Chapter 83: The Runaway Maid

“Boss, that was a brilliant haul! We barely broke a sweat tying up those rich old masters, haha! This ransom is going to be huge!”

“What about the servants?”

“Any who dared to resist were tossed into the sea to feed the fish. The obedient ones are tied up with their masters.”

“Good. Once we dock, we’ll follow the usual procedure: send the servants back to gather the ransom. First, let’s tally the cargo.”

“Speaking of cargo… Boss, we just found a bunch of little brats locked in cages in the hold…”

“…Another one of *these* jobs. Show me.”

‘My head feels so heavy, and I’m so sleepy.’

‘Did I drink too much wine?’

‘Perhaps I shouldn’t drink at all. That stuff makes it hard to stay calm, and when I drink too much, I always dream of the past.’

‘Open my eyes…’

‘It’s so bright. Is it daytime already? Have I really slept for so long?’

‘I had intended to meticulously review Governor Sherlock’s agreement for any hidden traps upon my return, yet here I am, having unexpectedly fallen asleep.’

‘Ugh…’

I pressed my hand to my throbbing forehead, waiting for the discomfort to subside.

Taking a deep breath, I felt a little better.

‘Right, who carried me to bed yesterday? Was it Allen?’

‘It was probably that guy…’

‘Never mind. I’m too lazy to dwell on it. I should just get up first.’

I reached out and pulled the rope beside the bed.

One end of this bed-rope was connected to a bell, the other to the lord’s room, and the third to the maid’s quarters. By pulling my end, the maid on the other side would know I had a request and come promptly.

This time, however, despite pulling for a long while, no one appeared.

‘What’s going on? Are they deaf?’

I hesitated for a moment, then suddenly remembered that the little maid had been reassigned to the woodshed. The one now responsible for my daily care no longer resided in the room at the other end of the rope.

‘Honestly…’

‘I think I explained it to that fellow last night. I’ll find some time today to talk to her and have her reassigned back.’

‘That girl is far more meticulous than the other maids. I’ve grown quite unaccustomed to her absence.’

Rising from bed, I washed myself, then dressed, preparing to go to the kitchen to instruct a maid to bring up some food.

The kitchen was on the first floor of the castle, making the journey down quite inconvenient from here.

I felt a pang of sympathy for the little one who always brought my meals. Each time, she made dozens of trips up and down for me; I couldn’t imagine the suffering those frail legs endured.

“Fina, please prepare a light breakfast and have it sent to my office later.”

Upon reaching the kitchen, I quickly gave my instructions to the middle-aged maid.

“Oh, My Lord, your meal has already been sent up to you.”

Before I could take two steps, Fina, wearing cotton gloves, swiftly retrieved a plate of still-warm food from the oven.

It appeared to be honey bread, drizzled with a touch of cheese, fragrant and quite appealing.

“It’s ready? I asked, a little puzzled. “It doesn’t usually get done this early, does it?”

“Oh, someone prepared your meal in advance today, My Lord. I was just told to come and collect it when the time came.”

I picked up a silver fork, speared a piece, and tasted it.

“The taste is excellent. Who prepared this? Make a note of it; I’d like this person to cook more often in the future.”

“Oh, My Lord, that won’t do,” Fina said with a chuckle.

“If that person prepares your meals, we might not have enough time to complete our other tasks today.”

“What do you mean?”

“This was made by that child, Lilian.”

The moment I heard that name, my perpetually trembling heart felt as though it had been lashed by a whip, a searing sensation igniting within my chest.

“It was her…”

“Yes, the woodshed is a tough job, and that child’s small frame has endured it for so long; it’s truly hard on her. I see her covered in grime every day, it’s quite pitiful…”

As Fina recounted her tale, the image of a small, gray-haired maid materialized in my mind.

I could even picture the sweat trickling from her delicate forehead, tracing down her rosy earlobes, sliding to her shoulders, and soaking into the soft expanse of her chest as she struggled to breathe.

I sighed, a touch of guilt stirring within me, and said, “Don’t let her continue with that work. Let her rest today. Tomorrow… bring her back.”

“Ah?”

“Yes… I truly do need her help here, after all.”

“But it seems a little late for you to say that now, doesn’t it?” Fina said, her expression peculiar.

“Too late? What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you already instruct her to go into town to procure supplies?”

Fina pointed towards the door. “She left right after making your breakfast.”

“What?”

‘Did I truly instruct her to go into town to procure supplies?’

Seeing Fina’s resolute expression, I momentarily doubted myself.

However, since I had inadvertently fallen asleep in the carriage last night, I had been completely unconscious until just now.

