“But we can’t just say that we want to bring our maidservants separately to the Marquise. She would find it unpleasant as it is.”

“That’s true.”

Kay pounded his fist on the sofa, wetting his head.

How could they bring a maidservant into the mansion without encountering friction with the Marquise?

Francis gestured with his eyes.

“Troubled?”

“…Well, yes.”

Kay replied without enthusiasm, his words trailing off.

Although there were other purposes for this visit, Kay also had a sincere desire to get advice from Francis.

After all, his brother was evaluated as skilled in this area.

However, Francis seemed to have nothing much different to say from what Kay had expected.

Staring at him intently, Francis smiled.

“Need help?”

An unexpected offer slipped out.

Kay looked at his brother with eyes that held little expectation.

“Brother?”

What and how would he help?

“Well, ‘Rembrandt Kyung’ is here, and there might be some means we can use.”

Francis tossed a teacup and said, “Favor from the royal family.”

“…?”

Suddenly, there was a bit of anticipation.

It was an expectation to some extent.

“What do you mean?”

Francis said simply, “From ‘Rembrandt Kyung’s’ side, they gave maids and servants as a gift for Arthur Kyung. The end.”

…Huh?

Kay’s gaze changed.

Francis casually sipped his tea as if he hadn’t said anything special.

Kay looked at Francis with a strange look, pondering his words.

‘Rembrandt Kyung is sending maids and servants?’

“What’s the meaning of this?”

Francis didn’t say anything out of the ordinary.

Kay, with a slightly hopeful look, asked, “‘Rembrandt Kyung’ sent maids and servants for Arthur Kyung?”

“Exactly. They’re packaging it as an increase in new family members due to Arthur Kyung’s return, making Julius Mansion, which is short of hands, seem honorable. Quite dignified.”

“…”

“And actually, due to the shortage of manpower, the maids are overworked and dying.”

It was an unexpectedly plausible proposal.

It seemed like the perfect pretext without revealing their own demands, and it appeared somewhat ambiguous for the Marquise to refuse.

It was exactly what they needed.

Francis’s voice continued.

“Meanwhile, the Marquis is avoiding hiring new maids cautiously. With Julius becoming a target of those who want to catch him as a preemptive successor, there’s a good chance of concubines infiltrating. So they’re making an effort to arrange things with existing maids who are familiar and trustworthy.”

The reason for being cautious about hiring new maids.

Kay easily guessed that it was because of the ‘sham marriage’ and hiding ‘Reyna,’ but what Francis pointed out was also an externally reasonable explanation.

Francis shrugged lightly.

“So if we say it’s a royal favor to take care of Arthur Kyung and to consider Julius, there’s no reason for Julius to refuse. Besides, the Marquis quite likes Rembrandt Kyung.”

Despite the suspicion, Kay’s eyes began to show a hint of caution in response to Francis’s words.
The Marquis and his wife might want to keep Reyna’s presence hidden, so there was a high possibility that Rembrandt’s maids would find it awkward, but it sounded fine. Anyway, the crucial thing was that there was no external reason for rejection. Francis raised his teacup again.

“If you provide a list of the maids you want, we can discreetly mix them in and send them in. Consider it if you want.”

Kay looked at his brother with a cautious expression, holding his chin. It sounded surprisingly okay, surpassing his expectations. Except for one concern, everything was good. That concern was the proposal from the Rembrandt side.

Arthur had warned him not to approach anyone from Maria’s faction, including Rembrandt, and to be cautious. Naturally, Kay wasn’t considering their help.

Francis chuckled mischievously with a glint in his eyes.

“Is Rembrandt Kyung thinking that it would be more advantageous for Arthur Kyung than Julius? What’s on your mind?”

“…”

He was correct. Putting down his teacup, Francis spoke plainly.

“Rembrandt Kyung is neutral. To put it bluntly, she’s in a position more similar to Prince Junha than to me. You probably know better than me about Prince Junha’s stance.”

Francis gestured casually with indifference.

“Well, even if I try to prove it, you probably won’t believe me. You can figure out if my words are true or lies. I don’t need to say that.”

If Rembrandt Kyung had a stance similar to Prince Junha’s, it meant that she had a favorable attitude toward Arthur Kyung and was even willing to protect him, rather than approaching him as a person from the Queen’s side. If it was true, it was relieving.

Kay sat with crossed legs, looking at his brother without moving.

Of course, he wouldn’t accept it until he understood Rembrandt Kyung’s true intentions.

For now, Kay re-evaluated how feasible this proposal was.

“…Can you just say such things without asking the intentions of the higher-ups? How do you know whether Rembrandt Kyung is willing to do that or not?”

Francis impatiently waved his hand.

“Would I say it if it weren’t possible?”