The Villainess's Exclusive Maid Is Too Good at Her Job - Chapter 24

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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 24

That night, I began my surveillance of Janet.
I had placed tea leaves in the Storage and Kitchen, so surely someone would make a move.
Although Janet held the key to the tea leaf storage box in the Storage, it was highly likely that Sien had made a spare copy during her time managing it.
However.
‘It’s already the fourth night, and no one has come.’
A yawn.
Janet let out a small sigh and leaned her head against the wall with a soft thud.
Was four nights of staying awake too much, even for her?
But there was no help for it.
If I let my guard down for even a moment and missed the culprit, I’d be so frustrated I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all.
Of course, I wasn’t sleeping now either.
‘No matter how I think about it, it’s time for them to act soon.’
Through Nia, the Kitchen maidservant, I had been investigating whether anyone approached the Storage during the day, but there seemed to be no particular activity.
As expected, the culprit would strike at night rather than during the day…
“A yawn.”
Tears welled up from another yawn that escaped me. My head, leaning against the wall, grew heavier and heavier.
My eyelids grew heavy as well.
This was bad. At this rate, I’d doze off right here without realizing it…
A gasp.
Janet’s eyes snapped open as she glanced around.
‘Oh no. I fell asleep without even noticing?’
But that wasn’t all.
What woke me was the sound of footsteps. It wasn’t loud, but I heard it distinctly.
‘Could they have already come and gone?’
There was no time to waste. Janet sprang to her feet and rushed urgently out of the Kitchen.
The Storage was located inside the Kitchen.
Since the Storage had no windows, the only passages were the Kitchen door or the Kitchen window.
‘They probably didn’t boldly open the Kitchen door and leave.’
Sure enough, the latch on the Kitchen window was open.
At this point, deliberation was a luxury.
She opened the window and jumped out, her eyes gleaming.
I could see footprints that hadn’t been there during the day.
In the distance, I heard the sound of someone hurrying away urgently.
‘They’ve finished their task and are trying to leave.’
No. No matter what, I had to see their face before they escaped.
Did the mind become clearer when deprived of sleep?
Or was it because I had just woken from dozing?
My vision was unusually sharp and my mind remarkably clear. Even my five senses felt several times more acute than usual.
The sound of footsteps crushing grass.
Over there.
‘Light footfalls.’
A woman? Or perhaps a man of small stature?
Fortunately, my pursuer wasn’t particularly swift. Of course, they likely never imagined anyone would be watching at this hour of the night, so they’d grown careless.
‘Getting closer.’
Soon, the figure came into my view.
A short-haired maidservant of diminutive height.
The silhouette was somehow familiar.
‘That person is….’
The moment I recognized the maidservant’s identity, I lunged forward without hesitation and seized her by the wrist.
“Eek, ugh!”
The maidservant cried out in alarm as my grip tightened around her wrist. I quickly stifled her scream.
“Hush, keep quiet, Sandy.”
At my warning, Sandy slowly nodded her head.

