IWMBS 9

Fortunately, Lillian was an incredibly fast runner.

It was only after running for quite some time that—

“Huff, huff…”

I finally managed to catch my breath after making it around to the back of the main building.

“Th-that was dangerous.”

Those reflexes just now were far too sharp for an ordinary maid. It was almost as if I had undergone some kind of training.

‘I don’t know how skilled Lillian actually is, but…’

At the very least, she was skilled enough to make a knight suspicious.

I should stay away from the eastern annex for a while. Clenching my little fists, I made that vow.

Fortunately, I had no reason to go to the eastern annex.

As always, there were already more than enough volunteers.

‘Who knew I’d ever be so grateful that it’s difficult to see the knights!’

Although I had to give up one of the places the Grand Duke frequently visited, the activities there were predictable anyway. Either watching training or sparring. Neither seemed to require particularly close surveillance.

So I deliberately took a roundabout route toward the western annex. Since I had eaten dinner earlier than everyone else, I was taking a walk alone under the pretext of helping my food digest.

‘What should I do about the report?’

The deadline was getting closer, but I still hadn’t discovered anything particularly useful. All I had was the suspicion that the Grand Duke was a serious homebody…

‘Could they come looking for me at night again?’

Even though my report had been deemed insufficient, I had submitted one. Surely they would give me a little more time?

Was there any way I could buy myself some time?

Should I just write outright that they needed to wait a little longer?

‘Ugh, this is driving me crazy!’

It wasn’t as if I were some author being chased by a deadline…!

Even back in my previous life, when I juggled three or four part-time jobs and tried to coordinate my schedule, I had never felt this overwhelmed. This new life I’d stumbled into was proving to be anything but easy.

‘No, things would be so much better if I had even a little of Lillian’s memories!’

Wait a minute.

Come to think of it… her memories had surfaced before, hadn’t they?

‘When was it?’

The first time was when I discovered the secret letter.

I hadn’t remembered everything clearly, but I had been able to decipher all the codes written in it. I’d even found the spy equipment hidden away in my room.

The next time was when I discovered the unfinished report Lillian had written.

That time, the memories had come back rather clearly. Thanks to them, I was able to write coded messages and exchange secret letters.

And finally, when I caught the piece of a wooden practice sword that had flown toward the back of my head.

At that moment, I’d experienced a strange sense of déjà vu. It was almost as if Lillian’s memories had been engraved in her body.

‘And all of these things…’

They were related to espionage!

A shiver ran down my spine.

‘D-don’t tell me that the more I do things like that, the more of her memories come back? Because that’s Lillian’s true identity?’

Of course, it was a bit of a stretch to draw that conclusion from these clues alone. Still, it wasn’t entirely implausible.

‘In other words, it’s worth trying at least once.’

Gulp.

I swallowed and slowly assumed a stance. Then I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Whoo…”

This was the reality I had found myself in: possessing the body of a spy disguised as a maid.

The strange employer and difficult target of my espionage, the Grand Duke of Pelliam.

And the strange, mysterious aide who served him.

Swish…

I could no longer hear anything.

I was focused entirely on myself.

My eyes snapped open.

I swung my arm in an instant.

“Haaah!”

Whoosh!

My right fist cut feebly through empty air.

“Hup!”

Whoosh!

My left fist followed suit, cutting through the air just as uselessly.

“Yah!”

Wobble!

My clumsy kick threw me off balance.

“Hah, hah…”

After several more attempts—

I finally realized something.

‘This… isn’t working?’

I felt a little embarrassed.

Honestly, I’d expected something to come back to me, or at the very least for my body to move instinctively, like it had when I’d caught that piece of the wooden practice sword.

‘Do I have to feel like my life is in danger?’

I wasn’t sure how the mechanism worked, but this method clearly wasn’t it.

‘W-well, there are still other possibilities!’

I’d just have to consider this attempt worthwhile for the experience.

There would probably be more opportunities to recover my memories in the future. …Probably.

“Ugh!”

I straightened my back, which I’d bent while catching my breath. I’d apparently pushed my body harder than I expected.

I quickly walked away from the spot.

“…”

Completely unaware that someone had been watching me.

The Grand Duke of Pelliam’s office.

Dylan, standing before his superior, spoke up.

“She was throwing punches.”

“At whom?”

“At empty air.”

Raymond’s expression twisted slightly.

But Dylan paid it no mind and continued.

“Naturally, her technique was extremely clumsy. Still, there seemed to be a surprising amount of determination behind it… Perhaps there was someone she wanted to beat to a pulp.”

“Hmm…”

“Oh, and she also explained that her recent change in behavior was due to her shyness. Apparently, it takes her some time to adjust to her work and become comfortable around people.”

Shy?

Raymond let out a hollow laugh as he listened. Dylan, however, nodded to himself and continued.

“To be honest, I’m rather shy myself… so I can understand.”

“Really? That’s information I have absolutely no curiosity about, no desire to know, and no reason to trust.”

“That’s harsh, Your Highness.”

“Enough. Next.”

Dylan had been about to say something else, but he gave up. It wasn’t as if Raymond would listen anyway.

Instead of continuing his pointless complaints, he brought up something that might get a reaction out of his superior.

“I also think the accident she had recently may have had something to do with it.”

Right. The accident.

She had certainly changed after that day.

“Servants slipping on the stairs isn’t particularly unusual, but being unconscious for two whole days is certainly not common.”

At the time, Raymond had been away from the Grand Ducal Residence, so he couldn’t know exactly how the accident had happened. Hadn’t the doctor said that she seemed to have hit her head quite hard when she fell?

‘Could it really be something as simple as that?’

Honestly, it was plausible. It wasn’t uncommon for people to change after experiencing a serious accident.

And yet, for some reason, Raymond’s instincts were warning him that something else was going on.

“I’ve also grown through life-and-death situations on the battlefield, so I think Miss Lillian has a point.”

“Sometimes, it takes something much smaller than you’d expect to change a person.”

“…”

“Whether for better or worse, it can—”

Just as Dylan was about to continue his explanation, Raymond ran a hand through his hair and spoke.

“Dylan.”

“Yes?”

“Why don’t you keep your mouth shut for a moment? Before you change for the worse in earnest.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dylan promptly fell silent.

Only then did Raymond relax his furrowed brow and return to his thoughts.

Tick, tock.

The second hand of the clock in the office continued its steady rotation.

Temporarily deprived of his voice, Dylan quietly watched his superior.

Something was definitely strange.

‘Why is His Grace acting so strangely all of a sudden?’

Raymond Pelliam was a more rational and meticulous man than anyone else.

Whether as a Grand Duke or as a commander on the battlefield.

Of course, around those close to him, he sometimes joked and showed a more easygoing side. But with everyone else, he was so cold that he could almost seem inhuman. The servants of the Grand Ducal Residence were even afraid of him.

‘And yet…’

Recently, he had been paying an excessive amount of attention to a maid named Lillian.

It seemed that he suspected her of being a spy, but for someone who held such suspicions, his response was strangely half-hearted.

It certainly wasn’t the reaction one would expect from a man who had recently discovered and ‘dealt with’ another spy who had infiltrated the residence.

“Shall we keep watching her for a while?”

Still, when your superior tells you to kneel, you kneel.

Dylan, who had been silent for some time, asked cautiously.

Raymond considered it briefly, then shook his head.

“No.”

Then, grinning as though he’d just thought of something amusing, he said,

“I’ll find out for myself.”

…For some reason, Dylan had a bad feeling about this.