She seemed to be enjoying his own peace by reading a book, going for a walk, basking in the sun, or drinking tea. If there was something different about her from the other young ladies, she didn’t have a ‘line’ to draw when dealing with her subordinates.

All servants dealing with nobles feel it. They did not consider commoners to be ‘people’ like themselves. No matter how generous and merciful a person was, that was the case. They always drew the line.

But it wasn’t Edith case.

“Let’s eat together.”

During her first time out on Darsus Street, Edith did not hesitate to share food with Anna at the restaurant where she had lunch. Normally, to eat from the same plate as a servant would be frightening to a noble.

“Why don’t you eat, Anna? Do you hate this?”

“Oh, no, not that… How can I eat your food?”

“Uh? So how can I eat all of this by myself? I want to try this, and I want to try that too, but I can’t eat it all by myself… It would be nice to eat together.”

“Aren’t you offended?”

“Huh? Why would I be?”

Watching Edith with her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes wide open, Anna realized that this young lady had no ‘line’ with her.

“If you’re fine, I’m fine too.”

“…I’m not sick Even if you eat with me, you won’t get sick.”

She was a master who was worried that the servants would turn away from her. Even for Anna, who had been working as a maid for 10 years, she was the type of aristocrat she had never seen before.

She just thought that was unusual…

“Miss… Why didn’t you say anything until this happened?”

She still couldn’t forget the shock of the day she saw Edith’s bruised back. Her back, which should have been white and smooth as if milk had been released, was stained in a ghastly mess. And that, too, probably by the maid sent by her parents.

“How do you say that?”

With a voice mixed with a dejected smile, Edith said as if it was nothing.

‘It’s my fault… No matter how much she didn’t show it, how could I not know until she became like this!’

Her pride as maid, which had been built up over her ten years, was shattered. Barely suppressing her unexplained emotions, she applied the medicine to her back, and only then did Edith’s shoulders tremble slightly.

‘Miss…’

Edith, who was supposed to be a villainess, was rather a person who was weaker than anyone else and loved a quiet daily life. And unlike Lise, she’s a really unlucky girl… Anna then patted Edith’s hand for the first time. She might have been called arrogant in the subject of a maid, but it was a sincere consolation. And Edith didn’t get angry or cry out loud, just exhaled a trembling breath. 

After that, Anna erased the line she had drawn on Edith. To her, Edith was positioned as a vulnerable person she needed to protect. That’s why she was happy that Edith and Killian’s relationship was getting better, and she hoped that Edith would be able to carry on her happy married life. However, at this critical time, Lise started looking for Killian.

‘She pretended not to know Master Killian’s love until now, why now…!’

So even though she knew it was her presumptuous meddling, she told Edith about Lise’s affairs, and Edith said with a bitter smile.

“You know, but I don’t have the right to do that.”

The words ‘You know it too’ broke Anna’s heart.

“Thanks for telling me anyway, Anna. You must have had a lot of trouble whether to tell me or not.”

Seeing Edith put her maid’s heart ahead of her own pain, Anna made up her mind once again.

‘I’ll help you as much as I can!’

Anna, who lived without much inspiration from anyone, accepted Edith as her own master from that day on.

* * *

When she returned from enjoying tea and dessert at <Peridot>, a maid she hadn’t seen came to visit her.

“Master Cliff wants to see you for a second.”

“Who does Cliff want to meet? Me?”

“Yes, lady.”

It was an unexpected development for her. But with no reason or excuse to refuse, she followed the maid to Cliff’s study without changing her clothes.

“You are here.”

Cliff greeted her more cordially than she expected.

‘Why is this guy suddenly like this?’

He didn’t seem to have very good feelings for her, and she couldn’t figure out why.

“Don’t be nervous with such a suspicious look on your face, please sit down.”

Did she show it too much? A smile appeared on Cliff’s face as he looked at her.

“I’m sorry if it seemed that way. Honestly, it’s so unexpected.”

“We are family, but it seems like we don’t spend too much time together.”

