21
A few days passed just like that.
The pride I felt from catching the spy hiding in the mansion, thanks to the hint I got from Ronald, was short-lived.
"Are you seriously going to do this?"
Watching Blake, who had become a bit more compliant with my touch lately, I’d thought we were getting closer, but it seemed that was all just my misunderstanding.
I planted my hands on my hips and shouted.
"The contract didn't say anything about being grounded!"
"No."
"Why on earth not!!"
"Rumors have already spread among the servants. They say a ghost has possessed a dirty, ugly brown teddy bear and is wandering around the house."
Blake, dressed immaculately in his well-tailored uniform, straightened his cuffs as he spoke. I was left in shock.
Dirty and ugly?
What? Ugly?
Staggering back, more shaken by this descriptor than the "ghost" comment I’d heard before, I leaned against the wall and let out a breath.
"You added that part in yourself, didn't you?"
"No."
I was already speechless, but Blake continued to act firm, as if there were no room for negotiation.
"Does it have to be explicitly stated in the contract to make sense? It’s written in the contract, too. That you shouldn't reveal your identity unnecessarily."
"Ugh, I just have to make sure I don't get caught!"
"As if."
I glared at him as he stood in front of the door with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed, but it didn't work at all.
Blake warned me in a firm tone.
"Anyway, don't move a muscle from here when I'm not around. It’s not just you who’ll be in trouble if you cause a scene and get suspected."
"I hate this! How can I stay here every day? I have things to do, too!"
"What things?"
"Finding the portal!"
At that, he curled one corner of his lips into a smirk, as if I were being ridiculous.
"I recall you saying it was difficult to find it on your own. You need my help anyway."
His smug face, which seemed to ask, *Isn't that right?*, made me twitch my lips in an attempt to retort, but no other words came to mind.
"Since you don't seem to have anything to say, I'll be going."
Without a moment's hesitation, he turned around, grabbed the doorknob, and swept out of the room.
"Hey! Wait a minu..."
*Bang!*
Left alone in the room after the door slammed shut, I muttered to myself in a hollow state.
"I told you to wait a minute..."
I’m so powerless.
I checked the faint mana still lingering around my body and let my words trail off in despair.
I had tried to look at him favorably because he was a second male lead with a tragic backstory, even if he could be prickly, but this guy, really.
"I'm going to get you back. I won't let this slide. No matter how kind and innocent a witch I am, this kind of treatment is unfair!"
Eventually, I slumped onto the floor, grinding my teeth and spitting out threats of revenge.
"Blake, you meanie! I hope you trip while walking! And when you fall, I hope your pants rip and you get embarrassed!"
Of course, that didn't make me feel any better. It wasn't like the words would reach Blake anyway.
And if his pants really did rip, I’d rather they rip in front of me than when I wasn't around, so I could at least have a laugh.
What else would happen when I wasn't around?
Finally drained of energy, I sprawled out on the floor and stared blankly at the pitch-black ceiling.
However, after facing his smug face that kept popping up in my mind, I jumped to my feet.
"Just you wait. It’s a huge mistake to think you have me in the palm of your hand."
Naturally, when told not to go out, I only wanted to go out more.
Of course, as Blake said, it might be difficult to properly find the portal in this form.
But I had my own things to do, and I didn't want to just sit around in this room doing nothing.
"…Hehe."
Soon after, I strode toward the door with a sinister smile on my face that would have terrified Max.
What did Max call this smile again?
Was it the 'smile right before a disaster'?
"If you were that worried, you should have stayed in this room and guarded me."
Perhaps he’d let his guard down because I’d been so well-behaved lately, or for some other reason, but the white-mustached butler wasn't in the room today.
"To think you dared to call this Lady Vivian a dirty, ugly teddy bear."
I’ll have to show him.
A woman—no, a teddy bear's transformation is innocent!
***
"I wonder where the bathhouse is."
After my refreshing outing the other day, the mansion's hallway, which I was exploring alone for the first time, was truly vast.
Is it because my body got smaller?
"It's so big…."
Having only gone back and forth between Blake's bedroom, the greenhouse, and a part of the hallway, I was distracted by the gorgeous paintings stretched out on both sides.
"Oh, this is a painting by an artist who sold their work for pennies back in the day. You made it, huh?"
I even saw familiar paintings I’d seen about 200 years ago.
As I was admiring them, I finally reached a fork in the road.
The left staircase and the right staircase.
While I was stroking my chin, lost in thought about which one would lead to the bathhouse, I heard voices from behind.
"This way. Today is our chance."
"Indeed. It was a job we should have finished long ago."
"We just haven't had the opportunity until now. If we're careless, we could be caught and killed."
"…I know."
Huh? What is this?
Are they maids?
Worried I might be caught, I quickly ducked into a slightly open door right next to the stairs and focused on their conversation again.
