The Villainess's Exclusive Maid Is Too Good at Her Job - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 23

“Thank you for understanding so graciously.”
After bowing once more, Joanna departed with Jeron cradled in her arms.
Peeking out from the nursemaid’s embrace, the child waved his small hand.
Janet’s carefully composed expression melted away in an instant.
She beamed with a soft smile, waving her hand back at Jeron with gentle enthusiasm.
Ah, his cheeks had flushed crimson.
How adorable.
“You’re not even upset?”
“Jeron didn’t do anything wrong. And Joanna has already apologized.”
“Still, it’s irritating. That little brat caused all this unnecessary misunderstanding and trouble!”
“When misunderstandings arise, they can be resolved. Just like today.”
There was no point in remaining angry over a matter already settled—only the angry person suffered.
“If you face any more unjust situations, come to me. I’ll resolve them for you, just as I did today.”
“…Your words are—”
Even as Julietta Ludwig grumbled, the corners of her mouth twitched upward repeatedly.
But it was short-lived.
The moment Julietta Ludwig’s gaze fell upon Kendrick’s Separate Residence, her animated expression froze into something cold and distant.
With her lips pressed firmly shut, Julietta Ludwig turned her head away as though she had glimpsed a phantom.
“Let’s return to the Room. I’m tired and need some rest.”
Janet glanced between Kendrick’s Separate Residence and Julietta Ludwig before quietly following her.
#Chapter. Suspicious Tea Leaves

Two days later, evening.
Janet made her way to the agreed meeting place with Theo. Once again, it was the Left Fork of Northern Forest.
“Today you’re… a knight?”
“Yes. A knight.”
Unlike the servant’s attire he had worn before, Kendrick now appeared in the training garb of a knight.
“If I’m to move about freely without drawing suspicion, it’s better to disguise myself as various professions.”
That made sense, certainly.
Janet quickly accepted the explanation, unaware of Kendrick’s true reasoning: since I’ve already been discovered, I might as well wear something respectable.
“The analysis results for the tea leaves you had me investigate have come back.”
“And? Was something mixed in?”
“Yes. There were impurities.”
Kendrick’s expression grew cold as he answered.
“A drug designed to induce insomnia was mixed into it.”
“So it was as I thought.”
Kendrick’s expression shifted to one of surprise at Janet’s reaction.
“You had already suspected this?”
“More or less. I went to meet the princess and Nova Morgan two days ago.”
Ordinarily, there was no protocol for a subordinate to summon a superior.
Yet Nova Morgan had not visited Julietta Ludwig’s Separate Residence herself; instead, she had summoned the princess to her Reception Room.
Such arrogance, such unshakeable confidence.
In any case.
“After meeting with Nova Morgan, the princess said something to me.”

“Now that I’ve seen Nova Morgan, I should sleep well tonight.”
“What do you mean by that, Your Highness?”
“Just what I said. Nova Morgan was my former governess. I suppose I developed a habit of relying on her, but whenever I see her, I sleep remarkably well.”

