At the same time, the hotel staff lounge.
“……What did you say?”
Sydney Wellesley doubted her own ears.
The manager before her was grinning from ear to ear.
“Congratulations, Elli! Where else would you find such luck? Lieutenant Colonel Jaeger himself requested you by name!”
“Requested…… me?”
“He says he’ll take you on as his exclusive maid! He’s taken care of everything—the penalty fee and all—so you just need to pack your bags and follow along. Good heavens, just how well did you serve him last night for that picky man to….”
The manager’s words were no longer audible.
Sydney’s head grew complicated.
‘Is he insane?’
Her plan had only extended this far.
Disguise herself as a maid to get close, grasp Max Jaeger’s disposition and intel, then slip away naturally. Only after regrouping did she intend to target him again.
But an exclusive maid? Follow him continuously from now on?
What sudden development could compare to this? From a spy’s standpoint, she couldn’t help but be suspicious.
‘Is this a trap?’
Her instincts warned her. Last night’s tip incident. And the scouting offer that followed.
It was far too contrived to be called a coincidence.
“M-Manager. I still have…… family back home……”
Sydney hurriedly spoke words of refusal. She had to pull out now.
“What nonsense! You’d kick away an opportunity like this?”
The manager’s expression turned vicious in an instant.
“I’ve already received all the money! What happens to my position if you refuse? And you dare disobey an Imperial Army Lieutenant Colonel’s order? Do you want to disappear without a trace?”
“…….”
It wasn’t an empty threat. Max Jaeger was a man who actually had that power.
What if she refused here?
‘It will arouse suspicion.’
A mere maid refusing unprecedented conditions—and from a powerhouse of the Empire, no less.
At that moment, Max Jaeger would doggedly dig into her background. Her crude disguise would be exposed immediately, and the risk of her identity as intelligence bureau chief being discovered was immense.
Conversely, what if she accepted?
‘I become the target’s exclusive maid……’
At the very least, she would be able to know for certain what kind of man Max Jaeger was.
“……Understood.”
Sydney eventually bowed her head.
“I will…… prepare.”
“Yes, good thinking! Hurry up and go get your uniform!”
The manager pushed her forward.
‘Max Jaeger……’
Did that man know? Or was it simply a lucky guess?
Either way, she could no longer run.
‘Since it’s come to this……’
She had to extract as much as possible.
*
One hour before the train’s departure.
I met Arthur in a corner of the platform, a place with few people.
“How is your body, Aiden.”
“Thanks to you…… it has improved greatly.”
Arthur still had a pallid face, but his eyes alone were alive. The conversation he had shared with me last night must be deeply embedded in his mind.
“I’m giving you leave. Stay away from my side for the time being.”
At the sudden words, Arthur flinched in surprise.
“……Yes? Are you casting me aside?”
“How could I. You are my finest asset manager. However……”
I pointed with my chin at the hotel visible in the distance.
“There is business here as well, and you need to recharge. Above all……”
I pulled a thick document envelope from my breast pocket and held it out to him.
“There is a mountain of matters to take care of in the capital. Signs indicate my assets will skyrocket again after this conference. I need someone to manage them on-site.”
“Ahh……”
Arthur took the envelope. It was heavy.
“Go rake in money for a while. You spent 30,000 gold, so shouldn’t you grow it to 60,000?”
I grinned and patted his shoulder.
“And rest well. You never know who might target you again, so have some bodyguards attached.”
“……Understood. I wish the Colonel fortune as well.”
Arthur bowed deeply.
[Name: Aiden Hunt]
[Status: Recovering from drug aftereffects, identity confusion, relief regarding personal safety]
[Emotion: Sense of debt toward Max Jaeger, distrust and fear toward homeland]
Watching Arthur’s retreating figure, I smiled in satisfaction.
*
The platform was once again filled with the noises of bustling daily life.
Steam from the train, busy porters, and lovers regretting their parting.
Turning my back on that scenery, I headed toward the first-class boarding gate.
There, Hanna, Seraphina, and my new subordinate were already waiting.
“You have come, Your Excellency.”
Sydney Wellesley, no, Elli, lowered her head.
Though she wore a thick coat over her black maid uniform, that orderly attitude and blade-sharp bearing could not be hidden. It was a posture rivaling the Imperial honor guard.
‘Status analysis.’
[Name: Sydney Wellesley]
[Status: Concentrating on mission execution]
Concentrating on the mission.
Did that mean she was seeing even this situation as an opportunity? As expected, she was no ordinary intelligence bureau chief.
“Then let’s board. It’s almost departure time.”
I led the way onto the train.
First class of the Empire’s national railway, and among that, the VIP special suite.
Chairs finished in red velvet, a high-grade mahogany table, and a wide panoramic window through which to appreciate the flowing scenery outside.
“Sit wherever you’re comfortable.”
As I sat in the seat of honor, Hanna and Seraphina naturally took their places on either side of me.
