“Is my feminine charm not affecting you? Ha, it seems you really do prefer men.”
Mary stood up, grinding her teeth, her face filled with disgust. Rumors had circulated that he was either impotent or preferred men, and it seemed they were true.
“I’m about to die, so speak as you wish. Are you going to kill me with your mouth?”
When Carl didn’t even bother to draw his sword, Mary bit her lips hard. He was far too confident, as expected of a sword master.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not alone.”
“I know that too.”
Carl flicked his hand toward the right wall. A faint flash of aura shot from his fingertips toward the other assassin hiding in the room.
“Even your escape route was predicted.”
*How?* Carl smiled coldly, like a reaper. Every assassin sent to kill him had died peacefully.
—
“I’m sorry.”
“When the fallen are treated, add special extra training for them.”
“Yes.”
The guards had woken up late. At the lord’s command, Chloe, the deputy commander of the knights, responded with a stiff face and bowed. She was furious upon learning that the lord had contacted the knights through the servants to deal with the assassins.
“Since she was a maid we saw often, I’ll train the knights more thoroughly. I’ll exclude those with less experience.”
Chloe was still so angry that she ground her jaw while speaking. Carl chuckled lightly.
“Do that. That’s how they gain experience.”
“But the lord must not be put in danger.”
“Didn’t you say the lord is strong, so we can relax?”
“That was a joke! It’s good we kept one alive. I’ll investigate their background as much as possible. Rest well.”
Carl looked around the tidied room and lay back on the bed. Sleep wouldn’t come. He didn’t know when he’d be able to sleep peacefully again. He raised his hand to cover his eyes. He had to sleep early for work the next day.
The next morning, Chloe arrived early.
“My lord, the assassin who broke in last night is dead.”
“And the result?”
“They confessed nothing and took their own life.”
“As soon as my parents returned to the capital, the conspirators multiplied.”
While the family’s enemies worked tirelessly to target Carl in a desperate attempt to reduce the duke’s influence, their efforts had been futile since he became a sword master. Yet the enemies never stopped sending assassins at every opportunity.
The Empress Dowager, who would never claim the throne even if she wished, continued to suspect Carl relentlessly. The more she provoked him, the more he refused to back down easily.
“Dangerous thoughts are swirling in your mind again, aren’t they?”
Chloe asked, noticing his twisted smile.
“Even if they confessed, they’d have already cut their ties.”
The Empress Dowager’s assassins were not a means to catch her. They were mere mercenaries, doing anything for money. They left no evidence to reveal their identity.
“Next time, call us immediately if an assassin enters.”
“It’s bothersome. Besides, I need to move my body every now and then.”
“Then I’ll dismiss all the knights starting now. What’s the use of guards who can’t protect their lord?”
Carl teased her, saying, “Shouldn’t you start with yourself first?”
“Thanks to our strong lord, the knights can’t rest. I’ll make them work harder.”
“I’ll rely on the deputy commander then.”
Chloe left, still fuming, after bowing to him.
“The deputy commander seems really angry,” Robin remarked.
“She’s the one who jokes the most, but she ignores it in these situations.”
“Maybe because you joke at the wrong times, my lord.”
Robin was closest to the truth. Carl shrugged, as if protesting that he’d done nothing wrong.
“Handling it myself is faster than waiting for the knights.”
“That’s why Chloe gets mad. You’re stealing the knights’ work. That’s overstepping.”
“She’ll stay mad for a while.”
“The deputy commander isn’t like you, my lord. By the way, what do we do about the bedroom maid?”
“What’s the issue with her?”
“The assassin last night… she was the bedroom maid.”
“I know. Leave it as is. The servants will handle the cleanup.”
“But the maid’s position needs to be filled.”
“No need. In fact, let’s appoint a man this time. No more unnecessary seduction attempts like last night.”
Attempts to seduce Carl into bed weren’t a one- or two-time occurrence. Most ended in failure, turning into desperate attacks that completely shattered any romantic notions or illusions he had about women.
“There’s a nice girl I was thinking of. What do you think?”
Robin pretended not to hear his lord’s words and brought up the person he had in mind. He was certain she’d be a good fit.
“Do as you wish. Send this to the knight commander.”
Carl handed a stack of signed papers to Robin, who bowed deeply and left the office. Without knowing who the girl Robin was thinking of was, Carl quickly forgot the matter.
