“But the identity verification process is really strict. The Idra estate is super closed-off when it comes to their servants. They’ll pay whatever we ask, but they demanded everything from family ties to status guarantees, and they were extremely picky about it.”

I slowly nodded.

Julian’s report from earlier had said something similar about how they hire staff. They pay a lot, but they’re absolutely obsessed with security.

“Hm… Since I don’t have family, I’ll have to go to Oroz Orphanage again to get another letter of recommendation and a guarantee…”

“No, no, Heidi, no.”

I smiled slightly and shook my head.

I already had a pretty good idea of how to take advantage of this. In a way, it was lucky.

“I’m going instead of you.”

“What?”

“Honestly, in a tight spot, I used your identity once. They’re probably not calling for you, but for me—the me from back then.”

“…Oh?”

“There’s something I need to infiltrate, so would you mind if I borrow your identity for a bit?”

Heidi tilted her head, thinking for a moment.

“That’s not hard, but… the guarantee won’t match. I’m thirty-one, and I look nothing like you, Lady Rosie. And there’s no way the Oroz Orphanage would forge documents for us.”

“You’re right. That’s a fair point…”

I nodded slowly.

No matter how I looked at it, becoming ‘Heidi from the Entoho’ again and approaching Linna seemed like the best option.

Especially because I might be able to go to the villa where the Duchess of Idra was staying with Linna.

And it’s not like I didn’t have any ideas.

“But… the Oroz Orphanage is in the Lavendal Duchy, isn’t it?”

So I immediately wrote a letter to Ray, explaining everything.

<!–

–>

I asked if he could change the records of Heidi Oroz from the Oroz Orphanage—from a 31-year-old brown-haired, blue-eyed woman to a 21-year-old silver-haired, green-eyed one.

And the reply came quickly.

The Idra estate is really strict about hiring servants.

Unlike the Entoho, Linna can’t make that decision alone. Even as a noble lady, Linna doesn’t have as much power as you’d think.

The head maid has the final say in hiring, and if Linna named you specifically, they might have already started an investigation into the Oroz Orphanage.

Really? Isn’t there another way you could use your power, even if it’s a little shady?

Hm, as the heir to the Lavendal Duchy, I could personally vouch for your identity. Even the Idra estate wouldn’t be able to ignore my word.

Ugh, seriously? The young master himself is going to vouch for some orphan servant’s identity?

It’s a beautiful, touching, highly motivating story, but come on—doesn’t that sound a little insane?

We’ll just have to make it sound sane.

How about this? You were my first love when we were kids, but my parents forced us apart.

They faked your orphanage records so I could never find you again—and sold you off to the devil himself, Julian Noart.

But then we met by chance on the Entoho, and now I’m chasing after you again.

Ray’s long-winded letter read like some trashy romance novel.

But… it actually made sense.

My parents secretly want to get rid of you, and I’m sending you to Linna to protect you.

I’m personally asking that you be kept away from prying eyes. The Noart estate already threw a huge welcome party for you, so someone might recognize you.

It sounded pretty convincing.

Ray would have to come with me to Linna, but this mess of a story neatly solved both my security and identity problems.

So I put together a plan based on Julian’s report and sent it to Ray.

Linna’s probably going to visit the Duchess next week.

There’s a fancy hotel she always stays at along the way. Meet me there and bring me to Linna directly. Normally the head maid comes too, but make sure I can get hired on the spot.

And surprisingly, Julian agreed to this plan without much fuss.

He said sneaking into the Idra estate was too dangerous, but having the Water Divine Beast around gave him peace of mind.

Julian wasn’t stupid enough to throw a fit just because a man would be near me. I guess he really had grown up over the past nine years.

“Still, just in case, contact Yuta too.”

Julian’s eyes flashed as he spoke.

“Tell him to stay nearby. You can handle the Grass Divine Beast too, right?”

In the end, I decided to send Yuta my route as well.

“Better to have two Divine Beasts nearby than a hundred bodyguards.”

Julian’s eyes gleamed. He wasn’t wrong. If anything happened, I could sweep everything away with water or escape using vines.

Ray responded with a carefully thought-out plan.

You mean the Otaz Hotel in Leta Village, right? If it’s next week, there’s a small festival in the village. It’ll be perfect for blending in as regular travelers.

I’m sure the Idra estate’s servants will already be in the village for security and surveillance.

We’ll hide our identities and pretend to enjoy the festival. We need to be seen together for at least a bit to fool that uptight head maid.

Once Linna arrives, I’ll personally request them to hire you.

Hiding our identities and “being seen together for a bit” at the village festival…

It seemed like Ray was setting the scene to make everything look natural.

But honestly, I felt like we needed that kind of staged scene anyway. The line in the maid’s report about “firing everyone without family or friends” kept nagging at me.

“Family and friends… They’re just looking for weaknesses.”

Heidi had no family on paper, so to get hired safely, I had to show them a different kind of weakness outright. In that sense, a “love across social classes” wasn’t bad at all.

Just one thing—Zahid probably wouldn’t be happy about this. He seemed to get more jealous than I’d expected.

Well, at least he was still stuck in the Temple for now.

“It’s just a brief lie, just words… It’s only to get close to Linna, so he’ll understand, right? If he gets upset ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) later, I’ll apologize properly.”

With Zahid trapped right now, sadly, I couldn’t even ask for his permission.

“I’ve only ever had eyes for you on my path, but of course, you can have others in your sight along yours.”

I lowered my gaze for a moment, recalling what Zahid had once said to me.

“Maybe the reason I love you this much is because you’re the kind of person who can’t just sit back and watch Linna Idra.”

Thinking of Linna at Bellotsa Harbor, with that devastatingly lonely look in her eyes, I gently touched the ring that was suppressing my divine power.

* * *

Duchy of Arden.

Ethan had left during the welcome ceremony, saying he had an errand for the Tower Master, and this was where he arrived.

The Duchy of Arden was a small country, so they were over-the-top about welcoming a great mage.

“Hahaha! Isn’t this the least they can do for a great mage? Don’t they have any better booze?”

Ethan drank several times his limit and passed out. Naturally, all the consequences fell on Roystan, who came along as his assistant.

Roystan clenched his teeth and dumped Ethan into a room. Ethan was completely out cold.

“You damn bastard…”

Roystan muttered irritably, pretending to punch Ethan in the face.

“Let’s see how long you guys stay on top.”

He dusted off his clothes and walked out.

And a little later, Ethan, who had been snoring away, suddenly opened his eyes.

He jumped up and ran to the window. Roystan, now wearing a black robe, was heading somewhere.

“Knew it… Rosie was right.”

Ethan narrowed his eyes and muttered.

“They’re seriously beyond saving.”

One of Ethan’s attendants, a master of moving without a sound, followed Roystan from behind.

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