Who Brought the Head Maid Back? - Chapter 33

“Your Highness, you are about to formally become the Grand Duke. How are you feeling right now?”

When Amy approached and asked, Noah looked up from his speech and gave her an awkward smile.

“Hmm, it is not particularly pleasant. I feel like a peacock in a birdcage.”

Amy scanned Noah from head to toe and curled her lips upward.

“You look nothing short of magnificent, though.”

“If I have to do it, I might as well try to be the most splendid peacock possible.”

Noah muttered, looking down shyly, but soon furrowed his brow.

“I won’t have to do this often, will I?”

“A scale like this? Perhaps once or twice a year.”

The New Year’s banquet and the meetings convened in the autumn after the harvest for production reports and tax payments were indispensable.

‘Besides, I will have to restart the Spring Festival as well.’

It was a great opportunity to promote the Grand Duke who brought spring back to the North. She could not miss it.

“Who in this world lives only doing pleasant things? Everyone lives by enduring and bearing with it,” Amy replied perfunctorily while smoothing the medals and insignias on Noah’s formal attire with her hands. She then looked up and gave him a bright smile.

“It may feel painful right now, but from a distance, life is a journey that draws an upward curve, however gradual. That is the flavor of life, Your Highness.”

“There are things I enjoy even now.”

Noah’s eyes, scanning Amy, emitted a glow of admiration. However, Amy, busy checking his grooming, did not see it. She tilted her head.

“By the way, Your Highness, it seems you have grown a bit taller since coming here.”

“Is that so?”

In fact, Noah felt it too. He often woke up at night because his joints ached so much. Amy gauged his height against her own with her hand and said, “Before, you were shorter than me, but now we are about the same. It has not even been a few months; when did you grow like this?”

At her tone, which sounded like she was cooing at a child, Noah pouted his lower lip.

“I will grow more. Much taller than Amy.”

“Of course. I hope you grow tall and sturdy so that your figure can be seen from even outside the castle walls.”

As Amy giggled, covering her mouth with her sleeve, the tension in Noah’s face melted away. Watching this scene from behind, a strange glint appeared in Mrs. Weaver’s eyes.

Amy led Noah, saying it was time to head to the hall. The two descended the stairs of the inner castle side by side, conversing.

“So, Mrs. Weaver sent that spy maid away.”

As soon as Amy finished speaking, Noah turned back to Mrs. Weaver.

“In any situation that might be dangerous, make sure to be accompanied by guards or knights.”

“I will keep that in mind, Your Highness,” Mrs. Weaver replied demurely. She felt quite good that he had spoken out of concern for the servants.

“So, did she leave quietly? She did not cause a scene?”

At Noah’s question, Mrs. Weaver’s expression turned awkward.

‘The scene was caused by the other maids.’

Led by Cecil, the notoriously rough maids had dragged the bribed maid out and laid out all sorts of threats. In doing so, they subtly impressed upon her that the Crown Prince’s side was far more dangerous than they were.

The maid, who had kept her mouth shut at first, eventually began to pour her heart out while shedding streams of tears. Cecil and the maids were so skilled, alternating between sympathy and scolding, that they finally succeeded in extracting every detail.

‘Are these really ordinary maids? I would believe it if someone said they crawled up from hell.’

Mrs. Weaver marveled internally but replied properly on the outside.

“I persuaded her gently. She seemed completely swayed by the warning that the Crown Prince’s side might attempt an assassination.”

“They would not leave a loose end. You evacuated her well.”

As Noah turned to speak, Mrs. Weaver stared at the back of his head with an expression of surprise. He cared more about the spy’s safety than what information was gathered. He was quite different from the masters she had served before.

She hesitated before asking cautiously, “I thought you might be angry that I did not lock her in the dungeon, but.”

Noah replied indifferently, “How much significant information could a maid who has only been here a short time possibly have?”

“It is more likely that the maid did it because she was threatened rather than because she wanted to, right? Honestly, my brother’s charm is not quite at that level.”

“Pfft.”

Amy, who burst out laughing instinctively, quickly straightened her face.

“My apologies.”

“It is fine.”

Noah grinned broadly as if he were in a great mood. This made Amy even more embarrassed. Noah deftly changed the subject.

“What kind of Grand Duke should I appear to be to the people?”

“What kind of Grand Duke do you want to be? Have you ever thought about it?”

“No, I have not.”

At Noah’s answer, Amy lowered her gaze silently. It was entirely Amy’s responsibility that he had become a Grand Duke he never even wanted to be. She had pushed for it because it was the best way to escape a miserable life and avoid conflict with the future Crown Prince, but to Noah, it must be no different from a sudden accident.

‘Still, there is a new path here.’

And even if there was not, she was confident she could forge a path for Noah as he wished. As Amy was lost in thought, Noah looked around and revealed his inner feelings.