‘I’m usually so vigilant. Even after drinking, I wouldn’t relax to that extent.’

‘Is it because that person was by my side?’

‘Indeed, witches are terrifying individuals. They can make me abandon the vigilance instinct I’ve maintained for so many years.’

‘In any case, all things considered, I shouldn’t have given her any instructions.’

‘No, I absolutely did not.’

‘That person has no idea how dangerous her own body is; I would never allow her to appear casually beside other men.’

‘So, is she lying? Why would she lie? Is she trying to escape me?’

‘It’s not uncommon for servants to run away from their lords, usually because of abuse they can no longer bear, prompting them to seize an opportunity to flee.’

‘Come to think of it, I did reassign her to such a harsh position a few days ago, fearing further influence from her witch abilities. Anyone else would likely find it unbearable.’

‘Moreover, I haven’t placed many restrictions on these servants. It wouldn’t be difficult for her to leave if she wished.’

‘So, did she really leave? Just like that, without a word?’

‘She didn’t have to. If she truly wanted to go, and had simply told me, I would have even prepared travel expenses for her.’

‘But…’

‘It seems it’s too late to say any of this now. Too late.’

‘For some reason, that burning sensation in my heart just now has sunk, as if crushed by something heavy, leaving me feeling stifled.’

“Alright, I understand.”

I nodded to the head maid, leaving the kitchen without touching the rest of my breakfast.

I decided to ride my horse into town and try my luck.

After all, that person hadn’t left long ago.

She could ride, and she probably didn’t have enough money for a carriage.

Thinking this, if I rode into town now, I might have a chance to see her one last time.

A single glance would be enough; I wasn’t planning on bringing her back.

If she were willing to accept, I would even give her all the gold dragons I carried with me.

Consider it compensation for her efforts these past days.

After all, the first time I saw that person, I could have easily hidden.

Yet… I found myself uncontrollably drawn to her.

‘Why? Was it her adorable face? Or her slightly immature yet contrasting figure?’

‘…’

‘Now that I think about it, it might have been her eyes. That look of wanting to live despite the pain.’

‘It was something no other woman possessed.’

Unconsciously, several hours had passed.

Riding my horse, I traversed the plaza, the bridge, the farmlands—virtually every corner of Coldwind Town. I saw many people, but still, that familiar, petite figure was nowhere to be found.

She had most likely truly escaped.

“Sigh…”

‘That girl, always so meticulous in her work, must have anticipated my pursuit and meticulously planned her escape route.’

‘When she used her wits against Aqi, I already felt she was quite intelligent. If not for her origins, perhaps she wouldn’t have had such a difficult life.’

‘Heh heh…’

‘I can’t outsmart her.’

“Whoosh whoosh—”

The horse beneath me whinnied, seemingly thirsty.

Since I couldn’t catch her, I dismounted, leading the horse slowly to a nearby stream for a drink.

This small stream was a tributary of Coldwind Town’s largest river. Its gentle current flowed from the mountain behind the town, merging with the river, and then continued all the way to the harbor I had visited yesterday.

‘If I followed it upstream, I could also return to the Lord’s Castle, couldn’t I?’

Just as I was thinking this, a clear voice suddenly called out from behind me: “Hey! It’s you!”

I froze, turning to see a small, thin beggar.

“You know me?”

“Ah… Big Brother, have you forgotten?”

The little beggar squatted down, washed their face with water from the stream, then stood before me again.

“It’s me, it’s me!”

I looked at their face, trying to recall for a moment: “You’re that… little beggar?”

“That’s right! But I’m not a beggar anymore. My dad and I are working as laborers now!”

The little beggar showed me their arm. “Even though I’m a girl, I’m just as strong as the boys when I’m well-fed!”

‘Uh…’

‘What the heck? This little brat is a girl?’

‘Well, it might have been due to malnutrition, but I honestly didn’t notice before.’

“Well, congratulations then. Turning over a new leaf is a good thing,” I said to her indifferently.

“It’s also thanks to your generosity that we had the chance to find work…”

“Eh?”

The little brat looked at me with a puzzled expression. “Big Brother, why aren’t you out with that Big Sister today?”

‘I didn’t know how to explain it to her. I couldn’t very well say that she couldn’t tolerate my abuse and ran away, could I?’

After a moment of thought, I simply concocted a reason. “Oh… she had some personal business, so she asked for leave and temporarily departed.”

The little brat’s expression cleared with understanding: “Oh~ It must have been something important then.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because this morning I saw that Big Sister…”

She pointed towards the direction of the stream and said, “She was walking so, so fast.”

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