Who Brought the Head Maid Back? - Chapter 38

“Pardon? Partners?”

“Actually, I consider Amy to be more of a close friend than just a partner. How about you, Amy?”

Noah looked up at Amy cautiously. Her small, refined face was etched with worry.

‘Friend.’

The thorns she had bristled due to the bitter experiences of her previous life gradually settled. Amy replied with a face that looked genuinely relieved and full of joy.

“If you would allow it, I would like to think so as well.”

In a way, Noah was the first footprint Amy had carved out for herself. Entering the Imperial Palace at a young age had also been her choice, but that had been a decision made purely for her own survival. It wasn’t for an altruistic reason like this case with Noah.

Meeting Noah had changed many things for Amy. One of those changes was the joy and fulfillment she felt when acting for the sake of another. To Amy, who originally had little interest in others, it was a strange and memorable experience.

Noah, knowing that his words and hers were misaligned, curled his lips into a weak smile.

“Yes. This is for the best right now.”

“Pardon?”

“I said it’s better for me to rest a bit more.”

“Ah, right. Then please rest well. I’ll take my leave now.”

Amy tidied Noah’s bedding with an affectionate touch before withdrawing. Noah, buried in the blankets pulled tightly up to his neck, stared blankly at Amy’s retreating figure.

Just as she was about to open the door and leave, Amy turned back.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“There is no rat in the world as large as Your Highness. Please use a different analogy in the future.”

She then bowed with a strict expression and left the chamber.

Noah blinked blankly for a moment before burying his face in the blanket and letting out a laugh.

Once the door closed, Rita, the maid who had been standing in the corner, let out a small sigh. She approached the bed, hands on her hips, with a look of utter disappointment.

“Your Highness, are you even trying?”

“Do I look like I’m playing around?”

Noah replied sullenly, not even sparing her a glance. Rita shook her head silently.

She and Noah were partners of a sort. Noah wanted Amy as his companion, and Rita wanted Amy as the mistress of the Grand Duke’s castle. The two, whose interests aligned, were carrying out a secret plan.

It had all started when Noah, after sparring with Dwayne, demanded to know how to handle women as a reward for his victory.

‘To think you would ask Dwayne something like that.’

Jack had shook his head. Noah knit his brows and asked curiously.

‘Is Dwayne not popular? I saw when we came to the North, his partner changed in every village. Surely that’s possible because he has a secret to capturing a person’s heart?’

‘Uh, about that.’

Jack and Bradley looked at each other awkwardly. Noah spoke firmly.

‘I don’t need two. Just one person is enough.’

‘Well, the thing is, Your Highness. It’s not that Dwayne has a technique for seducing many people.’

Stumped on how to explain it, Jack scratched the back of his head. Unable to watch any longer, Bradley cut in.

‘That guy just gets dumped that many times. That’s why he’s always meeting new women. As you can see, his outer shell is excellent.’

‘The moment they learn his true nature, the fantasy ends.’

‘And the relationship is finished.’

Jack and Bradley competed to denounce Dwayne. Noah, seeing Dwayne’s bashful smile, took on a face of realization.

‘Ah.’

In other words, Dwayne simply had a high turnover rate for moving on to the next person.

‘Yep. So you could say he’s the least suitable advisor for Your Highness’s concerns. Unless you want to get dumped quickly.’

‘Then Jack and Bradley, you think of something.’

‘Pardon? Us?’

Jack and Bradley, who had been excited to tease Dwayne, opened their eyes wide at the sudden lightning bolt. It seemed this was what the Grand Duke meant when he said that if he chose Dwayne, they would automatically come along.

Dwayne snorted and waved his hand.

‘These two are even more hopeless than me, Your Highness. They’ve never even dated anyone.’

‘I’ve just dated quietly. It’s you who’s weird for shouting about such private matters to the whole neighborhood.’

‘…Said Bradley, who hasn’t even held a woman’s hand yet.’

‘I have!’

Ignoring Bradley and Dwayne as they began to bicker again, Jack crossed his arms and knit his brows.

‘Wouldn’t it be… manners?’

Noah nodded.

‘One must maintain etiquette before hearts can truly connect.’

‘That way, she won’t be repelled in the beginning.’

‘Manners.’

As Noah chewed on the word, Rita, who had been eavesdropping from a hiding spot, snorted and walked forward.

‘A group of men who don’t even know the size of a booger about a woman’s heart gathering together? This will go just great. Yes.’

Since it was true they didn’t trust each other, the men couldn’t even make an excuse and just darted their eyes around. However, Dwayne bravely raised an objection.

‘Use something other than a booger.’

Jack let out a groan. Was that where the dissatisfaction lay?

Rita thought for a moment and held up her index finger.

