IWMBS 8

‘Then does that mean everything I’ve done so far has also been—’

‘No!’

What exactly had I done…?

I’d nearly been stabbed in my sleep out of nowhere, but somehow managed to get through the incident without anyone finding out.

I’d submitted reports about the Grand Duke, but they were criticized for containing insufficient information.

I’d even tried keeping an eye on the Grand Duke, but ultimately, I hadn’t gained anything particularly useful.

‘Besides, I haven’t really done anything suspicious enough to get caught.’

If they had any solid evidence, they would have dealt with me long ago, just like Subject No. 32… right?

Therefore, this was most likely some kind of entrapment operation!

I forced myself to raise my head and answered confidently.

“I’m just very shy around people.”

Dylan raised one eyebrow. His expression suggested that he’d heard every ridiculous excuse imaginable.

But the more suspicious things became, the more shamelessly I needed to act.

“I-It’s difficult for me to get close to people until I become familiar with them. I also make a lot of mistakes when I’m working!”

“Oh?”

“But now I’ve gotten used to things a little, that’s all.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. My personality really was like that.

However, Dylan was still looking at me with suspicious eyes.

In the end, I had no choice but to bring out my ultimate trump card.

“People say that surviving a life-threatening situation can change a person, don’t they? I also went through an accident like that recently, and I think I gained some new perspective from the experience…”

Dylan, who had been listening quietly, slowly nodded.

“Yes, I understand.”

Fortunately, it seemed my excuse had worked.

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but Dylan added something else.

“Sometimes, even the smallest incident can change a person’s entire life.”

“……”

“For better or for worse.”

His green eyes stared straight at me, almost as though they could see right through me.

There was something rather meaningful about his words.

“Then I’ll be taking my leave, Miss Lillian.”

Before I could say anything, however, he gave me a slight bow and walked away.

Left alone, I simply stood there in a daze for quite some time.

What had he meant by that?

The words the aide had said yesterday kept circling around in my head.

‘Sometimes, even the smallest incident can change a person’s entire life.’

‘……’

‘For better or for worse.’

Perhaps he’d said it without any particular meaning, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling it left behind.

‘Honestly, the Grand Duke and his aide…’

The more I thought about them, the more uncomfortable and strange they seemed.

I pouted my lips and silently complained about the two of them in my head.

Just then, a shadow fell over me.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Ah, Anna.”

It was Anna, who had finished work a little later than I had.

She wiped her wet hands, which had gotten damp from washing dishes, on her apron before plopping down beside me.

“Are you done already?”

“Yeah. Some of the girls asked me to help them with a few things.”

Help them?

I tilted my head in confusion.

Anna answered casually.

“They just asked me to finish a few things for them. That’s all.”

Even after hearing her explanation, I still couldn’t quite understand.

‘Those girls aren’t the type to ask for something like that.’

And Anna wasn’t the type to quietly accept such requests, either.

As I silently shifted my eyes around, Anna seemed to belatedly remember that my memories weren’t entirely intact. She quickly added an explanation.

“Today is the day of the knights’ group training, remember?”

Ah, now I remembered.

For the past few days, the knights stationed in the eastern annex had come up in conversation from time to time. There had also been talk about their group training.

‘The knights, huh…’

They were the very men who had faced life and death alongside the Grand Duke and played leading roles in the war.

Despite living in the same Grand Ducal Residence, they were people we rarely had any opportunity to encounter.

That was because the eastern annex fell under the servants’ area of responsibility, and the knights even worked in rotating shifts.

We only occasionally ran into them when we had errands to run near the eastern annex.

‘Thanks to that, the maids were always fiercely competitive with one another.’

The knights were incredibly popular among the maids.

Healthy bodies and minds, the honor of being a knight, and even the reward money they’d received for winning the war!

It would have been stranger if they weren’t popular.

The problem was that we rarely even got to see their faces, so even the smallest errand became something worth competing over.

