Who Brought the Head Maid Back? - Chapter 43

“You’ve returned safely.”

Jack offered a faint smile at her words, which were laced with relief.

“It wasn’t as if we were fighting a battle,” he replied.

Unlike Dwayne, Jack looked haggard, as if he had endured significant hardships, yet he answered humbly. He then looked Amy straight in the eye and nodded silently. It was a sign that the mission was a success.

Amy smiled, her tension visibly easing.

“Well done. You’ve both worked very hard.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

As the atmosphere grew warm, Dwayne suddenly barged in.

“Head Maid! I really did suffer quite a lot! I searched through every little temple, inspecting nameless graves one by one.”

“Hey, I told you to be quiet.”

Jack quickly hooked his arm around Dwayne’s neck, but it wasn’t enough to stop his mouth.

“It was so exhausting, I felt like throwing up. I was gagging every single day.”

“Shut up! I said shut it!”

Jack struggled to cover the man’s mouth with his hand, but Dwayne skillfully dodged by jerking his head from side to side. Amy’s face contorted.

“Oh dear, you certainly went through a lot.”

Amy signaled to Jack with her eyes that it was alright. Only then did Jack release his grip and let Dwayne go. Dwayne blinked a few times, then clamped both hands over his own mouth and shouted:

“Head Maid!”

His tone was so clearly moved that Amy found herself bewildered. Dwayne ran up to her in a single bound, his eyes sparkling.

“But I didn’t actually throw up! So please, don’t worry, Head Maid!”

“That’s a relief.”

Amy wondered when exactly she had expressed worry, but she offered a response rooted in her excellent social skills. Of course, she could swear that from the moment she first saw Dwayne until now and into the future, she had no intention of ever worrying about him. Dwayne threw his head back and let out a loud laugh.

“If I had known you were worrying about me like this, I would have taken my time with the investigation!”

“That would be a problem.”

Amy furrowed her brow, wondering if he had forgotten the order to find it as quickly as possible. Dwayne laughed even louder.

“I’m a bit of a problematic man. Hahaha!”

“Anyway, you did well. His Grace is currently in lessons, so rest until you see him later.”

Feeling a headache coming on, Amy decided not to engage with Dwayne any further and turned away. Dwayne’s cheerful farewell echoed behind her.

“Yes, Head Maid! Watch your step on the way out!”

“ ”

Amy clutched her forehead and whispered to Mary.

“Could you get some headache medicine from the physician for me?”

Mary glared at Dwayne from head to toe.

“Wouldn’t hitting that man be more effective than medicine?”

“The urge is certainly there, but what can we do? We must endure.”

Dwayne watched with a satisfied expression as the two women walked away, conversing.

“And here I thought the Head Maid hated me? Turns out she’s just shy!”

“Sure. Think whatever you want.”

Jack shook his head, thinking he should also go to the physician for some headache medicine.

Once the lessons were over and Noah returned to his office, Amy had a servant summon Jack and Dwayne. Noah’s eyes shone with curiosity.

“Did they say they truly found it?”

“Yes.”

Amy wondered how large the magical artifact they brought back would be. If it were too big or heavy, it would be difficult to move.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, which swung open roughly.

“Your Grace!”

Dwayne cried out in a mournful voice, as if reuniting with a fiancé after three years of separation, and rushed in with his arms wide open. However, Noah was no easy target.

“Stop.”

“Yes, sir.”

Noah restrained him like a seasoned animal trainer, and Dwayne immediately obeyed like a dog begging for praise. Jack stood a distance away, looking utterly disgusted.

Amy clutched her hands to shift the mood.

“Report your return to His Grace first.”

As if waiting for those words, Jack stepped forward and bowed politely.

“As ordered, I have returned with the item.”

“Did you bring it? Where is it?”

Noah asked, scanning Jack. Amy also knit her brows. Neither Jack nor Dwayne appeared to be carrying anything.

Jack reached into his tunic and placed something on the desk. It was a statue the size of an adult’s palm. Noah picked it up carefully, inspected it, and whispered softly:

“Is this the one, Amy?”

“If you found it in the grave attached to the temple within that estate, then yes. There couldn’t possibly be another. Besides,”

Amy took the statue from Noah and rubbed it gently with her fingers.

“The material is similar to the previous magical artifact. I asked a blacksmith, and he said it was difficult to identify exactly what it is.”

“Then this must be it.”

Noah nodded toward Jack and Dwayne.

“Good work. You’ve both been through a lot.”

“We simply followed orders.”

The faces of the two men, having finally truly completed their mission, brightened. Amy placed the statue back on the desk and spoke.

“We need to head up the Black Mountains around next week. The ice on the mountain is melting, so it won’t be as difficult as before.”

“Wasn’t it urgent? Why not go sooner?”

When Noah looked puzzled, Amy shook her head disapprovingly.

“I intend to move after the Crown Prince of the Empire departs.”

At that, Jack asked in surprise:

“Didn’t the banquet end a long time ago? Is he still here?”