As for Sydney?
After placing her luggage on the rack, she stood ramrod straight by the auxiliary seat next to the entrance. Since there had been no order to sit.
“Elli, what are you doing? Why aren’t you sitting?”
“A maid does not sit unless the master is dining or resting. That is the principle.”
“Hoo.”
Thorough indeed.
“The journey will be long. Well, if you insist, stand.”
I didn’t bother to dissuade her further.
Toot, toot—.
With the sound of the whistle, the train began to move.
*
Clack, clack.
With regular vibrations, pitch-black darkness flowed past the window.
All lights in the special suite were extinguished. In the sleeping berth, Hanna and Seraphina were fast asleep, clinging to each other.
I reclined on the sofa at an angle, eyes closed. To any onlooker, I would appear to be in a deep sleep.
‘Shared vision.’
However, my consciousness was piercing through everything in the room via my cheat skill.
‘Status analysis.’
[Name: Sydney Wellesley]
[Status: Extreme tension, covert action]
Rustle.
A very faint sound. Sydney, who had been standing by the door, moved. She paused briefly as if to check the breathing of the sleeping me, then soundlessly approached the table where my document bag rested.
‘She’s started.’
She was skilled. It took less than a second to undo the leather bag’s lock. Her gloved hand pulled out a bundle of documents.
Her violet eyes, caught in the moonlight, rapidly scanned the papers.
[Document: Plan for Occupation of the Republic Capital Elansia and Establishment of Transitional Government — Top Secret]
[Reference: Draft Treaty on Postwar Spoils Division and Mutual Non-Aggression with the United Kingdom]
Bait tailored for the United Kingdom, which I had prepared unilaterally before reporting to superiors.
Inside, the contents that the United Kingdom so desired—guarantees of continental power balance, maritime trade routes, and so on—were written as an exquisite compromise with the Empire’s interests.
‘You must be surprised. To think that a man you believed to be an imperialist to the bone was actually drawing up a blueprint that even looked after the United Kingdom’s national interests.’
Sydney couldn’t move from that spot for quite some time.
[Name: Sydney Wellesley]
[Emotion: Surprise]
[Status: Rapidly reassessing target]
Now, while she was falling into confusion, was the timing.
“How is it to read?”
“……!”
Sydney’s shoulder jumped. She reflexively hid the documents behind her back and turned her body.
“Y-Your Excellency…… you were awake?”
“I couldn’t sleep, you see.”
I raised my body and turned on the lamp above the table.
Click.
As soft orange light came on, Sydney’s pale face was revealed. She stood awkwardly, hiding the documents she had been stealing behind her back.
A maid caught rummaging through her master’s bag. Ordinarily, she would be handed over to the military police or executed by firing squad without complaint.
I curled the corners of my lips as if amused.
“Keep reading, Elli. Why hide it?”
“Ah…… I-I was merely cleaning and thought these had fallen……”
“Cleaning, you say.”
I rose from the sofa and slowly approached her.
“In the middle of the night, without even turning on the lights, cleaning by moonlight? And inside the master’s bag?”
“…….”
Sydney’s lips were sealed. A situation leaving no room for excuses. Her shoulders trembled minutely.
‘Status analysis.’
[Name: Sydney Wellesley]
[Status: Extreme tension, calculating escape route, searching for excuse]
[Emotion: Self-loathing at realizing she had fallen into a trap]
Interesting. The intelligence bureau chief of all people was searching for a hole to flee through.
I approached until right in front of her nose and stopped. Sydney shuffled backward until her back touched the cabin wall. Like a rat in a trap.
“Don’t lie, Elli. Your eyes were reading the letters. And with great interest, at that.”
I reached behind her back and snatched the documents she was hiding.
Swish.
Our bodies pressed close. My chest pressed against her ample bosom, and her breath reached the tip of my chin.
“How was it?”
“……Yes?”
“I’m asking how it was to read. That document. The contents stating that the Empire will guarantee the United Kingdom’s maritime trade routes and divide the Republic’s postwar spoils six to four.”
“Th-that is……”
“Is the content difficult? For a mere maid to understand?”
Sydney’s pupils shook.
Here, playing dumb was the standard move. As the maid Elli, that was what she ought to do. But to Intelligence Bureau Chief Sydney Wellesley, this document was a poisoned chalice.
The contents that the Empire would abandon monopoly and seek coexistence with the United Kingdom. That was Class 1 intelligence requiring the homeland’s grand strategy to be revised.
“……I could not understand it.”
In the end, Sydney bit the bait.
“Are you not…… the Empire’s hero? Why must the victorious Empire divide the defeated Republic’s spoils…… with those hyenas across the sea?”
I let out a snicker.
“Hyenas, you say……”
I returned to the sofa and sank deep into it.
“Are you curious, Elli?”
And then I pointed with my chin to the floor between my legs.
“Kneel.”
“……!”
“You must receive punishment first.”