Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Anriche concluded with a firm voice.

The butler nodded steadily. “I understand what you’re talking about. Then, I’ll take a closer look at the head maid.”

“Thank you. I’ll look forward to your kind cooperation in the future.”

At her thank you, the butler felt unfamiliar for a moment.

She seemed as though a stranger.

Thoughts filled his mind were, ‘Is that person really the madam?’

***

After meeting with the butler, somehow, she wanted to see the children’s faces.

Anriche headed to the playroom where the children were playing.

“Mother, you’re here?”

The first person to rush to run was, of course, Liliana.

“What are you doing, mother?”

Elliot had a sour face throughout, but unlike before, he did not openly evade her.

Anriche shook her head with a broken, mischievous look.

“Oh my God, should there be a reason for me to come to see you?”

“No, mother! You can come anytime!” Liliana, surprised, shook her head. Following that, Elliot glanced down at his feet and replied.

“…Well, if it’s mother. You can come, do whatever you want.”

“Yes, yes.”

She took a seat in the corner of the playroom. Watching the children play with her eyes, Anriche chewed over the conversation she had with the butler. ‘For now, let’s wait and see…’ With that thought, she buried her body deep in the chair. Her narrow eyes were sharp like a blade.

Suddenly.

“Could you take a look at this, mother?”

Liliana came to her side and carefully showed her sketchbook.

“I drew mother, but…”

She opened her eyes wide. In the sketchbook, a woman made up of coarse circles and gold triangles were drawn. ‘Because Liliana said she drew me… I guess that’s a person?’ The woman was wearing a silver ribbon on her dark brown hair that popped out, so she looked somewhat flashy.

“Is this me?”

“Yes! This is father, and this is Elliot!” Like a dog hoping for compliments, her eyes were lit like lanterns.

Elliot, looking at the painting by his side, pouted his lips.

“Why was only mother painted with gold and silver crayons?”

“Well, that’s…”

“Normally, you’d save to use gold and silver, and you don’t even let it touch your fingers.”

He seemed to be a little upset about Liliana’s painting. To be exact, because he wasn’t painted with gold and silver crayons.

“Why are you discriminating between mother and me?”

“No, um. El-Elliot… you know…”

“Okay. Liliana, you only like mother…”

Elliot started sulking. Panicked, Liliana didn’t know what to do, and her eyes were rolling around. At the cute appearances of the children, Anriche ended up laughing out loud.

‘I…I hope you guys won’t ever get hurt.’

In order to do so, first of all, the head maid’s issue must be solved safely. Anriche firmly sets her mind.

Now, all that remained was to wait.

May her suspicion be in vain, and the head maid would not cause any incident…

Anriche desperately wished so.

***

Meg stood in front of the door and took a deep breath.

‘I can’t believe I have to take on such a dangerous job…’ She grumbled deeply.

However, in order to achieve something big, a little risk is necessary. ‘I have to get rid of Liliana from the duke’s house.’ Meg’s choice was to accuse Liliana of stealing.

‘Once I make her suspicious, the other maids will follow my lead. ‘

The maids were in her palm, anyway. Undoubtedly, they would testify, ‘I saw Lady Liliana stealing’ with a little impulse.

“…”

Meg opened the door, making sure not to create any noise. The splendid view of the room caught her eyes. All the furniture and objects in the room were of the highest quality, as evidenced by Anriche’s extravagant character.

‘Let’s see, the madam’s jewelry box…’ Meg, looking around for a while, approached the dressing table leisurely.

When she opened the dresser’s drawer, a jewelry box with delicate flowers and vines in gold leaf could be seen. She slowly opened the lid of the jewelry box. As if it wasn’t something valuable, precious jewels were randomly rolling around in the box.

‘Hmm, what’s the right one… Oh, I can use this.’

She looked through the jewel box with her hawk’s eyes, then picked up an amber brooch with a happy face.

It was a brooch that the madam used often. So, she would see at a glance that the brooch is gone. Meg pushed the brooch into the pocket of her apron and prepared to turn around.

“Meg?”

“Heuk!”

At the innocent voice calling her, Meg almost dropped the jewelry box she had in her hand.

It was Elliot.

Elliot tilted his head at the door and asked a question.

“What are you doing here?”

Meg hurriedly pushed the jewelry box into the drawer and turned to cover the drawer while smiling with an awkward face.

“Oh, I’m cleaning the madam’s room.”

“Huh? But today isn’t the day to clean my mother’s room, isn’t it?”

“Well, that’s… I-I think the room is too dirty.”

A cold sweat ran behind her back. While holding the apron pocket tightly, so the brooch wasn’t exposed, Meg strode forward in front of Elliot.

“So, even though it’s not a cleaning day, I came to wipe away any visible dirt.”

“I don’t think it’s dirty at all, though?”

“Ah, the windows were full of dusts.”

She shook her head quickly and showed him a dusty rag she had prepared in advance. Then, Meg opened her axe eyes and continued her words.

“I’m going to scold the maid in charge of the madam’s room.”

“Huh, you’re going to scold them?”

“Of course. It’s not just anyone, but the mistress of Valois’ room, that is getting neglected.”

Meg, who frowned her forehead, pretending to care for Anriche, suddenly lowered her voice.

“By the way, Young Master?”

“Yes, why?”

“Could you please keep it a secret that I came to your mother’s room today?”

Elliot’s eyes went round at the unexpected words.

“Why? You said you came to clean. Is there a reason to keep it a secret?”

“Yes, well…” Meg deliberately looked terrified. Now, her voice had become so small that he couldn’t hear it unless he focused on her intensely.

“You know that she’s a very strict person, right?” She droops both her shoulders.

Elliot paused as her face became hopeless.

“Well, Meg?”

“I don’t know what’ll happen if I get a suspicion from the madam and get beaten…”

Blurring her words, Meg looked up at him with desperate eyes.

However, he did not fully understand her words. Of course, it was true that his mother was like that before. She had been afraid of his mother for a long time, though, even Elliot himself. He was still a little wary of her. Even so, when he reflected on his mother’s recent actions, he didn’t think that Meg needed to be so scared, though…

“My mother isn’t that mean these days, so don’t worry too much.”

He gently wiped Meg’s back.

“She treats me pretty nicely, and… Oh, yeah!” Elliot, who opened his eyes wide, smiled at Meg.

“See how good she had been to Liliana?”

Liliana?

At that moment, a spark burst in Meg’s eyes.

Wasn’t she struggling now because of that girl?

If that girl hadn’t come to the townhouse of Valois…

And if she hadn’t, Young Master Elliot would have been more intimate to that girl than she was!

‘I had such a hard time sneaking into the madam’s room. I wouldn’t even have to steal the brooch in the first place!’ To suppress her feelings, Meg squeezed the brooch in her apron pocket.

“But young master, this is the madam we are talking about.” She huffed.

Elliott felt a pinch.

In Meg’s eyes, peering at him, tears were lingering.

“Do you really believe in your mother?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“No matter how kind she is now, there are things she has shown us until now.”

The voice mixed with her cries made Elliot’s expression a little hesitant. It was true that until now, she had been coldhearted to him and the employees. No matter how much she had changed her attitude now, the selfish behaviors he had seen before did not just disappear.

Besides, it was Meg who was the one to fill in his mother’s vacancy.

“So… I only remembered that I was scolded badly, so I was terrified of the madam…”

Eventually, tears began to drip from Meg’s eyes.