In This Confinement Novel, the Maid Doesn’t Change the Original - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Translator: Yonnee

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The very instant the priest’s gaze landed on Adeline, Sien’s sharp voice cut through the air.

With inscrutable eyes, Sien looked down at the priest, who was more than a head shorter than himself.

Adeline, who had been absentmindedly staring at the floor the whole time, lifted her head slightly to look at Sien.

The corners of his lips were raised in a crooked smile, his voice laced with ridicule. And through his beautifully curved eyelids, his eyes glimmered dangerously.

Others might not have noticed, but Adeline could see the faint murderous intent in his gaze. It looked like he’d just decided on a target for his frustration.

‘Has it even been five minutes since I asked him not to take it out on random people?’

Adeline sighed inwardly. There were too many eyes around for her to sigh out loud, which only made it more frustrating.

“Pardon? No, I was just… checking the guests…”

Caught off guard by the unexpected reprimand, the priest stammered out a clumsy excuse. He seemed quite flustered, as if his primitive intentions had been exposed in that brief moment.

“Checking?”

At the priest’s bold statement about checking what belonged to him without permission, Sien’s smile deepened. Sien took a step toward the priest.

“Young Master, we’re out in broad daylight.”

There was still an hour left before the inauguration would begin.

Uncharacteristically, Adeline intervened in front of others to stop Sien. Her words were a rather vague attempt at restraint, but.

The priest seemed to have the same thought. A sudden question crossed his mind.

So, if it’s not the middle of the day…?

“There are plenty of eyes watching.”

‘Does that mean… It would have been fine as long as no one’s watching?’

Understanding Adeline’s ambiguous words perfectly, the priest’s face turned pale.

“If you overreact, you’ll just end up causing yourself trouble, Young Master.”

Actually, it was Adeline who always had to deal with the aftermath whenever Sien wreaked havoc. She was always the one to clean up his messes.

Not to mention, she’d inevitably be scolded by the duke and duchess for not stopping Sien.

But Adeline always thought this was unfair. Sien was the kind of person who never listened, no matter how much you tried to stop him.

Except on rare occasions, when he sometimes did.

“……”

After quietly listening to Adeline, Sien narrowed his eyes.

Then, instead of approaching the priest, he shifted his steps and walked past him.

It seemed today was one of those rare occasions.

Adeline quietly let out a sigh of relief and followed after Sien.

Because his legs were so much longer, Adeline had to walk quickly just to keep up with Sien’s long strides.

“Adeline.”

As they neared the place where the two would have to part, Sien suddenly turned and called her name.

Adeline stopped and looked up at Sien.

“Yes, Young Master.”

As if telling him to say whatever he wished, Adeline bowed her head again.

“I suddenly want something.”

So that’s why he’d let things go so easily. It seemed her plan to watch Sien and Claire’s first meeting in a picturesque setting had failed before it even began.

“The temple ledger.”

You’ll get it for me, won’t you?

Sien asked with absolute certainty, as if knowing Adeline would naturally accept any request he made.

That he would suddenly want the temple ledger meant he wanted to find some leverage against the temple.

Anyone else would have been appalled by such a request, but Adeline wasn’t particularly surprised.

After all, besides being the Young Duke of Floye…

“…Of course.”

The maids of the ducal residence—including Adeline—had all been trained for just such tasks.

So it wasn’t particularly difficult for her to get it.

She only wished it hadn’t been suddenly. Then, she could have prepared in advance.

‘Looks like that priest really got on his nerves.’

Of course, this was entirely dependent on Sien’s mood, so there was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

After parting with Sien, Adeline headed to the servants’ waiting room, as the priest had instructed.

Even though it was still an hour before the inauguration, the room was already bustling with servants from other households who had arrived before Sien and Adeline.

“……”

After scanning the interior, Adeline slowly walked to a seat in the corner. She set down the large bag in a suitable spot and, as soon as she sat down, gently closed her eyes.

This way, it was easier to focus on the voices around her, and it also discouraged anyone from striking up a conversation.

This was a trick Adeline often used when she needed to leave right away.

“I heard the new saintess is a commoner? Must be nice. Her life’s completely turned around…”

“I heard the next cardinal is scheduled to be appointed today as well. And that he’s tall and handsome…”

“My lady didn’t come for the inauguration today, she’s here to look for a marriage partner. She’s long past the right age, after all…”

Even after focusing on the surrounding conversations for more than ten minutes, Adeline couldn’t glean any particularly useful information.

Well, it made sense. The servants here were all guests from outside, just like Adeline… In other words, it was unlikely that any of them would know where the temple ledger was kept.

In the end, deciding that there was nothing to gain here, Adeline quietly stood up just as she had when she entered, picked up her bag, and left the waiting room.