Who Brought the Head Maid Back? - Chapter 48

Amy placed the neatly folded letter onto the altar and pressed it down with a heavy stone to keep it from blowing away. She then took a step back.

“Let’s head back now.”

As Amy turned around, Dwayne started, looking back and forth between Amy and the altar.

“Pardon? You’re finished? That’s it?”

“Yes.”

Leaving behind the bewildered gazes of the group, Amy crossed the clearing toward the cliff, recalling her memories from before the regression.

One day, while she was locked in the dungeon, a talkative guard had brought her news that the North had been turned upside down.

‘You know those foreigners from beyond the Black Mountains who kept invading the North? Well, it turns out they had a good reason to be greedy for Northern territory.’

The family that ruled the Viscon clan had a structure where the eldest son monopolized everything for generations. However, trouble arose when the previous leader finally had a long-awaited son and the child grew to a certain age.

The midwife who had delivered the son confessed that she had swapped the baby. The clan was thrown into chaos. The child who had been receiving successor training as the leader’s son was immediately cast out. But when they went to find the real child where the midwife confessed to leaving him, no one was there. Only the remains of an old settlement were left.

From then on, the Viscon clan fell into a whirlpool of confusion.

‘They argued over how to find a child who disappeared so long ago. Some said they should pick a successor from a collateral branch. Others said they couldn’t trust the midwife’s words and that the cast-out child was the true son. Internal conflict broke out everywhere.’

The guard clicked his tongue and unraveled an even more interesting story.

‘But, you see, that clan had a mysterious magical artifact. They say it had the power to identify the bloodline of ancient gods. The ruling family of the Viscon clan claimed to be descendants of an ancient god, right? So with that artifact, they could determine if the child they raised as a son was truly their own.’

The guard shook his head with a look of pity.

‘But as if by some prank of the heavens, someone stole that artifact. The former leader was driven nearly mad. He had to find the child, and he had to find the artifact. He spent his entire life scouring the world for them until he eventually died.’

“…”

Since she had lost her tongue, Amy couldn’t respond, but she thought as she listened: Since the leader died without a successor, a dogfight must have ensued.

Sure enough, the clan split into several factions, and their previously formidable power diminished significantly.

However, a fact was revealed later: a traitor of the clan had fled to the Empire with the paternity-proving artifact. But he died before he could travel further south than the North. It was certain he had hidden the artifact somewhere in the North before he died, so the clan began a cautious search, taking care not to let the Empire notice.

‘And then, it was discovered recently. They say it came from a nameless grave in a temple belonging to an estate in the North.’

The person who found it apparently struck a deal with the Viscon clan. He handed over the artifact for free, and thanks to him, they were able to identify the leader’s true son.

‘They say that clan never forgets a debt or a grudge. So they paid the man a price—and would you believe it was the “Black Gold” that comes from the Northern soil?’

They supposedly handed over a magical artifact that could locate Black Gold in exchange. Using it, the man excavated the Black Gold and accumulated massive wealth by selling it across the continent.

Black Gold!

That was the tribute Amy intended to offer to her benefactor, Noah.

‘The man who found the artifact and eventually possessed the Black Gold was later revealed to be a criminal and was executed.’

His crimes were heinous. Instead of using his vast wealth for the development of the North, he used it to kidnap, toy with, and brutally murder young girls and boys.

‘That is why I feel not a shred of guilt for taking this opportunity away from him.’

Noah was not a man who would monopolize great wealth for himself.

One could tell just by seeing how he immersed himself in his studies, wanting to do well even though he hadn’t become a Grand Duke by his own choice. Furthermore, in conversation, one realized he thought deeply about his responsibilities and duties.

‘Under Master Noah’s rule, the North will enjoy unprecedented prosperity.’

As Amy walked ahead with long strides, Dwayne hurried to her side and walked beside her. He leaned toward her and whispered suggestively.

“Want to trade bags?”

He said it knowing Amy’s bag was empty.

“…Pfft.”

Ah, it hurts my pride to laugh at something like this. Amy bit her lip belatedly. Dwayne chuckled.

“You know I’m joking, right? If I actually did that, I’d be beaten to death by His Grace.”

“His Grace does not resort to unnecessary violence,” Amy chided, wrinkling her nose.

Dwayne’s jaw dropped. Are we talking about the same person? He wore a serious expression.

“Look, Head Maid. It’s not that I’m disregarding you.”

“Why is the introduction always the same?”

“No, that’s not what’s important right now. Do you have any intention of visiting the training grounds more often?”

“Why there? If you need something, tell Melbourne.”

