IWMBS 7

Now all I had to do was secretly follow the Grand Duke using the information I’d gathered.

‘In other words, I’d be keeping a close eye on him.’

Fortunately, Lillian’s body was exceptionally skilled at concealing its presence, just as one would expect from a spy. Even the notoriously sharp-eyed head maid hadn’t noticed me following anyone around.

However, there was one problem…

‘Lillian, you can take care of this part.’

‘Once you’re done, could you help us over here too?’

‘The head maid is coming!’

‘Gasp! Lillian, could you finish this for me?’

‘Lillian—’

The life of a maid was busy.

Really, incredibly, ridiculously busy!

There was always a mountain of work waiting to be done every day. No matter how much I wanted to put in some extra hours, finding the time was difficult.

The only opportunities I had were during breaks, after meals, and once my regular work was finished.

‘Even those times are flexible depending on how quickly I finish my tasks…’

In any case, it was clear that I needed to do some preparation beforehand if I wanted to make the most of these spare moments.

‘Faster! More efficiently!’

In the end, I began sharing all the modest housekeeping tips I’d been secretly keeping to myself.

Well, they weren’t anything particularly impressive.

Things like explaining that baking soda was better for removing grease when washing dishes, or that using a brush made it easier to clean the corners of window frames.

Even so, those little tips noticeably improved everyone’s working speed.

And then…

“Everyone, I think Lillian is about to start!”

“Pay attention, everyone.”

“Watch carefully and learn!”

I became the God of Dusting.

Pababababam—!

Two feather dusters shaped like tennis rackets swept mercilessly between the blankets.

Holding my breath so I wouldn’t inhale the dust, I swung both arms without stopping. My movements were incredibly fast and precise.

Whoosh—!

Of course, there was always the possibility of the blankets getting tangled around the dusters. But that wasn’t much of a problem for me.

All I had to do was alternate between the two dusters and strike them down one after another.

“Wow, she’s so fast!”

“Her wrist movements are incredible!”

“W-what is that girl?!”

The maids working alongside me watched in amazement, while the male servants passing by stared in disbelief.

I couldn’t help feeling a little proud.

‘No, wait a minute.’

But… was this really right?

I’d originally started doing all this so I could keep a close eye on the Grand Duke. Why did it feel like I was just doing even more work instead?

For a moment, indignation welled up inside me.

Did I really have to go this far just to catch a glimpse of the master of the residence?

What on earth was I doing with my life?!

“Lillian, could you dust this carpet too?”

“We already tried, but I don’t think we did a very good job.”

“Sure, I’ll be right there!”

…Still, work was work.

And so, once again, I swung my feather dusters toward another carpet.

At the same time.

Raymond, who was walking down the second-floor corridor, suddenly stopped.

“…I can’t even see her hands…”

“…How is that even possible…?”

“…I mean, that’s amazing…”

Unclear murmuring drifted in through the window. It sounded a little noisier than usual.

‘Hmm.’

Without giving it much thought, he glanced outside.

And the sight that greeted him left him utterly dumbfounded.

“What on earth are they doing…?”

A brown-haired maid was enthusiastically dusting something with both hands.

The servants were watching her in admiration.

And then, moments later, applause broke out.

‘Why…?’

Raymond couldn’t make sense of the situation at all.

Just then, Dylan, his aide who had been following behind him, heard his muttering and answered.

“It appears she’s dusting a carpet.”

“I can see that.”

At such an absurdly obvious answer, Raymond furrowed his brows.

However, Dylan, his aide and a former comrade who had once fought alongside the Grand Duke on the battlefield, remained unfazed.

He was already accustomed to his superior’s reactions.

“Ah.”

Then, as though something had suddenly occurred to him, Dylan let out a small exclamation.

“That’s the maid Mr. Peter mentioned.”

Peter…

Raymond knew him well. He was the head chef of the Grand Ducal Residence.

Having spent his time on the battlefield surviving on nothing but rations and military provisions, Dylan had developed a particular obsession with fine dining.

