The dead leaves crunched under Silas's feet as he followed Mimi through the hall, still trembling from the morning's incident.
The young nobleman's cheeks were red as tomatoes, not only from fear, but also from a guilty admiration for the servant who had neutralised the thief as if it were child's play.
"I... I thought you were just a servant..." he stammered, his eyes fixed on Mimi.
"Yes. I'm just a servant who can wield a blade better than some soldiers." She replied, a wry smile on her lips.
Silas looked away, a little ashamed. But curiosity was already gnawing at him.
The thief seemed to have an organisation behind him — the precise movements, the speed with which he had tried to break in... everything indicated that he was no amateur.
Mimi already knew this. And now they had to investigate before more problems arose. Because unfortunately, they always do.
...Especially when you least expect them.
They headed for the garden. Mimi analysed every detail without saying a word: footprints in the damp earth, displaced leaves, broken branches.
Silas tried to follow, to notice something — to do as his servant did. But his noble child's eyes could only see the surface.
"Master Silas, do you see that? Every step... here, there, and there too... Someone knew the layout of the garden perfectly. Not just a simple thief." Said Mimi, crouching down to examine a footprint.
"You're... incredible, Mimi..." he whispered.
"No need to admire my tracking skills. Admire my ability to not get myself killed by a simple thief instead, young master." She sneered.
Silas, still a little perplexed, knelt down beside her to observe the tracks. His fingers trembled slightly as he traced the footprints. Mimi glanced at his expression, an amused smile on her face.
"Look, young master, every detail counts. Even the angle of a step can tell a story. You want to learn, don't you?" she said in an almost pedagogical tone.
"I'll try." muttered the young master.
They moved along the hedge.
Mimi continued to analyse the surroundings, noticing the smallest details: a small wire stretched to trigger a bell, a broken branch to signal someone's presence, a piece of fabric hanging from a bush...
Everything pointed to meticulous organisation.
Silas frowned, trying to imagine a mind capable of planning all this. Mimi watched him out of the corner of her eye, amused by his clumsy efforts.
"You know, young master, some people think the world is simple, that a thief acts alone and that everything is black and white. But life, you see... it's a bit like this garden. There are broken branches here, stones there, and hidden traps everywhere. If you don't look carefully, you'll end up hurting yourself. And it could be fatal." She said, running her hand over the fabric of her apron.
"Oh... I see... a bit like... like... an adventure, isn't it"' said Silas timidly.
"Exactly! An adventure... where the slightest mistake can cost you dearly." She replied with a smile.
Suddenly, a rustling sound caught their attention. Mimi turned immediately, her hand on the blade hidden under her maid's dress. Silas stood frozen, his heart pounding.
A figure emerged from the shadows: a young thief, clumsier than the previous one, but definitely reckless.
"Ah~ Well... looks like school's back in session." Mimi murmured with an amused smile.
"M-M-Mimi... are you going to... are you going to... stop him?" asked the young noble, a mixture of fear and admiration in his voice.
"Of course. But this time, we're going to learn something new. Would you like to try?" said the maid, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
Silas took a slight step back, uncertain, but a spark of curiosity already shone in his eyes.
Mimi took her position, analysing her opponent's every move with the precision of a captain on the battlefield.
The thief took his first step, stumbled slightly, and Mimi dodged with almost unreal grace. She guided Silas through the movement, showing him how to observe, anticipate, and react.
"Look closely... every movement has a rhythm, a pattern. Even fear follows a code, young master. You will learn that today, and perhaps tomorrow you will be able to avoid being crushed by life... or by a thief, who knows." She sneered.
Silas followed her instructions as best he could, clumsily but with determination.
While subtly correcting him, Mimi kept an eye on the thief, ready to intervene. Every movement, every breath, every rustle in the garden became a lesson.
And for the first time, Silas felt that the world around him was bigger, more dangerous... but also more fascinating than he had ever imagined.
***
Within minutes, the young thief was subdued.
Silas, panting and slightly flushed, looked at Mimi with a mixture of admiration and disbelief.
She winked at him and whispered:
"Welcome to the real world, young master. Here, even a quiet morning can hide a storm."
The thief, his head held down by Mimi's foot, growled protests in a rough dialect. His arms were shaking, not from fatigue — no — but from pure panic.
...The kind of panic you only see in people who know exactly what awaits them if they talk.
Silas stood a few steps behind Mireille, eyes wide, still pumped full of adrenaline.
Mimi sighed, then patted the thief's head, almost gently.
"Calm down... we'll talk. And I promise, I won't break anything as long as you cooperate... Er, as long as you're still breathing, I mean."
The thief groaned.
