The next day, Xian sparred with Serika once again. He didn't have much difficulty this time and was able to return several blows. Of course, if he really wanted to, he could probably land a hit if he became desperate enough.
He waited for an opportunity until Carmillia and Lucinelle left the training grounds.
"Is it fun to beat me up?" Xian had been observing and thinking about what to say to Serika, only to end up asking that question. Bringing up the chief maid right away might turn his chances for the worse.
"Yeah. Your arrogant face contorting like that looks so funny I can't get enough of it." She said dismissively with a smirk. Xian noticed the small fang peeking from each side of her teeth.
'Ah, she's that type, huh? Is she a tsundere too?' With his vast knowledge of heroines, he instantly categorized Serika's typical archetype.
"You mean you like my face?" So he said something that will likely return a typical reaction he expects.
"Wha—! That's not it! No! What are you even saying!" Her strikes hardened for a moment, but Xian endured them and tried to push back.
"Why are you overreacting? I'm kidding. Don't tell me…"
"Just try running your mouth again! I'm gonna rip it off!" Serika snarled, her cheeks faintly flushed and her eyes burning.
'Woah! That's really intense.' Instead of feeling intimidated, her reaction made him smile. Despite her increased aggression, the pain from her blows had already become irrelevant to him.
"You know, I noticed something strange the other day."
"Tsk. I didn't think you'd be the chatty type." She complained, but she didn't tell him to stop.
"I remember seeing the chief maid meeting the coachman before he got replaced." Xian didn't actually know if that was true, but it sounded plausible enough. If no one could go back in time to confirm it, then it might as well be the truth.
"What?" Serika stared at him in disbelief, clearly finding the claim absurd. Yet even as she reacted, her mind had already begun forming the conclusion Xian wanted.
Rather than stating his suspicions outright, it was better to guide her into realizing that something suspicious was happening around the chief maid.
"I kind of forgot to tell anyone. And no one seemed cautious enough to care."
"Why are you only saying this now?"
"Because I didn't think anyone would believe me." It was a lie. Moris probably would have. But that didn't matter. Xian only needed to push Serika into believing him.
"But the head butler…" It seemed Serika had the same thought.
"The head butler would only move with evidence. And I recall the two of them being quite close." As far as he knew, Carmillia and the swordmaiden duo hadn't stayed in this estate for long. When it came to knowing the relationships between servants and their superiors, they were no better than him, who had arrived later.
"I could tell him. But at most, he would reprimand me and become suspicious of the chief maid. With her companion recently caught and even killed, there's no way she would act suspiciously while under Moris's watch, right?"
"That… surprisingly makes sense." Serika's eyes narrowed slightly, unable to disprove what she had just heard.
'I know, right? Even I'm surprised I can come up with lies like this.' Xian was truly stretching the limits of the sensible nonsense he could spew.
"But why are you only telling me?" Now came the tricky part, where he needed to convince Serika to discreetly capture the chief maid.
"Team up with me, Serika." Xian deliberately called her name.
"Hmph… Add ma'am to that."
That remark went straight through one ear and out the other as he continued. "With the two of us, we can overpower her. As for the justification, I saw her carefully hiding something wrapped in parchment."
Xian met her eyes.
"I think she's plotting something."
Their spar continued, the sounds of their weapons striking each other echoing through the training grounds. For a while, Serika didn't respond.
'Is she not convinced?' Xian was already beginning to consider his next move when Serika finally spoke.
"So, what do you want us to do?" She lowered her sword, signaling her willingness to hear Xian's plan.
"We need to investigate. For starters, I think we'll need a collaborator's help, and I already have someone in mind." Xian gestured toward the maid who had been absentmindedly watching their spar.
Miri, noticing that they had stopped and were now looking at her, panicked.
"Huh? I-is something wrong?"
"Her? Isn't she just an innocent maid?" Serika complained, already doubtful of his idea.
"You'll see. All we need to do is discreetly follow her." Xian called Miri over, and she obediently walked toward them nervously.
"Now, I'll tell you about the plan."
…
Xian's plan was simple.
