Chapter 119
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 119
Unlike the indecisive duke, I readily accepted the terms.
“Lady Rohanson. May I show you to the room where you will be staying?”
Rico checked the time and urged me to my feet, explaining that the duke had a backlog of work to attend to. Finally, I was going to get some rest. Agera had thrown a tantrum demanding Amaranth's room be prepared, but I wasn't sure if Rico would actually grant her request.
I entered the assigned room and looked around. It was quite luxurious. Although all the dust seemed to have been wiped away and the room thoroughly cleaned, the aged furniture hinted that it had been vacant for a very long time.
“Is this the room her mother used?”
“Yes. It is Lady Amaranth's room.”
I had to give her credit; she was a woman of her word. She really had gotten it cleaned. I looked at Rico with newfound appreciation.
“How would you like to handle lunch?”
“I'll skip it. Could you bring me some snacks instead?”
“Of course. I will have the maid assigned to you bring them up.”
Rico bowed politely and left the room. Once I heard her footsteps fade into the distance, I rolled up my sleeves. It was time to search the room and find Amaranth's diary.
There's nothing here.
I searched for a long time but found absolutely nothing. There wasn't a single useful item, to the point where I wondered if Rico had cleared everything out beforehand while cleaning. I had just wasted my time. As I lay exhausted on the sofa, a knock came at the door. It seemed the person Rico mentioned had arrived.
“Come in.”
A maid entered, keeping her eyes lowered as she bowed deeply, practically folding herself in half. Talk about strict discipline.
“What's your name?”
“I-I am Hazel. I was terribly rude to you in the greenhouse earlier.”
So this was Hazel. Judging by her words, she must have been one of the maids in the greenhouse. Not the one who had pulled back the cloth, though.
Hazel looked terrified. She was breaking out in a cold sweat and couldn't meet my eyes. Her face was as pale as a sheet—was she sick?
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, not at all!”
Hazel shook her head vigorously.
“Even though you're sweating like this?”
“This is, well, just because I'm nervous…”
Hazel vehemently denied it. Her desperate pleading was incredibly suspicious; she clearly had something to hide. Had Rico ordered her to watch my every move and report back?
“If you're sick, I don't mind you calling for another maid.”
“I am truly fine! I am more than capable of attending to you, Lady Rohanson. I'm perfectly healthy, so please, please don't replace me!”
I knew it. They hadn't assigned me a maid; they'd assigned me a spy. Well, even if I replaced her, the next one would surely be given the same orders. There was no reason to throw a fit and demand a change.
“Alright. I'll be in your care.”
When I finally acquiesced, Hazel let out a visible sigh of relief. Seeing her so relieved sparked a mischievous urge, and I decided to tease her a little.
I placed a hand on Hazel's shoulder and guided her to sit on the sofa. She kept glancing at where my hand had touched her, looking utterly lost.
“The butler packed plenty of snacks, so why don't you eat with me?”
“Me? Oh, no. I-I'm fine.”
“You haven't eaten dinner either, have you? Besides, I'd feel lonely eating all by myself.”
After warily reading my expression, Hazel had no choice but to nod. I had originally requested the snacks to share with Pudding, but since there was no sign of him returning anytime soon, I figured it was fine to start without him.
Now that Hazel was here, I couldn't search the room anymore. It was obvious Rico had told her to keep an eye on me. I'd have to look for any hidden compartments or secret spaces another time. For now, I would just quietly eat my snacks. I wondered when Pudding would return.
* * *
“Hello, little one.”
Hello. I'm not a little one, I'm Mavka.
My nickname is Kiki. Mom calls me that because I laugh like, “kiki!” But that's a special name just for me and Mom, so you have to call me Mavka, not Kiki.
Do you know my mom?
Hmm. I figured you wouldn't. My mom works at Duke Hosaquin's estate. She said if I tell people that, scary people will never dare to touch me. Or they'll keep me alive to get ransom money.
Isn't my mom amazing? She can make bad people tremble with just her name. She's like a cool warrior from a fairy tale. A warrior who punishes bad giants.
You think that's childish? No! I'm not a child. Calling everyone who reads fairy tales a child is… you know. Right! It's a narrow-mended thought. Huh? Is that word weird?
