ATPL 49

“I already knew about the jewelry box even before coming here. I just didn’t know where it was.”

“Then all your fortune could be in there.”

“Yes. The guarantee Lord Resaloniki made would be largely resolved once we find that jewelry box.”

Anais assumed the box Judy referred to must contain jewels that Number 33 had secretly stashed away.

Abelard smiled mischievously.

“Hearing that makes me feel like your benefactor. No, I am your benefactor, aren’t I?”

“What exactly do you want to hear…?”

“Let’s split it fifty-fifty when you find it.”

Anais practiced what Elliot had taught her. She gave Abelard a look of pure contempt.

The crown prince giggled with undignified amusement.

“Don’t you think I deserve at least that much?”

“The Belfast Etiquette Book says it’s proper for nobles to offer 10% to the one who finds lost property.”

“So 10%, then?”

“However, it also says that when someone of higher status returns something, material compensation may be an insult.”

She wiped the corner of her mouth with elegant precision.

Abelard’s grin didn’t fade.

“So basically, you don’t intend to pay me. You just enjoy watching Anais squirm, huh?”

“I’m rich.”

“Good for you.”

She fired back, then pushed her plate aside. With Mrs. Baldwin standing by to serve, Anais had no choice but to start clearing the table herself.

“What’s your plan? Wait until she bashes my head in?”

“No. She’s still the Baldwins’ precious daughter. I can’t let her rot in the institution’s underground prison for life over assaulting the crown prince.”

“Then?”

Anais shrugged and reached for Abelard’s plate. A bit of leftover sauce smeared her fingertip.

“I’ll step in before she makes a real mistake.”

“How merciful! Are you really the same madwoman I’ve known?”

Anais didn’t respond.

Judy was pathetic, and yes—she’d crossed a line. But not the line. Not yet.

And after much thought, Anais had decided she didn’t want her to.

“Anais wasn’t always this kind.”

“Oh? So she’s just pretending now?”

She didn’t answer that either. Instead, she looked at the yellow sauce on her finger and remembered someone’s words:

“Miss Fleur is quite a decent person, in my opinion.”

“…”

Only after a long pause did Anais finally respond.

“Being too harsh with your subordinates isn’t always wise. Turning a blind eye, sometimes—that’s the shortcut to becoming a good master.”

Abelard nodded slightly.

“That’s true, too.”

Anais gave the smallest of acknowledgments.

* * *

“It’s okay, Judy.”

Anais said gently, caressing the jewelry box.

“Everyone tells lies sometimes. You only did it to make me happy, right?”

“Yes, yes! Of course.”

“You wanted to see me smile when you gave me the jewelry box, didn’t you?”

“My lady, you understand me so well!”

Abelard watched them both, amused by the performance.

But Anais had made up her mind back at lunch. And she didn’t plan to change it.

Though she was irritated by how easily Judy latched onto her mercy, she chose to let it go.

“Alright. I understand, Judy. Since it was done with good intentions, I’ll forgive the lie.”

“…!”

Color returned to Judy’s pale face. Anais fixed her with a steady gaze and asked,

“Don’t you have anything else to say?”

“…Ah, my lady. Thank you so much. Thank you for your forgiveness.”

“Sure.”

Elliot Resaloniki’s words echoed again.

The words that she was a better person than he had thought.

The memory lifted her spirits, but not in a way she liked. It wasn’t unpleasant. Just… disconcerting. Too significant to ignore.

“Um… may I go now?”

Judy clearly wanted to escape. That made sense. This had to be humiliating.

But Anais wasn’t about to let her off completely.

“No. I’m not done talking. Don’t you think you should compensate me for breaking into my safe?”

Judy’s eyes went wide, then dimmed with dread.

“B-but it was Abel who broke it open!”

“But you told him to, didn’t you?”

Abelard chimed in with a smirk.

“Saying stuff like, ‘It’ll make the young lady happy~’, ‘I want to see her smile~’, ‘I’ll be loyal forever~’… and something about her losing her memory.”

“But you serve the young lady too, so—”

“Judy.”

Anais cut her off.

“You said it was for my happiness. But you still need to take responsibility for your own actions.”

“…”

“If you damage someone’s property without permission, isn’t that your fault?”

Judy’s face turned red, then pale again. Anais ignored her shifting expression and walked over to the wall safe.

She brushed her hand over the damage. A soft crumble of lime dust fell. The silk wallpaper had torn.

“We’ll have to strip the wallpaper and rehang new silk. As for the wall… I’ll ask Mr. Baldwin. Bringing in a plasterer just for this is a hassle.”

Judy flinched at the mention of her father.

“The safe isn’t mine, so I’ll have to ask my parents about the cost. I’m not sure where they bought it or what it’s worth. And we’ll need a safe technician…”

Anais glanced at her again.

“Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin will also be criticized. For lack of proper oversight.”

“Young lady!”

Judy dropped to her knees and grabbed Anais’s skirt, clutching it with even more desperation than before.

“Please, forgive me. Just one more act of mercy—”

“Judy. Have you already forgotten? I’ve already shown you mercy.”

“J-just once more…!”

“Want me to tell you something else?”

Anais adjusted her mask, then looked down at Judy.

“I already knew you’d gone through my things. I wasn’t going to say anything. Until you opened your mouth just now.”

Judy’s glare shifted to Abelard.

That damn man must’ve told her everything I did to win her favor!

“You believe that scoundrel’s lies over me?”

“He doesn’t really have a reason to lie to me.”

“My parents have served you all their lives! So have I! And you’re going to believe a thug who’s known you less than a week?!”

Anais’s expression darkened.

If you’d said that back in the capital, the system would’ve sentenced you to death…

“I’m sorry, but the ‘scoundrel’ and ‘thug’ you’re referring to…”

She paused, glancing at Abelard. He was still grinning, clearly entertained.

That grin irritated her more than she expected. Is this fun for you?

“…Well, maybe you’re right. A scoundrel and a thug.”

“What did you just say?”

Abelard finally realized what she’d said and let out a huff of disbelief. He stepped forward and flicked Anais’s forehead.

The flick only hit her mask, but she still flinched and dropped the jewelry box.

Bang, clang…

The lid and base separated with a clatter.

No jewels poured out.

Only one thing fell, a small, cornflower-shaped key.

It landed right in front of Judy.

Her face twisted in disbelief. She had no idea the key was inside.

And really, who would guess the key to a jewelry box would be inside the box?

What kind of twisted joke was this?

‘That awful girl…’

Surely this was a trick something Anais had planned to humiliate her.

Yes, that had to be it. Anais was the type to do exactly this.

‘Hey. If that disappears, you’ll be the culprit.’

Judy clenched her fists on the floor. But Anais, unfazed, delivered the final blow.

“Anyway, Judy, you may go. I’ll collect compensation from you, or from your parents.”

“Young lady, please—”

“Stop begging. I don’t particularly want to see you right now.”