That was also how he had become close friends with the head chef, despite their considerable age difference.

In any case, anything coming from the head chef was likely to be fairly accurate and detailed information.

Raymond gave Dylan a look, silently telling him to continue.

“Apparently, although she’s quiet and diligent, she wasn’t particularly good at her job. But recently, her skills have improved tremendously.”

Washing dishes, cleaning, doing laundry, and so on…

Dylan listed several examples of the tasks maids usually performed.

“Apparently, she’s also been suggesting quite a few innovative methods over the past few days.”

“…”

“What was it again…? Baking soda? Baking powder? Something along those lines, I believe. Well, I’m not particularly knowledgeable about such things.”

Dylan shrugged playfully and laughed.

However, at some point, his superior had stopped paying attention to him.

‘Suddenly, you say…’

Even as the Grand Duke pondered, Dylan continued speaking.

“Mr. Peter seems rather eager to bring her into the kitchen as one of his maids—”

You’re getting rather long-winded.

Raymond interrupted him.

“Look into it.”

“Pardon?”

Dylan turned toward his superior with a puzzled expression.

The Grand Duke lightly tapped the window with his finger and said,

“Find out what she’s plotting.”

Ugh, my entire body was aching.

Even though Lillian’s body was sturdy, it was only natural to feel exhausted after doing two or three times as much work as everyone else.

‘Besides, I didn’t gain anything useful today either…’

Aside from receiving praise for being exceptionally good at dusting.

A sigh escaped me.

At this rate, even if I were given five months instead of five days, I wouldn’t be able to learn anything meaningful about the Grand Duke.

Thud… thud…

Although I was finally heading back after finishing my work, my steps felt unusually heavy.

It was as though I’d been saddled with a mountain of tasks I hadn’t even wanted to do, only to drag myself home after clocking out.

I was seriously beginning to question whether I was even suited for this job when—

“Good evening, Miss Lillian.”

Startled!

I instinctively took a step backward.

But the moment I recognized the person standing before me, I blinked foolishly.

“Sir Aide?”

I’d seen him several times while walking through the main building.

Sir Dylan, the Grand Duke’s aide.

We hadn’t formally introduced ourselves before, but it was easy enough to figure out who he was just from hearing the other maids mention him.

“This is the first time we’ve had the chance to introduce ourselves properly.”

“Y-yes, I suppose so…”

But why were we formally introducing ourselves in the first place?

The position of the Grand Duke’s aide was certainly not an idle one. So why would someone like him come looking for me?

I hid my wariness and forced an awkward smile.

Dylan naturally continued the conversation.

“I’ve heard quite a lot about you from Mr. Peter. He says you’re very diligent and well-mannered.”

The head chef?

I knew he liked me, but that was a much more generous assessment than I’d expected.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’ve just completed your probationary period.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Even so, you seem to have quite an exceptional talent for being a maid. Exceptional enough that Mr. Peter is eager to recruit you into the kitchen.”

“I’m sure the head chef is just being kind and thinking highly of me.”

Contrary to my worries, the conversation continued in a rather friendly atmosphere.

My guard was gradually beginning to come down when—

“However…”

He drew out the word before looking straight at me and asking,

“Why have those talents only begun to shine now?”

“…!!”

“And so suddenly, at that.”

Gulp.

I reflexively swallowed.

Otherwise, I felt as though a scream might burst out of my throat against my will.

“For someone who was previously inexperienced at her work, the change seems rather significant to be dismissed as simply getting used to the job. Both your skills and your personality have changed.”

“…”

“It’s almost as though you’ve become an entirely different person. Naturally, I couldn’t help but grow curious.”

“…”

“What exactly is the reason?”

Thump, thump, thump.

My shrunken heart began pounding irregularly.

“Th-that…”

Without realizing it, my gaze fell toward the ground.

It felt as though he already knew everything about Lillian’s true identity before even coming to see me.