12.
The Master stared down at Judith for a moment, then clicked his tongue.
“Really, Judith, you…”
“What?”
“I felt it last time too, but you are not exactly the most suitable person to work with.”
“Why? What’s wrong with me?”
“Just… being with you makes something inside me lose its composure. I feel like I’m becoming childish myself.”
“At least you know you’re being childish.”
“…Are you saying I’m the only one being childish right now?”
“I’m fine with being a little childish. It hasn’t been long since I reached the age of majority.”
“Ha.”
The Master sighed, yet he looked strangely amused. Over the past three years, they had been purely transactional, exchanging information with cool, business-like detachment. But as Judith reached the age of majority and their lives became increasingly entangled, the distance between them had subtly, dangerously, shrunk.
The Master chuckled once and whispered in a low, rough voice.
“Anyway, move back a little. You’re too close.”
“Who is the one practically holding me right now?”
“You can just step out this way. Ah, and don’t go fidgeting.”
As they bickered in hushed tones, a knock sounded at the door.
“Young Master.”
A voice drifted in from the hallway.
“It’s Sarah. May I come in?”
It was a voice of utter, cultivated politeness. But Judith, knowing all too well how cruel Sarah Orton could be, felt her body tense reflexively. Sensing her rigidity, the Master cleared his throat and whispered.
“Don’t be nervous. That maid is fine.”
“What?”
When Judith asked back in a brittle voice, the Master spoke with a note of genuine, misguided reassurance.
“That maid, Sarah, is kind and gentle.”
“Oh, you know her name?”
“She has been a maid at the Mayous Ducal Mansion since she was very young. She was close to Ekian since childhood, and it is said she also took good care of Karl.”
Judith turned her head to stare at him. She couldn’t read his expression behind the mask, but one thing was certain.
“Master.”
“Yes?”
“Your claim that you don’t know much about the Mayous Ducal House… that was clearly true.”
“…What?”
“You really don’t know a thing.”
In truth, even the Duke and Duchess were blind to the person Sarah really was.
*Even though a few servants are secretly sympathizing with her.*
While the Master was left speechless by her cryptic remark, Karl closed his book.
“Come in, Sarah.”
The door creaked open. A pretty maid with brown hair and blue eyes stepped inside. With her fair skin and slender build, she stood out; she appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties, only a few years older than Judith.
“Yes, Young Master. You were reading.”
The door shut with a heavy thud. Sarah stood before Karl with an angelic smile.
*Sarah Orton.*
Judith swallowed hard, watching the maid’s fine-lined profile. The Master wasn’t entirely wrong—Sarah had lived in the Mayous Ducal Mansion for over fifteen years. According to the original narrative, she and Ekian were the same age and had been close. Ekian, a man of high character who treated everyone with grace, had even gifted her books and quill pens, though he had always maintained the proper master-servant boundary.
Sarah, clever and quick-witted, never dared to cross that line. She knew that to push would be to lose everything.
Then, Karl was born. Ekian adored his younger brother, and Sarah seized that opening. She knew the only path to Ekian was through the boy. She became the one servant Karl loved, the only one who could answer his questions with the depth his genius mind craved.
*Once a clever person turns wicked… there is truly no limit.*
Sarah had harbored feelings for Ekian for years, but she knew he was out of reach. So, she used Karl as a proxy, acting with such cunning that even Ekian remained oblivious. She was a woman who believed her own beauty and wit were enough to vault her into the nobility.
*The problem is what happened after Ekian disappeared.*
With her objective gone, her dream of becoming the Duchess died. All that remained was her connection to Karl, and she began to vent her bitter resentment on the boy.
“Young Master,” Sarah said gently. “To be reading so comfortably like this… if Her Grace knew, she would be heartbroken.”
“Huh?”
“Her Grace spends every night in tears because of the Young Duke… if she knew that Young Master Karl was living so perfectly fine, she would misunderstand you.”
The Master, crouching next to Judith, stopped breathing.
“She would think you are happy because Young Duke Ekian has disappeared, leaving you as the sole heir. She might think you’re simply excited to be building your capacity to take his place.”
“Th-that’s nonsense!”
Karl slammed his book shut, the edges of the pages crushing under his desperate grip.
“I miss my brother. I want him to come back. I wait for him every day! Sarah, you know that well.”
“Of course. I certainly know Young Master Karl’s heart. But not everyone in the world is like me.”
Sarah began to neaten the books with a soothing, practiced grace.
“And if Young Master Karl continues to do well… wouldn’t the Young Duke Ekian feel hurt and decide not to return? He might think, ‘Our Karl is doing just fine without me.’”
“No!”
Karl’s eyes welled with tears.
“I was just… my brother told me to finish these books by the time I turned ten. I opened the book because I wanted to be closer to him! It’s not that I’m doing fine without him!”
“That was the situation when the Young Duke Ekian was here.”
Sarah whispered, stroking Karl’s hair with a chilling, artificial tenderness.
“Now, the situation has changed. In order to force the Young Duke to return, we have to use different methods…”
The Master suddenly shifted, his muscles coiling as he prepared to spring up. Judith grabbed his arm, her grip tight.
“Wait! Why are you doing this?”
“No, what kind of sick nonsense is that?”
The Master could not hide his rage. He huffed, his usual icy composure shattering. It was the first time Judith had seen him truly lose his restraint.