Juno looked down at Florian, and for the first time since they had arrived, her composure cracked.

There was something nervous in her expression now.

It was subtle.

Florian lifted his gaze to her face, really looking at her this time.

She was old.

That much was undeniable. The years showed clearly in the lines etched into her forehead, the looseness of her skin.

Dark circles sat beneath her eyes, heavy and permanent, as if rest had long stopped meaning much to her. Her white hair was pulled into a neat bun, not a strand out of place.

’She’s carried this place for a long time,’ Florian thought.

Juno glanced down at her notebook again, fingers tightening around it. She wrote a few words, paused, then added more.

Florian watched the careful movement of her hand, the slight tremble that hadn’t been there before.

She raised the notebook.

"What is your question, Your Highness?"

"Oh, uh..." Florian hesitated, turning slightly to the side. His eyes caught movement in the hall. More maids passing by. Some younger. Some older. Still that same odd feeling clung to them. "It’s more of a curiosity, I guess."

Juno tilted her head, waiting, gesturing gently for him to continue.

Florian swallowed. "I couldn’t help but notice that a lot of the maids here are people with disabilities. And... deformities. Some are pregnant." He winced internally. "I was just wondering about that."

Juno’s eyes widened.

Clearly, she hadn’t expected the question.

Florian immediately rushed to clarify. "Not that I mind," he added quickly. "Or that I’m bothered. It’s just... rare. To see a place that employs mostly people who usually aren’t given opportunities."

’God, I sound awful,’ Florian thought. ’That’s not what I mean.’

But he pressed on anyway. He needed answers. Any answers.

And there was no way to sugarcoat his question.

Especially since Farah’s condition had never been mentioned. If there was a pattern here, he needed to see it.

Juno remained silent.

She didn’t write right away.

Instead, she flipped through her notebook.

Page after page. Older notes. Worn paper.

Ink faded with time.

Florian’s heart began to beat faster.

Then she stopped.

She turned the notebook toward him.

"Lord Eldrick and his family pride themselves in hiring women who are in need of work but are usually not hired. Pregnant women. People with disabilities. Those with deformities."

Juno turned the page.

"This began with me. I was their first hire many years ago. All the women here are truly grateful for such opportunities."

Florian nodded slowly.

’Is this a common question asked?’ he thought. ’She has an answer prepared.’

Juno turned the page again.

And Florian froze.

His breath caught in his throat.

"You are an exception, Farah. Because—"

The sentence ended abruptly.

The paper was torn.

Not cleanly. Not neatly. Ripped.

But the name was VERY familiar.

Farah.

Florian’s pulse spiked.

’Oh.’

He stared at the torn page, his mind racing. This wasn’t coincidence. This wasn’t just some forgotten note.

This was something that wasn’t meant to be seen.

Juno followed his gaze.

Her eyes widened in pure horror.

She looked down at the notebook, then back at Florian, then back at the torn page. Her face drained of color as realization hit her.

Her hands shook as she snapped the notebook shut, clutching it to her chest.

Florian slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers.

He wanted to ask.

He wanted to ask who is Farah? Just to see how Juno would react.

To watch her expression, her hands, the way her eyes moved. He wanted to ask outright what had happened. Where Farah was now. Why her name had been written and then torn away.

But the fear in Juno’s eyes stopped him.

She wasn’t just startled. She was afraid. Her gaze kept darting away, her grip tight on the notebook as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded.

Florian let out a quiet breath and softened his expression, forcing a small smile.

’Ignore it for now,’ he told himself. ’You still have a few days.’

Pressing her now wouldn’t help. It would only make her shut down completely.

"Thank you, Juno," Florian said gently. "I’ll be settling into my room now."

Juno looked back at him, and the relief that washed over her face was immediate. She bowed deeply, more hurried than before, clutching her notebook close to her chest.

Florian turned and walked away.

His steps were calm. Measured. His expression pleasant.

But inside, his thoughts were anything but.

’I got an answer,’ he thought. ’And yet... it only made things worse.’

There was something deeply wrong about this.

Juno still had notes about Farah. Notes written with enough importance to be kept for years. And she had called Farah an exception.

An exception to what?

Farah had no visible disability. She wasn’t mentioned as pregnant. She didn’t fit Eldrick’s supposed charity of hiring women society discarded.

Which meant Farah had been hired for another reason entirely.

’And whatever that reason was,’ Florian thought grimly, ’it terrified Juno.’

That fear alone was enough.

Florian stopped in front of the white door.

His door.

The largest room. The one Eldrick had chosen for him.

He wrapped his fingers around the handle and paused.

’I’ll rest first,’ he planned. ’Then I’ll speak to Hendrix.’

A brief pause.

’Then I’ll investigate properly.’

Florian pushed the door open.

He barely had time to take a step inside before—

"Your Highness, welcome!"

The sudden exclamation made him flinch hard enough that his hand tightened around the doorframe.

His eyes snapped up immediately.

There was someone inside his room.

A woman.

A maid.

She stood a few steps away, hands clasped in front of her, posture straight despite her small stature. Florian registered it instantly.

She had dwarfism.

The realization hit fast, not with shock, but with the same sharp awareness that had followed him since entering this manor.

’Has she been here all this time?’ his mind asked before he could stop it.

"W-Who... are you?" Florian asked, instinctively taking a step back. His voice wasn’t unkind, just startled.

The maid’s face lit up.

"My name is Cindy!" she said brightly, bowing with surprising energy. "I’ll be your personal maid for your stay!"

Florian froze.

’Personal... maid?’