Chapter 27
César and the Maids
As César was heading to room 303, he noticed a room with its door open.
(Huh? That door… Could that be Lady Safinia’s room? But why would it be open?)
Finding it strange, he approached and confirmed that it was indeed Safinia’s room. Peering inside through the open door, César tilted his head in confusion. Safinia was nowhere to be seen inside the room.
“She’s not here…? I wonder where she could have gone? The room door is still open…? Maybe she’s still in the dining hall?”
Leaving the room to head for the dining hall, César then encountered a group of maids walking down the corridor, having just finished their meals. Among them was Drew, the one who had injured Safinia.
“Ah! It’s César!”
Drew was the first to spot César, and her face turned red. Drew was the same age as César and had held a crush on him for a while.
“Hey, that’s César over there, right?”
“It’s the first time he’s come to the girls’ dormitory.”
“I can’t believe we’d meet him in a place like this…”
Her fellow maids also seemed happy and excited to see César. To that extent, he was a popular boy among the maids.
“Alright? You girls are only to greet César, nothing more. Understood?”
Drew warned the girls. None of the maids present dared to defy Drew, who was older than them.
“Y-yes…”
As a red-haired maid replied, Drew nodded with satisfaction and then called out to César, who was now walking towards them.
“Good morning, César.”
“Good morning, Drew. And everyone else too.”
The amiable César replied with a smile.
“It’s your first time coming to the girls’ dorm, right César? What did you come here for? Perhaps you’re on an errand for Master Porthos?”
“No, that’s not it…”
Just then, a thought occurred to César.
(That’s right, they might know something about Lady Safinia.)
“Hey, do you girls know a child named Safinia? She’s a new maid who just arrived yesterday, only six years old.”
At César’s question, Drew was startled, and her expression stiffened for a moment. The maids listening behind them gasped. César didn’t miss their reactions.
“Safinia…? W-well… We haven’t seen any girl like that. Right, everyone?”
Unwilling to bear the responsibility for the terrible thing they did to Safinia alone, Drew sought agreement from her fellow maids.
“Y-yeah.”
“We haven’t seen her.”
“Don’t know her.”
The three replied, feeling guilty about lying to César, whom they admired.
“…Really? You absolutely don’t know her?”
César had seen through their lie.
“W-we told you we don’t know!”
Drew’s tone sharpened.
“Is that so? Okay, I got it. Sorry for holding you up. Well then, I’ll continue my search for Safinia. If I don’t, Master Porthos will scold me. He told me I absolutely have to find her, or I’ll be told to leave this mansion.”
Deciding to change his tactic to make the four talk, César deliberately told a lie.
“Eh? You were told to leave?”
“Such a thing…”
“For César to be gone…”
The maids other than Drew began whispering among themselves.
“…O-oh, that reminds me! I just remembered seeing a very small girl! Maybe that child is the one named Safinia!”
Not wanting César to leave, Drew hurriedly changed her story.
“Really? Then, could you show me where you saw her?”
“Eh? Th-that… is…”
Drew broke into a cold sweat.
“It’s fine, right? You’re my only lead in finding Safinia.”
César smiled pleasantly—
