***

 

“Where the hell are we?”

 

“This is an aristocratic club called the Artus Club. The first floor is a social hall where anyone can come and go, and the second floor is a social club where members are thoroughly vetted. It’s quite famous, I hear.”

 

They arrived in the backyard of a mansion. It was quiet, except for the occasional distant sound of laughter and music.

 

“Can we come in here?”

 

One of the candidates said in a low voice.

 

“Yes, of course, it belongs to the Grand Duke, after all.”

 

At the mention of the Grand Duke’s family, the eyes of the candidates gathered here fluttered.

 

Hearing the name of someone so powerful, they didn’t know if this was a dream or reality.

 

Estok took no more questions and led them out the back door.

 

In the crowded dance hall, everyone’s eyes widened, oblivious to the situation. Estok then led them to a small room on the second floor.

 

“The task you will be given today is the most critical skill of an agent. That is surveillance. This will be your chance to prove whether or not you are a competent spy.”

 

“……Who are you assigning me to surveil?”

 

Nicole asked.

 

“Good question. That’s part of the test. Right now, you’re going to go up to the second floor and start ‘exploring.’ And you’re going to pick one person to be your target, and you have two hours to figure out their name. There’s only one condition: ‘The person is in this building at this time, at this moment.”

 

It’s a tough assignment, but it’s not impossible. There are ways to do this, including asking probing questions, peeking at guest lists, and eavesdropping.

 

Knowing what they were thinking, Estok clicked his tongue.

 

“You think that’s too easy, then let’s get down to business.”

 

Estok nodded vigorously and said.

 

“For the next three days, you will spy on a target of your own choosing— that’s your first test— and write a report on their movements. The moment you’re spotted or arrested, you’re out, so…….”

 

“…….”

 

“Try not to get caught by your targets, or get yourself into trouble. No one will help you if you get caught and tortured at the hands of the great people here, and you’ll be treated like a lunatic if you reveal that you’re under surveillance by order of the Grand Duke, so don’t worry about us.”

 

In reality, they have no official ties to the Grand Duchy. After all, who would buy into the myth of a secret academy training spies in the first place?

 

Besides, if you’re in the right circles, the Grand Duke is involved.

 

If you sold his name, you’d be treated as a madwoman or a robber and beaten to death. They bit their lips, knowing they were quick on the uptake.

 

“I’m assuming there’s a criteria? What’s the score?”

 

Nicole asked calmly.

 

“It’s based on how detailed and useful information you ask for. So hurry up.”

 

Estok said, looking a little deflated.

 

Apparently, this kind of work is a tedious task that Estok gets tired of quickly.

 

‘With a personality like this, and mood swings?’

 

Nicole was beginning to wonder what kind of person Estok really was.

 

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, but please submit your report in three days. If you’re waiting for me at your place after three days, a carriage will come for you.”

 

Estok waved his hand dismissively. He left the room without saying another word. The candidates looked at each other.

 

Marlin ripped off all the lace and jewelry from her dress.

 

Once she was in plain, shabby clothes, she straightened her posture and smiled softly.

 

“What are you doing, Marlin?”

 

“Fool, pretending to be a maid and approaching gentlemen. It’s weird when a maid wears fancy clothes. Hey, get out of the way.”

 

With that, Marlin shoved Dahlia out of the way and stormed out of the room.

 

The others looked at each other, then quickly followed Marlin out of the room. Nicole and Dahlia were the only ones left.

 

“What are we going to do?”

 

Dahlia asked in a low voice.

 

“First, I need to pick a target and find out who he is. From the looks of it, the second floor is full of people, so I’ll have to go to the first floor.”

 

Dahlia’s ears perked up at Nicole’s words. Why would they need to go to the first floor to find their target?

 

“Why do we have to go to the first floor?”

 

“Everyone else went to the second floor. You said it was a forbidden area, so we’d have to disguise ourselves as maids to get inside. Isn’t it strange that so many maids suddenly appear?”

 

Dahlia was silent for a moment at that.