With the help of a guard from the manor — who arrived far too late — Mimi had the man taken to the small shed at the back of the garden, almost invisible behind the bushes.
She went in alone.
Silas wanted to follow her, but she put a hand on his shoulder.
"No. Not this time, young master. Interrogation is an art that requires... how shall I put it... a certain tolerance."
"Tolerance? For... For violence?" asked Silas.
"No. For stupidity." she corrected with a smile.
Then she closed the door.
***
The inside of the shed was dark, dusty, and filled with gardening tools. Mimi leaned against a rickety table and crossed her arms. The thief, tied to a chair with a rope hastily tied by the guard, was breathing fast, too fast. His eyes avoided Mimi's.
"Okay, your buddy has already been questioned and arrested, so what you'll say can be verified... Let's make this quick. Tell me who sent you, what you were looking for, and how many of you there are." Said the maid.
'...'
Silence.
"Oh, you're one of those... the silent ones. Very well."
Mimi crouched down and fixed her gaze on his. It was a calm gaze, without any apparent anger or threat.
The kind of calm that is precisely terrifying.
"Listen to me carefully. I don't work for the Wrightons. I work for the young master. So if anyone threatens him... I get particularly sensitive. And when I'm sensitive... let's just say I tend to… break things."
A gentle but icy smile crossed her face.
"…It depends, really. Often it's fingers. Sometimes knees. But I'm open to alternatives, mind you."
The thief gulped.
"I-I have... I have nothing against the kid! I just wanted to—"
"Nothing against him? Perfect. Then why did you try to break into his window?" Mimi repeated.
The thief bit his lip, hesitating, then whispered:
"We... we wanted to retrieve an object. Something your master has... perhaps."
Mimi tilted her head.
"We? Who's 'we'?"
"... I can't... I can't. They'll kill me."
"And I'll kill you right now if you waste my time." She said, coldly.
She stood up and grabbed a pair of secateurs from a shelf.
The tool clicked... and the thief immediately screamed:
"S-Sentios! It's Sentios! I work for Sentios and his bunch!"
Mireille stopped dead in her tracks.
There was a moment of silence.
She put the tool back in its place.
"Ah. Well, that's... that's annoying. Very annoying, in fact."
She walked back towards him.
"What does Sentios want in the young master's room?"
"I... I don't know. We just take orders. He says there's something here. Something valuable."
"A relic?"
"I... I don't know!"
Mimi looked at him for a long time.
No obvious lies. The man had the sincere fear of subordinates who are sent to do dirty work without being told the real reasons.
A disposable pawn, in short.
She put her hands on her hips.
"Very well, then. You will disappear from the county. Today. You will leave Velenisia if possible. You will change your name, and you will forget that you ever saw me.'
"R-really? You're letting me go?"
"Of course. I'm an exemplary servant, come on." She replied, opening the door.
The guard behind her opened his mouth to protest, but Mimi silenced him with a glance.
"If he stays, we'll attract attention. We don't need that." She said calmly to the guard.
She left, letting the thief slip away like a wounded animal.
***
Outside, Silas was waiting, his hands clasped behind his back, like a child caught doing something wrong.
"So... did he confess to anything?"
Mimi pretended to adjust her apron.
"Nothing useful. Just a petty crook. I sent him away." said the maid.
"Why?"
"Because he would have cluttered up our cells. And because some very bad people clearly want... something else."
Silas narrowed his eyes.
"Something... else?"
"That, young master, is for me to find out." She said with a gentle smile.
She looked up at the roofs of the manor.
The wind carried a fresh, almost pleasant smell, but something was wrong in the air.
...Like a missing piece in a puzzle.
"Young master, from today... stay close to me as much as possible." Mireille said softly, suddenly.
3Why?"
"Because someone's actively looking for you. And it's not to give you a hug."
Silas swallowed. The fact that his maid — usually so inclined to show him respect — had addressed him informally, clearly conveyed the tone of the message. This was not a simple threat to scare him.
It was an unequivocal message.
"I-I see..."
Mimi placed a reassuring hand on his head.
"Don't worry... as long as I'm here, no one will touch you." She said, returning to her usual formal tone.
Behind her tender smile—
...a cold determination burned like embers.
Sentios.
That name came back... Again.
...Like a ghost resurrected from her military past.
Mimi sighed.
'This complicates things a lot...'
The wind made the leaves in the garden dance, as if an invisible shadow were brushing against them.
Probably for the first time since she had started working at Wrighton Manor...
...Mimi felt that her quiet, incognito little life had just come to an end.
——Ah, yes. This particular day. That was the beginning of the problems. And believe me, we went through some tough times after that.——