“But, I think I like it here.”

His words relieved a significant amount of Amy’s guilt. As she let out a sigh of relief internally, Noah added, “So, I want to become the kind of Grand Duke Amy wants.”

“I think it would be better for you to think about that yourself.”

When she spoke out of shyness, Noah nodded.

“I will.”

Then, remembering something, Amy spoke to him cautiously.

“By the way, for this banquet, I hope you will not be looked down upon. They are bound to underestimate you because you are a young Grand Duke.”

“I suppose so.”

“But then again, appearing too oppressive is not good either. You have to show a generous side as well, right? Ah, it is difficult.”

“Well, it will work out somehow.”

As Amy grimaced and scratched the back of her neck, Noah spoke lightly. He then peeked at her and asked, “But, do I really have to recite the manuscript Joseph wrote exactly as it is?”

“The speech? It is not strictly necessary. Even the Emperor of the Empire just says a few simple words to enjoy the banquet. Since this banquet doubles as your inauguration, more eyes will be on you, but you can do whatever you want, Your Highness.”

When Amy asserted this, Noah clutched his chest with an exaggerated gesture and laughed, even wrinkling his eyes.

“Really? I can do whatever I want? Will Amy protect me?”

“You are stating the obvious.”

Amy put on a coy expression. But her heart was sincere.

“Making Your Highness happy is the goal of my life.”

To be precise, it was one of her goals for this life, but she intended to work harder and serve him so that he would feel it was a good thing he became the Grand Duke.

Amy suddenly realized the surroundings had gone quiet and looked up. Not only Noah but even Mrs. Weaver was looking at her with a strange expression.

“Why are you all looking at me like that?”

When she asked in confusion, Noah, whose cheeks had turned red, wiped his face with one hand and let out a short breath. Mrs. Weaver said nothing, but her gaze toward Amy somehow contained a hint of pity.

‘What is with that look, as if seeing a beast caught in a trap?’

Amy tilted her head. Mrs. Weaver recalled the time when she was grooming the Grand Duke with Rita before Amy arrived.

The Grand Duke had obediently complied with their various requests to stand here or stretch his arm there, but he never initiated conversation unless it was absolutely necessary.

Even when he did speak, his tone was so stiff that one might wonder if they were being interrogated. So, to have a joke-filled conversation with the Grand Duke like this? It was unimaginable.

‘He was like a still life object on a table, but the moment the Head Maid entered, he came to life.’

Even the rambunctious Rita and Marie were demure in front of the Grand Duke. It was the complete opposite of how they acted coy and sweet toward the Head Maid.

People with sharp instincts like Rita and Marie can tell immediately when someone is beyond their match, someone they must bow down to. And they had judged the Grand Duke to be such a person.

‘But that is not my judgment yet.’

Mrs. Weaver, who had been disappointed by her previous masters more than a few times, braced herself. While it was true she had landed a job far beyond her career and status, she wanted to see if the Grand Duke was a master worthy of her full loyalty.

The three of them, lost in their own thoughts, descended the stairs and stepped into the courtyard. Vernon and the knights who were waiting there gave a disciplined salute to Noah.

“Let us go.”

Noah, who received the salute with a nod, unhesitatingly made his way through the crowd and took the lead. He then walked toward the hall where the banquet was being held.

The sight was so beautiful and majestic that those who saw it would talk about it long afterward.

Upon arriving at the hall, they found that the guests had not yet fully gathered. Noah, Amy, Rita, Marie, and Cecil decided to wait in a small waiting room near the hall.

Familiar people were in front of the waiting room. As soon as Amy saw them, she grimaced. They were the Crown Prince’s attendants.

Sure enough, when the door to the waiting room opened, the Crown Prince was seen leisurely drinking tea inside.

“Amy, come in.”

The Crown Prince gestured with a look of delight on his face. Amy swallowed a sigh and entered with Noah. Noah sat in a chair, and tea was served soon after.

The Crown Prince stared intently at Noah, who was drinking tea composedly, and gave a small snort.

“Dressed up like this, you actually look somewhat the part.”

Amy’s eyebrows twitched. But Noah did not get swept away; he smiled calmly and set down his teacup.

“It would have been difficult to achieve this without Head Maid Amy.”

“I suppose so. At least you are aware.”

The Prince was already fuming over losing Amy, and seeing the boy show up with a polished face after receiving her devoted care made him feel like his stomach was turning. Furthermore, he still did not know the reason why Amy had left him.

The Empress said she had run away after realizing she could not become the Crown Princess, but he did not believe it. Amy had never been greedy for that position from the start.

The Crown Prince sneered, “Amy must have suffered a lot, taking a kid who knows nothing and setting up the system from scratch.”

At that, Amy, standing behind Noah, replied calmly, “Perhaps because I have done it once before, it was quite manageable.”

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