“Are you going to watch them too, Lillian?”

Officially, watching the knights’ training was prohibited. There were concerns about information leaking out, and it could also potentially disrupt their discipline.

However, the monthly group training sessions were a little different.

It was possible to sneak a peek!

‘Well, that’s mostly because security becomes lax when nearly all the knights are participating in training.’

Thanks to this arrangement, the maids could preserve their romantic fantasies while simultaneously boosting the knights’ motivation.

It was a win-win situation.

I’d even heard that the captain of the knights tacitly approved of it.

‘Come to think of it—’

Even though it was break time, hardly any maids were sitting around here.

Especially the younger maids who usually spent time with us.

While I’d been lost in thought, it seemed they’d all headed over to the eastern annex.

“Anna, aren’t you going to watch?”

“Not particularly.”

There were some faces she didn’t want to see, either.

At my question, Anna suddenly frowned.

Did she have someone she disliked among the knights?

Just then, another voice interrupted us.

“Hmph! Everyone’s so easily distracted.”

It was Ivy, who had finished her work earlier and was already resting.

She casually straightened her clothes and grumbled, half to herself.

“Do you really think the Grand Duke or the knights will even notice you just because you sneak a peek at them? If you work hard like I do, you’ll have plenty of opportunities…”

What? The Grand Duke?

Without thinking, I turned to look at Ivy.

‘The Grand Duke is going to be there too?’

Actually, when I thought about it, it made perfect sense.

The knights of the Pelliam Order were the Grand Duke’s comrades-in-arms, and he frequently visited the training grounds in the eastern annex even on ordinary days.

“What are you looking at?!”

Ivy snapped irritably when she noticed my gaze.

I shook my head vigorously and gave her a bright smile.

“Thank you, Ivy!”

Then I sprang to my feet and hurried outside.

“W-what was that—?!”

I could hear Ivy’s bewildered voice behind me, but I didn’t stop.

Perhaps because of the group training, there were fewer people moving around than usual.

After briefly checking my surroundings, I quickly made my way along a secluded path.

Tap-tap-tap—

The eastern annex wasn’t directly connected to the main building, but it was actually closer than the western annex.

The route was simple, too.

‘And there are places to hide.’

Perhaps to keep outsiders from watching the training, the area surrounding the training grounds was enclosed by bushes and trees.

Thanks to that, it wasn’t a bad place to conceal myself.

As long as I hid properly, that was.

I headed toward a spot I’d noticed while wandering around near the eastern annex in an attempt to keep an eye on the Grand Duke.

I needed to move as quietly as possible, concealing my presence as I made my way—

Flinch!

Something felt strange at the back of my head.

Instinctively, I turned around and caught whatever had been flying toward me.

Thwack!

Something hard landed in my hand.

When I opened my palm, I saw a piece of a wooden practice sword about the length of my hand.

‘W-what is this?’

I was startled by the unexpected situation.

Yet, at the same time, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as though something like this had happened to me several times before.

I was still staring intently at my palm when—

“Huh…?!”

A young knight with exotic features was pointing at me with a completely dumbfounded expression.

…Apparently, something had gone wrong.

“How did you catch that?”

The young knight quickly regained his composure and asked me in a serious voice.

Flustered, I immediately tossed the piece of the wooden practice sword onto the ground.

“I-I just happened to…”

“A piece of wood flying at you from behind, and you just happened to catch it?”

“I-I was lucky…”

“You…”

The young knight approached me with a stern expression, taking long, deliberate strides.

At the threatening sound of his footsteps, I instinctively stepped backward.

Just then—

“Hey, rookie! Where did you wander off to again—”

“You little rascal!”

“Didn’t he run off again?”

“What are you talking about? His Highness will be arriving soon—”

Hearing the voices nearby, the young knight turned around.

Apparently, they were calling for him.

‘Now’s my chance!’

Taking advantage of the moment when his attention was elsewhere, I quickly made my escape.