A Maid’s Interrogation

“What kind of relationship?” Seraphina Scarlett offered a faint smile. “None at all.”

“Ah, we’re simply in a maid-and-master relationship~”

“R-really?”

Unlike Seraphina Scarlett’s relaxed demeanor, Fourierina’s expression was grave.

Her hands were clenched into fists, her body leaning forward, and her posture was aggressively assertive.

She looked less like a gossiping maid and more like a detective on a mission, probing for crucial information.

‘Is there really a need to be so serious?’

Seraphina Scarlett was somewhat taken aback by Fourierina’s intensity.

“Fourierina… has something happened?”

Tilting her head, Seraphina Scarlett rested a hand on her chin, a worried frown creasing her brow.

She gazed intently into Fourierina’s eyes, concern etched on her face.

“It’s nothing major, really…”

“It’s definitely something major, isn’t it?”

“Hmm…” Fourierina’s gaze flickered away. “I’ll tell you.”

“But you absolutely must not tell anyone else, okay?”

“Do you remember Jefferson? The one who was shouting so loudly in the dining hall last time?”

“Ah,” Seraphina Scarlett recalled the male Butler’s face. “I remember him.”

Their first encounter had been in the attic, where he was among the servants ganging up on Seraphina Scarlett.

The second time was in the dining room. The third… was just yesterday in the study.

‘Come to think of it, that guy has been nothing but trouble for me,’ Seraphina Scarlett mused. ‘He probably hates me to death.’

“During lunch yesterday,” Fourierina continued, “Jefferson came over with his tray.”

Without a word, he squeezed in beside her and immediately began to speak.

“He just started telling me…”

“Er… oh! He, he forced his way over to sit, you know!”

For some reason, Fourierina suddenly became agitated.

“I didn’t want him to sit there! That guy is notoriously clumsy.”

“He often gets us all punished, and I was trying my best to avoid him! I barely had time to get away!”

“Is that so?”

“So, I truly didn’t want him to sit next to me! Really!”

“But… my dear Fourierina,” Seraphina Scarlett offered an awkward smile. “I wasn’t actually curious about your feelings for him. There’s no need to explain so much.”

…

This time, it was Fourierina’s turn to fall silent.

Observing Fourierina, who remained quiet with her head bowed, Seraphina Scarlett felt a pang of guilt.

‘From what she’s saying… she probably likes that male Butler,’ Seraphina Scarlett deduced. ‘A young maiden’s affections are shy and cautious. Perhaps… I shouldn’t have been so blunt.’

“Um… I’m sorry. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, please don’t worry.”

‘I hope she truly is fine.’

Seraphina Scarlett still felt a lingering sense of apprehension.

It had been quite an effort to raise her favorability to ‘righteous.’ Seraphina Scarlett truly didn’t want to offend Fourierina now.

‘After all, if her favorability drops, I’d have to start all over again. The remaining two days would likely be miserable.’

Preoccupied with worry, Seraphina Scarlett failed to notice the subtle shift in the maid’s expression.

Beneath Fourierina’s lowered brows, a somber gloom suddenly flashed.

This gloom… wasn’t born from disdain for Seraphina Scarlett’s tactlessness. Instead, it stemmed from Seraphina Scarlett’s own obtuseness.

“Let’s get back to the main topic,” Fourierina said, looking at Seraphina Scarlett with a hint of resentment.

Her voice was faint, almost devoid of energy. “That guy sat next to me.”

“And without any prompting, he just started muttering to himself…”

“He was saying… he saw you molesting Miss Claire in the study…”

“Pfft!”

Before Fourierina could even finish, Seraphina Scarlett instantly spewed a mouthful of ‘old blood’. It splattered directly onto Fourierina’s face.

“I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry…” Seraphina Scarlett quickly stammered.

She hurriedly used her sleeve to wipe Fourierina’s face. “However, please believe me. Things aren’t like that…”

“He also said that your ‘molestation’ was so extreme that you gave Miss Claire a mental illness…”

“That’s not…”

“Because of this, Mr. Gus went directly to the main family to report the situation. He said he would make you pay the price…”

“No way…”

“He also said that you’ve been glued to Miss Claire’s side all afternoon.”