A few days later, Elena stepped out after being told a maid from the main palace was looking for her. She looked downstairs, where she met Bessie’s eyes, who was waving with a smile.
“What’s up?”
Elena hurried down to the hallway and asked, while Bessie bounced with excitement. Her hurried movements were laced with mysterious joy.
“We need to hurry! Lady Willa requested you!”
“Lady Willa?! Are there guests coming to the side wing?”
“I haven’t heard anything about guests. Maybe she wants to transfer you to the main palace!”
Bessie couldn’t hide her excitement and grabbed Elena’s hand eagerly.
“You’ll definitely be appointed as a maid in the main palace! Because you’re the most capable among all the trainees!”
“But they said you have to work in the side wing for at least a year before moving to the main palace!”
Elena had only joined the duke’s household a month ago, so it seemed far too early for a transfer to the main palace.
“Well, a maid was recently sacked, right?”
“Oh, you mean that rumor?”
“Yes! Mary, the maid for the lord’s bedroom. She bragged about managing his room, then made a huge mistake. Maybe you’ll be in charge of the lord’s room instead?”
“Bessie, I wish you wouldn’t say such scary things!”
Panic flashed across Elena’s face, while Bessie laughed, trying to reassure her. Those close to important figures were always under scrutiny. Envy and jealousy were inevitable. Elena preferred to keep the young duke as a distant, unattainable figure.
She didn’t want to get entangled in complicated matters. A casual relationship where she could learn sword techniques from him now and then was more than enough.
It seemed Mary, with her suspicious scents, had attacked the lord and ended up dead. Elena had no interest in a room frequented by assassins daily.
“Anyway, the servants will handle the cleaning. All you have to do is organize the lord’s personal belongings and bed. He’s not a hard-to-please lord.”
In truth, he had been kind when teaching her swordsmanship. What really worried her was the organization. She was the type who avoided touching things to not disrupt order.
*Not touching things keeps the room looking clean. But now I have to organize someone else’s room?* Organizing and arranging were her worst skills. Apart from swordsmanship, she was eccentric in everything else.
“Let’s hurry! Lady Willa hates delays!”
Bessie, speculating about why Lady Willa had summoned Elena, glanced at the clock, startled, and quickly pulled Elena along. Lady Willa was always kind and friendly, but terrifying when angry. Elena made sure not to run as they headed toward Lady Willa’s room.
*Knock, knock.*
She tapped the door lightly with a lively rhythm, neither too trivial nor too heavy. When she learned how to knock on doors here, Elena thought the duke’s household was insane. She’d heard the imperial palace was even worse, and she felt relieved she’d never applied to be a maid there.
“This is Elena Lewis.”
Upon stating her name, she heard a command from inside to enter. Bessie, who had come with her, said, “See you in the main palace!” before returning to her duties.
“Come here, dear.”
Lady Willa welcomed Elena with a smile. Another maid in the room was preparing tea.
“Sit here.”
Lady Willa gestured to a seat. Elena sat with perfect posture, her back straight.
“Is working in the side wing suitable for you?”
“Yes. Everyone there is excellent. I always get help.”
The maid carefully placed teacups in front of Lady Willa and Elena before leaving. Lady Willa smiled with satisfaction at Elena’s response.
“That’s good. We plan to add more new staff to the side wing.”
Elena paused for a moment as she lifted her teacup, then sipped slowly.
*There isn’t much work in the side wing, so why add more people?* Something felt off. If the staff increased, work would be more comfortable. But more staff also meant more tasks.
“Really? Are there new areas that need managing?”
If there were more tasks, hiring more people made sense. Elena quickly began thinking about how to distribute the new staff.
“The side wing will be managed by another maid. You’ll be in charge of Lord Carl’s bedroom now.”
“What?”
Shocked by the sudden statement, Elena’s reaction made Lady Willa cover her mouth and laugh.
“It’s a very quick promotion, isn’t it? But someone was impressed by your work. You did well at the last banquet.”
“I only followed orders. I have no talent for organizing or decorating. How dare I take responsibility for the lord’s room? I can barely manage my own!”
Elena said with a grim face, as if she were the furthest thing from organized. But Lady Willa reassured her that it wasn’t difficult at all.
