Brody suddenly raised his head and said, “Come to think of it, I have something to give you today.”

“Yeah?”

Knock, knock.

The sound of someone knocking on the door was heard right on cue.

“Looks like they’ve arrived.”

Brody momentarily stopped combing Reyna’s hair. Lionel, who entered, briefly nodded towards Reyna and handed something to Brody.

After acknowledging Brody’s efforts, Lionel bowed slightly, then took the item and extended it to Reyna.

“Here. What you asked for.”

Brody smiled, saying, “It may not be as fancy as pearl earrings, but it’s the second thing for you in this room.”

Reyna accepted it with a smile, saying, “Thank you.”

What Brody handed her was a new document storage box and an empty notebook. Compared to the old wooden box where Reyna kept scrapbooks in the maids’ attic, it looked much more dignified.

In her previous circumstances, living frugally, always saving a fixed amount from her original salary, she would have never indulged in such a luxurious item. However, Reyna now received a weekly wage of 30 gold.

Moreover, if she placed something too shabby in the young lady’s room, it would stand out. So, despite being somewhat expensive, Reyna requested something reasonably luxurious.

“Did Lionel bring it to you?”

Brody answered, “No. I brought it, and the knight inspected it and handed it back.”

“Inspected?”

While Brody resumed combing Reyna’s hair, he explained, “He said I couldn’t bring it in like this. He told me to inspect it since you requested it and wait for you if there’s no problem. So, he said, ‘Take your time checking, and if there’s no issue, bring it. I’ll be inside first.’ and came.”

“Ah…”

Right, if it’s a document storage box, it’s only natural that it would be inspected.

“Oh, right.”

I have to pay for it.

Reyna opened a drawer, took out a gold coin, and handed it to Brody.

Brody widened his eyes and looked surprised, staring at the gold coin. It felt awkward for a moment.

―The cost of the item. What’s left is your tip.

“So, it’s the cost of the document storage box…”

Having been a maid all her life, she knew very well that maids loved to receive tips. But perhaps because she never thought she’d be in a position to receive money in this context, it felt very strange.

However, since she had given him a job that required a considerable amount of money, she couldn’t avoid not giving him any.

Reyna awkwardly handed him the gold coin.

The words “Your tip” didn’t come out of her mouth. Why does this feel so awkward?

“…”

Brody covered his mouth in surprise. Then, Reyna said the words she couldn’t.

“Is it a tip? Is the change the tip?”

… Fortunately, he didn’t seem displeased. Reyna nodded awkwardly.

“… Keep it a secret from Madam.”

Madam probably knows that I receive only 5 gold per week.

If she finds out that I gave a gold coin to Brody, she might easily guess that I got extra money.
If Brody finds out that I gave him gold coins, he’ll easily notice that I have extra money. Then, the speculation that I betrayed would quickly follow.

Brody received the money with great gratitude. “Thanks. It’s only about 50 silver in total… I’ll use it well!” Then, while touching the back of his head, he added awkwardly, “It’s a bit strange to say it after receiving, but, actually, I was planning to give this to you as a gift…”

A gift? Reyna quickly extended her hand. “What are you talking about? How can I accept a 50 silver gift.”

Anyway, we all know that Juliette’s maids receive a weekly wage of 50 silver. It’s a matter of conscience.

However, Brody immediately lowered his voice and whispered, “I’m actually paid 2 gold for undercover work here. It’s a secret, okay? Of course, you’re probably receiving more, but…”

Reyna’s eyes widened. Brody was receiving a much higher wage as part of the undercover operation.

Brody grinned and, while braiding Reyna’s hair, looked at her with wealthy eyes. “Thanks for not replacing me. I’ll really do well.”

Through the mirror, Brody and Reyna’s eyes met. Brody smiled awkwardly and said, “Actually, I was almost replaced here… but you said no. You didn’t want the maid to be replaced…”

Ah.

When I had a meeting with Sir Kay, he suggested replacing Brody with a new maid. I said no, that it was okay. Although Sir Tristan insisted that ‘Brody’ should be replaced, Sir Kay, considering it as an order from Sir Arthur, decided to leave the maid as is for now.

In fact, it was practically an order from Sir Arthur, and what I did wasn’t that remarkable…

Reyna felt awkward. But for some reason, she felt not too bad about it.

It was almost the first time she had candidly shared something like a secret talk with a peer.

This… feels kind of nice.

Brody kept chatting. “But what are you going to use the document storage box and notebook for? Come to think of it, you have one in the maid’s attic, right? Do you need me to bring that too?”

Reyna’s face turned bright red. That scrapbook was Reyna’s secret that she had never shown to anyone.