CHAPTER 32

Killian's brow twitched momentarily at the title Cliff used. But it's actually not a strange title. I always called her 'that woman', too.

"That's because i don't care. That woman, why?"

"I heard that she is going to work under Linan's surveillance from today."

"It seemed so."

"So I asked Linan to stop by. To ask him if he noticed anything unusual."

Cliff lifted his teacup in an elegant manner. He still seemed convinced that Edith was the culprit in the document leak.

"There must have been a strange feeling from the first day."

"But just in case. Because Linan is quite sharp."

And then, a few moments later, Linan really came.

"You called."

"I'm sorry you must busy, Linan. It's nothing but. . . . . Edith, under your surveillance, starts from today, right?"

Killian didn't like the words Cliff was using. What do you mean surveillance. Of course, there is a purpose of surveillance, but it's was to help mothers work. Edith even asked the mother to put someone who could monitor her first. Killian drinks his tea to cover his mouth with his teacup to hide his displeasures. Then Linan replied in his characteristically emotionless voice.

"I know I've been told to make sure the documents Miss Edith touches properly so that there is no risk of loss, but to be clear, Miss Edith there to help me do my job."

"That's it. Anyway. . . . . what does it look like to you? anything suspicious?"

Linan was in silent for a moment as he thought back to the morning he'd worked with Edith, then spoke slowly.

"I can't say for sure, Just briefly see her today. However, to be honest, I'd say. . . . . "

Killian was so nervous about what he was going to say that he had forgotten to drink his tea.

"She seemed to be very meticulous in her work. She has great focus, understanding, judgment, and most importantly, persistence. I don't think the environment in my office could have been satisfactory to the eyes of the noble lady, but she worked diligently without any complaints."

"I've never heard you praise someone like that before. She must have been trying pretty hard to please you. huh?"

"I don't know. after all, I've only seen her this morning."

"Well. . . . . okay. I got it. I might call you again next time. Don't let down your guard against that woman."

Cliff encouraged Linan and sent him back. But next to him, Lizzy dyed her face and said shyly.

"I think Linan has a crush on Edith. I've never heard that person praise someone like that before."

Cliff sighed at the words.

"Linan is usually not a person who is shaken by emotions. . . . . "

"Well, there is no way in this world a person has no feelings? Also, Linan isn't married yet, and Edith is pretty. . . . . that's certainly possible."

When Lizzy opened her mouth, she was always lovely, but Killian was offended by Lizzy's words for the first time today.

'I know we're married only on paper, but I still can't believe Lizzy said something like that in front of me, her husband, when I'm sit right next to her. . . . . '

No, it's not only on paper anymore. Because i've already slept with Edith. But I couldn't bring myself to say that.

"No way. I believe in Linan. I've been watching Linan for years. It's because you don't know how harshly Theo taught Linan?"

Theo Filch carefully educated his successor, Linan, from top to bottom. Even the strict duke enough to say that it was too much. However, Linan built up his skills by accepting his father's education without hesitation. and thanks to that, from a young age, he was able to assist the duke in his domestic duties. There's one thing Theo taught Linan, then was not to feel anything but loyalty to his master's family. At that time, there were often noble ladies who ran away after having an affair with a servant, so Theo put a lot of emphasis on that to Linan.

"Moreover, Linan, who wasn't swayed by you, beauty couldn't be swayed by Edith either."

"Kil, Killian!"

Lizzy was flustered with her cheeks flushed.

"You're playing tricks on Lizzy again."

Cliff sneered from the side. It was routine. but Killian's feelings were quite different from before.

'It's nothing. . . . . "

Every time I said something about my heart to Lizzy like a joke, it was heartbreaking every time Cliff laughed as if he was pitiful next to him. But now, it didn't matter. In fact, I was more concerned about something else than that.

'. . . . . I don't really think Linan has a crush on Edith, did he?'

I said I'd trust Linan, but we never know. Linan was blunt even in front of Lizzy's beauty, but Edith beauty type was different from Lizzy beauty.

'We don't even know if Linan taste was a woman in sensual beauty.'

Well, if you face such a sensual woman for hours in a closed room, just the two of them are alone and facing each other. . . . .

'Linan is a man too, so he might have been shaken up. Or maybe he got a wild imagination, if she was trying to seduce you. . . . .'

