In truth, Abraham never believed she was an ordinary maid.

After all, if she were, she wouldn’t have been the first to climb into the carriage when Ray and Linna boarded.

She wore a maid’s uniform, but her gestures, tone, and basic demeanor didn’t resemble someone accustomed to serving others.

Still, she wasn’t someone who would stay long, and he had no reason to pry, so he left it alone.

Unlike the scruffy appearance she'd had last night in her maid’s attire, she was now freshly washed and wearing a neat dress provided by the marquessate.

She really did look less like a maid and more like a young lady from some noble family who had stopped by the estate for a short visit.

With a slow, gentle tone, she greeted him politely.

“Ray and Linna are still asleep. I had something I wished to tell you privately, Marquess, so I asked the butler and waited here.”

Given how plainly she said “Ray and Linna,” it was clear she had no intention of pretending she was just a maid.

She must’ve had business with him.

But she must have not wanted to disturb his personal time right after waking, so she chose to wait outside the office.

The butler behind her gave a sheepish smile.

Abraham slowly spoke.

“You should come inside first.”

The tone clearly indicated he wasn’t going to treat her like a servant.

Thus, the three of them, including the butler, entered the office.

“Sit here.”

Abraham offered her the chair by the table, while he himself took a seat at his desk, a good distance away.

The maid tactfully served tea and tea food before each of them.

“So then...”

Abraham lifted his teacup slowly and looked at the woman before him.

“Let me first introduce myself properly. I am Abraham Sinesse.”

After his introduction, the woman offered a graceful bow.

Just from her movements, it was clear she had been taught proper etiquette from a young age. Definitely not just a maid.

“And what may I call you, young lady?”

“Please speak comfortably. And my name is...”

Without touching her teacup, she quietly folded her hands in her lap, hesitated slightly, and then said in one breath:

“I’m Rosie Noart.”

Abraham froze mid-sip.

The butler standing behind her also flinched.

“...Noart?”

“Yes.”

The woman who introduced herself as Rosie blinked and continued.

“My maternal grandfather is Caliban Noart. My mother is Valia Noart... though you probably wouldn’t know her. She ran away before ever debuting in society.”

“...Huh.”

Abraham put his teacup down entirely.

Fixing his blue eyes on Rosie, he asked directly,

“Then your maternal grandmother... is Penelope Sinesse—no, Penelope Noart?”

“Yes. I don’t really know my grandmother, and no one in the family ever told me about her... but most likely, yes.”

Rosie answered calmly.

“I never even heard the name ‘Sinesse’ while growing up. I only learned of it yesterday from Ray in the carriage.”

Her response was slow but without hesitation. Abraham clicked his tongue with a conflicted expression. Then he muttered with a sigh.

He hadn’t even considered the possibility because their features were so different, but now that he looked—her silver hair and green eyes were just like Caliban Noart’s.

“You really don’t resemble Penelope at all.”

“Thank you...”

“What? That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Of course it wasn’t... Actually, it only counts as a true compliment if you say I don’t resemble her on the inside, not just in appearance...”

From behind her, the butler let out a barely suppressed cough.

Abraham furrowed his brows and fell into thought for a moment before asking,

“So then, what’s your reason for telling me your identity?”

His blue eyes swept over Rosie like he was probing her.

“If you know what kind of relationship I have with the Noarts, then you must also know I don’t hold them in high regard.”

One of his eyebrows rose sharply.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to just quietly stay out of sight between the young lord and lady and leave unnoticed?”

Rosie replied without avoiding his gaze, as if she had expected the question.

“Ray said the same thing, actually.”

That was just like Ray Lavendal—the master of aristocratic survival tactics.

“But I didn’t want to do that.”

“What?”

“Unless it’s something directly tied to my personal safety, I don’t want to deceive someone and leave after quietly taking what benefits I can. That just didn’t sit right with me.”

Rosie straightened her back as she continued.

“Ray told me that my grandmother stole your achievements and even your wealth.”

“...”

“But I was never told any of that growing up. Maybe I never asked, or maybe my grandfather and brother just didn’t feel the need to tell me—but still, the fact that no one in the capital ever connected Sinesse and Noart...”

A gentle smile played at the corners of Rosie’s lips.

“That’s because, quite literally, you let us off the hook, Marquess. You could have attached a disgraceful label to us at any time, but you didn’t.”

Abraham unconsciously bit down on his lower lip.

“I won’t be apologizing on behalf of my grandmother or anything like that.”

Rosie continued with a composed expression.

Unlike Penelope, who let greed drip from her mouth every time she spoke, Rosie had a gentle dignity about her.

“I don’t think my grandmother was the kind of person who’d apologize even if she knew she’d done wrong...”

“Hmm?”

“If she’s up in heaven repenting now, I hope she’s learned this: if you want to apologize, you should do it in your own lifetime, not make your descendants do it for you.”

Her firm yet soft-spoken tone was followed by a completely unexpected remark.

The butler behind her trembled again, trying desperately not to laugh.

“Anyway, the Marquess I saw last night was the kind of good lord who personally visited a landslide site in the middle of the night, just in case something had happened to the territory.”

Regardless of whether the butler managed to hold his laughter, Rosie continued elegantly.

“So I didn’t want to stay here hiding my identity from someone I decided was a ‘good person.’”

“Ha.”

Abraham scoffed as if amazed.

“No one here even cares who you are. Hide your identity all you want—who’s going to know?”

“I know.”

Rosie answered gently, still sitting with perfect posture.

Even though they were seated far apart, her clear and upright energy came through.

“I just... didn’t want to be ashamed of myself.”

Abraham slowly picked up his teacup again.

Noart...

It really wasn’t a name he could like.

When he thought about the atrocities Penelope had committed in her younger years, it still made his blood boil.

Even his son—currently studying abroad in the Kingdom of Itaa—shook his head and said, “Honestly, what Aunt did to our family was disgusting.”

“She herself said she wanted to live as a Noart, like a stranger to us. So we should do the same—draw a line and let it end there. Nothing good comes from wrestling in the mud; all it does is get you dirty too.”

That was exactly the mindset with which he had drawn that line and buried the past.

Not wanting anything more to do with each other—that was the first and only thing he and Penelope had ever agreed on.

Especially after her death, he thought: what fault do her descendants bear? So he never held them accountable.

“Honestly, last night, I thought you might not want someone with the Noart name in your manor. So I planned to leave quietly if necessary.”

“...Really?”

“Of course, I probably would’ve muttered that it was a bit petty... to myself.”

“...”

“It’s just that I didn’t want to damage your dignity in front of my friends, so I requested this private meeting. You looked too exhausted last night, so I came this morning instead.”

Abraham let out a faint sigh.

“Forgive me, but this old man must excuse himself. Staying up so late is too tiring at my age.”

That must be why she didn’t come see me right away last night.

His thoughts swirled with mixed emotions as he slowly sipped his tea. Then Rosie bowed her head.

“Still, the truth is I stayed a night here while hiding my ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) identity, and I even received clothes. So I’d like to repay that. Of course, I know I can’t pay for my grandmother’s sins.”

“...Repay?”

Abraham looked at Rosie with calm eyes and opened his mouth.

“Don’t tell me you thought I was going to charge you money?”

“No... This isn’t the Noart estate, where money fixes everything, so I never thought that.”

Rosie’s eyes widened as she waved her hands.

“I just wanted to do something I can do before I leave.”

“Something you can do?”

“Yes.”

With an awkward expression, Rosie spoke like it was nothing.

“The ancient writing on the tapestry... I’ll read it for you.”