The second maid's gaze wavered for a heartbeat, her fingers curling slightly at her sides.
But then, just as the weight of Veronica's expectant stare seemed almost suffocating, she let out a soft, almost resigned sigh.
"Well, yes, you are right. I… I'm not a maid here," she admitted, her voice steady but laced with a faint tremor. "But it isn't what you think."
"Oh?" Veronica's expression didn't shift, that soft, polite smile still on her lips. But there was a sharpness in her eyes now, a keen, unrelenting focus that seemed to strip away the second maid's defenses one thread at a time. "Not what I think? Then please, do enlighten me."
"I… I came here because of my friend," the second maid continued, a touch of warmth entering her voice now, as if grasping onto the one thread of truth she could rely on. "She's a maid here. Has been for a while. She's… like a sister to me. We've known each other for years."
"Your friend?" Veronica repeated, her voice gentle, almost curious. But her gaze remained sharp, watching every flicker of emotion on the second maid's face.
"Yes," the second maid nodded, a faint sense of urgency coloring her tone. "She… she suddenly fell sick. Quite badly. It happened so quickly that she barely had the strength to speak. But before she lost consciousness, she begged me to help her, to come here in her place, to do her duties and… and to report her absence properly because she couldn't do it herself."
Veronica remained perfectly still, her fingers still gently tracing comforting circles on the back of her lord's cold, unmoving hand.
Her warm smile never faltered, but there was a chilling calm in her voice when she finally spoke again.
"So, let me ensure I understand this correctly," she said, her tone light, almost conversational. "Your friend, a maid who has served here long enough to be trusted, suddenly falls ill, and instead of informing the household directly, she sends you, an outsider, to take her place? Without informing Sir Valen, without notifying any of the senior staff?"
The second maid swallowed, her throat suddenly dry.
"I… I didn't think it would be a problem. I mean… she trusted me, and I thought it was the best way to help her without causing any trouble."
Veronica's warm smile still didn't waver, but behind that gentle, almost maternal expression, her mind was a storm of calculation.
She studied the maid, the faint tremor in her fingers, the slight rise and fall of her chest betraying the shallow, anxious breaths she tried to hide.
The girl was smart, frighteningly so.
The way she had crafted her story, the smoothness with which she had adjusted her tone, the almost desperate sincerity in her eyes, everything about her screamed of someone who was quick-witted, adaptable.
Someone who could lie without a hint of hesitation.
But even the most clever of liars had their limits.
Veronica's gaze lingered on the maid's face, watching the faintest trace of panic that showed in her eyes.
The girl was trying to maintain her composure, but her body betrayed her in subtle ways, fingers twitching slightly, a faint sheen of sweat along her brow, a forced calm.
For a brief moment, Veronica considered the simplest option, just asking for the name of this supposed "friend" of hers.
After all, it seemed a straightforward way to confirm the truth.
But then she paused, her mind racing through the possibilities.
'If this girl is as clever as she appeared, she had likely prepared for that question. She would have a name ready, perhaps even one of the actual maids who worked here. And if she is truly resourceful, she might have even ensured that the named maid was conveniently absent, perhaps knocked out somewhere, or otherwise kept away from the estate.'
A faint, knowing smile tugged at the corner of Veronica's lips.
'Yes… that was exactly the kind of trick someone like this would pull. A bold gamble, hiding in plain sight, disguised as an ally, using a cover story that could be checked but only with a careful hand.'
But Veronica wasn't so easily fooled.
No, she wouldn't play into the girl's hands.
If this girl had gone to the trouble of preparing a false identity, then asking her to confirm it would be like walking into a trap she herself had set.
And so, Veronica's smile softened, almost pitying, her eyes never losing their warm glow.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice gentle, like a mother comforting a nervous child.
The maid's tense shoulders seemed to relax just a little, mistaking the warmth in Veronica's tone for genuine concern.
"I… I'm just… worried about my friend," the second maid murmured, trying to hold onto the lie, leaning into the role she had crafted. "I hope she's okay. I… I didn't mean to cause any trouble by coming here."
"Oh, I completely understand," Veronica cooed, her voice soft and sweet. "You must be so worried about her. In fact, why don't you tell me more about her? I'd love to hear about how the two of you met, how long you've known each other… you must have some wonderful memories together."
The maid's lips twitched ever so slightly, her mind racing.
"W-Well, we met when we were both younger… in the city. We grew up together, you see."
"Oh, how lovely!" Veronica's smile brightened, her hands still gently stroking the cold, unmoving hand of her lord on the bed. "And does she have any family here? A brother, perhaps? Or a husband? I'm always so fascinated by the stories of the maids who work here. They all have such rich, colorful lives."
The second maid hesitated, just for a fraction of a second, but it was enough.
"No… no family here. She's always been quite… independent."
"Of course, of course," Veronica purred, her voice light and conversational.
But inside, she was a hawk, watching every subtle shift in the girl's demeanor, every crack in her carefully constructed mask.
She had been right.
This girl was quick, able to adapt her story with ease.
But that was the problem with liars who were too clever for their own good, they never knew when to stop.
Veronica kept her warm, comforting smile, her gaze gentle, but her mind was a web of strategies, each one unraveling the girl's story piece by piece.
She didn't need to confront her directly, not yet.
No, there were other ways to tear down a liar's defenses.