Episode 05
Partner. Same boat.
It was a series of words that were both direct and awkward.
“As I said before, I’m now Janet’s backup.”
“But then, Vice-Captain, you’d be at too much of a loss…”
The man cut off Janet’s hesitation and answered firmly.
“Of course, Miss Graham will also have to do her best to fulfill the contract.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m confident in my ability to do my best.”
At Janet’s spirited answer, Theo let out a chuckle.
“This is your letter of recommendation, Miss Graham.”
“My letter of recommendation?”
Curiosity sparked in her dark blue eyes.
“May I open it?”
“Of course.”
Janet carefully unfolded the letter of recommendation. The first name that caught her eye was ‘Liam Ortega.’
This name was definitely…
“Isn’t this the Northern Marchioness?”
“Correct. You know of the Marchioness?”
At Theo’s surprised question, Janet blinked.
“Ah, that’s…”
…Come to think of it, how did I know?
Janet was far removed from high society. It was only natural, given that she had been adopted as a replacement for a servant.
So there was no clear place where she would have heard stories related to the Marchioness.
‘Or perhaps, could it be…’
Swallowing lightly, Janet’s gaze slowly lowered.
‘Maybe it’s a name I heard during the period when I lost my memories?’
In fact, Janet had no memories at all from before the age of fifteen.
At fifteen.
When Janet, who had been a war orphan, was adopted into the Viscount Graham household, she was already suffering from amnesia.
She could barely remember her name and age—nothing else.
Where she was born, who her parents were, how she became separated from her family, etc.
‘The aftermath of the war probably erased my memories.’
The Viscount and his wife actually liked that about Janet.
They said it was good that she didn’t have any sordid past memories.
Well. At first, Janet had also tried to recover her lost memories.
‘But gradually, I stopped caring.’
She didn’t expect her parents to be alive, nor did she think her past memories would be filled with happiness.
‘What does it matter if I can’t find my memories? What’s important is the present and the future.’
And even now, she was moving forward to protect that important future.
“It’s just something I picked up somewhere. More importantly.”
Janet answered casually and tilted her head, asking.
“The Marchioness Ortega wrote me a letter of recommendation. Is the Marchioness Ortega also a member of Illynia?”
Instead of answering, Theo smiled silently.
‘So it’s a secret.’
Janet wisely closed her mouth.
She wasn’t oblivious enough to pry into someone else’s secrets.
“If anyone asks about your relationship with the Marchioness Ortega, just answer as written on the paper inside.”
“You’ve prepared even this for me?”
“We need to avoid all unnecessary suspicion. It would be best to memorize the note’s contents in advance, just in case.”
“I will.”
The conversation ended there.
In the brief silence that followed, Janet began memorizing the note’s contents.
It would be better to memorize it before arriving at the Grand Duke Ludwig mansion, after all.
Theo quietly leaned his head against the window, observing Janet.
‘I hope she doesn’t get motion sickness.’
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have any such symptoms. Her cheeks looked a bit pale, but that had been the case since he first saw her.
After staring at Janet for a while, Theo suddenly spoke.
“Feel free to ask anything you’re curious about.”
“…Pardon?”
“You kept glancing this way. Don’t you have something you want to say?”
Struck right at the heart, Janet’s cheeks flushed slightly.
‘Oh my. Was I doing that?’
But her embarrassed self-reproach was short-lived.
“Actually, there is something I’m curious about.”
Janet decided not to miss the chance to satisfy her curiosity.
“Why did you suddenly start speaking so formally to me?”
Hm?
At the question that cleanly defied his expectations, Theo’s eyes widened. At the man’s rare fluster, Janet’s eyes also widened in surprise.
It was Theo who let out the first hearty laugh.
“As I said before, we’re partners now.”
“So it’s a form of respect for your partner?”
“Exactly.”
Oh. Is that really it?
Nodding in admiration, Janet muttered in a surprised tone.
“Vice-Captain Theo… I think you’re a surprisingly meticulous person.”
Meticulous?
At the words he’d never heard in his life, Theo let out a hollow laugh.
If his associates heard that, they would rise up and say it was nonsense.
In the meantime, the carriage slowly came to a stop. Looking outside the window, she saw tall trees.
“It’s about time for the uninvited guest to leave.”
“You’re getting off first?”
“I have to get off around here to avoid prying eyes.”
*Clack.*
The carriage door opened.
Fresh morning air rushed in. The dim dawn light from when they departed was gone, and the world was bright.
“If you need anything or have any questions, feel free to contact Illynia at any time. Or, you can come directly.”
“Yes. I will.”
“And.”
“…?”
The man who added those words stepped out of the carriage.
The morning sun shone on his profile. His perfect side profile looked like a masterpiece painting.
“From now on, you can just call me Theo comfortably.”
Because I don’t like seeming cold.
*Heh.* Curling the corners of his mouth, he added playfully.
As Janet blinked, having missed the timing to respond, the carriage door closed.
‘Ah.’
Only after the stopped carriage began moving again did Janet come to her senses.
After flustering for a moment, she urgently opened the carriage window and stuck her head out.
But.
‘He’s gone?’
Already, Theo was nowhere to be seen. Janet, who had been frantically scanning for Theo, took a sharp breath.
And then.
“Okay! From now on, I’ll call you Theo! I don’t like seeming cold either!”
Behind her loud shout, it seemed she could hear a man’s laughter from somewhere.
—
***
—
“Lady Graham has a surprisingly loud voice.”
Behind the departing carriage.
Hidden among the dense thicket, Hobbs muttered beside Kendrick.
“Indeed. It’s good that she seems spirited.”
“You seem rather pleased?”
“Hobbs.”
“Yes?”
“Your problem is that you talk too much unnecessarily.”
At the sharp criticism delivered with a bright, refreshing smile, Hobbs wore a look of disbelief.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard that in my life!”
The first time, he said.
Chewing on those words, Kendrick added playfully.
“Miss Graham said that. She called me meticulous.”
“…That’s also a first for me.”
Unbelievable. How could she have thought that?
At Hobbs’s deflated muttering, Kendrick shrugged.
His deep gaze fixed on the spot where the carriage had departed.
“Hobbs.”
“Yes, Vice-Captain.”
“Send some clothes and accessories to Miss Graham.”
He recalled Janet’s small luggage bag.
It was such a tiny size that it was hard to believe it belonged to someone moving to a new residence.
The clothes Janet was wearing were similar.
The sleeves and hems were noticeably shorter than her body.
Though they were neatly washed, the traces of wear in various places were unavoidable.
They probably bought her clothes when she was brought to the household around age fifteen, and hadn’t bought her a proper new outfit since.
“She’s my partner and my sister’s only maid. I can’t let her be looked down upon anywhere.”
From the moment she became Julletta’s maid, attention would naturally be drawn to her.
A well-presented appearance was one of the finest weapons for deceiving people.
“On the battlefield, weapons are what matter.”
—
***
—
Janet arrived at the Grand Duke Ludwig mansion well past noon.
At the coachman’s announcement that they were approaching, Janet looked out the window.
“Wow.”
An uncontrollable exclamation burst out.
The gates of the Grand Duke Ludwig mansion soared high into the sky.
Who knew gates could be built so tall?
But the awe-inspiring sight was only the beginning.
As the massive gates slowly opened, the enormous Ludwig mansion revealed itself.
An endless garden and a long magic road cutting through it.
A large house visible in the distance and buildings scattered here and there around it.
‘Is that forest also inside Ludwig’s grounds?’
The estate was so vast that it was impossible to tell where the family’s boundaries began and ended.
“We’ve arrived. Miss Janet.”