"We should hurry. What we've been waiting for so long will be there."
"Once this is over, I feel like my whole body will feel refreshed. Like washing away old grime."
Refreshed. Old grime.
'Aha!'
I figured out their destination.
It seemed they were heading to the bathhouse I had been looking for so desperately.
For me, who had been searching for the bathroom for ages, this was a golden opportunity.
I followed them stealthily as they climbed the left staircase without hesitation.
I followed them past the stairs all the way to the room at the end of the hallway, but when I reached the destination, I frowned at the sight, which was different from what I expected.
'Hmm? Everyone, this isn't a bathhouse, is it?'
What is this place?
As soon as I entered, the room was dominated by massive bookshelves.
The two women in maid uniforms walked forward without hesitation, as if they knew the layout of the room well.
Their movements were so agile, like cats or leopards, that I couldn't take my eyes off them.
The two, who had darted past the bookshelves with ease, stopped at a random spot on one side of the room.
"Here."
At this point, I knew.
Their destination wasn't the bathhouse.
But there were many things that were questionable.
The fact that the movements of the two women in maid uniforms were far from ordinary, and the fact that this was clearly not a place maids would be allowed to enter freely.
Then, who were these people?
I was holding my breath, hiding behind a bookshelf and watching them without even daring to breathe.
*Tap, tap.* One of them tapped the floor with the toe of her shoe, nodded, and then bent down to open a hidden door.
With a *creak*, the door opened, and the two threw themselves inside.
*Thud.*
Watching the door close like that, I squeezed my eyes shut.
"…Ah."
And I pondered for a moment.
Should I pretend I didn't see anything?
Wouldn't it be fine if I just acted like I hadn't seen them at all?
"Haaa."
I followed them thinking it was a bathhouse, and look at the trouble I've gotten myself into!
It seemed I had gotten involved in something that would make Blake throw a fit if he found out I’d caused another incident.
Should I call someone now?
But would it draw too much attention if I ran around the hallway in this form calling for help?
And if I went to find Ronald, I’d likely lose track of those two.
I shouldn't have looked, seriously.
Hesitating, I eventually clenched my fists. Then, dragging my heavy feet, I approached the door where they had disappeared.
It looked suspicious no matter how I saw it, right?
If I left them be, they might even cause harm to the Leblanc family.
'…Oh, whatever. I don't care.'
After catching my breath, I went to the other side, pulled out the hidden door handle, and lifted it with all my might.
My body swayed from the considerable weight, and I tumbled into the pitch-black space beneath the wide-open door.
*Crash!*
When I lifted my head after a noisy landing accompanied by the sound of something breaking.
"Bookshelves and… maps?"
Between the orange candlesticks glowing faintly here and there, I saw a large space that gave off a dark and gloomy atmosphere.
Large maps were plastered on every wall, and pins were stuck in them as if to mark locations.
It was undoubtedly a war room. That maids had entered such a place so freely.
It was truly strange.
As I moved my feet, which I could no longer stop, I discovered one good thing about living in this body.
'…Oh, I don't make any footsteps.'
Perhaps thanks to my soft, fluffy paws, I could move around without making a sound, even though I wasn't exactly walking lightly.
As I was looking around, stuffing my body into various corners to find where those maids had disappeared to.
"Where could it be, exactly?"
"I was told it was definitely put here. We just need to find the trade rights for the border trade route…."
"It's not here. Could it have already been smuggled out?"
"No way. Have they had any time to pay attention to the empire's internal affairs while running around outside all this time? It’s definitely here."
In the middle of the room where the maps were posted, I saw the two maids frantically searching through a large chest of drawers.
'I haven't seen those maids before.'
The two, who were focused and unable to hide their anxiety, didn't seem to notice that I was here.
'Hmm, what should I do about this?'
Since there was a contract not to reveal my identity unless it was an unavoidable situation, I decided to skip stepping forward for now.
Then, I could just step in from behind.
I happened to see something good.
My eyes lit up as I looked at the portrait of an unknown figure placed behind them.
It was a portrait of an old man with a white beard and fierce, purple eyes flashing with anger.
I took a quick look at the face, which felt familiar yet strange, and moved my mouth.
'I'm sorry. I'll borrow your face for a moment.'
First, I apologized for the rudeness I was about to commit.
And then, I went to the dark corner next to the portrait and flicked my finger toward it.
I could feel the mana that had been flickering like a flame being emitted outward.
And soon, the wrinkled face in the portrait began to twitch and move.
'This is what they call Projection Magic.'
Projection Magic.
It was a special spell that allowed me to project my own image onto an inanimate object, making it mimic my expressions and gestures exactly.
*Ahem.* I cleared my throat and shouted in a deep, imposing voice.
"You scoundrels!"
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