“It’s not that…”

Dwayne briefly contemplated whether he should mention that he was slammed into the ground by Noah about once every three days. No matter how dense he was, he couldn’t fail to notice that the Grand Duke acted like a gentle lamb in front of the Head Maid.

“Anyway, just come by. You’ll see something funny.”

“…More than I’m seeing now?” Amy asked, staring intently at Dwayne’s feet.

Dwayne followed her gaze to see what was there and jumped when he realized he had stepped in animal dung.

“Gah! What is this! Ugh, disgusting!”

He frantically rubbed his foot against the fallen leaves. As Amy watched the scene with satisfaction, someone’s body suddenly blocked her view.

“Your Grace?”

“Amy, aren’t you hungry?”

It was close to mealtime. Amy furrowed her brow. Noah quickly held out a pouch he was clutching. Receiving it habitually, she opened it to find an apple and some jerky inside.

“Oh, I’ll eat it when we go down in a bit. My hands are dirty right now…”

Her hands were covered in dust from cleaning the altar. As Amy looked at the food with regret, Noah took out the apple and easily broke it in half. He then held it to her lips and spoke casually.

“Open up.”

Amy’s eyes widened.

“Your Grace?”

As she reflexively tried to step back, Noah stopped her.

“Just eat. You’re hungry.”

“…”

It was true. From the moment she realized her stomach was empty, it began to twist with hunger. She felt a surge of impatience, her heart raced, and she felt almost faint. Nevertheless, thinking this wasn’t right, she suppressed the urge and opened her mouth.

“I’m fine…!”

At that moment, the apple was thrust in. The moment the tart, sweet juice touched her tongue, Amy forgot what she had been trying to do and chewed hungrily. Only then did Noah smile, as if pleased.

“Eat some jerky too.”

“…”

Before she could even answer, jerky was placed in her mouth again, and she chewed it quickly. Her throat stung as she swallowed after a few bites, but she didn’t care as long as her hunger was satisfied.

“Is it alright for His Grace to be doing such things? I should go help…”

Dwayne, who had been watching from a distance, rolled up his sleeves to step in, but Bradley blocked him.

“Do you want to be slammed into the ground every day, every second?”

“Doesn’t His Grace have work to do? Does he have that much time for slamming people?”

As Dwayne asked with genuine curiosity, Bradley wiped his face with his hand and muttered weakly.

“Mary’s five-year-old nephew would be better at taking a hint than you…”

“Do words have ears too? Or are you talking about a horse? It would be cute if they twitched.”

“…”

Fortunately, before Bradley could lose his mind, Amy and Noah walked toward them. The snack pouch was completely empty.

As was usually the case when the Head Maid was full, Noah’s expression was gentle. Watching this, Dwayne stole a glance at Noah, who had started talking to Bradley, and then subtly leaned toward Amy.

“Hey, Head Maid. I’m curious about something.”

“I’m not trading bags.”

“It’s not that. What I want to ask is, while I was away from the castle on my mission, did anyone come to visit His Grace?”

“Visit? Who?”

There was no one to visit him even in the Imperial Palace where he had lived his whole life; Amy wondered who would come looking for Master Noah here.

“No… Head Maid, don’t you know?”

“Know what?”

Dwayne lowered his voice as if telling a magnificent secret.

“His Grace has someone he likes.”

“…I told you not to eat grass just because you’re hungry.”

When Amy placed her hands on her hips with a stern expression, Dwayne trembled.

“Seriously, what do you take me for? Good grief, I only ate my meals!”

“…”

His face looked so wronged that she wondered if it were true. Still, unable to fully dismiss her suspicion, she looked at him dubiously.

“This isn’t just one of your delusions, is it?”

“Oh, come on! Jack knows, and Rita knows too.”

“…”

Amy’s mood plummeted. To think that almost everyone knew something about Master Noah that she didn’t. Amy lowered her voice.

“Did he say who it was?”

“Psh, of course not. If it were you, Head Maid, would you trust me and tell me?”

“No.”

At her blunt answer, Dwayne remained composed, as if he had expected it. Amy was baffled by what kind of person he was.

“Anyway, they say the reason His Grace is trying so hard to become a great man is all for that person. Sigh, moving just thinking about it. Is it something like that? Love changes the world?”

“…Bradley is gesturing for you to come over.”

“Oh? You’re right. See you later, then!”

Amy watched Dwayne run off and then turned her gaze toward Noah. His appearance as he talked with Bradley was completely different from a few months ago. He was taller, and with more flesh and muscle, he looked dashing. Perhaps it was because his mind was at peace, but his once gloomy impression had turned soft, making his beauty shine even more.

The idea that he had a hidden lover somehow made sense.

‘After all, even before the regression, there were rampant rumors that he was head over heels for his lover.’

Support