I felt my stomach clench as I thought and imagined Edith kissing Linan and raising her moist eyes, and Linan looked ascetic at the same time.

"If you're done talking, I'll get up first."

"Uh? Already?"

"I have to go down to the Ryzen estate with father next week, so I have a lot to prepare."

"Okay, you can go first,"

Lizzy looked a little flustered and tried to grab Killian, but Cliff waved his hand, saying goodbye like he always does. I used to hate it and would sit all the way to the end, but now I could get up and leave first. The painful days imagining what Cliff and Lizzy would have done if they were left behind seemed to feel distant. Right now, I'm more concerned with the relationship between Linan and Edith than anything else.

'I'm worried about Linan. Maybe she might be trying to seduce Linan too. . . . . You never know something may happen when I'm in my absence, right?'

Though he thought the bad thing was Edith, Killian gritted his teeth, thinking of Linan.

***

Three times a week, i helped Linan with his work, enjoying my hobbies, and occasionally chatting uselessly with Killian. I waited for the start of a new episode. When I looked back through my memory about the original story, it seemed that the episode confrontation structure between Lizzy and Edith was about to begin. And a few days after Killian had gone with the Duke of Ludwig on his inspection of the estates, the Duchess called me and Lizzy and said.

"Next month, the Countess of Ermenia is holding a bazaar. So, starting tomorrow, there will be an embroidery meetup at her house. You guys should be there, too."

The bazaar episode was about to begin. You may wonder what the bazaar has to do with the embroidery meeting, but that was the setting in this novel. It is said that the items that elegant ladies present at the bazaar are mainly embroidered works And close wives formed an embroidery group to prepare for the bazaar, and this year's meeting place for the embroidery group to which the Duchess belonged this year was, also at Duke of Ludwig. It was the place where the main character lived.

"My skills are not very good. . . . . I don't know if I'm bothering you for no reason."

Lizzy answered modestly as the main character, but in fact, I was not good enough to offer. In the meantime, I've been embroidering myself as a hobby, but I'm still at the level of putting a very basic stitch. Even the original editor had a little memory of embroidery, perhaps because of her poor embroidery skills.

'So how's it going?'

After all, it was an event to promote friendship and raise donations, so it didn't really matter if you had a great skill or not. I just said I would attend and focused on preparing my embroidery tools. It's was fun to have the equipment when you want to start something. The next day, I had to face the eyes that were looking up and down at me for the first time after a long time.

"As you all know, this is my daughter-in-law, Miss Edith."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Edith Ludwig's. I'm not good enough, but I'll do my best."

I was introduced by the Duchess and bowed politely, but the members of the embroidery group seemed to think of me as a 'Riegelhoff family pawn'. Well, sort of, the people in this house are still there, but who are these people?

"And this is Miss Lizzy Sinclair, who is staying at my house as an honored guest."

"Hello, I'm Lizzy Sinclair. Please teach me a lot."

Lizzy, who smiled brightly, was greeted with a lot of friendly atmosphere.

'It's a perfect environment for a good person to be a bad person,right.'

Somehow, i feel offended the friendly response only to Lizzy. But anyway, what I wanted was not a future where everyone became kind to me. But the Ludwigs family I'm going to live with, To be more precise, only Killian didn't have the idea of killing me.

'It's about choice and focus, selection and concentration.'

Once I started thinking about it, I didn't feel so bad about the way the ladies were treating me. When each other's greetings were over and embroidery time began in earnest, the talented wives picked up a pretty large frame and announced their plans to make a masterpiece. As I took out the small embroidery frame to place the embroidery on the handkerchief, I was slightly embarrassed, but then I realized that Lizzy. . . . . huh? what is that?

"I'm was trying to embroidering a wildflower garden on a muslin shawl that I recently finished."

"Uh-oh! that would be really pretty. Did you make that shawl yourself?"

"Yes. I wove it myself with the help of my bedchamber maids. It's a little sloppy, but. . . . . "

"That's sloppy! It's so well made, right? It's amazing that you know how to handle looms!"

I can't believe she's embroidering a shawl that big. . . . . is that what Lizzy did in the original? Rather, I think Lizzy embroidered a handkerchief, and Edith ordered the maid she brought over to buy a very large piece of work. . . . . that's it, but it's not clear.