Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi

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Chapter 27

Elliot, flustered, quickly wiped away her tears.

“Okay. I get it. I get it!”

“Y-young master…”

“I’ll keep it a secret, so don’t cry like that anymore.”

Elliot nodded his head with a sad expression. Seeing so, Meg grabbed his hand and shouted in a thrilling voice.

“Th, thank you!”

“No, Meg is like an aunt to me.”

Elliot’s voice, saying so, was filled with favor towards her.

Oh, our naive master.

‘Treating you so far turned out to be worthwhile. That’s why I care for you.’ Meg could barely hold back the laughter that was about to burst out.

***

After separating with Elliot, Meg lifted the hem of her apron and wiped the tears from her eyes. There was no moisture left just in an instant.

‘The young master… Did he see me carrying the brooch?’ She glanced back.

The corridor Elliot left was quiet without any human beings.

‘Well, it seems that he hasn’t seen it. Besides…’ The tip of Meg’s lips twisted up. It was a clear ridicule. ‘More than anything else, he listened to me very well, right?’

The reason why Meg, who didn’t particularly like small children very much, had taken care of Elliot even though she was annoyed.

It was purely to gain Elliot’s blind faith.

The nanny would be the closest position to get closer to him and the Duke of Valois. She was planning to use this position to gain influence in Valois.

‘So, I’m sure he won’t say anything against me.’

And the trusts she gained were now coming in handy. Just crying a few drops of tears made Elliot shut his mouth right away, even though she was obviously in a suspicious situation.

‘I tried so hard to take care of him. Of course, he has to trust me.’

Meg quietly hummed and strolled across the hallway.

At the end of her steps, she was heading towards Liliana’s room.

***

Anriche leaned against the window, lit by the sun, as she looked out into the garden ripe in spring. Her face was full of heartwarming smiles.

‘Oh, our two little kids! So cute, I’m gonna die!’

The violet-eyed pupils did not know how to fall away from Elliot and Liliana, who were playing in the garden together. If the spring fairy emerged as human, wouldn’t it be in the form of those children?

Just when Anriche was breathing in the air around her.

“Ma, Madam.”

A panicked voice was heard.

‘Huh?’

With her eyes wide, she looked back. The butler was peering at her with a firm expression.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. It’s about the job you asked me to do the other day.”

As soon as she heard his words, the heartwarming smile on her mouth disappeared in an instant. She quietly nodded her head.

“Tell me.”

The butler nervously swallowed his dry saliva. Recently, Anriche had become the dignified mistress of Valois all of a sudden.

The butler carefully opened his mouth.

“Actually, Meg was…”

***

Finally, the conversation with the butler ended.

After confirming that there was no one around, the butler first left the living room. Anriche, instead of leaving right away, waited a little more.

‘First, I’ll have to give Meg some more time to move.’

After successful stealing, Meg would surely move the maids as she planned. To create a public opinion against Liliana, she would need testimonials from several people. Since she was currently receiving blind loyalty from the maids, she would somehow try to use the maids to create a public protest.

‘I really hope she doesn’t…’ Anriche narrowed her eyebrows.

Even considering the trust Elliot had in her, she hoped that Meg would not do anything wrong. ‘Because if Meg really does something wrong, Elliot will get very hurt.’ Meg was the employee that Elliot was the closest to. If he found out that his dear nanny was stealing and trying to blame Liliana for the sins…

Anriche was sure that Elliot’s heart would be hurt.

So, after enough time has passed.

‘This would have been enough time.’

She slowly took her steps to her room.

“…”

As she walked across the hallway, she felt the gaze of some of the maids following her as if observing her behavior. ‘I knew it would be like this…’ The actions of Meg and the maids matched exactly with her expectations, which made Anriche feel certain.

“There, you.”

Pretending to be calm, she called out one of the maids.

“I’m thinking of rearranging my clothes again. Can you help me?”

“Yes, of course!” The maid scurried to her.

Anriche went back to her room and sat down in front of the dressing table. The maid who had been brushing her hair carefully asked her questions.

“Do you want your hair done, madam?”

As if she was hoping that Anriche would open her jewelry box.

She shrugged lightly.

“It would be nice to change decorations as a refresher.”

The moment she heard the order, a glow sprung over the maid’s face. Anriche opened the drawer slowly and pulled out her jewelry box.

The maid swallowed her dry saliva. ‘Okay, as long as the madam discovers the brooch is gone…’ Like what the head maid, Meg, said, she would definitely make a lot of fuss about it. ‘As long as the house is turned upside down, the girl from the Aberyt family will be accused of stealing.’

The confident voice was sweet in her ears.

‘I mean, the madam’s brooch, well hidden in the girl’s belongings.’

Clink.

The jewelry box was opened. Anriche looked down inside her jewelry box with an unemotional gaze.

‘…So, it’s true.’

A bitter taste filled her mouth.

As the butler said, the amber brooch was gone.

‘She must have taken the brooch that I used a lot on purpose.’ That way, she would notice right away that the item was gone. The meticulous malice was disgusting.

Anriche bite her lips.

“Madam, what’s wrong?” Then, the maid asked a question. There was a slight anticipation in her voice. Seeing the maid eagerly waited for her reaction, Anriche smiled with her eyes.

“Oh, I was thinking for a while what to do with the hairpin.”

Moments later, she picked up a hairpin, which was studded with rubies the size of her nails.

“Let’s use this.”

“…What?”

“What’s wrong? Let’s use this.”

Anriche’s eyes became thin.

‘H-huh?’

The maid opened her eyes wide. Although the empty spot where the brooch was placed stood out, the madam’s expression was still calm.

‘Hoo, if it had been the usual madam… By now, she must have left after screaming?’

However, Anriche simply just closed the jewelry box with a gentle touch, put the box back in the drawer, and glanced up at the maid with curious eyes.

“What are you doing, standing there blankly?”

“Ah, yes! Yes.”

The maid, who came to her senses, began busily teasing her hands with a confused face.

Anriche stared through the mirror silently and studied the maid’s face. Violet-colored eyes suddenly sank coldly.

***

After some time had passed.

The two little kids, who had been playing and running around in the garden, ran towards Anriche.

“Mother! Look at this!”

Liliana was holding a variety of flowers in her hand.

“I think it would be pretty if I put them in mother’s vase!”

“Oh my, thank you.”

“Oh, I didn’t pluck it recklessly, too. I took it with permission from uncle gardener!”

It was so lovely for her to add an explanation in such a sincere way.

Anriche smiled in her eyes. She took the bouquet and buried her nose in the blossom.

“It’s adorable, and the scent is really good as well.”

Hearing her words, Liliana blushed her cheeks and smiled widely back. On the other hand, Elliot’s face showed that he was deeply troubled by something.

Anriche sneaked up to him.

“Elliot, what’s going on?”

“What?”

“Your expression looks serious.”

“Ah… well.” Elliot, frowning for a moment, carefully opened his mouth.

“Mo, mother.”

“Yeah?”

He touched his lips for a while, but in the end, Elliot couldn’t say anything.

“No, it’s nothing.”

When he saw Meg before, truthfully, she looked very suspicious. Nevertheless, he promised not to tell mother…

Who could he trust if he couldn’t trust Meg?

She was like a family to him.

“…”

So, this will be fine.

Elliot hesitantly shook his head.

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