26

The new Rabbit girl who took my advice handed over a free trial ticket in a determined voice and left, saying she’d give it a try.

The one-hour consultation cost nothing, but I considered it an investment in the future.

‘Actually doing it isn’t an ordinary task.’

It drained more energy than I expected. I used up a lot; I might have to open every other day.

Still, I closed the shop hoping the Rabbit girl’s troubles would be resolved.

I hope there are customers tomorrow too!

I went to work with the enthusiastic feeling of having had my first client, but as soon as I entered the Marquis’s residence I was met with a scene that made my eyes burn.

“A-aide, if you keep doing this…”

“Why, I’m trying to get closer. This is how I show affection.”

Bartolo was molesting a maid. He was fondling her shoulder with his hand, and the maid cowered, unable to properly resist.

“It’s cute when you throw a tantrum. I’ll talk to the Marquis so you can move about comfortably. Heh heh.”

As his hands grew bolder, the maid spoke in a shrinking voice.

“Assistant, please don’t do this… it’s, it’s uncomfortable.”

But Bartolo paid her no mind; he scoffed instead.

“Don’t you know who I am? A maid like you—I could have you dismissed with a word. If that’s what you want…”

“No, please! Not that!”

The maid cried out desperately. Bartolo smiled unpleasantly with his slick face.

“See? What can you do? I’m not trying to torment you; just stay still and I’ll handle everything…”

His blatant hand moved from her arm to her back, then to her hip.

‘Disgusting.’

I strode up behind him and grabbed his filthy hand that was doing that trashy act.

“What?”

He turned sharply, annoyed at being interrupted at an important moment, then frowned heavily when he saw me.

“What are you doing?”

“I usually tolerate injustice, but this is a bit sickening.”

I tried to force a social smile, but my mind only grew cold.

“What?”

Bartolo’s eyes widened; he hadn’t expected such harsh words from someone who’d been compliant until now.

“I said it’s uncomfortable. Stop it.”

“Un-comfortable? Who said it’s uncomfortable? If she were really uncomfortable she’d have refused.”

Ugh, what a lame excuse.

“Well. It’s hard to ignore an older man making indecent contact with a young girl.”

He snorted and, in a vile voice, poked my shoulder with his index finger.

“What are you going to do about it? What are you going to do?”

My frail body was pushed back little by little.

‘Being shoved around makes me lose face. I should get some exercise.’

“Tell me, Lady Kiara’s aide. What can you do? Going to tell Lady Kiara again?”

I wasn’t intimidated at all.

“Shall I? If you want, I’ll tell the Marquis’s wife too.”

He snapped at my fearless tone.

“What? Hey, you!”

“Are you two fighting?”

At that moment, a strange voice instantly defused the tense atmosphere.

‘Who is that?’

I turned my head to see a man I hadn’t seen before watching us with an intrigued look.

‘Lavender hair, green eyes?’

“Y-Young master!”

Bartolo immediately dropped his arrogant, vile act and reverted to a proper assistant.

‘If he’s “Young master,” then the youngest son of the Marquis’s family?’

Come to think of it, he bore his mother’s hair color and his father’s eye color. His feline look also resembled Kiara; like a puppyish cat.

“If you’re fighting, I’ll mediate.”

He seemed to have only witnessed the immediate moment and not the whole story. Bartolo quickly preempted him.

“No, no. This friend here is the new assistant to Lady Kiara and has been making frequent mistakes, so I was giving some instruction.”

“What?”

I was dumbfounded. But his survival skills were superior to mine in that moment.

“My fault. I’m sorry for causing a disturbance, Young master.”

The youngest son of the noble family smiled with his eyes crescent-shaped.

“Oh? I thought something wicked might be happening.”

“Of course not!”

The youngest son of the conglomerate family, seeming exasperated, bit off his glove with his teeth as he spoke.

“You are an aide my father trusts, so that wouldn’t be the case. Right?”

