Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 75
Having sent off the detestable Rosencrantz family, Cecilia visited the unoccupied annex. Dana, the maid in charge of the annex, hurried out to greet her.
“Miss, what brings you here?”
Her face was gentle, and perhaps a bit naive. Surely, her true self wasn’t like this. Probably, it was an act to avoid drawing suspicion.
“Dana.”
Cecilia looked around once and called her.
“I’d like to have a word with you.”
***
In the storage room attached to the basement of the annex.
Dana hung the storage room keys on a nail on the wall. That simple action produced an unstable clattering sound.
“Miss, what do you mean? What am I supposed to have done?”
Her voice trembled. Dana forced a smile.
“Haha, that’s absurd, Miss.”
“Is it? Then would it be okay to speak to my father about your family? If you’re innocent, nothing will come up.”
“…”
Silence descended in the dark, cramped space. Dana’s brown-gray eyes flickered. Her expression changed instantly.
“How did you know?”
“Well… the Coffret Manor is my home, and you belong here. It’s natural to become suspicious when someone behaves out of the ordinary.”
Contrary to the flushed and agitated Dana, Cecilia’s voice remained soft and gentle.
Dana did not appreciate that.
‘The child of that despicable Adam dares threaten me?’
She always carried a knife in the pocket of her muslin apron, ready to seek revenge at any opportunity.
If necessary, she would lash out and stab her blade. If killing that man was impossible, she planned to take at least a handful of her blood with her.
“What kind of unusual behavior are you talking about?”
She asked as sharply as the blade she held in her hand.
“Mary Swinn. Your friend, right?”
“…And what about her?”
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but Mary and I are quite close. We share everything, things we can and can’t say to others.”
“…”
“I heard about a ridiculous request that her friend had once asked. A senior maid, applying for a junior position just to enter the main house. It seemed odd, so I looked into it… Sorry, it wasn’t intentional.”
Cecilia’s gaze constantly lingered on the hand Dana hid in her apron.
‘She’s on guard.’
Using Mary as an excuse to reveal the truth didn’t mean she expected compliance easily.
However, in her previous life, Adam did suspect Dana’s actions and prepared accordingly, so it wasn’t entirely baseless.
Dana had always wanted to enter the main house. Her excuse at the time was ‘Young Master Nathan has become crippled, so many hands will be needed, and I would like to help by his side.’
Gullible as always, Mary was exploited by Dana’s schemes, just like now.
Dana, who had successfully infiltrated the main house, soon broke into Adam’s study and confronted him with a knife.
But it was all in vain.
“My father’s butler would have sensed something was off the moment you insisted on entering the main house. You’re not the only servant who’s sneaked inside in disguise.”
That’s why the servants of the Lasphilla main house are selected through a very strict and meticulous process. Of course, since the butler was in charge of the selection, it was beyond Adam’s concern, but he would occasionally remind the butler to be cautious about hiring new people.
‘There must be a lot to be wary of.’
Anyone whose background was even slightly ambiguous was usually rejected during the hiring process or sent to work in the annex.
In that sense, the hiring of Louise Cléon was quite the exception. Placing a woman of unclear origin and no prior experience beside Caroline must have had its reasons.
As Cecilia thought of Louise, a flustered Dana fumbled with her words.
“Adam, that son of… I mean, His Excellency might already know?”
“Call him whatever you want. Adam or son of a b-tch.”
“…!”
Confusion flashed in Dana’s eyes. Perhaps she felt an odd sense of solidarity upon hearing Cecilia’s words tinged with resentment and distrust towards the Lasphilla family.
“If Father didn’t stop you from entering the main house, it might mean he was already fully prepared.”
“….”
“You’ll never be able to kill him. The knife you’ve sharpened won’t even graze his cheek.”
Dana’s hand rummaging through her apron pocket twitched.
