The occurrence of servants stealing their masters’ belongings is more common than one might think.

Claire had witnessed three servants being beaten and driven out after laying hands on household items.

Once it was the baroness’s pearl earrings, another time someone was caught raiding her father’s safe, and another scoundrel embezzled public funds from Ryan’s office.

Although such incidents didn’t happen frequently, they occurred sporadically enough that Claire didn’t fully trust the household servants.

“Who entered my room?”

Claire gathered the servants in one place and glared at them fiercely. The terrified servants eyed each other nervously. At this, the head maid Magdalene stepped forward.

“Young lady, what seems to be the matter?”

“My brooch has disappeared.”

“Your brooch?”

“The one Father gave me as a birthday gift! The one I cherish most! I put it in my jewelry box, but it’s gone!”

At this, Magdalene turned to face the servants and asked.

“Has anyone among you touched the young lady’s jewelry box?”

The servants exchanged glances and then shook their heads vigorously.

“No one but the young lady’s personal maids enters this room…”

“Of course, I was in the kitchen the whole time.”

“I also… don’t you forbid anyone but your personal maids from entering your room, young lady?”

“And there were no outsiders let in? No suspicious people?”

The servants glanced at each other, recalling one individual.

The eldest young lady who had visited recently. The only person besides Claire’s personal maids who had entered Claire’s room was Riley.

But no one dared to mention that Riley had entered her room.

If they admitted to letting Riley into Claire’s room, it was obvious they would be scolded all day long.

Moreover, they had already agreed on a story for the day Riley visited.

At this point, they couldn’t confess that Riley had actually entered Claire’s room that day. And what if their careless words caused trouble for the eldest young lady?

In reality, wasn’t Riley now the true power in this household? Nothing good would come from getting on Riley’s bad side.

As it was, they were already treading carefully due to past mistakes. If they further incurred her displeasure, she might seek terrible revenge for their past wrongs as well.

“Ab-absolutely not! Why would we let outsiders into the young lady’s room! We haven’t seen any suspicious people at all!”

“Are you sure?”

“O-of course, head maid!”

Claire looked over the servants with dissatisfaction, then sighed and said.

“My brooch didn’t grow legs, and if there were no outsiders, then it must have been someone in the household. From now on, find my brooch that should be somewhere in this house. Until you find the brooch, you can’t do anything. No sleeping, no washing, no eating. I’ll give a performance bonus along with next month’s wages to whoever finds the culprit.”

At Claire’s words, the servants’ faces turned deathly pale.

Not allowing them to sleep or eat until the culprit was found. The servants hurriedly rushed out to search for the brooch.

“Magdalene, keep a close eye out for anyone acting suspiciously.”

“Young lady.”

“What?”

“Why that brooch of all things?”

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t that brooch the cheapest and oldest among the items in your jewelry box? Moreover, doesn’t everyone in this mansion know how much you cherish that brooch? They would know it would be discovered immediately if it went missing… Besides, isn’t it human nature to try to steal the most valuable item when attempting theft?”

At Magdalene’s question, Claire responded irritably.

“How should I know the thief’s psychology? Well, maybe they thought that since it’s the cheapest, it wouldn’t be a big deal if just that one went missing. Or perhaps that’s the extent of their nerve. Is that important? What matters is that my brooch is gone.”

That’s right. Trying to understand a thief’s psychology would be endless.

Magdalene bowed.

“I apologize. Young lady, I will turn this house upside down if necessary to find the brooch.”

“Alright, go quickly. Keep a close eye on anyone acting suspiciously.”

After Magdalene left, Claire, now alone, messed up her hair in frustration.

“What is this. How unlucky.”

To have something stolen right before attending a party. It couldn’t be more unlucky. She wondered if she was being jinxed.

Claire shuddered, trying to shake off the unpleasant feeling.

·

·

·

When the mansion was turned upside down, the baroness was the first to react.

After hearing the whole story, she grumbled about Claire causing such a commotion for not being able to properly keep track of her belongings, despite learning that Claire was the cause of all this and that her cherished brooch had disappeared. However, she said nothing more and just went into her room.

If Ryan had been at the mansion, he would have mediated this madness, but unfortunately, Ryan was absent at the moment.

So the mansion’s servants were frantically searching for the brooch with wild eyes.

After five hours of chaos,

“We found the brooch!”

The culprit was caught.

Claire raged like a madwoman.

“Liz, how dare you…!”

