The Villainess's Exclusive Maid Is Too Good at Her Job - Chapter 85

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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 85

First: don’t resent me after hearing this. Though hitting me is acceptable.
Second: don’t cry or feel upset after hearing this. Though getting angry is acceptable.
Third: keep all of this secret.
Julietta Ludwig kept only part of this absurd promise.
“Y-you! You you you!”
As if the only word she knew how to say was “you,” Julietta Ludwig bolted upright and hurled herself toward Kendrick.
“Wait, Julietta. Just calm down for a moment—”
“Calm down? Calm DOWN? You made me look like a fool and now you want me to calm down?!”
Kendrick had just confessed his true identity to Julietta Ludwig.
How could he continue hiding the truth from his family, who believed he truly couldn’t leave the house due to post-war trauma and worried while their hands trembled? How could he?
With no end in sight to his reclusive state, he’d decided that at least Julietta Ludwig deserved to know the truth.
But.
“You, you! You should have at least told me before entering the Academy! I didn’t even know who you were…!”
Watching Julietta Ludwig’s furious face as she dug her nails in, Kendrick had to seriously wonder if he’d made a grave miscalculation.

“I’m going.”
“Yes. Be careful.”
“…Make sure you eat properly.”
“I will.”
“If anything hurts, contact me. And don’t go making any more secrets.”
At the words “don’t go making any more secrets,” Kendrick carefully composed his expression.

“So, there’s someone after you, which is why you had to hide your identity?”
“Yes. It’s still the case now.”
“…And you don’t know who it is?”
“Not exactly. The Marquis of Byeon is helping me investigate, but there’s nothing certain yet. So you absolutely must keep the fact that I’m Kendrick a secret.”
“I understand. I won’t tell anyone.”
“You can’t tell Janet either.”
“…I’ll try.”
“Please. Please do your very best.”
“Yes. I’ll do my very best!”

That was true.
What Kendrick had revealed was only a fragment—not even half the truth.
He deliberately omitted matters concerning Ilinia and the Grand Duchess.
He didn’t want to drag Julietta Ludwig into something so deep.
‘Well, I suppose a situation might arise where I’ll have to tell her about the Grand Duchess later.’
Kendrick leaned against the window frame, watching as Julietta Ludwig climbed into the carriage.
But just before she boarded.
She spun around with fierce eyes, glaring at Kendrick.
For a moment, he wondered if her anger hadn’t subsided.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Julietta Ludwig waved her hand timidly before scrambling into the carriage as if fleeing.
In any case, the girl’s heart was too soft.
Kendrick chuckled softly, waving back at the departing carriage.

***

“Here, try this too.”
Clink.
Plates accumulated in front of Kendrick. Every last dish on the table had been placed before him.
“Janet.”
“Yes?”
Janet and Kendrick.
The two of them were enjoying brunch at a famous cafeteria in the Capital City.
It was to honor a promise Janet had made long ago: ‘I’ll buy you a meal.’
They were meeting for the first time in a week since Janet’s birthday.
For the past week, Janet hadn’t brought up the incident of that day’s seizure with Kendrick.
She hadn’t even asked if he was alright.
Since the memory of having a seizure in front of so many people couldn’t have been pleasant, she didn’t want to dredge up that memory unnecessarily.
But then.
“I’m perfectly fine. Really, there’s no need to worry.”
Ahem.
It seemed her concern had leaked out through her actions after all.
Only then did Janet realize that all the food had gathered in front of Kendrick, and she quietly moved one plate back to its original place.
At her actions, Kendrick let out a low chuckle.
“Thank you for helping me that day. I made quite a spectacle of myself on such a nice occasion.”
“Don’t say that. Don’t speak of it that way.”
“Still, you recognized it as a war-related aftereffect right away.”
If an ordinary person witnessed the same situation, there was a high chance they wouldn’t understand why someone was acting that way.
Even among those who had participated in war, if they didn’t know the other person had combat experience, they might not immediately recognize it.
But Janet had quickly identified that his seizure stemmed from war-related trauma.
In other words.
“You heard about me going to war from the Marquis of Byeon, then?”
“…Yes. That’s right.”
Janet answered hesitantly, then quickly added.
“He didn’t tell me on purpose—it just slipped out.”
“It slipped out….”
Kendrick smiled faintly and nodded.
“That’s possible.”
After all, I could always make a few mistakes myself when talking to the Captain.
Unaware of his true thoughts, Janet sighed with relief, grateful for his understanding.
“But how did you know how to handle it?”
“A certain memory came to me in that moment.”
The scene she recalled was from the Military Barracks, where other soldiers had been calming down someone who had collapsed while having a seizure.
“Everyone spoke to them that way back then.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Kendrick nodded and asked further.
“Do you happen to remember the unit number?”
“Not at all.”
“Understood. If you remember anything else next time, tell me. It might become a clue to finding Janet’s traces.”
“Yes. I will.”
“Then shall we eat again? It seems you didn’t get to eat properly while pushing everything to me.”
Ah.
With a short sigh, Janet’s cheeks flushed.
Watching her nod, Kendrick laughed once more.
After filling their stomachs somewhat, the two continued their conversation.
“I think I’ll be able to return to the Academy starting next week.”
“You don’t need to rest any longer?”
“I’ve already rested far too much. Since I went through the trouble of enrolling at the Academy, I should attend diligently.”
Since I’m already in, I should at least graduate safely.
It was then.
A roofless carriage passed by the Outdoor Terrace where they sat.
Two elegantly dressed young people rode in the carriage.
“It seems the social season has definitely begun.”
A roofless carriage was practically a symbol of the social season.
“Will you be attending the social season as well, Janet?”
“Yes. I’m planning to go around with Julietta Ludwig.”
While I would attend together with her as a friend at times, during the social season I intended to focus more on my duties as a lady’s maid.
Julietta Ludwig would be disappointed if she heard this, but assisting the mistress at social events was one of a maid’s most important responsibilities, so I couldn’t abandon it.
“What about Theo? Will he be attending the social season?”
“Well, if he wanted to, he could attend….”
Theo, who held the position of the Marquis of Byeon’s ward, was also eligible to participate in the social season.
Beyond Theo, creating various false identities to attend was hardly difficult either.
However, I wasn’t particularly fond of such events to begin with.
“If you have any thoughts on the matter, do tell me. It’s far more enjoyable when we attend together, after all.”
“Indeed. You speak wisely. As it happens, I’m quite interested in the social season myself, so please feel free to invite me along whenever you need a companion.”
“Of course, I will.”
“By the way, Ludwig’s Townhouse will soon grow quite lively.”
“That it will.”
Once the social season began, the other members of the Ludwig Family would ascend to the Capital City as well.
What concerned me most, however, was the Grand Duchess and her son, Zephyr.
‘I do hope nothing troublesome occurs.’

***

“Congratulations, Your Grace. I hear that the venture Oscar undertook this time has achieved tremendous success.”
“They say it’s the first time they’ve seen results of this magnitude, and everyone seemed quite astonished.”
The Ludwig Grand Duke displayed a satisfied expression at his retainers’ flattering reports.
Though the saying goes that among ten fingers, none are without pain, his case was the opposite.
Even if all ten fingers were bitten, none would ache.
Yet inevitably, certain fingers always bore the marks.
“That boy does take after me—he has quite the talent for business.”
“Indeed, even his appearance speaks to it. Oscar bears a striking resemblance to Maverick in his youth, does he not?”

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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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