Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Judith calmly sipped her tea before the Master and spoke in a languid voice.
"So that's how it is. You lied to me."
Before she knew it, the Master let out a deep sigh, pressing his fingers to his forehead. He spoke slowly, as if thoroughly exasperated.
"Please understand. It's not as though we can all go through life speaking nothing but the truth."
"Of course. I understand perfectly. But I've always been completely truthful with you, Master."
"Th-that's... There are naturally sensitive and delicate matters involved when it comes to the Information Guild."
"That may be so. Yet I confided in you about the most delicate matter of all—my fake pregnancy."
"Ha... Judith. From my position, I obviously can't disclose everything to every client."
"Naturally. But I wasn't just any client—I was the client whose life you saved."
As Judith responded with perfect composure, the Master sighed even more deeply, looking increasingly troubled.
She lowered her eyes gracefully as she continued.
"You could have simply said you didn't want to tell me. Was there really a need to go so far as to fabricate such detailed lies about having no informants there...?"
"That wasn't a lie."
The Master quickly interjected.
"There truly are no informants stationed there. That's the truth."
"But you clearly know what's happening there."
At her words, the Master clicked his tongue with a dry chuckle. Then he shook his head repeatedly, letting out a wry laugh.
"Honestly, it's rare for me to lose my composure like this..."
The Master stroked his chin and muttered.
"Judith, speaking with you makes me feel like I've become an entirely different person."
"Is that so?"
Judith nodded glumly.
"But please don't think such words will make me overlook the lies you told earlier."
"Ha..."
The Master crossed his arms. His mask made his expression unreadable. Judith, as always, waited leisurely—calmly gazing out the window or sipping her tea. Having frequented his space for three years now, the awkwardness of silences during conversations was long behind them.
Only after a sufficiently long pause did he finally speak.
"I know about the secret passage."
"Pardon?"
"I know about the secret passage in the Duke's residence. I acquired that information long ago. So I can... help prevent any dangers that might befall the young master."
This was new information. Judith rolled her eyes as she quietly sank into thought.
The second son of Duke Meius's family—in other words, Ekian's younger brother—was named Karl.
Karl had been extremely close to his missing older brother Ekian. With their significant age gap, Ekian had doted on Karl immensely. After Ekian disappeared, the boy had become deeply despondent.
'Karl Meius... He's actually the villain of this novel.'
Though he'd been a kind and pure-hearted boy, his upbringing took a dark turn. The once-harmonious household fell into complete disarray after Ekian ran away, and with both parents passing away soon after, everything collapsed.
Suddenly thrust into the role of family head, he grew into a twisted personality, developing an unhealthy obsession with the sunny female protagonist. The kind-hearted protagonist had only treated the young Karl with affectionate care, yet she ended up suffering for it.
'In the original story, the Duke and Duchess died in an accident—they weren't bad parents. But there was someone who influenced Karl more than his own parents...'
Namely, the maid Sera who stayed close to Karl. The very same maid now pretending to be pregnant with Ekian's child.
Already influential over Karl from the start, she began abusing him even more severely after securing the Meius name.
Even if Judith's entry as the fake daughter-in-law could prevent the worst of that future abuse, Sera was undoubtedly mistreating Karl even now.
'She must be cunningly exploiting the boy's immaturity without the Duke and Duchess ever suspecting...'
By the time Judith entered the ducal residence as the daughter-in-law, it would be too late. The maids wouldn't side with some newcomer like Judith—they'd obviously take the side of Sera, their long-serving colleague.
They'd all regard Judith with suspicion, and with so many watchful eyes, any move she made would immediately be reported back to Sera.
"The secret passage?"
Judith's eyes sparkled as she spoke to the Master.
"Perfect. Then I think I have an idea. You'll just need to help me a bit, Master."
The information from the original story was limited. After all, it only consisted of Karl's childhood memories.
'The exact times and places of the abuse weren't mentioned!'
First, she needed to know when and where it happened to stop it. Originally, Judith had planned to request from the Information Guild: "I want to know the times and places where Karl and Sera are often together."
But she hadn't held much hope. It wouldn't be easy for outsiders to uncover details even the ducal household didn't know.
Sera wasn't stupid. She manipulated Karl psychologically with great cunning. The abuse likely didn't even happen in Karl's room—there were too many watchful eyes there.
She had half-heartedly brought it up with the Master, expecting little, but surprisingly, she had stumbled upon an incredible opportunity.
'In that case, knowing about the secret passage is way better!'
After the Master revealed he knew of a secret passage leading into the ducal residence, Judith's chosen method became infiltration.
She could simply lurk near Karl's room in secret and eavesdrop on his conversations with Sera! Surely, Sera would tell Karl "Come here at this time" at some point.
According to the Master, the secret passage allowed one to hear everything through a single wall. Delighted yet astonished, Judith asked:
"But Master, how did you come by this kind of information?"
"Well, it just happened."
"Right. Asking the Master of the Information Guild something like that was silly of me."
If he knew such minute details about a secret passage, it made sense why he wouldn't bother placing informants inside. He could just infiltrate and gather information anytime. The Master replied in his usual stiff tone:
"Please keep this a secret from the Duke and Duchess."
"But I'm worried. How could security be so lax that an outsider can come and go like this?"
"It's not lax. I swear, I'm the only one who knows of this passage, and I've never had the slightest intention of using it."
"Someone must have taught you about this passage."
"They're already dead."
"My goodness."
Judith vaguely assumed the person must have been a descendant of the craftsman who designed the ducal residence.
Given that the passage never appeared in the original story, it likely wasn't a place of major significance.
In any case, the Master explained that the secret passage was too complex to map out. So, his proposed solution was simple:
"We'll have to go together, you and I."
Judith was reluctant to infiltrate an unfamiliar mansion alone. Still, she felt reassured knowing the Master—whom she had dealt with for three years—would accompany her. Though it was their first time doing something like this alone, she doubted her life's benefactor would try anything untoward.
"So, we just need to lurk near Young Master Karl's room, right?"
"For now, yes."
And so, right then and there, they decided to head to the ducal residence's secret passage together. Strangely, the Master seemed even more eager than Judith.
"Then let's depart immediately."
"Right now?"
"Do you have other business to attend to?"
"Well, no, but..."
"A child is being abused in secret, isn't he? Isn't this urgent?"
Judith brushed it off lightly, thinking the Master might just have a soft spot for children. Or perhaps he had suffered abuse himself as a child. His mask hid his expression, but he clearly took the matter very seriously.
And so, walking alongside the Master through the secret passage connected to the basement of a crumbling shack...
'Wait.'
It was pitch black. When Judith began to falter, the Master whispered, "Pardon me," and took her hand.
His hand, which she was holding for the first time, was enormous—and surprisingly warm.
'This...'
What's more, the dark secret passage was so narrow that even one person could barely pass through.
Before she knew it, Judith was practically pressed against the Master. The difference in their builds was so great that it almost looked like she was being cradled against him as they moved.
But letting go of him was terrifying, so she had no choice but to cling to him. She struggled to steady her pounding heart, inwardly grimacing.
'Why is this so close?!'