Liz was a maid who had worked at the Eadalin mansion for over 7 years. She had entered at a young age and had been by Claire’s side as her dedicated maid ever since.

As soon as she heard the news that the brooch was found in a corner under the desk in Liz’s room, Liz protested her innocence, claiming she wasn’t the culprit.

But Claire was already blinded by a sense of betrayal.

“You dare lay hands on my belongings?”

“Young lady, it really wasn’t me. I’m being framed! I have never touched your belongings. It’s true, please believe me.”

“Then why is this in your room?”

“Someone must be trying to frame me! It wasn’t me, I really don’t know anything about this!”

At Liz’s words, Claire scoffed in disbelief.

“Who are you?”

“Pardon?”

“Who do you think you are that someone would try to frame you? Everyone here has grown up eating from the same pot as you. Are you saying that the other servants who have worked alongside you for so long committed this act to frame you?”

Liz opened and closed her mouth like a fish.

Even when she cried out that it wasn’t her, that she was being framed, Claire showed no signs of believing her. Liz was deeply shocked.

“Young lady… don’t you believe me?”

“I want to believe you, dear. But my brooch was found in your room.”

“…I really didn’t do it. I’m being framed!”

“Is there anyone here who can prove your innocence?”

“…”

“Hey, everyone. Is there anyone among you who stole my brooch and hid it in Liz’s room?”

Of course, none of the servants would answer.

Claire looked down at Liz and let out a small sigh.

“Liz, there’s no one to prove that you didn’t do it.”

“…Ah, young lady.”

“How can I trust you when something like this has happened?”

“…I, I really…”

“Yes, maybe it really wasn’t you. Maybe someone tried to frame you. But so what? You should have managed your surroundings properly. If someone tried to frame you, isn’t it your responsibility for not living properly enough to avoid making enemies?”

Liz couldn’t say anything and just shed tears.

No matter what she said, Claire didn’t seem inclined to believe her. Claire’s expression was that cold.

Liz was deeply hurt by the heartless attitude, devoid of even a hint of affection, from the mistress she had served for years.

To be honest, she hadn’t expected Claire to cut her off so coldly.

Was there truly no affection left from their years together? Why was her expression filled with nothing but distrust?

During her years with Claire, Liz could proudly say she had done her absolute best for Claire.

She had caught Ryan’s eye at the orphanage he ran for being quick-handed and diligent, which is why she was brought here as a maid.

From that time on, Liz had been committed to dedicating her life here. She didn’t want to go back to the orphanage. She liked it here.

She really loved this life… this life that wasn’t lonely, with a warm bed, food, and a small wage provided.

“Don’t feel too wronged. What can we do now that it’s come to this? How can I trust you and keep you by my side?”

“…I thought I was closer to you than anyone, young lady.”

“Yes, we’ve spent quite a long time together. But you seem to be misunderstanding something. We’re close? You and me? How dare you? Did you really think that?”

“…”

“You’re just a servant I pay to use.”

Liz could only stare blankly at Claire while shedding tears. Claire, who had been watching her shocked expression with what seemed like pity, wiped Liz’s tears.

“What did you expect from the relationship between an employer and an employee? Are you naive, innocent… or just slow?”

“…”

“Pack your things. Even if you say you’re wronged, I have no intention of clearing your name. That would be too bothersome and tiring, wouldn’t it? I found my brooch and identified a suspect who might have stolen it, so that’s enough for me.”

“…Young lady.”

“For old times’ sake, I won’t report you to the authorities. So stop being clingy and leave. I hate clinginess more than anything in the world.”

The young lady she had served with utmost devotion was unnecessarily clear in her severance.

Liz had no choice but to leave the mansion without any resistance.

Liz, who had been driven out with her luggage, sat down helplessly under the wall.

The way back was daunting. This was not Lupla where she had grown up, but the heart of Blestige.

She had virtually no knowledge of life in the capital, and using teleportation to Lupla was out of the question. She would have to travel by horse, but the distance to Lupla was considerable, and she didn’t have enough money to cover such expenses.

She did have some savings, but considering the cost of living here, it was a pitifully small amount.

If she used this money for travel expenses to her hometown of Lupla, she would be penniless by the time she arrived. There was no guarantee she would even arrive safely.

What would be the point of returning to Lupla anyway? She had no family to rely on, no comfortable home.

Moreover, she knew that the orphanage where she was born and raised had been sold to someone else when Ryan liquidated his business in Lupla.

There were rumors that the orphanage would be demolished and a new building erected in its place, so returning to the orphanage was also impossible.