He was calm, as if he understood her embarrassment. Although that laid-back attitude had bothered her from before, he was certainly capable enough.

“You seem to have a much better relationship with Killian these days.”

He poured tea into her teacup and said so. The strong aroma of black tea spread.

“It seems that Killian is trying to do something for me, but it’s only for a few days. You never know what will happen in the future.”

“You’re right. It’s an interest that may cool down quickly.”

Who was he kidding now? Feeling slightly upset, she was trying to figure out what to say to counterattack, but Cliff lowered his voice and pulled himself toward her.

“I hope Killian’s interest will stay with you.”

“Yes? Why?”

“You and I seem to agree, don’t we?”

Cliff’s appearance as he drank the tea was extremely elegant, but the young curiosity and sympathy in his eyes were hard to ignore.

“What do you want?”

“You don’t have to pretend you don’t know. You want Killian, and I want Lise. Are you going to object?”

“Rather than refutation, I don’t think there is any need to be nervous. I’m already Killian’s wife. And I don’t think Lise has any reason to seduce Killian.”

“That’s true, but I’m uncomfortable with Lise now focusing her attention on someone else.”

‘Oh, I forgot.’

This man was a gentle madman. Regarding Lise, the one with no middle ground was Cliff Ludwig…

“So what do you want me to do?”

“Let me give you some tips on what Killian likes. It is up to you to decide how you will use the tip.”

“It’s annoying…”

“Well, would you like to bet with me? Whether you take my advice or not…”

‘Crazy guy.’

Cliff must have noticed that she had fallen for Killian. Where the hell did he get that obvious?

“Well, I’ll listen to what you say and think about it.”

When she took a step back and built up her pride, Cliff laughed as if he was having fun, then spoke in a serious voice.

“Killian enjoys sailing on the lake. But he couldn’t do it this summer. He used to go with Lise every year, but this year Killian became a married man.”

“They can just go and come…”

“It’s because people will talk. A newlywed man going boating alone with another woman… How would that look in the eyes of others?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

It’s even funnier that someone who cared about such things pushed through this marriage. 

It was a well-known fact that Killian loved Lise. Well, rather than ‘love’, people believed that Lise was bewitched by that face.

“He also likes to appreciate art. It would be nice to actively use the Sistine Hall in the mansion, and it would be nice to go see other families’ artworks.”

Killian, who despised her in the Sistine Hall, suddenly came to mind.

“That one is already ruined.”

“Oh, have you tried it already?”

“Well, unintentionally.”

Cliff saw her confused expression and giggled again before continuing.

“When you’re with Killian, it’s good to give him a lot of compliments. He always has a complex about being second place behind me, so he likes to be praised.”

It’s not Cliff’s fault that he won first place, but it’s also sarcastic to say it that way. Although aware of his brother’s relative deprivation, he did not seemed very considerate.

‘Well, he didn’t look like a friendly brother.’

The two would join forces at once if something happened to their families, but they weren’t people they would get along with. Until now, if it wasn’t for Lise, she wouldn’t have seen his face often.

“By the way, Mr. Cliff.”

“Yes, Miss Edith.”

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden? It hasn’t been a day or two since Lise has been kind to Killian.”

Cliff’s smile was also playful as she looked at him with a smile in her eyes.

“There are two reasons.”

“What about the first one?”

“The point is that Killian is just starting to open up to you. In the past, even if I gave you these tips, it would have been of no use.”

She had already confirmed that in the Sistine Hall, so she admitted it.

“So, what about the second one?”

“…It seems like Lise is suddenly paying attention to Killian.”

“Yes?”

“You wouldn’t know, would you? Didn’t the two of you go out today?”

She felt like she was being pointed out several times about that issue…

“I know. But is that something that has never happened before?”

“It’s not like that, but the problem is that Lise asked first. Lise never asked first before.”

“…is it so?”

That’s definitely a subtle thing. After all, they were going to look for finished shoes, but she wondered if she really needed to go with them. But Cliff also was acting strange. He was completely convinced that Lise was paying attention to Killian.

And when it came to Lise, Cliff’s words were trustworthy.

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