 

“Estok……. That examiner said to go up to the second floor and ‘explore’, he didn’t say the objective was on the second floor, and the condition was ‘be a person in this building right now’. Use your imagination. There might be a lot more interesting targets on the first floor.”

 

Nicole said calmly.

 

“You…….”

 

Surprise flashed across Dahlia’s face.

 

Estok had actually qualified their targets with a clever phrase.

 

He kept emphasizing the “social club on the second floor”. He also encouraged them to spy on someone “high up” and write a report.

 

Naturally, you would think that there would be more people with high status on the second floor, which is a special place, than on the first floor, where anyone can come and go.

 

“So you’re going to go down to the first floor? What kind of people are you going to target?”

 

Dahlia said, sounding a little nervous.

 

“Why would I bother?”

 

“……?”

 

“Estok told me to get a name, but he didn’t tell me not to spy on someone whose name I already know. Estok doesn’t like to be bored, so I’m going for a surprise.”

 

“…….”

 

Dahlia fell silent.

 

“You’re so special, so smart, Karen.”

 

Dahlia said in a small voice.

 

“But…… I’m not good at this, and I know you’ve been sneaky and helped me out whenever Marlin has been picking on me here. I wish I had your guts.”

 

Tall and thin, Dahlia was a beautiful woman who exuded a strangely sad charm. Nicole felt a little weak inside.

 

“Dahlia, what if there was a way to beat Marlin for picking on you?”

 

“What do you mean, beat ……, not get revenge?”

 

“What’s revenge but knocking Marlin off her feet by getting a higher grade than her?”

 

Dahlia’s brow furrowed slightly. Her stomach fluttered a little at the mere mention of it, and her gaze shifted to Nicole.

 

“You know how?”

 

“I told you, if you spy on someone you already know, you don’t have to worry about picking a target.”

 

Nicole raised her magpie and whispered in Dahlia’s ear.

 

“Spy on Marlin.”

 

“……what?”

 

“Well, she’s ‘in this building at this moment,’ and she’s an experienced agent candidate who trained with us. What if we could spy on her without being seen?”

 

Dahlia pondered. It was a tempting proposition.

 

“If I succeeded, Marlin would be unqualified because she didn’t even notice my surveillance.”

 

“Yeah. Besides……. It would be better to spy on Marlin than on a nobleman you don’t know. She likes bars and back alleys, places that are less heavily guarded than nobleman’s mansions, and you already know quite a bit about her. It’s much easier to spy on someone you already know.”

 

Dahlia’s eyes narrowed.

 

“Marlin used my daughter to blackmail me, chased me down as a prank, found out where she lived, and called me unspeakable names.”

 

“That’s because you’re superior. A squire like Marlin doesn’t touch anyone who isn’t a real threat.”

 

Nicole said.

 

“You can’t perform to the best of your abilities if Marlin is in the way anyway, since you’re afraid of her.”

 

A smile slowly formed on Dahlia’s lips.

 

“Karen, I’ll say it again, you’re amazing, and—”

 

“…….”

 

“Sounds like this test is going to be fun.”

 

***

 

Marlin and the other candidates were running around in a frenzy that day, but Nicole and Dahlia were relaxed.

 

Before she left the building after Marlin, Dahlia asked quietly.

 

“I’ve been wondering, Nicole, why have you always helped me?”

 

“Because I think you’d be a good mom.”

 

“……Why is that?”

 

“I don’t have a mom, so……it is a big reason for me.”

 

Dahlia looked at Nicole and leaned in. Then she whispered. A sweet scent tickled her nose.

 

“Thank you, Karen.”

 

In that moment, Dahlia looked so beautiful and vulnerable.

 

Nicole wondered if a beauty like Dahlia would be a good fit for the role of the “legendary mistress” Grace was talking about.

 

“So, Nicole, who is your target?”

 

Nicole just smiled and looked at Dahlia.

 

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

 

Nicole decided to target Estok.

 

(T/N: hmm I am genuinely confused why Dahlia calls Nicole both ‘Karen’ and ‘Nicole’. Did I miss anything? I’m too lazy to read back ?_?)