Yes, narrow-minded! That was the word I wanted to say. Who did I learn such a difficult word from? I heard Kesta from the butcher shop shout it when the priests dragged him away a while ago. He said…
‘You narrow-minded, arrogant bastards! I didn't collect blood to make juice! How am I supposed to run my business if I don't drain the blood and cut the meat at a butcher shop!’
Just like that. Was it a perfect imitation? I have a talent for memorizing, so I never forget what I hear. Mom said I'm a genius and should go to the Academy.
You say all children are geniuses? Oh my gosh, even Pika? But he's… one, two… nine years old, and he's way dumber than me!
Me? I'm six years old. Until recently, I only had to hold up one hand, but now I have to use both hands to show my age. Amazing, right?
Not “six,” but “six years old”? Whatever, it's all the same!
Hmph. So, you're asking what a six-year-old is doing here? Well, I'm on a seeecret mission. I'm absolutely not supposed to tell anyone, but I'll make a special exception for you.
You can't tell anyone. Pinky promise! Ah, you can't make a pinky promise with a cat paw. Let's shake hands instead. Oh, it's so squishy!
Okay, I'll tell you. It's a scary story, so cover your ears with your paws and listen close. My mission is to spy on the demon in the duke's estate. Super scary, right?
I told you earlier that Kesta from the butcher shop was dragged away by the priests. Actually, I almost got dragged away too. Seeing Kesta's grandpa crying his eyes out made me realize I almost made my mom cry like that.
But when I told the priests that my mom works at Duke Hosaquin's estate, they said there was a big misunderstanding, apologized, and even gave me candy!
And as they sent me back, they said there was a special job that only I could do, and that they really needed me. It was to spy on the demon I just mentioned!
Lately, the Duchess grandmother has been acting like a total baby, right? When I told the priests, they said it was all because of a demon. They said that's why the Duchess grandmother screams and hits people like she's a completely different person. They said it's such a terrifying demon that even holy water doesn't work on it.
I didn't tell my mom. It's a secret, and besides, Mom hates the priests. I'm scared she'll scold me really hard if I tell her.
The reason Mom hates the priests is because when she was little like me, they stole her house. They built a temple right on top of her home. But they always say temples are good things…
So, do I know which demon to spy on? Who are you calling a dummy? Of course I do! I've been looking for the demon all day! Lots of people are suspicious. The Duchess grandmother is suspicious… actually, everyone is suspicious except for my mom.
Oh, but it's definitely not that pure-white lady. Who is the pure-white lady? She's the lady who was drinking tea with the Duchess grandmother. I saw her when I was secretly peeking into the greenhouse.
She's pure white like the priests, but she sparkles way more, so she must be someone even more amazing, right? Do you think she might be an angel?
Not an angel, but someone even more amazing than the priests? I knew it!
So, the demon I found is, um… Mr. Marlowe!
Mr. Marlowe is the chef. He has a really mean mustache and sharp, glaring eyes that always stare at me. He's super scary. When I leave bell peppers on my plate, he gets furious and flicks me on the forehead. If Mr. Marlowe isn't the demon, then who is?
That's why I'm sneaking to the kitchen right now to spy on Mr. Marlowe. Do you want to come with me, Lord Cat?
“Me?”
Yes! You're here because you're hungry too, right? You eat mice, don't you? The rumor that the duke's estate has lots of mice must have spread far and wide among cats! Just trust me and follow me.
If you come to the kitchen with me, I'll catch a mouse for you. I'm definitely not asking because I'm scared to go alone.
“Alright. I'll go with you.”
You're the best, Lord Cat!
Now, don't wander off. Make sure to follow me closely. We go through this little hole here… then turn left over there… Eek! Someone's coming. Quick, hide, Lord Cat!
“…”
Did you see who it was? Was it Mr. Marlowe? I think so. They're heading to the kitchen! Let's follow them quickly. Shh, shh, so we don't get caught.
“…”
“…”
You say it's okay to talk now? But won't Mr. Marlowe hear us?
“He won't hear a thing.”
Really…? Then I'll trust you, Lord Cat.
Okay, we're at the kitchen now. Usually, all the lights are on at this hour, but I don't know why it's so dark today. But it's okay because I have good eyesight. Shall we peek inside through a crack in the door?
Very quietly, so the door doesn't make a sound. Tiptoe, tiptoe.
Huh? Lord Cat. I think we saw wrong. The person who went into the kitchen wasn't Mr. Marlowe. It was Nigella.
What is Nigella doing…?