***

We relocated to my room.
Having resigned herself to being discovered, Sandy obediently followed behind me.
“Well then, let’s hear your explanation.”
Why she had done such a thing.
At my follow-up, Sandy’s body trembled. Tears quickly pooled at the corners of her downturned eyes.
“I, it’s just… well….”
“Sandy, you understand what you’ve just done, don’t you?”
Watching Sandy tremble silently, I exhaled a heavy sigh.
“You’ve poisoned the tea leaves of a young lady from a great noble house. This isn’t something that can simply be overlooked.”
“But, but…!”
“But?”
“It, it’s not poison or anything like that….”
Sandy’s voice trailed off as she made her excuses. Even she recognized how absurd her own justification sounded.
“Whether it’s poison or not is irrelevant. What matters is the fact that you attempted to harm the young lady.”
Sandy’s face drained of all color as she broke down in tears born of terror.
“M, Miss Janet. I was wrong. I never intended to harm the young lady. Please, please believe me.”
Sandy sobbed uncontrollably.
“A, and besides, *sniff*, I haven’t actually done anything to the young lady’s tea leaves yet.”
I blinked, my cold gaze still fixed upon Sandy.
“Is that truly the case?”
“Yes, yes. Today I was just about… just about to do it….”
Trembling with cold hands, Sandy withdrew a small vial from her bosom and handed it to me.
The small glass vial contained a brownish-green powder.
It was a color that would easily escape notice if mixed into tea leaves.
“I simply couldn’t refuse… *sob*.”
“I see. So that’s how it was.”
Only then did Janet’s expression relax slightly. In truth, she too had been quite shocked to learn that Sandy was the culprit.
Though she had her clumsy moments, she was a diligent young maidservant.
Janet harbored no ill will toward Sandy. She even felt a measure of sympathy—how difficult it must be for one so young to come to such a place and assist with kitchen duties.
Yet here Sandy was, acting on Nova Morgan’s orders, preparing to poison the young lady’s tea.
The disappointment and sense of betrayal were beyond words.
But.
‘She hasn’t actually done it yet.’
That single fact alone lifted a considerable weight from Janet’s heart regarding Sandy.
“Sandy.”
“*Sob*, y-yes, ma’am.”
“Why did you attempt such a thing?”
At Janet’s considerably softened tone, Sandy fidgeted with the vial in her hands.
“Sandy. You must tell me honestly so that I can protect you.”
“…Really, ma’am? If I tell you the truth, will you really p-protect me?”
“Of course. I stake my position as head maidservant on my oath.”
Head maidservant.
Sandy understood how significant such a position was. That she would stake her very position for someone like her—it was overwhelming.
After a moment’s hesitation, Sandy found her courage and spoke.
“Actually, it was Nova Morgan, the head maidservant, who ordered me to do it.”
Sandy’s account was as follows.
Days ago, summoned secretly by Nova Morgan to the Main Residence, she had been handed this powder and instructed to mix it into the young lady’s tea.
Fearful, Sandy had attempted to refuse Nova Morgan’s command.
However.

“Mary, who works in the Main Residence, is from your hometown, isn’t she?”

At that name, Sandy found herself unable to voice her refusal.
Mary was her childhood friend from the same village. They had grown up as inseparable companions and had even applied together when the Ludwig Family was recruiting maidservants.
Though their work had taken them to different places—the Main Residence and Julietta Ludwig’s Separate Residence—their friendship remained steadfast.

“It seems Mary has been having difficulty adjusting lately.”
“M-Mary?”
“Yes. Look there.”

Nova pointed out the window as she spoke.
Following her gaze, Sandy peered outside and found herself struck by a shocking sight.
Two tall maidservants had sidled up beside Mary, who was staggering under a mountain of laundry.
They jabbed at Mary’s back with their fingers, and when she tumbled forward with a crash, they doubled over in laughter, clutching their bellies before walking away.
Left alone, Mary wept openly as she gathered the scattered clothes from the ground.

“Sandy. If you do this one thing well for me, Mary won’t have to suffer such indignities anymore. I’ll look after her.”
“….”
“But if you disobey my orders.”

A heavy sigh escaped Nova’s lips.
That sigh of regret pressed down upon Sandy’s shoulders like a weight.
Her closest friend’s fate rested entirely in Nova’s hands.
In the end, Sandy had no choice but to obey Nova’s commands. A strong instinct told her that if she refused here, Mary would face even harsher treatment.
After finishing her story, Sandy wiped her tears with the back of her hand and spoke.
“I… I’m so frightened and sorry that I have to do this….”
Janet could barely contain her fury at Sandy’s words.
Sandy was merely fifteen years old—just a young maidservant. Mary was surely no different.
Yet Nova had tormented these children and forced them into this.
Nova was far more terrible than I had imagined.
“Thank you for being honest with me, Sandy. I promise I’ll protect both you and Mary, no matter what.”
“Really, my lady?”
“Of course. So don’t worry—go rest now. Don’t tell anyone about what happened today.”
“Y-yes! I will, my lady.”
Janet handed Sandy her own handkerchief as the girl rubbed her tear-stained eyes.
As Sandy accepted the handkerchief, fresh tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
“I’m… so grateful you discovered this before I could commit such an act.”
A sorrowful sob escaped her.
Sandy bowed her head, tears streaming down her face.
“Thank you, thank you, my lady.”

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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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