‘Then, a sleep crust?’

‘That sounds better.’

Once Dwayne stepped back satisfied, Jack stared silently at the ceiling. Rita looked at Noah and emphasized.

‘Anyway, keep this in mind. The very first thing to do is lower her guard.’

Noah listened intently to Rita’s words. Since Rita was like the queen bee of the Grand Duke’s castle, he thought she would have a special secret.

Noah asked, looking as if he were ready to write down every syllable.

‘Lower her guard? You mean become familiar?’

‘Exactly. My goodness, why would a person with such excellent understanding come to this mud pit to ask for advice?’

Jack and Bradley remained silent and stared into the distance. Dwayne tilted his head beside them.

‘Your Highness, did you go to a mud pit too?’

Rita ignored him and continued.

‘So, at the very least, you must build enough intimacy that there is no hesitation regarding touch.’

Noah murmured, lost in thought.

‘If it’s touch, I’m already doing that.’

‘You mean while being served? That is an advantage.’

Rita nodded.

‘It’s a relief. If you didn’t even have that, it would have been impossible from the start.’

Noah shuddered slightly, recalling Amy’s personality. He couldn’t imagine approaching her outside of their master-servant relationship.

Rita looked at Noah with pity and said, ‘Anyway, I hope it goes well. If there’s anything I can help with, let me know anytime.’

She then bowed politely, turned around, and walked away with a light step. Noah stared blankly at her retreating figure before turning to the three men.

‘Did I ever say who the target was?’

Jack and Bradley stared at Noah with the same look they gave Dwayne. It was even more surprising that he thought they wouldn’t know. Only Dwayne replied brightly.

‘No! You didn’t! Wow, I’m really curious who it is.’

Since then, Noah had been relying entirely on Rita. Knowing this, Rita stood with her arms crossed, looking at Noah with a hint of insolence.

“So, what were you two talking about just now?”

Because the inner chamber was so vast and Rita had been standing by the door, she couldn’t hear the whispered conversation they shared up close. As Noah revealed the details calmly, hiding his frustration, Rita grimaced.

“She stiffened when you held her hand? Hmm, that’s a bad sign.”

Noah, whose heart sank, quickly added.

“That’s why I quickly drew the line at being friends.”

“Oh, before the Head Maid could reject you? You’re quite something, Your Highness. And then what? Did she lower her guard?”

Rita’s eyes sparkled as she urged him to continue. After all, watching a fire and listening to someone else’s romance are the most interesting things in the world.

“She did.”

When Noah replied bitterly, Rita shook her head and spoke triumphantly.

“Don’t worry too much. There’s a saying in the Eastern Continent. One step back to move two steps forward!”

“Is that so?”

It was an enticing thought. Rita grinned and clasped her hands together.

“Yes. It’s actually a good thing, isn’t it?”

“How?”

“Because under the name of ‘friend,’ you can boldly perform intimate acts. Of course, nothing extreme, but things like holding hands, supporting her, feeding her… things like that?”

“I like the sound of that.”

Just the thought made his heart race. Even now, Amy would touch Noah’s body without hesitation when serving him. However, it felt so much like ‘work’ that he felt disappointment before he could even feel the flutter of excitement.

‘Yes, time is on my side.’

He was impatient, but he resolved to take it slow. Sometimes when he talked about the future, she would subtly change the subject, but it didn’t matter. He had no intention of letting her go easily, and if push came to shove, he would simply follow her.

Noah’s world consisted of 99% Amy and 1% everything else. His desire to be a good ruler was all because Amy was here. So, what if Amy disappeared? Nothing else could be meaningful to Noah.

Rita, completely unaware that her lord could easily abandon this place, was currently talking about something else.

“You know James, right? The son of the Head Maid, Mrs. Weaver. He says he wants to see Your Highness as soon as possible.”

“James Weaver?”

Wasn’t that the young man who was physically impaired? He wondered why he was making an urgent request at a time like this. As Rita took Noah’s robe from the screen and draped it over her arm, she said:

“The Head Maid is probably meeting him first around now.”

“……”

Curiosity quickly turned into displeasure. It was because he remembered that the man’s face was smooth enough for women to like.

“Rita.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Rita, who was looking around the chamber for laundry, walked over to the bed at Noah’s call. Noah stared at her with a serious expression.

“I have a high opinion of you.”

“Usually, bad things follow words like that.”

Rita’s expression turned sour. Regardless, Noah continued.

“So, I want you to answer honestly.”

“I’m confident in that, so say anything, Your Highness. I assume I don’t have to worry about the consequences?”

“Is James Weaver more handsome, or am I?”

“……”

Rita’s face crumpled into a mess of disbelief.

Support