To catch the chief maid, they needed absolute secrecy. He knew why Miri had been chosen as the scapegoat. Her nature and unassuming disposition made her appear harmless in the eyes of others.
That meant the chief maid likely saw her the same way. She would never expect Miri to act as a double spy. However, Xian had no intention of making Miri do anything drastic. All she needed to do was receive whatever the chief maid gave her and discreetly dispose of it.
Miri returned from the training grounds after Xian finished briefing and dismissing her. She had been told to behave as usual but to remember his instructions. She knew the special butler was suspicious of the chief maid, but she honestly hoped they were wrong.
"Miri? You're back early again."
Just as Xian had predicted, the chief maid was waiting in their quarters. It wasn't something she did every day, only occasionally. This was the second time this week.
"Yes, Miss Serika and Sir Xian finished early. So I came here to be assigned new tasks."
"Hm, I see."
The chief maid fiddled with something on her desk. Miri couldn't tell what it was, so she simply waited for her task to be given.
But instead, the chief maid brought up an entirely different topic.
"How is the special butler? What do you think of him, Miri?"
"Hm? I-I think Sir Xian is amazing… He's losing, but he can keep up with Miss Serika."
She wasn't knowledgeable about combat. The only martial knowledge she possessed were some superficial techniques and throwing methods she had learned back when she was still a trainee maid.
In her eyes, keeping up with Serika, who looked like a monster in terms of strength, was already an incredible feat. The first thing the swordmaiden duo had done upon arriving at the estate was crush the Estate Guard's retinue, establishing their overwhelming martial authority.
Miri had seen how Serika cleaved the ground in half with a single swing infused with dark aura. Meanwhile, Lucinelle gracefully defeated the mob of guards rushing toward her. After that day, they no longer interfered with the guards' duties and instead focused entirely on protecting the young
miss.
"Amazing? Do you think he can make it?"
Before coming here, Miri had already been told what to expect and how to respond.
She remembered what Xian had said.
"No. Miss Serika is too strong. It's impossible in a single week."
That was the answer Xian told her to give.
Miri spoke nervously, but the chief maid didn't find it strange. Miri had always been like that, anxious around others and constantly fidgeting.
"I see. Then he will leave in a week."
The chief maid spoke while staring intently at her. The gaze made Miri feel guilty, and she instinctively looked away. At that moment, she felt as though she were betraying the chief maid's kindness.
But if Miss Serika and Sir Xian had suspicions, how could she, a mere maid, doubt them?
The chief maid, however, interpreted her reaction differently.
She was investigating the butler who had foiled the assassination attempt of their particularly powerful ally just the day after it happened. That day, Miri had been the one assigned to him.
Surprisingly, Miri hadn't acted shy around Xian. Instead, she helped him until they reached the door of his room. The chief maid had been able to tell that the maid felt comfortable with him, and the same seemed true for the new butler.
At that moment, a plan formed in her mind. She had never expected the duke to foolishly send his precious daughter away to their estate in the academy city. But it was an opportunity. A chance that might never come again.
Thus, those who harbored resentment toward the duke and wished to see him fall into despair gathered together. It just so happened that she was a maid who carried the same aspiration, born from an incident long ago.
Over the years, she had given up. Time passed, and she grew older, her resentment slowly hardening inside her. But when the young miss arrived, she saw a flash of hope. A chance to finally claim her revenge and quiet the lingering nightmares of her unborn child.
'Forgive me, you poor child, but I must do this.'
She had buried herself in endless work and watched strands of gray appear in her hair over the years, trying to bury her regret. But now, it would finally end.
'For the peace of those whose lives were broken… please die for our sake, precious daughter of the duke.'
"Do you not want that man to leave?" the chief maid asked in a knowing and serious tone.
Miri flinched in surprise. Not because she had been exposed, but because it was the second question that only confirmed Xian's suspicion.
"I… don't want Sir Xian to leave." Biting her lip, the maid answered.
The chief maid felt a small sense of relief. Her suspicions seemed to be correct. Miri had always been the type to feel uncomfortable around new people.
