Chapter 5
Vermont scratched his brow with a troubled look.
“I won’t give you even a single drop of my blood, so get out of here.”
“…Hah.”
He let out a dry breath.
“It would be best for both of us if this warning ends as just that—a warning.”
If a murder were to happen here—and if something happened to Irene right after my death—Vermont and his people would undoubtedly be dragged through the mud.
“There’s no way someone like you came up with this on your own. And whoever’s behind you wouldn’t want you to act recklessly, would they?”
Even though I explained it clearly and kindly, Vermont just blinked blankly.
“Use your brain, you idiot.”
My sharp words finally made Vermont flinch and take a step back.
He wasn’t even at the level of a snake—more like a worm. Not even clever enough to wriggle when stepped on.
“…Damn it. What the hell is going on.”
He scratched his head furiously and clicked his tongue.
“You probably can’t make sense of the situation with that brain of yours anyway. Might as well save your lackey’s life and leave.”
I pulled the shard away from the man’s neck.
“No funny ideas. Just leave—unless you want to end up a corpse tonight.”
Whether I died or he did, either outcome would be bad for a minion like Vermont who’s just doing someone else’s dirty work.
“Fine. I’ll go—for now. But…”
Ah, of course. The classic but.
But what?
“I’ll take that as a no. Just disappear already.”
As soon as I let go, the wounded man scrambled to his feet, clutching his bleeding head and neck, and ran over to Vermont.
Vermont supported him, grinding his teeth.
I gestured politely toward the door, as if to see them off.
“You managed to sneak in, so I assume you know where the door is.”
Soon after, the two men vanished from the room.
Even after they left, I couldn’t bring myself to get off the floor. My legs had gone weak.
The stench of blood still clung to my nose.
“…Ha.”
My head throbbed painfully.
I pushed my messy hair back with one hand.
“Irene… Just what kind of life were you living?”
I thought I knew her well.
I had assumed she was one of the most predictable people I’d ever met.
“Irene…”
What do I really know about her?
“What in the world…”
The next day, a maid who entered the room turned pale when she saw the shattered glass and bloodstained floor.
Though I had wrapped my hand in a bandage after a quick treatment, I wasn’t in good enough shape to clean the entire room myself.
“What was your name again?”
While adjusting the bandage that had loosened in my sleep, I asked the maid her name.
She blinked a few times, then opened her mouth to answer.
“It’s Karlin, my lady.”
“Right. Karlin. How long have you been serving as my maid?”
If I recalled correctly, Irene’s maids changed frequently.
Assigning her a new maid every so often had been one of many tiresome tasks I used to handle.
I had chalked it up to Irene being overly difficult to serve.
“I-I’ve been in your service for about two months now.”
“Where did you work before this?”
“I was with a street band.”
I stepped onto the side of the room where there were no shards of glass as I listened to her answer.
“That’s quite the interesting background.”
Smiling gently, I sat down on the sofa placed in the corner of the room.
“Could you help me rewrap this bandage?”
“Oh! Of course!”
At my request, Karlin hurried over and knelt in front of me.
I watched as she carefully unwrapped the bloodstained gauze.
“How did this happen…?”
“Oh, just a little accident.”
I rested my cheek against the armrest of the sofa, propping up my injured arm, as the haunting memories of last night crept back.
“An unexpected mistake, let’s say.”
Everything that happened with Irene, everything that went on inside Mergen—falls under my mistakes now.
And somehow, I had the gut feeling that this would end up being one of the messiest and most twisted ones yet.
“You’re quite gentle with your hands.”
I commented as she carefully applied medicine to the wound.
Karlin smiled shyly.
“Have you done this sort of thing often before?”
“……”
At my question, she fell silent and hesitated.
“Well, your arms were often covered in bruises twice a month… I frequently had to apply ointment to help them fade…”
“I see.”
So, they had been drawing her blood every two weeks.
