The Unbeliever's Inner Thoughts
The unbeliever's inner thoughts... Huh? What the—? That's him, him?
Sky-blue hair. The signature trait of the Perseino family. That guy's name is Luke Perseino. Considering he's the young master of House Perseino, it has to be him.
...I had no idea he looked like that.
......My sister never mentioned anything about his appearance. Was that the real reason she fell so hard for him—his looks?
The image I'd built in my head over more than ten years was completely different. I didn't even realize he was younger than me.
Scammers usually have good looks, after all. It makes it easier to fool people. From the info guild records I checked in the hideout, most of history's greatest con artists had friendly, approachable faces—contrary to popular belief.
But even so, I never imagined this pretty boy could be that guy....
"Welcome, Master."
I forced my heart to calm and slipped into the role of an ordinary maid.
"Hello. You're the maid assigned to me from now on?"
"Yes, Master. I'm Cheryl, the maid who will serve Luke from here on."
Cheryl was the original name of the woman whose identity I borrowed. She's back in her hometown now, after taking the payout I gave her.
"Good. Looking forward to working with you, Cheryl. I'm Luke Perseino. For starters, could you handle this luggage?"
This man... is really Luke Perseino.
"Of course. I'll unpack it right away. Would you like a bath to wash away your travel fatigue? I'll prepare some warm water."
"A bath? Hmm... yeah, I should. Draw me some water."
I delivered the pre-rehearsed maid lines smoothly, as if by instinct. There wasn't a hint of suspicion from Luke.
Right. He's no god after all!
A divine being—or even a transcendent beyond human limits—would sense my ulterior motives right away, wouldn't they? But this guy showed no sign of it whatsoever. Hard to believe he's a god descended in human flesh.
I kept up the ordinary maid act while preparing the bath. Then Luke entered the bathroom and started washing up.
......He's in there, naked. My ideal type of man. No—the guy who tricked my sister.
I should go in and check. I don't want to see some scammer's naked body! But if he's really divine, there might be marks or traces on him. Yeah. I'm just going in to confirm. Not because of any desire of mine. Maids help with baths anyway, right? Yeah, yeah. To avoid suspicion, I have to go in. If I don't, it might look suspicious.
Knock knock.
"Master. It's Cheryl."
"Yes, Cheryl? What is it?"
"I'll help you with your bath."
Thump thump. My heart started pounding like it would burst.
Was it because the man I'd waited over ten years for was in there? I wasn't even this tense sneaking into the academy.
As I waited nervously, his voice came from inside the bathroom.
"It's fine, Cheryl. I'll bathe alone, so no need to help."
......What?
Fine? No need?
Nooo, that's not okay. I need to see your naked body. To confirm if you're a fraud or not!
Wh-what do I do? If I barge in now, I'll just look like a weirdo maid. Think... think. Should I back off for now and wait for another chance? Since I'm his maid, an opportunity will come eventually, right?
Click.
But before I knew it, I'd opened the door and stepped inside.
"...Cheryl? Didn't I tell you not to come in?"
Kyahhh! What do I do?! I came in without thinking! My desire! I'm done for! Wh-what now?!
"Forgive my rudeness, Master."
I dropped to my knees and bowed my head immediately, hiding my panicked expression. I managed to keep my face composed... but did he notice? Luckily, my voice didn't betray any fluster. The steady tone I'd trained to fool my sharp-eyed sister was shining here. But more importantly, how do I handle this.... A maid opening the door because she's smitten with her master? That's totally weird! I don't want to get fired from being his maid! I want to stay by his side... no, I need to catch proof he's a scammer!
......Right.
"......My Lord, my Savior."
Pretend to be one of my sister's subordinates, sent by her. Yeah! That'll work.
"......What do you mean by that, Cheryl?"
His kind face hardened instantly into a cold glare. Did I mess up? Isn't he a con artist who thinks he's a god? Shouldn't he be happy if I act like a faithful believer?
Oh. Maybe he thinks I'm an assassin. Yeah, that makes sense. Then I need to clearly show him I'm on his side.
"Ah, forgive me, my Savior. I was too hasty and spoke without proper explanation. I'm sorry."
"......Alright, Cheryl. Care to explain?"
"Yes. I'm Ionia, affiliated with the Christos Kallandra First Branch. I infiltrated the academy on orders from Leader Scala to serve you."
Lydia—my sister's real name—is known only to me. He probably knows her as Scala. ...Or maybe she told him. Anyway, to pretend to be her subordinate, calling her Scala is the way to go.
Perfect. No room for suspicion now.
"Scala. Right, she sent you."
"Yes, that's correct."
I'd never done any infiltration cons myself, but I'd picked up tricks watching my sister work. I can fool a kid like you!
"Cheryl."
"Yes, my Lord."
"I hate lies. Tell me your true identity."
Did he see through me? How? Was there something suspicious in what I said?
"......You're no pushover, huh? Was there anything in what I said that gave me away?"
"No. Nothing at all. Anyone else would never have suspected a thing."
"Then what made you suspicious?"
"Starting when you brought up Lydia."
"Lydia—my sister? Why would... ah?"
I accidentally let slip that I knew her name. No, before that—he brought up Lydia's real name? He knows her true identity, and he was testing me?
"Right. Just as I thought. Io."
No way. How did he figure out who I am?
"...How did you know? That I'm Io."
"Hmm...... Lydia told me."
"No, that's impossible. I came here without telling her."
Absolutely not. She has no idea I'm here. She's been too busy lately to even come home, and she might not have read my letter yet.
"Then Lydia will worry."
"It's fine. I left her a note. ......She probably won't care anyway."
She... won't care? She's gonna be furious when she sees it. I didn't think of that when I left.
...It'll be okay, right?
"Fine. Why did you come find me without even telling Lydia?"
"Answer my question first. Then I'll tell you."
"......Alright. I suspected you the moment you introduced yourself as a maid sent by Lydia."
When I said I was Ionia from the Kallandra branch? Was there something off there? I thought it was a perfect cover.
"......How was that a clue?"
What was wrong? Was 'Ionia' a weird name? It was from my favorite fairy tale protagonist... yeah, maybe not ideal for a spy alias.
"Because Lydia wouldn't do that. And anyone under her command would know such an excuse wouldn't work on me. Above all, Lydia wouldn't reveal my identity to her subordinates. Unless... you're the exception, Io."
......I see.
Yeah, my sister kept everything about Luke from me too. That's why I only recently learned her object of faith was House Perseino's young master.
This guy. He treated her like dirt, but he trusts her?
"......I see. I thought it was the perfect excuse, but it ended up exposing me instead."
"My turn now. Why go so far as to infiltrate the academy just to meet me?"
The reason I infiltrated the academy...
Yeah.
To find you.