Yet somehow, she didn't seem uneasy around Xian. The chief maid assumed it must be because the girl fancied him.
But to Miri, seeing Xian get beaten and stand back up again was the real reason she felt comfortable around him. The fact that he was vulnerable against Serika yet continued to try had touched her heart.
He would yelp, jump in shock, and flinch as his face contorted in pain. At first, she had found him frightening and intimidating.
But that look of weakness and desperation made Miri realize something.
Xian was a human just like her, someone trying his best.
She didn't know how he managed it, but by the next day he was already going toe to toe with Serika for a short while.
Of course, there was another very obvious reason she was attracted to him.
'H-he's kind of my type.'
That thought brushed through her mind as she answered the chief maid, making the oblivious woman even more confident in her assumption.
"…Then you'll be in charge of him for the rest of the week."
"Eh? Aren't we supposed to rotate duties?"
"No, Miri. There's no need if I permit it." Smiling, she wrote something into the ledger. "I'll inform the other maids. They seem afraid of him anyway."
"Show your support if you don't want him gone. Make sure to cling to him, alright? You only have one week."
"C-cling to him?" Miri wondered what the chief maid was trying to imply. Was she really that easy to read?
'Maybe… even Sir Xian knows it too. After all, that time—!'
She remembered the intense glare Xian gave her when he spoke about his suspicions regarding the chief maid, and the way he had cornered her.
"Also, make sure to stop by before starting your work. Beginning tomorrow, I will give you something special to improve your performance."
Miri froze.
That was the very first thing Xian had warned her about. Receiving something from the chief maid.
Somehow everything was unfolding exactly as he had said, and she felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over her.
Right in front of her stood someone connected to the person who had tried to take the young miss's life. Miri had not witnessed the attempt herself, but the mere thought of someone plotting such a thing was terrifying.
She suddenly felt a trace of fear toward the chief maid.
She still didn't know what role she would play in all of this, but she had decided that Xian could be trusted.
"You use healing often, don't you?" the chief maid said with a gentle smile, mistaking Miri's nervousness for innocence. "Those who rely on healing magic cannot simply restore their mana endlessly and continue casting without care. Unless they are apostles who wield holy power directly, it will
leave some aftereffects."
"Take the rest of the day off and prepare for tomorrow, Miri."
…
'It really… happened as sir Xian said.'
On the way back, Miri was left thinking. Even though the chief maid was kind to her, to be an accomplice of a criminal…
She's aware of the Montagne's rumored affairs. The duke who slaughtered and his daughter who beheaded. Multiple families had fallen to be their victims. She applied in this estate especially because there wasn't a single Montagne that lived there.
But now, she's embroiled in a task that might decide the young miss's life.
"How is it?"
Xian who had been waiting appeared on the corner of the room. He noticed that Miri was particularly downcast compared to her usual self.
"It happened just like how you said… The chief maid is really…"
"There's no evidence yet. I'm just trying to think from her perspective, Miri." Xian coolly spoke as he turned his back.
'It's not hard what a person like her would want to know and make others do. You just need to regress.' Xian thought in jest as he walked away.
"But, if she really said those things then my suspicions proves true. She's trying to plot something, using you and me."
The fist in her chest tightened. Whatever thought is in her head, Xian didn't know.
With his other task done and after confirming through Miri that the chief maid is moving, he decided to head back in his room.
…
The next day, before dawn even came. Miri was already on her way to the chief maid. To receive whatever she's planning to give. Her heart still harbored hesitation.
'What if it's all a misunderstanding?'
'What if sir Xian is wrong?'
'What if the chief maid is accused wrongly?'
Her nature maid her subconsciously doubt the events around her. The suspected individual had been one of the kindest towards her all her life. Her lack of sleep didn't help either.
"Miri? Perfect. I've just finished brewing the medicine. Come drink while it's still hot." The chief maid with her faint smile and calm gaze gestured for her to take the cup she's prepared.
She could tell that it was recently brewed, with faint smoke still rising due to its heat. The sweet and fragrant smell wafted to her senses, but different thought's filled her mind.
"Chief maid… Is that really medicine?"