Chapter 7

I shook my head slowly.

In fact, it wouldn't be a surprise if I, a survivor of Queen Island who suddenly appeared after four years, were under state surveillance. Weren't there people who followed me after I refused to go to a refugee shelter? But they made no contact for a month; they only watched from afar and then suddenly disappeared.

To be exact, I didn't see anyone after arriving in Midwinterre and being interviewed at the human resources office.

Perhaps it was because they no longer found anything suspicious about me—someone who at one point had become a beggar, obtaining money and bread by begging, and quietly arrived in Midwinterre to get a job as a maid.

It didn't matter much up to that point.

But coincidentally, a man who got a job in the same mansion as mine even moved into the house across the street.

Wasn't it too perfect a timing to be a coincidence? The more I thought about it, the more likely it was the latter. If Rue was following me, was the problem bigger than simply targeting Viscount Weatherwoods?

No, it's possible I can resolve the problem through personal communication.

The important thing for me now was to keep my job at the Weatherwoods mansion. I was willing to put up with a suspicious person as long as he didn't ask me for something like "Die again" or "I'm curious about the origin of your resurrection, allow me to perform a live dissection."

Let's cast the lure first.

I decided to write down my business in a note in case my words got too long. I could run away from the head maid under the pretext of an excuse like yesterday, so it would be better to take the initiative in advance. Immediately after completing the day's work, I secretly called Rue to the backyard.

"I'm sorry, Miss Maid."

But he arrived five minutes later than me. "I reject your confession. I'm not the kind of person so foolish as to believe in fated love to the point of starting to date a woman I met two days ago."

There was nothing worth listening to for me. Before Rue's impressive wings of imagination flew into the infinite sky, I handed him the note I had been holding earlier.

This is what the note said:

[I am suspicious of your move. If your goal is to monitor me or maintain surveillance on the Weatherwoods mansion, be honest. I am willing to cooperate in some cases.

Reasons why I am suspicious:

Conclusion: the identity of 'Rue' is very doubtful.]

Rue's expression became stranger the more he read. "Did you call me for this?"

"Yes."

Rue burst out laughing as if he had heard a silly joke. "I'll keep an eye on you, eh... I have to say you have an amazing level of self-esteem."

Who was talking about whom now? Did you already forget your assumption that I was confessing to you just because I called you to the backyard?

"You asked me about that yesterday. Why I got a job here. That's the point of that note, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"I also mentioned it before, but I'll repeat it once more for our forgetful maid. It's a hobby."

"I don't believe it."

"Aha, I see. It's a shame, but it's not a hobby where I have to earn your trust."

Just as he was about to turn his back on me and go back in without hesitation, I quickly moved my lips.

"Why can't you just tell me what you're thinking? I simply don't like a suspicious person staying in the mansion. Honestly, I'm messing it up because I want to kick you out if possible. What's your purpose? Is it Viscount Weatherwoods?"

I almost bit my tongue because I spoke for so long. I worked very hard to write my notes, but they became useless. I felt my words getting longer every time I faced him, and it was very inconvenient.

Rue, who listened to me in silence, looked down and gently waved the note in his hand. "Hm... I see, so it's uncomfortable for you. Well, unfortunately that's none of my business. Are you curious why I've come to this mansion?"

I nodded with all my heart, my eyes shining. "I am curious."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Really?"

"Sincerely."

"I..."

It was then. The clock struck to indicate it was seven in the evening. Regardless of whether it rang or not, I kept looking at Rue. Rue, who looked at me and smiled, turned to walk away as if nothing happened and brushed past me.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving work."

"What?"

"Leaving work on time is the most basic skill for an employee. Today was a fruitful day. Have a good night, Miss Maid."

Rue waved his hand and left the backyard. Then I was left alone under the sunset.

At first I laughed because I was gobsmacked. Thanks to this, my judgment, which had been a bit slow, accelerated.

Is the assassin still in Rue's house?

If you keep avoiding answering this way, I have no choice but to make my move. I'll sneak into the house in front of me and search every corner of the interior.

That day, at midnight. As I did two days ago, I crossed the fence to the mansion in front of me. However, unlike then, the windows on the first and second floors were tightly closed today, so it seemed it would take a long time to get in.

