe her something. Since the tea party that day ended so smoothly, I should at least give her a small gift in return."
Even if I move my residence to the imperial capital, there is no need for it to end on a bad note.
The Viscountess reluctantly accepted my words and allowed Hugh to go out on the condition that he be accompanied by several knights.
As a result, it turned out to be a grander trip than expected, so Bruni, who came to the meeting with me, blinked when she saw the sturdy knights behind me.
“Well, uhhmm..."
"I happened to find a memory."
"W-memories?!"
She screamed for a moment but then realized that it was not something a cultured young lady would do and quickly covered her mouth.
Then she lowered her voice and asked carefully.
"Well, then now..."
"I plan to return to my family."
"And..."
He smiled brightly at the admiring woman and continued speaking.
"Because the situation is complicated, I cannot reveal the family name right now. But Bruni."
I held her hands tightly and added quietly.
"As soon as I meet my family and settle down safely, I will send a letter to your family. I hope you will accept my invitation then."
The knights lined up behind me and the face of Bruni, who sensed something in my words, came to mind.
She nodded with sparkling eyes as if she were looking at a Princess.
"Of course, I understand that there are circumstances. I'll be waiting. Don't worry. I won't say anything to the other ladies."
"Thank you."
She glanced around shyly, then lowered her voice even further and told the unexpected news.
"It looks like Lady Rosalyn is planning to go to the imperial capital soon."
"Is it her?"
It didn't seem like she would go to such a fierce place, leaving behind her small kingdom.
Bruni nodded and added cautiously.
"It is said that the lover she is infatuated with is planning to base himself in the imperial capital. They say he's a wealthy Baron."
Rosalyn Wilder's lover?
Hugh also seemed to have known nothing about this fact, and his hand was seen twitching at the mention of the word 'Baron'.
"I don't know who he is, but he seems to be resourceful. "Lady Rosalyn always said that she would choose a family with a long history and good pedigree."
"I know, right."
I calmly agreed and nodded.
"He seems to be very resourceful."
Count Wilder.
Where else do you plan to use it?
After my brief meeting with Bruni, I asked the knights who followed me annoyingly closely.
"Can I stop by the salon and pick out a scarf for the Viscountess?"
"It doesn't matter."
"It's a women-only salon. It is designed so that noble ladies can comfortably choose items and try them on."
The knight commander shook his head with an embarrassed expression at my words.
"No matter what, entering the salon without an escort..."
"Then, I'll ask the salon to allow at least one person to come in. It's a difficult place for knights to rush into."
He glanced back and forth between me and Hugh, then nodded.
Seeing the ladies coming in and out of the building, he seemed to have understood my words to some extent.
When Hugh and I entered the salon alone, the pre-arranged guide guided us deeper into the building.
As I passed through the narrow hallway and opened the door to the attic on the upper floor, a strong herbal scent irritated my nose.
Annie, with a haggard face, was lying on a bed in a corner of a small room.
She opened her eyes, as if she had fallen asleep, and stared at me.
A new hoarse voice came out of her dry lips.
"Miss."
I slowly approached the call with a bit of joy.
A smile slowly spread on Annie's face.
I bent down and stroked her forehead, holding our small hands together.
"Annie."
"I didn't know you would come."
"I'm sorry for only stopping by now. I was busy."
"I know. I heard there were a lot of troubles. There are people in the mansion who don't like you, so it must have been difficult for you.'
As she spoke intermittently, she made a painful expression intermittently, as if she had not yet escaped the pain.
Aileen forced the young girl to testify that Miss Isabella stole things from Aileen.
The reason Annie was beaten so hard was that she refused to say anything against me.
How dare you, even though you were a maid, it was a shameful crime to arrogantly refuse the instructions of a noble lady.
How shocking It is that even keeping faith is a sin for the poor and lowly.
"It's not your fault. It's because I overlooked Aileen's temper. The calculation was shallow. I shouldn't have evaluated her so highly."
Line after line, the only thing that came out of my mouth was an excuse.
Annie looked at the joined hands and opened her mouth.
"I'm stupid, so I don't understand all the difficult things she says. All I've done my whole life is serve other people."
"..."
"But with the money you gave me, my younger siblings will be able to live a different life. I will learn to read and do calculations.
"..."
So don't cry, Miss."
"I didn't cry."
I didn't shed a single tear, but Annie kept telling me not to cry. A mature smile appeared on her always lively and cheerful, clumsy face.
"You've been good enough to me. I don't want to put everything on you that you can't control. Thank you for coming here. I thought I wouldn't see you."
I also knew that this was my last goodbye and that we would probably never see each other again.
When I smiled and said my regretful goodbyes and returned to the salon where the products were on display, a familiar figure greeted me while pretending to read a newspaper.
"It's been a while since I've seen you, but you don't look very happy."
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