“Right, you mentioned you were in a street band. Do you play any instruments?”
“I mostly played the drums. I don’t have any special talent, really…”
“That explains why your hands are so steady. Strong hands like yours feel reliable.”
“Th-thank you.”
“But for someone from a band to end up working as a maid in the Mergen household, you must’ve had a recommendation. Who brought you in?”
Her hands suddenly stopped moving.
Karlin seemed visibly flustered by my question.
She slowly looked up at me, a faint nervousness flickering in her green eyes.
“Shall I take a guess?”
“…W-Well…”
“Was it my mother who recommended you?”
“N-no, not at all!”
“Then… Roosevelt?”
At my words, Karlin bit down on her lip.
If it was Chloe’s younger brother, then it was no different than Chloe’s will.
“What did they ask you to do?”
Though sweat trickled down her temples, Karlin still managed to finish wrapping the bandage perfectly.
Looking at the securely tied knot, I felt a strange sense of leniency toward her.
I lifted my hand and checked the bandage. Just then, Karlin suddenly threw herself flat on the floor.
“I’m sorry, my lady!”
“What’s gotten into you?”
“I—I actually have a younger sibling to take care of. The cost of medicine is high, and I needed the money. I never wanted to harm you!”
She bowed so deeply she practically dug into the floor, raising her hands above her head in apology.
“Hm…”
This wasn’t quite the reaction I had expected.
I hadn’t even done anything yet.
“They only told me to report your daily routine… I swear, I was never told to hurt you!”
“Why are you confessing everything to me so obediently?”
Anyone could tell sticking with Chloe would offer more advantages than staying loyal to Irene.
“It’s just… I see my sick sibling in you. And I didn’t want to do anything truly awful… sob…”
I had suspected Karlin’s nature was a bit soft.
The way she flinched at every little word I said made it clear—she was far too unguarded to be one of Chloe’s tightly-controlled spies.
“I see. So that’s how it was.”
That’s why I didn’t feel the need to twist her words or read too deeply into them.
And even if she was Chloe’s pawn, I didn’t really have much choice right now.
Even if I dismissed her, I wouldn’t be allowed to choose my next maid freely.
I had to accept that Irene was at the very bottom of this household’s pyramid.
“I’m not trying to blame you.”
“But… but I stood by while they kept drawing blood from you… letting your arms bruise…”
“There are times when anyone is forced to abandon their beliefs when faced with something too great to handle alone.”
“M-my lady…”
Karlin lifted her head and looked at me, tears welling in her eyes.
“I’m not planning to get rid of you and throw your life into chaos. I don’t want your sick sibling to suffer, either.”
With each word I spoke, tears streamed down Karlin’s cheeks.
“I only have a favor to ask of you.”
“A… favor?”
“Yes. Just a small favor. I want to borrow a little bit of kindness—just as much as the sympathy you feel for me.”
“P-please, tell me!”
“Keep reporting everything just as you have. To Roosevelt, to my mother—whoever.”
“Keep reporting… exactly as I have?”
A hint of confusion flickered in her eyes.
“Yes. But you and I will share a small secret.”
“A… secret…”
“You’ll forget a few minor things I do. A little memory lapse—something anyone could make, right?”
“Y-yes… Yes!”
It seemed she understood what I meant right away.
If I couldn’t avoid being watched, then at least I could make sure only what I wanted to be seen was revealed.
And if I could pull just a little more sympathy from this girl, then coaxing a few protectives lies out of her wouldn’t be so difficult.
“Your pretty eyes are going to swell, Karlin.”
Kindness and a smile returned will eventually come back to me like a warm breeze.
“Now then, go give your report. Lady Irene was attacked by an intruder, injured her hand, and is trembling in fear.”
“T-trembling…?”
Karlin tilted her head slightly.
I deliberately rubbed my arms with my palms and feigned a frightened expression.
“Oh dear, how terrifying~”
