The mention of replacing the maids brought to her mind the desperate look on Brody’s face, seemingly saying, ‘Don’t abandon me…’

She lowered her gaze and absentmindedly fiddled with her hands.

An opportunity to replace the maid… the power to make such a choice really came to me.

It felt strange.

But if I replace Brody here, won’t Lady Julia’s disfavor fall upon her? She hasn’t done anything wrong, so why would she face a maid replacement?
At the mention of replacing the maids, Brody, who pleaded earnestly with a gaze saying, “Don’t abandon me…….,” immediately came to mind. Reyna lowered her gaze and absentmindedly fidgeted with her hands. The opportunity to replace the maids… the power to make such a choice had truly come to her. It felt strange. But if she were to replace Brody here, wouldn’t Lady Julia’s disfavor fall upon her? She hasn’t done anything wrong, so why would she face a maid replacement?

Wondering what suspicious act Brody might have committed to face a maid replacement without having been instructed to do anything, after the earnest Brody, Marina, who had initially responded with a sharp tic-tac and eventually guessed and answered what she might be curious about, also came to mind. Despite acting tough, she was a considerate girl.

Reyna, without much time to deeply contemplate, opened her mouth and stuttered, “M-Maids should be fine. I like Brody and Marina. I’m not uncomfortable. You don’t have to replace them…”

Thinking about the potential ‘maid suffering’ that they might experience if replaced, Kei silently looked at Reyna.

Both of them, or at least one of them, seemed likely to want a replacement.

But she ended up saying she’s fine with both maids. This innocent and naive young lady says the maids are fine.

Then, the one handing over the notes to Lady Julia must be the Steward.

At that moment, a lower-ranking knight who had leaped down from his horse urgently knocked on the door of the Julius Marquis Mansion. The mansion’s guards, naturally blocking the door, asked who he had an appointment with. Since there was no prior appointment, the knight, who had not received permission, hesitated and began to explain while fumbling, asking to call ‘Sir Arthur’ or ‘Sir Lucan.’

If it’s difficult, there’s a knight who can be reached through ‘Sir Dylan’s business,’ or so the story goes.

Of course, the Julius Marquis Mansion was not a place where a single knight could explain things in this way, but the mansion’s guards exchanged glances, aware that if they arbitrarily turned away a knight looking for ‘Sir Arthur,’ they could face significant problems.

On the other hand, they were also afraid of opening the door for a visitor looking for ‘Sir Arthur.’ They feared that Arthur might exclaim, ‘Did they dare to look for me over such a matter?’ or ‘Do those claiming to want to meet me intend to meet all those who demand to see me?’ and cause a commotion.

Such incidents were quite common mishaps for the servants of high-ranking nobles. If the knights were important to Arthur, the news would have already spread through the gossip columns, and their names would have been known. The fact that ‘Sir Dylan’ was an unfamiliar name, combined with the seemingly low status of the visiting knight, played a role in their cautious approach.
However, she was also afraid to suddenly open the door, claiming to be a guest looking for Sir Arthur.

On the contrary, from Arthur’s perspective, he might think, ‘Did someone dare to find me over such a matter?’ or ‘Do those claiming to want to meet me intend to meet everyone who demands to see me?’ or ‘Haven’t they heard that I don’t meet anyone other than the General for official business?’ It crossed her mind that he might make a fuss.

For the servants of high-ranking nobles, such incidents were a common misfortune.

If they were important knights to Arthur, the news would have already spread through gossip, and their names would be known. The fact that ‘Sir Dylan’ was an unfamiliar name, combined with the seemingly low status of the visiting knight, played a role in their cautious approach.

When asked if it was official business, the knight couldn’t answer that way. The guards, looking embarrassed, said that if he explained the situation, they could ask the personal knight of General Arthur depending on the circumstances.

Orra wandered around Arthur.

“……. ”

Arthur untied his hands from the kneecaps and stood up from his seat.

“……?”

Tristan looked at him in confusion.

“Your Excellency?”

Arthur, filling his cuffs and looking down at Tristan, spoke calmly.

“Get up, Tristan. I need to go.”

“Yes?”

Tristan immediately got up, questioning but without delay.

At the moment Arthur spoke, there was no expression on his face, a rare occurrence when he lost his smile at the moment of detachment of fortune.

“What’s going on?”

Arthur answered briefly, turning his head.

“Dylan’s business.”

At the mention of the old comrade’s name from Arthur’s mouth, Tristan stopped.

Dylan.

It was a name that could momentarily make all four of Arthur’s closest aides pause.

As soon as Tristan lifted his foot, Lionel opened the office door.

It was a hurried gesture as if he had forgotten to knock.

“…… Your Excellency!”

Lionel called him from outside the door.

Although he was calling calmly, his gaze was uneasy.

Behind him, a knight who seemed to have brought news of Dylan hastily stood with an anxious look.

Without even asking what the problem was, Tristan immediately put on his coat and asked.

“If it’s something we need to go together for, I’ll call Lucan as well.”

Arthur nodded briefly.

“Bring him.”

And Arthur, passing by Lionel, lowered his voice to leave instructions.

“…Report separately to Kei about what happened with my wife.”

Lionel nodded.

“Understood.”

Arthur picked up Orra.

“……?”

For a moment, Reyna blinked her eyes in confusion.

Kei, noticing Reyna’s odd demeanor, asked.

“Lady? Why are you like that?”

Reyna, with a slightly perplexed expression, stroked her own neck.

“Suddenly, a breeze…”

“A breeze?”

As if Kei didn’t feel it, she turned her head to see if the window was open.

“……?”

But in the quiet reception room, there was no place for the wind to come in anywhere.
Reyna also noticed it but blurred the end of her words without certainty.

“I felt… like the wind….”

The knights who were originally Arthur’s closest aides were five in total.

Tristan Gottfried, Kei Ford, Lucan Rushman, Lionel Jackson.

And Dylan Osborne.

However, the war left a deep scar on Dylan Osborne, who was one of Arthur’s finest close aides, and he could not return as a knight until the final front.

Fortunately, he could return alive, but he was suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

Even though he hadn’t lost his legs, he couldn’t walk.

He suffered from severe neurosis.

He had been poisoned once.

He returned only recently as the latest arrival among those who had lost their legs or suffered severe injuries.

Behind the honored knights who were warmly welcomed with a splendid commendation ceremony, quietly alongside the wounded and different soldiers.

Just before Arthur, Tristan, and Lucan mounted their horses.

The knight briefly reported the situation.

“Sir Dylan Osborne has been poisoned.”

It was the second poisoning.