At Julietta’s words, Janet found herself unable to suppress her doubts.
No matter how comfortable the person she’d met was, could chronic insomnia that had persisted for so long really be resolved so easily?
“At first, I suspected sleeping pills.”
On the day I had tea time with Nova Morgan, could someone have slipped a sleeping draught into the tea I served to the young lady?
“But the logic didn’t quite add up.”
If sleeping pills were taken, they would produce an immediate effect—not simply allow for better sleep at night.
Moreover, at the point when I was considering whether something had been mixed into the tea leaves in Julietta’s Separate Residence, “sleeping pills” didn’t quite fit.
So I decided to approach it from the opposite angle.
“The tea leaves in the Separate Residence are mixed with a drug that induces insomnia, and on the days the young lady meets with Nova Morgan, a ‘antidote’ is served in the tea instead.”
“Indeed.”
Theo let out a brief exclamation and added his thoughts.
“Based on today’s results, it seems Miss Janet’s deduction is correct.”
“I believe so as well.”
My dark eyes gleamed with sharp clarity.
“Was the drug detected in both the tea leaves taken from the Storage and those from the tea caddy?”
“Yes, it was.”
“Then the drug must have been mixed into the tea leaves in the Storage. Since Sien managed the keys to the tea storage, it would have been entirely possible.”
Since I had taken over the tea leaves that Sien had been managing and used them, the drug residue remained.
“What did you do with the contaminated tea leaves?”
“For now, I left them untouched. I was worried that if Nova Morgan discovered I suspected the tea leaves, it would become troublesome.”
Of course, since I began my suspicions, I had not served those problematic tea leaves to Julietta.
‘I’m grateful the butler provided me with plenty of tea leaves.’
Since Julietta also enjoyed that particular tea, she showed no particular displeasure at being served the same variety for several days.
“If Nova Morgan seeks someone to replace Sien in handling the tea leaves, she’ll likely instruct them to use the same method. But if she discovers that I suspect the tea leaves…”
“She’ll change her approach. That would certainly be troublesome.”
“Exactly.”
Kendrick nodded in agreement.
“When will the next batch of tea leaves arrive?”
“In four days.”
“In four days, then…”
“After the tea leaves arrive, I’ll carefully observe who shows interest in them.”
If Nova Morgan truly did mix the drug into the tea, she would certainly find someone else to replace Sien and continue her scheme.
The young lady’s insomnia had persisted for a very long time, which meant someone had continuously been adding the drug to her tea leaves.
She wouldn’t abandon something she’d maintained for so long now.
‘I’ll have to forgo sleep for several days.’
The culprit would likely move at night when everyone had left. So I planned to hide near the Storage and keep watch.
At the sight of Janet’s serious expression as she formulated her plan, Kendrick’s eyes narrowed.
“Miss Janet.”
“Yes?”
“There’s one thing I should tell you beforehand.”
What is this?
Why did she look so serious all of a sudden?
Kendrick opened his mouth with a voice that had grown even more stern as he observed Janet’s slightly tensed expression.
“Dangerous actions are forbidden. Your safety must always be the top priority.”
At his unexpected words, Janet blinked.
And then.
“…Yes. I’ll do my best.”
“Sigh. There you go with that answer again.”
At her awkward response, Kendrick exhaled a long sigh and ran his hand through his hair.
His midnight-blue eyes briefly averted from his gaze.
“Are you keeping a defensive magical artifact with you at all times?”
“Of course. I’m wearing it right now.”
Janet proudly pulled out the necklace she had hidden beneath her clothes.
The blue gem of the necklace glimmered in the moonlight.
“Then that will do. If anything suspicious occurs, don’t hesitate—use it immediately.”
At Kendrick’s warning, Janet couldn’t answer readily.
She glanced at the necklace with a hint of reluctance.
“The only way to use it is to break the gem, right?”
How could he ask her to break such a beautiful gem? It was such a shame.
Kendrick, having little difficulty discerning Janet’s true feelings, carefully took hold of the gem on her necklace.
“I can procure as many of these as needed, so don’t think twice about using it.”
Janet, her true thoughts laid bare, pressed her lips together.
She nodded slowly and barely managed to answer.
“I’ll… try my best with that too.”
In any case, she never gave a straightforward answer.
‘She ought to value herself more.’
Janet was someone who deserved such consideration. No—in truth, there was no one in this world who didn’t deserve it.
Yet this wise woman seemed unaware of that single fact.
Kendrick’s lips curved upward bitterly as he looked down at Janet.

***

A white supply cart came to a halt in front of Julietta Ludwig’s Separate Residence.
“Miss. Here are the items you requested.”
“Thank you. Would it be alright if I verify them against the order form?”
“Of course. Here is the purchase order.”
Janet meticulously compared the tea leaves against the order form, checking every detail.
Before her, the driver and porter stood at rigid attention.
After all, there had been that incident when some maidservant had bungled a delivery, and their superiors had come down on them hard.
And that maidservant had even stolen one of the gifts in the process.
‘If Miss hadn’t forgiven us, we would have been in serious trouble.’
It wouldn’t have been merely a scolding and a written apology—they might have been dismissed from the Ludwig Family and faced legal consequences.
Even now, the memory made them shudder, so they maintained their posture with genuine gratitude in their hearts.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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