# Chapter 10
Judith quietly drank her tea in front of the master, speaking in a low and slow voice: “So that’s the thing. You lied to me, didn’t you?”
The master sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead, then spoke slowly as if in a dilemma: “Please understand. We can’t live by just telling each other the truth all the time, can we?”
“Of course I understand. But I've always told you the truth, sir.”
“Well, uh… In the Information Guild, there are matters that are inherently sensitive and delicate.”
“I understand that. But I even told you something as sensitive as my pregnancy.”
“Huh… Judith, from my position, I can’t reveal everything to the customers.”
“That's understandable. But I wasn't just an ordinary agent; I was the one who saved your life.”
As Judith responded in an indifferent tone, the Master sighed again, looking even more uncomfortable.
She lowered her gaze and continued: “You could have just said that you didn’t want to tell me, but instead you went so far as to lie and say that you didn’t have any informants...”
“That was not a lie,” the master interrupted quickly. “I really don't have any informants there. That's the truth.”
“But you know things well, don't you?”
At her words, the master clicked his tongue and shook his head with a small smile.
“Honestly, I rarely lose my cool like this...” he muttered, rubbing his chin. “Judith, talking to you makes me feel like I'm turning into a different person.”
"truly?" Judith asked, shaking her head disapprovingly. “But don’t try to use that as an excuse for the lying that happened earlier.”
“Huh...”
The master crossed his arms. His facial features were hidden behind his mask, making them impossible to read. As usual, Judith was patiently looking out the window or sipping her tea, waiting quietly. After three years of coming in and out of his space, the awkward silences no longer bothered her as much as before.
After a long period of silence, the master finally spoke: “I know a secret passage.”
"What?"
“I know a secret passage in the Maius Family Mansion. I obtained this information a long time ago. So… I can help protect the Young Lord.”
This was something Judith didn't know. I thought quietly.
The second son of the Maius family, Ekian's younger brother, was called Karl.
Karl was very close to his brother Ekian. Because of the large age difference between them, Ekian lavished a lot of attention on Karl. After Ekian's disappearance, Karl became very withdrawn.
'Karl Mayus... he's actually the villain of this story.'
Carl was a good, innocent boy, but his upbringing was not ideal. The family that had been living in harmony fell apart after Ikian's escape, and their parents died shortly afterwards, plunging everything into chaos.
Suddenly, Karl became the head of the family. He grew up to be a quirky character, eventually developing an unhealthy obsession with the bright-as-the-sun heroine. The kind-hearted heroine treated him kindly, considering him just a younger boy, but things did not end well.
“In the original story, the Duke and Duchess were killed in an accident, and it wasn’t because they were bad parents. However, there was someone who influenced Karl more than his parents...”
That person was Sarah, the maid who was close to Karl. She was the same woman who faly claimed to be pregnant with Ekyan's child.
After taking the Mayus family name, Sarah's influence over Karl increased, and she began to abuse him more cruelly. Perhaps Judith's role as false wife could have prevented this abuse from escalating, but it is possible that Sarah was actually abusing Carl in secret.
‘She must be acting maliciously, taking advantage of Karl’s immaturity while hiding her actions from the Duke and Duchess…’
If Judith enters Maius's house as a daughter-in-law, it will be too late. The servants will not side with her, as they will most likely be loyal to Sarah who has worked there longer.
They would certainly see Judith as a suspicious woman, and their constant surveillance would make it impossible for her to act without Sarah finding out.
“Secret passage?”
Judith's eyes sparkled as she looked at the master.
"That's perfect. I think I know what to do now. You'll help me, won't you, mister?"
The information provided in the original story was limited, focusing only on Carl's childhood memories.
'I don't know the time or place where the abuse is happening!'
Judith needed to know both things, time and place, to be able to stop her. Initially, she intended to ask the Information Guild to find out when and where Karl and Sarah met frequently.
But she wasn't expecting much, knowing how difficult it would be to find out such accurate information from outside the palace.
Sarah was not stupid. She mentally manipulated Karl in very subtle ways. She likely wasn't abusing him in his room, where there were plenty of watching eyes.
Judith had mentioned it to the master without much hope, but unexpectedly, she got a valuable opportunity.
'Knowing there is a secret passage is much better!'
After the Master reveals the existence of the secret passage to Maius's palace, Judith chooses a course of action: surveillance.
By secretly sneaking near Carl's room, she can eavesdrop on his conversations with Sarah. No doubt, Sarah will tell him when and where they meet.
According to the master, if they used the secret passage, they would be able to hear everything that was happening on the other side of the wall.
Happy but curious, Judith asked the Master: “But, Master, how did you know such a thing?”
“Well, I found that out by accident.”
“I think asking an Information Guild Master about something like this was a silly question.”
If he knew such minute details about a secret passage, it stood to reason that he did not need informants. In the end, he could have infiltrated himf and gathered information.
The master spoke in a formal tone: “Please keep this matter a secret from the Duke and Duchess.”
“But isn’t it worrying that a stranger can enter the palace so easily? Doesn’t that mean security is weak?”
“Security is not weak at all. I swear I am the only one who knows about this corridor, and I have no intention of using it.”
“Who told you about this corridor?”
“They are already dead.”
"Oh, my God."
Judith assumed that the person who told him was most likely a descendant of the original engineer who built the palace.
Since the secret passage was not mentioned in the original story, it seemed to have no great importance.
In any case, according to the master, the passage was too complex to be mapped. So, his proposed method was very simple.
“We'll go together.”
Judith was not enthusiastic about the idea of entering an unfamiliar palace alone. However, after dealing with the master for three years, she felt reassured that he would accompany her. This was the first time they had worked together so cloy, but she doubted that he would hurt the person who had saved his life.
“We'll wait near Karl's room, right?”
“This is the plan now.”
With that, they agreed to head to the secret passage in Maius Palace immediately.
Strangely, the Master seemed more enthusiastic than Judith.
“Let's go now.”
"now?"
“Is there anything else you need to do?”
“Well, not exactly, but...”
"There's a child being abused in secret. Isn't this urgent?"
Judith dismissed the idea, assuming that the Master might have a soft side toward children. Or perhaps he himf suffered abuse as a child. It was not possible to read his facial expressions behind the mask, but one thing that was clear was that he was taking this very seriously.
Thus, Judith and the Master headed through the secret passage connected to the abandoned cellar of an old cottage...
'One moment.'
The place was completely dark. As Judith began to feel her way in the darkness, the Master whispered, “Excuse me,” before taking her hand. The master's hand, which I held for the first time, was large and warm.
‘This…’
The narrow corridor barely allowed one person to pass.
Without realizing it, Judith found herf practically pressed against the master. With the size difference between them, it was as if she was being carried in his arms as they moved forward.
Even though this closeness made her feel nervous, she clung to him tightly, too afraid to pull away. Judith tried to calm her rapid heartbeat, but a wave of embarrassment washed over her.
'Why are we so close?'