- Pov of the Mysterious Woman -

The quick sound of footsteps was immediately followed by the sound of people talking to one another.

A person who was dressed in a maid's uniform was standing in front of me. However, because of the dim lighting in the corridor, it was difficult to distinguish the individual features of her face.

The sun was about to go down, and one could see a reflection of the rays that it had cast in the glass panes that lined the hallway. On rare occasions, however, it was possible to make out the light coming in through the window panes because it reflected off her short white hair.

Because I had reached the point where I could no longer tolerate the silence, I finally broke the silence with an agitated tone of voice.

"Then, what exactly is he trying to find?"

Because I do not have a choice but to comply, even though doing so goes against my innermost desires.

"Did he take into consideration the fact that I had just arrived home from working late and that I was completely exhausted?"

I persisted in making it clear that I was irritated while simultaneously demanding an answer to my question.

In this hallway that went on for what seemed like an eternity, the only sound that could be heard was that of footsteps, and the maid in front of me pretended that she didn't hear my question.

After what seemed like an eternity, the maid finally broke the silence. It was almost as if she was aware that I was becoming impatient and intended to continue nagging her about something.

"Young master is eager to learn the results of the information you provided after discovering that you have returned."

She reacted in a cool and collected manner.

Then, after that, a response came that seemed attentive. But, nonetheless, it was clear from the tone of the maid's voice and the expression on her face that the maid didn't care.

"Once your report has been turned in, you are free to relax. but, if there is anything else I can do for you, please don't hesitate to let me know."

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My day started out with me running errands in a kingdom that is rumored to be preparing for war, and I just got back home today after being away for the majority of the day.

When I arrived at the palace, a maid who worked for that particular individual greeted me and told me to follow her without providing any additional context or explanation. In addition to that, I was instructed to maintain my silence.

As a consequence of everything that took place over the previous few days, I had planned to take some time off to rest and pass the time, but it turned out that I was unable to do so for various reasons.

"Seriously annoying," I whispered a few things to myself as I trailed behind her.

"And precisely what was it that you came across while you were in that place... When going to public areas of the city, are they starting to enforce the policy that requires citizens to dress appropriately?" The maid, who never displayed any signs of emotion and always had a flat expression on her face, all of a sudden posed an odd question.

"I found a lot of fascinating things there, and I don't understand what you mean when you say people are wearing clothes," After hearing my response, the maid chose not to respond and instead remained silent, which helped to restore the calm atmosphere that had been present before.

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After some time had passed, there was the sound of a chuckle.

"Hahaha..."

"I'm willing to bet that the pretentious manner in which you asked that question was due to the fact that you regarded another individual as being on a lower social level than yourself. It should, therefore, not come as a surprise that you are behaving in such an arrogant manner right now. How was it even possible for me to forget about that?"

I couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably while simultaneously covering my mouth with my hand as though I had just had the most hilarious insight. As a direct result of this, some of the exhaustion that I had been experiencing lessened.

A couple of days ago, I spent some time in a remote location known as the Klein Kingdom. As I mentioned at the beginning, there is a chance that this kingdom will become embroiled in the conflict between the two empires.

The fact that a small kingdom has to compete with two imperial giants is a depressing but unavoidable reality. Even though the territory that makes up the Klein kingdom is referred to as a kingdom, the portion it occupies represents roughly half of the total territory that the Empire covers.

However, the length of the fight would determine the rate at which their area shrunk, and whichever side emerged triumphant in the end, the Klein kingdom would be the one to suffer the most as a direct result of the conflict, right?

I had just started thinking about it when suddenly, I recalled someone I had recently met at that place.

"When you meet my new friend who I met there, you will be astounded because, believe it or not, she is exactly like you."

The maid who was walking in front of me immediately halted what she was doing as soon as she heard my remark, and then she turned around to face me. It seemed as though what I had said had shocked her a bit, judging from how her eyebrows were raised slightly.

In addition to the large window that emitted blue light from the crystal glass as a result of the sunlight reflecting off the glass, two people were seen standing in front of the window facing each other.

At this point, it was possible to distinguish the maid's face from the background. She has a stunning appearance, and her violet eyes are absolutely breathtaking. However, when it is brought into contact with light, it gives off a spooky glow that causes you to go completely still for a few seconds.

Even though I've known her for a long time, I still have trouble hiding my jealousy whenever I'm in the same room as her. This is because she possesses a body that is full of alluring curves and assets, which makes it impossible for any man not to stare at her body.

Even though she was staring at me with a frosty face, she gave off the impression that she was happy and seemed interested in what I had to say even though she was staring at me with a blank expression.

"Young master may be interested in getting to know your new friend as well, particularly if she is identical to me in every respect."

After a brief pause, she resumed talking while adopting a 'thinking' posture and angling her head ever-so-slightly forward.

"From what I gather, the kingdom you are currently exploring is home to unadorned animals that do not wear any kind of ornamentation, right?"

The things she said made one think, primarily due to the emotionless tone she maintained throughout her statements, and this was true regardless of whether she was joking or being serious about the subject matter.

"Although the Klein kingdom is home to a large number of different beast races, the people who live there have developed their very own distinct social civilization," I yelled out in a passionate manner, demonstrating that the excitement I was feeling was genuine.

What I saw there was shocking to me, so I knew she was just making fun of other races for how she was, but I could no longer stand to listen to her jokes.

The maid abruptly turned around and continued walking in the same direction as before without uttering a single word, as if ignoring what I had just said.

I showed no concern and continued to follow in her footsteps.

If there were other people present, it's possible that they would pass out as a result of seeing or hearing the maid's actions and words while the conversation was going on. Therefore, the reprimand was not a trivial matter.

If she had a family, then, depending on the choices made by the person to whom she spoke, her entire family was either obliterated from history or became an enslaved person whose oppression was passed down from one generation to the next.

On the other hand, because she worked as a maid for that particular individual, I grew accustomed to interacting with her.

No matter how brilliant they are or how extraordinary their strength is, my only reaction would be a headache if I were to come into contact with that person's subordinates.

There aren't many people in this Empire who are more talented or stronger than I am. One of them is this maid, but I'm not sure how strong she is now.

On the other hand, it was crystal clear that in order for me to compete with her if we got into a conflict, I would need the assistance of five other people whose capabilities were on par with mine.

At that very instant, the two people's footsteps came to an abrupt halt and stopped altogether.

"We have arrived at our destination."

I was rudely jolted out of my daydream by a voice that emerged in front of me while I was thinking of a strategy in case I found myself in a position where I had to confront her.

In front of me stood a door that, in addition to leading to that man's bedroom, also provided access to his workplace.

As she approached the door, the maid uttered the words "young master" in a soft tone. This was done before she actually knocked on it.

"Sucht, I am extremely grateful to you for everything you've done," On the other side of the door, there was a male voice that could be heard. For some reason, it was apparent and comforting to the ears.

"Since I have only recently returned to my own damn house, I was wondering if it would be possible for you to move the date back by a few days," I blurted out without giving it much thought as I took a few steps forward and slammed the door open, demonstrating how eager I was to get my frustrations out.

After hearing this from behind, Sucht's eyebrows twitched ever-so-slightly, but she refrained from responding to the statement.

"I hope everything works out for you, princess."

After Sucht lowered her head, grabbed the doorknob, and closed the door, the normally quiet and peaceful state of the hallway was once again restored.