“Definitely. She’s the kindest and best person I’ve met.”

Sedric smiled with his eyes, nodding his head, but internally he thought differently.

‘Such a naive person, Deborah Johnson.’

Leaving your own work to others in the guise of kindness is foolish. It’s prudent to show some goodwill to those you’ll be seeing long-term.

But consistently taking on all the hard tasks alone is also foolish. If it were occasional, it might be seen as kindness, but doing it repeatedly won’t be perceived as such.

‘Good thing this maid has some sense.’

With a smile, Sedric then asked,

“How did Mrs. Johnson end up as Lady Forea’s maid? As you know, the Lady is very particular. She wouldn’t just let anyone close.”

“The Lady fell ill suddenly when she arrived here. Deborah helped her then.”

“Ah, so there was such a connection. Mrs. Johnson was lucky to be offered such a position. It’s not easy.”

“No, initially Deborah refused the job.”

Sedric widened his eyes in surprise.

“Refused?”

“Yes. I remember clearly what she said back then.”

The maid recited Deborah’s words exactly as she had said them.

“Lady! I appreciate the offer, but I can’t leave my current work. I’m sure you will find someone better suited.”

The maid even mimicked Deborah’s gesture of waving her hand.

“It was the first time I saw the Lady so dazed.”

“What was her original job that she declined this one?”

Sedric asked, and the maid, covering her smiling lips with her hand, replied,

“Mending nets.”

“…Really?”

Sedric tilted his head slightly in question.

“She did other work too.”

The maid counted on her fingers.

“Sorting fish, I believe, and writing letters for others. She also mediated when merchants came to make deals. Sometimes she even taught the local children.”
It was astonishing how much work Deborah managed to do alone, and it didn’t seem like she earned a lot of money for it.

Sedric gave a small chuckle and asked, “So how did you persuade her? Did Mrs. Johnson come back on her own accord?”

“Hehe, well, that’s…”

The maid stopped mid-sentence, covering her mouth with a look of realization.

‘Ah, she must have realized I’m digging into Deborah Johnson’s background.’

Pretending to be oblivious, Sedric maintained a pleasant smile.

“Why do you ask?”

“Oh, now that I think of it, I haven’t told the villagers about Deborah’s whereabouts. They must be curious, but I can’t go out right now…”

Relieved by the maid’s response, Sedric thought she hadn’t found him strange, but then—

“Mr. Rearford, I’m sorry, but I think I’ll hear the rest from the villagers. It might be better for you to hear it from them too.”

The maid said with a small smile. Sedric kept smiling, but inside he thought, ‘I thought she was naive, but maybe she’s a person of Lady Forea after all…’

Following the maid’s advice, Sedric arrived at a fish-and-chips pub, holding a bag of candy. The pub hadn’t opened yet, but the smell of frying oil already pricked his nose.

Deborah and her husband had lived on the third floor of this pub.

‘I wonder how they could stand this greasy smell every day.’

With a subtle smile, Sedric opened the pub door.

Inside, the patrons were engaged in loud conversations, shouting as if it was the only way to communicate.

They probably wouldn’t have stopped talking if a familiar face had entered, just offering a quick greeting before continuing their discussions.

But this time, the new visitor wasn’t someone they recognized. He was ‘that strange man’ they were talking about—a young, handsome man, well-dressed, who had headed straight to Lady Saint’s house.

The people looked at Sedric with a mix of curiosity and hostility.

‘Oh dear.’

Amidst the barrage of gazes, Sedric headed to the bar counter, where the owner was likely to be. Although he maintained his smile, it was a challenging situation. He doubted whether a graceful conversation was possible in such an atmosphere.

‘But I have to try.’

Sedric spoke to a woman who seemed to be the owner.

“Are you Emma, the owner of this place?”

“And who are you to call me by my name?”

Emma’s expression was fierce, as if she might brandish a knife at any moment.