“…What should I do.”

Liz buried her face in her knees and burst into tears, overwhelmed by her predicament.

The fact that she had been abandoned alone in an unfamiliar city was unbearably frightening. How should she live from now on, what should she do here, should she try to find new work in a nearby city…? Even if she tried to find work as a maid here, would anyone hire someone from the provinces?

“What are you doing there?”

Liz lifted her head at the sound of a voice. A woman was looking down at her.

“Why are you crying here alone?”

“…I’ve been driven out, I have nowhere to go.”

“Is that so? Then come with me.”

“…What?”

“Our young lady will be pleased if I bring you.”

“Young lady?”

“You’ll see when we get there. If you don’t want to sleep on the streets, hurry and follow me.”

Liz hesitated for a moment about whether to follow the strange woman. But her deliberation didn’t last long. She didn’t want to endure the night alone in this unfamiliar city.

·

·

·

“I’ve brought her, young lady.”

“Good work, Rachel.”

Liz’s eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing, before she began to tremble in fear.

From the moment she entered the luxurious mansion, she had wondered what was going on, but with the appearance of the woman called “young lady,” she began to understand the situation.

In a way, she had walked into the tiger’s den of her own accord.

Terrified, Liz prostrated herself before Riley, pressing her nose to the floor and raising her hands high to beg.

“I was wrong, young lady. I’m sorry, young lady… Please forgive me just this once. I did everything wrong. I…”

“What?”

“…”

“Do you even know what you did wrong as you beg me for forgiveness?”

At Riley’s question, Liz began to sob, her shoulders shaking. Tears welled up in her eyes, clouded with confusion, and flowed endlessly down her cheeks.

As she cried, drop by drop, Liz recalled the misdeeds she had committed in the past.

Liz had been a ringleader in tormenting Riley.

She had cursed at her for being unlucky whenever she passed by, occasionally spat in the bread she was to eat, deliberately damaged doorknobs to trap her inside, or pretended to accidentally spill buckets of water on her.

There were countless other times she had bullied her. She had mocked her habitually and led the bullying. There were so many instances that she couldn’t remember them all.

“I just wanted to look good in the eyes of the young lady… I’m sorry, I was foolish. I… did everything wrong. It wasn’t because I hated you, eldest young lady…”

“I know, it was the norm to bully me in that place.”

“I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry. I’ve committed a mortal sin. But… please spare my life, please forgive me. I’ll do anything. So please, just my life…”

Riley approached Liz, who was trembling. Then, slowly patting her shoulder, she bent down to match eye level. Liz flinched and stepped back.

“Do you think I brought you here just to do something to you?”

“…”

“It’s just, a bit funny. The situation where you’ve been discarded in an instant by the master you’ve devoted your whole life to serving.”

Liz, perhaps overwhelmed by feelings of injustice, now began to cry loudly like a child.

Riley looked at Liz like this and smiled bitterly.

‘…I was always the one who wanted to cry, yet the person who tried to make me cry at every moment is now crying and repenting before my eyes.’

She didn’t feel pity. Nor was it as satisfying as she had thought it would be.

How should one describe this feeling? It was a bit absurd and dejecting. It was bewildering to think that she had lived in such pain, swayed by people so young and foolish.

Those who seemed so big and enormous then could now appear so small, as if they would break if touched lightly.

“I will never forgive you for the rest of my life.”

“…”

“So I’m thinking of punishing you.”

At the mention of punishment, Liz had a fit of fear. She rolled her eyes incessantly and brought her trembling hands together, sobbing and begging for her life.

Riley firmly grasped Liz’s hands and said,

“Live by my side as my person for the rest of your life, beside me whom you’ve hated, despised, and tormented all your life.”

“…?”

“While attending to me for the rest of your life.”

Liz stopped crying. Her trembling body gradually began to calm down. She looked at Riley with wide eyes, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Young lady…”

“I hope you don’t misunderstand. I’m not helping you now, I’m trying to use you.”

“…”

“You just need to be quietly used under me for the rest of your life. That’s the punishment I’m giving you. If you don’t like it, leave right now.”

Liz no longer had any affection left for Claire.

Moreover, she thought that if she could atone by Riley’s side, she wouldn’t mind any mistreatment.

It was far better to attend to her here than to wander the streets penniless and homeless right away.

Liz wiped her tears and said.

She had no choice anyway, with no family to rely on.

“I will be loyal to you for life, young lady.”