“Y-yes! Young master. I’ll go inform the Marquis’s residence of your return!”

Bartolo hurriedly left his place.

The maid beside me and I both bowed politely to the youngest son of the marquis family.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Cornelia Libertas, who entered as Lady Kiara’s aide.”

“Libertas? I’ve never heard that family name.”

“It’s a humble family, so you wouldn’t know. No need to worry about it, Young master.”

“Is that so? Alright. I’m Aidan, the son of this house. Nice to meet you!”

He reached out his hand first.

“Pleased to meet you as well.”

I shook his hand cautiously and withdrew neatly. His green eyes glittered as if he’d discovered something amusing.

“My sister doesn’t usually let people in.”

His persistent gaze made me break into a cold sweat for a different reason.

‘Both the lady and this guy are so interested in others. I have nothing to give you!’

Just then, another servant called that the Marquis was looking for him. Aidan turned and excused himself.

“See you later!”

“Ah, yes.”

He whistled as he departed.

I had expected a reclusive magician, but he seemed high-energy, bright, and eccentric. Compared to him, Kiara seemed downright normal.

“Um…”

It was the maid who’d been tormented by Bartolo.

“Are you all right?”

“…Thank you.”

She looked utterly exhausted.

“Has this happened more than once?”

Her voice carried a tone soaked in gloom.

“Probably none of the maids at the Marquis’s residence haven’t been targeted. Bartolo…”

“Why are you keep using polite speech? Call him the greasy molester.”

“Huh?”

The maid was startled, her eyes widening.

“I just decided to call him that. Shortened: ‘grease-molester.’”

My words seemed to lift her mood a little; her expression looked better than before.

“Then I’ll call him that secretly… That greasy molester preys on maids who can’t quit immediately or the pretty ones, like me. He makes lewd remarks and, as you just saw, gropes people. Some couldn’t stand it and left, but most endure and work. The Marquis’s family pays higher wages than other noble houses, and as you know, the Marquis, his wife, and Kiara are rational people. If only he weren’t the greasy molester…”

‘Rational, huh. The Marquis is a problem for keeping such a man as a trusted assistant.’

He fails at being an aide.

But even Kiara couldn’t have her father’s loyal subordinate fired overnight.

‘Sigh… There’s no way such a bastard works well. How did he earn the Marquis’s trust?’

I guessed flattery and sycophancy played a part, and felt anew how one eel can taint the whole.

I couldn’t get over it for days.

‘I need a plan.’

I realized again that I couldn’t work with the greasy molester for the sake of my efficiency. I had mentally sentenced him to death before, but my position was still too weak to assert anything.

‘If I’m not fired on false accusations, that’ll be fortunate.’

It would be troublesome if the Marquis considered it unimportant; he might trust the greasy molester and tolerate the behavior. Not knowing what kind of man the Marquis was, was another reason I couldn’t act rashly.

“Sigh.”

“Cornelia?”

Lady Kiara, who had been checking the papers for the party plan, brought me back to reality.

“I’m sorry, Lady.”

“I can understand the rest, but this part still lacks detail.”

She was pointing to the Black Dia new product launch party section.

“Ah, I left this section blank on purpose. The contract is finalized. We’ll proceed with the original plan.”

“You left it blank on purpose?”

From Lady Kiara’s past, I felt we needed to prepare for some incident in society, especially after the last salon.

“There have been instances of people knowing Lady’s items in advance and copying them. I don’t know the source, but I considered the possibility of moles planted around the lady.”

It’s likely to be a servant or maid.

“You…!”

“If anyone else sees these documents, they’ll think it’s just an ordinary but slightly more lavish party.”

She looked surprised and pleased at my thoroughness.

“It wouldn’t be fun if they knew in advance. And…”

My recent stress had to come out somewhere, and I did something I usually wouldn’t.

“I set up a little prank.”

It will be a very meaningful time for both parties.

We might even catch an unexpectedly big fish.