Ch#77
“Mrs. Toten, we have arrived safely.”
Kinder's carriage pulled up to the Toten Marquis's residence. Kinder expressed her gratitude to the knights who had escorted her all the way. It was late at night, so it would have been proper to offer them hospitality, but Kinder was reluctant to bring outsiders into the mansion, and the knights were eager to return to their commander, Gabriel, allowing them to part ways after a brief exchange of greetings.
“Ma'am!”
As Kinder returned to the mansion, Weather welcomed her more enthusiastically than anyone else. Though they shared a great secret, they had only exchanged names for the first time today, so it was an overly warm reception. Weather was simply relieved to escape the demons' incomprehensible chatter, but Kinder, unaware of the details, thought he was just the type who took to people easily.
“You've worked hard, Weather. Why aren't you by Rider's side?”
“Well, it's just that...”
Weather, about to confess the tumultuous events that had unfolded in her absence, gaped at the sight of Hena following behind Kinder.
“A-Aren't you Lady Rohanson's maid?”
Weather stammered, using honorifics toward a fellow maid of the same status. Technically, as a marquis's household servant newly appointed head maid that day, Weather outranked her, but there was something extraordinary about Lady Rohanson's maid that made honorifics come naturally.
“Did Lady Rohanson come along too?”
“No, it's just me.”
Hena shook her head wearily. Kinder, thinking there would be much to teach Weather as head maid, answered on her behalf.
“She came with me due to circumstances.”
Before being detained by the palace knights, Evangeline had asked Kinder to ensure her maid's safety. Sure enough, when Kinder hurried to find her, Hena was being vented on by the knights. Just as Evangeline feared, had Kinder not claimed Hena as her own maid, she would have ended up like Rohanson's coachman—with her head severed.
Recalling the beheaded corpse made her stomach churn. When Kinder pressed the matter, they claimed the coachman had committed suicide, but it was clearly a lie to cover up the truth. At least they had saved the maid. Kinder thought of a serene face that might soothe her queasy stomach.
“Where's Rider?”
“He's in the room... but something happened. Master Dies suddenly burst in and tried to harm the young master.”
Before Kinder could ask in surprise, Weather explained in detail what had transpired. After hearing the general sequence from Weather, Kinder pinched the bridge of her nose.
“I strictly warned everyone not to help Dies...”
Still, it was fortunate that the thing inside Rider's body wasn't human, so Dies posed no real threat.
Kinder first set about restoring order to the mansion. She promised medical fees and bonuses to the servants injured while stopping Dies. The one who had opened the door begged for mercy, claiming he'd been tricked by Dies, but excuses wouldn't fly. Exhausted, Kinder postponed punishment and ordered him confined for now.
Then she went upstairs to find Dies. Hearing the door open, Mellek—who had been chattering animatedly, his
