Sofia and the other maids were a talented group that Rachel had trained personally. They fully understood their mistress’s temperament and tastes and were ready at all times to efficiently carry out missions for her. Their colleagues in the ducal house thought they did so “effortlessly.” They wouldn’t deny it either. But there were some things beyond even them. They were only human, after all, and they were not Rachel.
While Rachel was sleeping her days away in the dungeon, many things happened. Her maids faced a number of difficult situations that would never become public, unbeknownst to Prince Elliott and even to Rachel herself.
Since they’d nearly finished compiling the weekly report for Rachel, Sofia and the maids were chatting over tea when another maid serving under them raced into the room.
“Miss Sofia! The president of the Black Cat Company needs you to come urgently. The vice president is here, personally, to call for you.”
“Mr. Campbell does? What happened?” Sofia asked.
It went without saying that in a secret society, members from different departments were forbidden from contacting one another conspicuously. The Black Cat Company was supposed to visit the ducal house only under the guise of doing business. It was unthinkable that one of their merchants would run into the house, all out of breath.
“Well, he says there’s a sudden visitor that only you can handle, Miss Sofia.”
When she heard the visitor’s name, Sofia uncharacteristically scowled. The other maids looked similarly dismayed.
Left with no other choice, Sofia rose to her feet. “Meia, Mimosa, come with me. And call Sylvia and Melina as well.”
“Understood!”
Having chosen the members best suited to handle themselves if things got violent, Sofia boarded the carriage. The vice president, Simmons, who’d come to get her, was looking pale.
“You want me to run to Mr. Waters, have him send some people?” Simmons asked.
Simmons was suggesting that their man in the underworld send them some gangster types, but Sofia quietly shook her head.
“It won’t help. If things go south, those people will only get in the way.”
“It’s that bad?!”
Ignoring the now-speechless vice president, Sofia took deep breaths in and out in an attempt to calm herself. That should tell you just how unwelcome this guest was. In other words, they were Rachel’s friend.
In the relaxed atmosphere of the Black Cat Company’s reception room, Sofia faced down their “guest.” This person was Rachel’s equal, and therefore, as a mere “representative,” Sofia couldn’t sit on the sofa even if invited to. She stood respectfully on the other side of a low table, the four maids she’d brought with her standing at her back.
The “guest” sat at the head sofa, legs crossed, hand raised casually.
“It’s been too long, Schwarze Katzen.”
She was a beautiful but intimidating woman in her midtwenties, similar in type to Rachel’s friend Alexandra. Her rich, wavy blonde hair came down to her waist, and her face bore sharp, provocative eyes and a soft smile. Up until this point, she’d sounded no different from the marquess’s daughter, but perhaps due to their difference in rank and experience, she displayed a much higher level of charisma and intensity.
Sofia offered her a most respectful bow, as did the other four.
“It is a pleasure to see you, Your Excellency.”
Her name was Grand Duchess Eliza Rosenthal. At first glance, her rank appeared to be the same as that of Haley’s pet Grand Duke Vivaldi, but Eliza was sovereign of the Grand Duchy of Rosenthal, which was separated from this country by a few other minor nations. That put her on the same level as the king. She’d met Rachel at a mutual aid society meeting and was an easygoing sort who kept in regular contact with her.
The grand duchess was familiar with Sofia and spoke to her nonchalantly. She was a very cut-and-dried person, so she dropped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
“Let’s not stand on ceremony. You know what I’m here for. I hear that your prince is treating Rachel discourteously. I couldn’t just sit around, so I rushed to come do something,” she said with a hearty laugh.
Sofia narrowed her eyes at Eliza, who sat sipping tea.
“So, that is why you came. We appreciate the thought, but did you come all the way here openly and in uniform?”
The grand duchess tilted her head to the side, unsure of the meaning behind the maid’s question.
“Yes? Of course I did. I heard Rachel’s engagement was unfairly broken off, after all. These clothes pass for formal wear even in your country, don’t they?”
“Yes, they do, but I do not think people walk around town like that.”
Sofia was taking issue with the grand duchess’s clothes—an all-black dress. In other words, they were mourning clothes. It wasn’t just the grand duchess either. Four women stood behind her, all of them dressed in mourning clothes, veils included. Sofia could tell they were young and beautiful from the slight glimpses of their mouths. They were standing in a row, as if confronting Sofia and the other maids.
While they were dressed like they were in mourning, they stood with their arms crossed behind them, their feet spread at shoulder width, and their chests thrust out. They also wore sword belts with sabers hanging from them. The mourning clothes would have been strange enough to see during the day, but these women wore them like military uniforms.
Considering the possibility that they might have to fight these guests, Sofia and her maids had come armed as well. Inside the slit at Sofia’s waist, there was a long dagger hidden under her skirt.
Armed maids and mourners staring one another down in a company’s reception room? What the hell?
“Is it odd to walk around like this?” Eliza asked. “Ha ha ha, we were in a bit of a hurry. Don’t you worry about it.”
It wasn’t up to the people being looked at to decide whether the people looking at them should be concerned or not.
The grand duchess, who’d been slouching a little, sat up and leaned forward a little.
“So? When are you attacking the castle to rescue Rachel?”
She was super excited. Her nostrils were flaring, and she seemed ready to lead the charge herself. It wasn’t that she was worried about Rachel. No, she trusted her. She’d hurried so that she wasn’t late for the fun that was going to happen with Elliott.