"Should I go through the chimney?"

Around that time, a sign of activity came from inside the mansion. The person seemed to be going through the back door leading to the kitchen, as if they had been waiting for someone to come.

They moved carefully. Did they realize? Just as I was about to kill the man hiding behind the back door, a familiar voice came from behind it.

"It's her."

It was the voice of the assassin who threatened me. The door opened and an exposed assassin appeared before me. As soon as I checked his appearance, I couldn't say anything.

"No wonder, Miss Maid."

"Why are you wearing butler clothes?"

"My master told me you'd be hanging around at this time of night, so I've been waiting."

The brazen assassin seemed to think I'd have no questions about his attire.

"The master told me to tell you this when I found you." How long has it been since you met Rue? Is he already your master? "What did he say?"

"How about you practice peeling potatoes instead of wasting time? That's it."

My teeth were a bit gnashed, but I held them in. Since meeting Rue, I had gotten used to holding it in; otherwise my teeth would break from the number of times I'd have to clench them.

"You two? Were you in cahoots in the first place?"

When I asked the question, the assassin burst out laughing as if he were flabbergasted. "Are we partners? You must have forgotten that you locked me in here. Are you really as forgetful as the master says?"

Was he telling his silly jokes to the assassin?

"I'm staying here of my own free will," I replied, pointing to the assassin's extensive butler disguise. "I can't trust you when I see you dressed like that."

"I guess so, but I simply gave in. It's natural for the weak to yield to the strong. You don't know it, but the master is a great, terrible..."

Perhaps he remembered his bad memories; the assassin, who blurred the rest of his words, shook his shoulders with a firm expression. "Oh. There is a high-level spell on this mansion. No one can contemplate the interior from the outside. During my stay here, I can be free from the guild's surveillance, so I plan to stay under the owner for a while and try to find a way to live in the future."

Was there such a spell in this mansion? You're saying it's good enough to imprint fear in an expert assassin, as well as a high-level wizard. I was glad I hadn't rushed into a fistfight. I never wielded a sword again after returning to a woman's body. In the first place, I wasn't used to my body. It would be very dangerous to deal with a powerful person like Rue with an unfamiliar body.

"Your master."

"Yes."

"Is it possible he's the client who sent you to me?"

The assassin sighed softly. "I thought so too at first. But well, it's ambiguous. The master is obviously interested in the Weatherwoods. But it doesn't seem like it's in his nature to ask an assassin's guild to watch Viscount Weatherwood. I think you'll understand what I mean. The master... is a bit unusual."

"He isn't unusual."

"Then?"

"He's strange."

For the first time, a smile appeared on the assassin's mouth. "Yes, as you said, the master is a strange person. He didn't even ask me anything other than my name. It would be better to say he's not interested. I'm still in the process of evaluating his mastery. I still have no idea to say anything for sure."

Evaluating. It didn't seem the assassin was even trying to deceive me. He showed great interest in his survival since I informed him that I had taken the suicide pill from his possession. He even clung to me for help. Therefore, the reason the assassin remained in this mansion and the reason he stayed with the unknown character, Rue, was understandable.

"Then make a deal with me."

"A deal?"

"Sharing the results of each other's findings."

The assassin carefully examined my face with amazed eyes and spat out an answer a bit late. "As I already said, the master already predicted you'd be here tonight. This conversation will be no different."

"So, are you going to do it or not?"

"How do we do it?"

"Once a week. At this time, this place."

"I see."

This was a fairly useful interaction. I want to see what kind of suspicious things Rue is doing after work. It didn't matter if he knew about today. He knew I was watching him, so he wouldn't act rashly. Just as I was about to return to the Weatherwood mansion with satisfactory results...

"Wait a minute." The assassin called me suddenly. "I want to ask you one thing."

When I turned, the assassin asked me with the most serious expression ever made. "Do you have any advice for washing blankets? It's very hard to do it alone. Is there a better way to do it instead of just pressing it with your hands?"

You're a butler and yet you're taking on the work of a maid.

I returned to my room after leaving a written note for the assassin that said: "Instead of applying force with your hands, use your feet." I slept well that day.