# Chapter 12
For a moment, the master looked at Judith, clicking his tongue and muttering as he said: “You really… Judith, you…”
"What? What's wrong?"
“As I felt before, you are not the right person to cooperate with on anything.”
"Huh? Why?"
“Because… your presence around me disturbs my sense of calm. I feel like I’m becoming childish.”
“At least you know you're being childish.”
“…Am I the only one being childish now?”
"I think it's okay to be a little childish. I'm only just becoming an adult, after all."
“Huh.”
The master sighed, but somehow, he seemed to be enjoying himf.
For the past three years, they had only exchanged information in a professional manner without arguing like that. They were only talking for business purposes.
But since Judith hit puberty and they started interacting more, they felt as if they had become closer in some ways.
The master laughed slightly and whispered, “Anyway, move a little. You’re too close.”
“Who is the person who is almost carrying me now?”
“You can move over there, just don't fidget again.”
While they were whispering and joking around, a voice came from outside the door.
While they were whispering and joking around, a voice came from outside the door.
“Young master.”
Knock, knock - the quiet sound was followed by a knock on the door.
“I'm Sarah. May I come in?”
The tone of voice was soft, polite and kind.
But the name “Sarah” was enough to make Judith instantly tense, as her body felt anxious.
Sensing her discomfort, the master cleared his throat and whispered, “Don’t worry. That maid is good.”
"What?" Judith asked in a trembling voice.
But the master gently reassured her: “That maid, Sarah, is kind and gentle.”
“Oh, so you know her name?”
"She has worked at the ducal palace since she was very young. She was close to Ekienne and took good care of Karl."
Judith turned to look at the Master, unsure of the expression behind the mask, but one thing was clear.
"my lord."
"Yes?"
“You really didn't know much about the Maius family, did you?”
"…What?"
“You really don't know anything.”
It was true that the Duke and Duchess were not fully aware of Sarah's true nature. However, some servants were actually complicit in her actions.
Before the master could respond to Judith's words, Karl closed his book and spoke.
“Come in, Sarah.”
The door opened slowly, and a maid with brown hair and blue eyes, a rather beautiful young woman, entered. Her fair skin tone and slim figure were prominent. She looked to be in her early twenties, a little older than Judith.
“Yes, young master. I see you have been reading.”
With a creak, the door closed. Sarah stood in front of Karl, an angelic smile lighting up her face.
'Sarah Otten.'
Judith swallowed nervously as she looked at Sarah's delicate features.
'A maid who has worked in Maius's palace since her childhood.'
The gentleman was partly right. Sarah had already worked at Mayos Mansion for over 15 years.
In the original story, she is described as being the same age as Ekian and was close to him.
Sarah was smart and a quick learner. Ekian had noticed her skills early on, and would often give her books or pens.
Ekian was a nobleman who treated the common people with respect, without looking down upon them.
'But they weren't as close as childhood friends. The book clearly stated that Ekian maintained the boundaries of their relationship as a professor and a servant.'
Sarah was intelligent and always had a keen eye. She knew instinctively that she should not cross the lines and keep a proper distance, because too much fawning might get her expelled on the spot.
As time went by, Karl was born, and Ekian began to adore his younger brother. Sarah took care of Karl as well, and her relationship with him developed into something different.
‘Sarah knew that the best way to stay close to Ekian was to win Karl’s love.’
Since he was young, Karl has loved Sarah. No other maid in the palace was able to rival her ability to gain his attention.
Ekian enjoyed playing with his younger brother, and Karl always wanted Sarah by his side while he played.
The ducal family was receiving reports about this, but they did not suspect anything because Karl was in love with Sarah.
'It is natural for a child to like someone who is nice to him.'
There were many reasons why Karl was so attached to Sarah.
First, Carl was gifted, and although he still looked like a child, the novel stated that at the age of three he possessed adult intelligence. He wasn't the type to love someone just because he was nice to him.
Sarah stood out because she was an intelligent maid who was able to answer Carl's questions accurately and intelligently.
'When a smart person becomes evil, he becomes truly dangerous...'
But in reality, Sarah always had feelings for Ekian. She knew, however, that there was no way a maid like her could get close to a high-ranking noble like Ekian, especially with the limits he set.
Therefore, she used Karl as a means to stay in Ekian's circle, doing so so skillfully that Ekian himf could not discover her intentions.
Sarah knew she was beautiful and very smart. She had high f-esteem, and truly believed that she might marry Ekian one day.
'But then, Ekian disappeared.'
When Ekyan disappeared, the dreams that Sarah had nurtured for so long collapsed.
It wasn't just that the man she loved had disappeared; Rather, it was the collapse of her long-standing ambition to belong to the aristocracy.
After that, she had nothing left but her relationship with Karl. She started taking out her frustration and anger on him.
“Young master.”
Sarah's tone was gentle as she stood in front of him.
“I see you reading comfortably... If the lady were here, she would be very angry.”
"What?"
“The lady cries every night because Mr. Ekian disappeared... If she knew you were fine like this, she might misunderstand you.”
"You misunderstand me? How?"
“You may think that you are happy that Mr. Ekian has disappeared and that you are excited to take on the role of heir, and you are enjoying yourf while you prepare for it.”
“This doesn't make sense
Karl shouted as he slammed his book shut, making the pages wrinkle under the force.
“I miss my brother. I want him back. I wait for his arrival every day! Sarah, you know that!”
“Of course I know. I know how much you really miss him. But not everyone sees it that way.”
Sarah spoke gently as she removed the book from Karl's lap, her voice sweet but harsh.
“And if you continue to excel... Mr. Ekian may feel hurt and decide not to come back. He might think, 'Karl is fine without me.'"
“No!”
Karl was about to cry. His bright eyes were filled with tears that had not yet been shed, sparkling in the light.
“I was only reading because my brother told me to read all these books before I was ten... I was just following his instructions! I want it back! I don't want to excel without him here! He always loved when I read.”
“That was when Mr. Ekyan was here.”
Sarah patted Karl's head and whispered softly to him. Her tone was soothing like an angel, but her words were more sinister.
“Things are different now... We have to do something else to bring him back.”
At that moment, the teacher suddenly started to stand up, but Judith grabbed his arm and quickly whispered, “Wait! What do you do?"
“How could she say such nonsense?”
The master was boiling with anger, almost unable to contain his feelings.
“This is unbelievable...”
This was the first time Judith had seen the gentleman, who had always been calm and composed, lose his composure like this. It seemed as if anger was consuming him from within, as if every word that came out of Sarah's mouth was pushing him to the brink of explosion