Chapter 12
For a while, the Master stared down at Judith before clicking his tongue and muttering,
“You really are something, Judith…”
“Why?”
“I felt this last time too, but you’re not the kind of person one should work closely with.”
“What? Why not?”
“It’s just… whenever I’m with you, I lose my composure. I feel like I’m becoming childish.”
“So you do realize you’re being childish.”
“…Am I the only childish one here?”
“I can afford to be a little childish. I only became an adult recently.”
“Hah.”
The Master let out a sigh, but somehow he still looked amused.
Over the past three years, when they had only bought and sold information, they had never bickered like this. Their interactions had been strictly business.
But ever since Judith came of age and their lives had become increasingly intertwined, it felt as though they had grown a little closer.
The Master chuckled softly before whispering,
“Anyway, move back a little. You’re too close.”
“Says the person who’s practically hugging me right now.”
“You can move toward that side. Ah, but don’t start squirming around again.”
Just as the two of them continued whispering and bickering in secret—
“Young Master.”
Knock, knock.
A voice came from outside the door.
“It’s Sarah. May I come in?”
It was an extremely polite and gentle voice.
But Judith knew all too well how cruel the name Sarah truly was.
Her body instantly tensed.
Sensing it, the Master cleared his throat and whispered,
“Don’t be nervous. That maid is fine.”
“Huh?”
When Judith responded in a strained voice, the Master reassured her kindly.
“Sarah is a gentle and kind person.”
“Oh? You know her name?”
“She’s been working at the ducal estate since she was very young. She was close to Ekian growing up and took good care of Karl as well.”
Judith slowly turned her head and stared at him.
She couldn’t see his expression behind the mask, but one thing was certain.
“Master.”
“Yes?”
“That thing you said about not knowing much about House Mayus… it was true.”
“…What?”
“You really don’t know anything, do you?”
To be fair, even the Duke and Duchess didn’t know what kind of person Sarah truly was.
Though a few servants had figured it out and quietly sided with her.
While the Master was left speechless, Karl closed his book and spoke.
“Come in, Sarah.”
The bedroom door slowly opened.
A rather beautiful maid stepped inside, with brown hair and blue eyes. Her fair skin and graceful figure stood out. She looked to be in her early twenties, slightly older than Judith.
“Yes, Young Master. You’ve been reading.”
The door creaked shut behind her.
Wearing an angelic smile, Sarah walked over and stood before Karl.
Sarah Otten.
Judith swallowed dryly as she looked at the woman’s elegant profile.
A maid who has worked at the Mayus estate since childhood.
Part of what the Master had said was true.
Sarah really had grown up at the estate. She had lived there for more than fifteen years.
In the original story, she was described as being the same age as Ekian, and the two had been fairly close.
Though a maid, Sarah was intelligent and quick to learn. Noticing this, Ekian had occasionally given her books and writing supplies.
After all, Ekian was a noble gentleman who did not look down on commoners.
Of course, that doesn’t mean they were childhood friends.
According to the novel, he always maintained the proper boundaries between master and servant.
Sarah was clever and perceptive enough never to cross those boundaries. She instinctively understood that if she pushed too far, she would be cast aside immediately.
Then, years later, Karl was born.
Ekian adored his younger brother, and Sarah joined him in caring for the child.
That was when their relationship entered a new phase.
Sarah realized something.
The only way to get closer to Ekian was through Karl.
From a young age, Karl adored Sarah, who always looked after him so attentively.
No one in the ducal estate was better at winning his affection than she was.
Ekian loved spending time with Karl, and whenever he did, Karl would inevitably call for Sarah.
The three of them spent more and more time together.
The Duke and Duchess were informed of this and never suspected a thing.
After all, Karl clearly adored Sarah.
And that was only natural.
Children naturally grow attached to people who treat them well.
But there was more to it than that.
Karl was what one would call a genius.
Though he still behaved like a child, the novel described him as possessing an adult-level intellect by the age of three.
Simply flattering him would never have been enough.
Sarah was intelligent enough to answer his questions accurately and thoughtfully, and that was why Karl liked her.
When a smart person decides to become malicious, there is no limit to how dangerous they can be.
The truth was that Sarah had loved Ekian for a very long time.
She simply understood that, as a maid, there was no realistic way for her to become close to the young duke.
Especially when Ekian himself maintained clear boundaries.
So she chose another route.
She used Karl.
And she did it so skillfully that even Ekian never suspected her true intentions.
Sarah knew she was exceptionally beautiful and intelligent.
Combined with her excessive self-confidence, she genuinely believed that she might one day marry Ekian.
The real problem began after Ekian disappeared.
When her goal vanished so suddenly, Sarah was forced to abandon her dream of becoming the duchess.
It wasn’t merely that the man she loved had disappeared.
The dream she had nurtured for years—the dream of entering the aristocracy—had vanished with him.
The only thing she had left was her relationship with Karl.
And so she began taking out her frustration on him.
How?
Like this.
“Young Master.”
Sarah spoke gently as she stood before Karl.
“To see you reading so comfortably… If Her Grace knew, she would be heartbroken.”
“Huh?”
“Her Grace spends every night in tears because of Young Master Ekian… If she saw you doing so well, she might misunderstand you.”
Beside Judith, the Master’s breathing abruptly stopped.
“She might think you’re happy to have become the heir after Young Master Ekian disappeared. That you’re diligently improving yourself because you’re excited to inherit everything.”
“T-That’s not true!”
Karl shouted as he slammed his book shut.
He closed it so quickly that the pages he had been reading crumpled under the force.
“I miss my brother! I want him to come back! I wait for him every day! Sarah, you know that!”
“Of course.”
Sarah gently removed the book from his hands.
“I know your true feelings better than anyone, Young Master Karl. But not everyone in the world is as understanding as I am.”
Then she continued softly,
“And if you look too happy… wouldn’t Young Master Ekian feel hurt if he came back?”
Karl froze.
Sarah smiled kindly.
“He might think, ‘Karl is doing just fine without me.’”
“No!”
Karl was on the verge of tears now.
His clear young eyes filled with water.
“I only opened these books because my brother told me to finish reading them before I turned ten! I was trying to do what he asked! I want him to come back! I’m not doing fine without him! My brother liked it when I read books!”
“That was when Young Master Ekian was still here.”
Sarah gently stroked his head.
Her tone was as sweet as an angel’s.
Which only made it all the more horrifying.
“Things are different now.”
She lowered her voice into a soothing whisper.
“If we want Young Master Ekian to return… we need to try a different approach…”
At that moment, the Master suddenly shot to his feet.
Judith quickly grabbed his arm and whispered urgently,
“Wait! What are you doing?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
The Master was visibly furious.
His voice trembled with anger.
“What kind of—”
For the first time, Judith saw the usually calm and composed man completely lose his temper.
