Chapter 25

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 25

Chapter Title: Suspicious Maid in the Hallway

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“How long are you planning to stay in there?”

The duke’s chilling voice made me clutch my pounding heart and slowly lift my head.

“Uh, heh heh heh…”

Is he that mad?

Ha, well, I did yank his pant leg pretty hard…

As I hemmed and hawed, he straightened up and commanded me.

“Come out.”

I wanted to come out.

But I was scared…

What if he was furious about my crazy stunt and decided to kill me?

I shook my head frantically, trembling all over.

“Ahahaha, he, here’s fine. It’s surprisingly cozy and nice…”

“Will you come out if I smash the desk?”

Why are you so violent…?

Unable to take the pressure, I crawled out on all fours and stood rigidly in front of him.

But I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes, so I kept my head bowed low.

“……”

Then the duke called out to me again.

“Hey, Princess.”

“S-Sorry!”

Fine, strike first with an apology!

Besides, it was the only thing I could say.

By his logic, he had no obligation to help a kingdom as foolishly duped as Salt.

I felt terribly sorry for making him change his mind about rejecting the envoys’ unreasonable request just because of my stubbornness.

Of course, the people themselves were innocent.

But at the same time, the Duke of Brail had no duty to consider those commoners either. They weren’t his people, after all.

I fidgeted restlessly, avoiding the duke’s gaze.

But then…

“…Hoo. No need to apologize for that.”

“Pardon? What do you mean…”

His unexpected words made me slowly raise my head, only to find the duke wearing a terribly smug grin as he asked haughtily.

“Tell me, Princess. Did you think I was some kind-hearted volunteer or philanthropist?”

“No?”

No way in hell. Not until the sun rises in the west…

I shook my head immediately.

Amused by my reaction, the duke smirked with one corner of his mouth and added crisply.

“Let’s call this the real price of the dam construction.”

“Ah, uh…”

“If you get it, you’re free to go. To your room.”

The duke pointed to the small adjoining chamber(?) right next to us.

Normally, he’d use his own room and I’d have my separate one, but…

With no telling how long Salt’s envoys would stay, I was using the side room attached to the duke’s vast bedroom.

“Ah, yes.”

Sure enough, I nodded eagerly as if I’d been waiting for it.

It was such an easy resolution—and he was letting me off so lightly—that something felt ominous, but…

For now, let’s rest.

Whether from the extreme tension under the desk or not, my legs felt like jelly as I headed to my room.

No, maybe it was because I could feel the duke’s piercing stare boring into my back…

Anyway.

“Haa.”

The moment I got back to my room, exhaustion crashed over me.

Maybe that’s why I flopped straight onto the fluffy bed and closed my eyes.

Yeah, this was paradise.

Q. Describe how it feels to live in the room attached to the duke’s five-star hotel suite-level bedroom.

A. I am eternally grateful. I shall devote my entire life to unwavering loyalty, so please confine this humble servant to this room and breed me to your heart’s content.

This was basically the answer straight from the heart.

Even though we technically shared a bedroom (in the broad sense), the duke guaranteed my privacy perfectly.

That’s how, from the moment we arrived at the Magic Tower until now, I’d been able to binge all the comics I hadn’t read in ages and have a blast.

On top of that, with only the duke’s personal aides accompanying us and no Bonita around, I didn’t have to force small talk that didn’t suit me.

True freedom!

I’m thrilled!

Heh heh heh.

As I giggled and flipped through the comics like mad, a sudden thought made me bolt upright.

“Wait a sec.”

Wasn’t now the one time I had virtually no surveillance?

The realization hit me like a lightning bolt.

This is a golden opportunity!

Even better, the duke had a packed schedule today and couldn’t do anything to me.

“What are you planning to do today, Princess?”

“Me? Just hole up in here like a dead rat…”

“Not much different from staying at the duke’s residence.”

“Ha, haha… yeah?”

“Well, I’ll go meet the Tower Lord then.”

I pulled out the hammer I’d kept tied to the bed leg, just in case.

Finally, the day to use this thing.

The moment we arrived at the Magic Tower, an unexpected Salt envoy storm hit, and otherwise the duke was always there, so I had to behave.

In the process, I’d nearly forgotten my mission—but I couldn’t let that happen.

I slowly examined the hammer in my hand, my eyes gleaming.

Even a stone bridge needs a good tap before crossing.

Then, before starting anything, I opened the door and checked the surroundings.

The empty hallway was cleared out for the duke’s privacy—no one in sight.

“Phew.”

The duke’s afternoon schedule was completely filled with his meeting with the Tower Lord, and all his aides would be going along.

So, if I handled everything(?) before he got back and pretended to have been lounging with comics when he arrived, it’d be the perfect crime.

But…

Is this really okay?

I’d come here determined to smash the core from the start, but now that it was go-time, my maxed-out social office worker soul was throwing up roadblocks.

Don’t stir up needless trouble—you’ll just tire yourself out.

Hesitating, I pulled a bag from under the bed and launched into fierce self-justification.

Strictly speaking, isn’t this less an accident and more a plan to save the Magic Tower?

The ends justify the means, right?

“Let’s call this the real price of the dam construction.”

But at the same time, the duke’s unexpected kindness came to mind.

My heart kept skipping beats at even simple words, making it hard to tell if this was Stockholm syndrome or the suspension bridge effect.

Get a grip.

Kaian Brail was murderously handsome—but he actually committed murder too.

More than that, in the original story, he was a sub-male lead who took an interest in Remeia Salt’s pure innocence.

The author had forced the matchup with no real connection, so it had zero impact, but still…

If the original plot’s power kicked in, who knew how he’d flip the moment he actually saw her.

In that case, I had to forcibly suppress my fluttering heart all the more.

Smash the core first, think later.

Shaking off the hesitation, I pulled out the maid outfit I’d smuggled in the bag and changed into it.

…And the pitch-black mask too.

With all preparations complete, I stepped out hesitantly and slowly walked the hallway—only to catch my reflection in a mirror I happened to pass.

W-What the…?

I hadn’t noticed when checking alone, but this was a sight to behold.

“Heh.”

A maid outfit, complete with hammer and mask.

It screamed “I’m super suspicious!”

But I desperately tried to delude myself.

M-Maybe it’s fine?

This was the Magic Tower, after all—a place where all sorts of people and tastes gathered.

Yeah, sure. Maybe a masked maid was just one of the world’s diverse flavors and they’d accept…

it, obviously.

F-First, do the deed and retreat.

Disguises and sneaking just weren’t my thing, after all.

Judging that there was no way I could reach the core looking this pathetic, I hurriedly turned on my heel.

And that’s when I ran smack into him.

“What are you doing here?”

Liam—who’d been about to greet me, one hand extended—froze solid.