“He claimed it was to apologize and beg for her forgiveness. Otherwise, once Gus returns… you’ll be turned into bone meal for the horses.”

“Damn it!”

Gritting her teeth in fury, Seraphina Scarlett slammed her fist against the wall. The impact left her arm tingling with numbness.

“These Butlers, do they spread rumors without any consequences?!”

‘While some of it might be true, the situation yesterday afternoon clearly had Claire clinging to me!’

‘And that morning, it was obviously Claire provoking me! How did it turn into Seraphina Scarlett aggressively attacking Claire?! Even if they’re blind, it shouldn’t be distorted this much!’

‘That damn Butler… Jefferson, was it? You just wait! Once I deal with Claire, I’ll definitely implant a [Fragment] into you, then crank your [Purification] to the max. I’ll make sure your demon core explodes!’

“So… Seraphina Scarlett.”

Seeing Seraphina Scarlett’s furious expression, Fourierina’s face, surprisingly, relaxed considerably.

“None of this is true, right?”

“Right! It’s all false! All made up by that idiot!”

“Then…”

Thump!

Without warning, Fourierina suddenly reached out and braced her hands against the wall, effectively pinning Seraphina Scarlett between her body and arms.

“Why are you so close to Miss Claire?”

“Uh…”

“Why are you so close?”

“This…”

“Why, exactly?”

“Um… listen to me…”

Trembling, Seraphina Scarlett had never imagined in her life that she, a grown man (at least, originally), would be ‘wall-slammed’ by someone. Even more astonishing, the person doing it was the very maid who had tried to kill her just days ago.

“Well, part of Miss Claire’s personality change is indeed my fault…”

“Oh? So that means… you’re saying…”

With vivid red eyes, Fourierina bent down, her body inching closer to Seraphina Scarlett until her face was mere inches from Seraphina Scarlett’s chin.

“You truly have some unspeakable, special relationship with Miss Claire, don’t you?”

“N-not that…”

Faced with her aggressive colleague, Seraphina Scarlett could only cower pitifully against the wall.

“Fourierina… you’re really mean…”

“Oh? Am I scary?”

Fourierina slowly poked Seraphina Scarlett’s soft chest with her finger. Her finger then traced a path along Seraphina Scarlett’s collarbone.

“Yet, many times, I’ve wanted to get closer to Seraphina Scarlett. But I never had the chance~”

“Isn’t that all Seraphina Scarlett’s fault?”

‘Uh… uh…’

‘What is going on?’

Seraphina Scarlett finally grasped the situation.

‘This woman clearly doesn’t have feelings for that male Butler. What she wants, it seems… is me, and it always has been.’

‘No, seriously, didn’t you try to kill me just a few days ago? Why do you want me now!?’

‘Maybe you should just take my life instead. I think that would be easier.’

However, rather than debating whether she wanted her life or her heart, the most pressing matter now was to figure out how to escape Fourierina.

“So, um, Fourierina, did that Jefferson guy tell anyone else about these things?”

In this critical moment, Seraphina Scarlett deftly employed a tactic to change the subject.

?

Instantly, the yandere intensity on Fourierina’s face diminished slightly. Her arm, which had been pinning Seraphina Scarlett to the wall, also lowered.

Pressing a finger to her lips, Fourierina tilted her head, pondering for a moment.

“Yes, he did.”

“So… did anyone else say anything?”

“Yes, they did.”

Suddenly, Fourierina pressed her lips together tightly.

“? Fourierina? Are you trying not to laugh?”

“N-no, I’m not.”

“No, why are you laughing? What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Fourierina replied, covering her mouth with her hand. “I just remembered something amusing.”

“About half the people, I’d say. They expressed a desire to ‘eat melon’.”

‘Oh, ‘eating melon’ is human nature. That’s normal.’

“But the other half~”

With a sly chuckle, the maid, who was once always so serious, now mysteriously lowered her head.

“Whoa!”

Suddenly raising her hands, Fourierina curled her fingers into sharp claws, menacing Seraphina Scarlett like a tiger.

“They’re all old employees who watched Miss Claire grow up. They said your crime is unforgivable and that they want to tear you, this detestable blood kin, to pieces!”