Dwayne also blinked his eyes like an ox, looking flustered. Amy frowned and addressed them.

“That’s how things turned out. And the one guarding him is Captain Martin of the Imperial Guard.”

“What?!”

Jack and Dwayne’s jaws dropped simultaneously. A moment later, Dwayne roared in anger.

“Wait, does that bastard know where he is right now?!”

“What about Captain Vernon? Did they clash?”

Jack looked as if he wanted to run to Vernon immediately. Noah spoke up.

“He said he’s fine. He seems to be suppressing them better than expected.”

“Well, our Captain is quite flexible and good at handling things.”

Only then did the worry fade from Jack’s face. Dwayne was still huffing in anger, but no one paid him any attention.

“Don’t even think about seeking out Captain Martin to cause a scene.”

Amy warned, keeping her eyes fixed on Dwayne. She thought she was glaring quite chillingly, but unfortunately, Dwayne interpreted it differently. He shyly clasped his hands together.

“Head Maid, are you worrying about me again? Well, it makes sense; I was a bit immature in the past, wasn’t I?”

Seeing his brazen face acting as if he were now mature was almost staggering.

“This isn’t worry, it’s, no, never mind.”

Amy wrinkled her nose and waved her hand dismissively. Noah gave them the order to leave.

“You must be exhausted, so go and rest.”

The two left the office after paying their respects. Dwayne remained noisy even as they exited; he ranted about how the Head Maid wouldn’t know if he visited Martin secretly and insisted on challenging him to a duel immediately. Jack tried to dissuade him, asking if he wasn’t afraid of the consequences.

Amy was speechless. Did they really think she couldn’t hear them shouting right outside the door?

‘I want to crack his head open and take a look inside.’

She was certain she’d find nothing but something the size of a walnut. Amy shook her head and muttered.

“Now that Dwayne is back, the castle is going to be noisy again.”

“ ”

Noah stared at her without a word. Amy waited quietly, thinking he had something to say. But when he just continued to gaze at her, she knit her brows.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

“I heard you went to see my brother a few days ago?”

“Ah.”

Amy, who had completely forgotten about meeting the Crown Prince, let out a late exclamation.

“I heard rumors that he had stopped eating and drinking, and I went to see him lest the Grand Duchy be held accountable for no reason.”

“ ”

Noah lowered his eyes for a moment, lost in thought. Lest they be held accountable. He made a vow to himself. He would raise Amy so high that no one would ever dare speak such words to her again, to a position where she could never be held accountable by anyone.

Unaware that he was clenching his teeth with such thoughts, Amy grumbled.

“Fasting, my foot. He’s eating so well his face is practically glowing with oil. I almost had to complain to the Empire for sending a pig instead of a Crown Prince.”

“Pfft.”

Noah covered his mouth with his fist and laughed shyly. The sight was like a flower blooming in the shade, and Amy stared at him blankly, momentarily lost.

“Hmm, so Amy, you don’t have any feelings left for my brother?”

Noah narrowed his eyes slightly as if testing the waters, his fingers tapping rapidly on the desk. His anxiety was so transparent that Amy let out a breathless laugh.

“Feelings? Those vanished a long time ago.”

Because of her grudges from before her regression, Noah had nearly died right in front of her. While she had struggled to cut off those old sentiments all at once, that was a long time ago.

As she turned truly solemn, Noah stopped his restless hands and let out a shallow breath.

“Then that’s enough.”

“ ”

Amy gazed at him for a moment before speaking.

“He is someone who will return to the Imperial Capital in a few days. We won’t have any reason to see him again.”

At those words, Noah looked up and met her eyes. He then widened them intentionally.

“Are you comforting me right now?”

“Is this a moment that requires comfort? Weren’t we talking about something pleasant? For example, finally kicking out a giant rat?”

As Amy playfully arched an eyebrow, Noah grinned, baring his teeth. Amy smiled back, feeling a sense of pride for some reason, when suddenly there was a knock and Mrs. Weaver rushed in.

“His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince says he is leaving this very day.”

“!”

The two looked at each other in surprise.

At that same moment, Dwayne and Jack were unintentionally clashing with the Crown Prince’s knights. Jack felt wronged while Dwayne was excited. It was the Crown Prince’s knights, not them, who had picked the fight first.

The Crown Prince’s knights, wandering the outer castle courtyard, had spotted Dwayne winking and smirking at the maids. They swarmed and surrounded the two.

“Look who it is. Isn’t it the dogs who ran away with their tails between their legs after losing the fight?”

The largest knight among them stepped forward boastfully. He was a close associate of Martin and had been on bad terms with Bradley since their time at the Imperial Palace.

Thinking things had become troublesome, Jack irritably scratched his cheek and glanced sideways.

“You aren’t going to fall for such a low-level provocation, are you, Dwayne?”

“Hey, what do you take me for? I hear things like that from Bradley every day; it doesn’t even tickle anymore.”

Jack sighed as he watched Dwayne puff out his chest and speak with swagger.

“What a thing to be proud of.”

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