After confirming that Thomas had not left any message for them, Evelyn finally began making plans for the evening herself.
"Listen carefully," she said in a serious tone. "We need to find out which servants have been selected to attend the dinner. I'll try asking Matilda, or someone close to her. Meanwhile, you'll help me keep one of them from reporting for duty. After that, one of us will take her place. Understood?"
Stella stared at her for a moment.
"Alright, alright. But are you sure Matilda will tell you?" she asked. "Gatherings like this are usually kept private. The only people involved are trusted servants."
In truth, Stella was trying to discourage her from pursuing the idea.
The reputation of the Caden family alone was enough to make her wary.
This was not some ordinary noble household where a servant could casually wander into an important family gathering. Every member of the household seemed to understand the importance of their position, and mistakes were rarely overlooked. One mistake could easily attract unwanted attention.
And attention was the last thing Stella wanted.
Evelyn, however, seemed completely unconcerned.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"People talk more than they should," she replied,"especially servants. All we need is the right question asked to the right person."
She had spent enough time moving between noble households to know that gossip spread faster than official orders. Someone always knew more than they were supposed to.
Stella had to admit that Evelyn was probably right.
Still, that did nothing to ease her growing sense of unease.
Evelyn answered with complete confidence.
"You don't need to worry about that. Your only job is to keep an eye on things and be ready. One of us will be serving at that table tonight. Understood?"
Stella had no intention of arguing any further.
She simply nodded and walked away.
As she made her way through the estate's large garden, her thoughts were anything but calm. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves overhead, carrying with it the scent of blooming flowers from the nearby hedges. Under different circumstances, the gardens would have been peaceful enough to enjoy. Today, however, Stella barely noticed any of it.
This plan is reckless...
In her eyes, Evelyn was taking an unnecessary risk.
If something went wrong, both of them could be exposed, and they might end up sharing the same fate as the former member of the group. The memory of his fate was more than enough to remind her how little room for error they truly had.
Lost in thought, Stella failed to notice someone approaching from the opposite direction.
By the time she finally looked up, it was already too late.
Thud!
She walked straight into him.
Before she even had the chance to lift her head, a sharp voice lashed out at her.
"Are you blind? You spilled tea all over me!"
"Oh... I'm soo sorry, sir."
Stella quickly apologized while brushing a few drops of tea from her own dress.
"What are you even doing wandering around here?" the man snapped, "don't you have work to do?"
Only then did Stella properly look at him.
The first thing she noticed was his height.
Even though she wasn't particularly short herself, she still had to tilt her head upward just to meet his eyes.
His clothes were elegant and neatly tailored, yet he was clearly a servant. The quality of his uniform, along with the confidence in his posture, suggested that he held a position far above that of an ordinary attendant.
"Wonderful... just what I needed."
Suppressing the irritation rising inside her, Stella forced herself to remain calm.
"My apologies," she said evenly. "But I really do have work to attend to, and I shouldn't keep delaying. If you'll excuse me... would you kindly step aside?"
For a brief moment, the man simply stared at her.
Then his expression darkened even further.
Perhaps it was her final sentence, or the polite way she had said it, that annoyed him most.
"I'll overlook it since you're obviously new," he said coldly, "but you'd better stay out of my sight and get lost, you little..."
"Where is my tea?"
A calm female voice interrupted him before he could finish.
It came from a nearby table beneath the shade of the garden trees.
Only then did Stella's attention shift beyond the servant. A small tea table had been arranged beneath the shade, where sunlight filtered gently through the branches, casting shifting patterns across the neatly trimmed grass.
"I've been waiting," the woman continued in an indifferent tone, "are you planning to waste the entire afternoon standing there?"
The servant immediately stiffened.
"My apologies, my lady."
Only then did Stella realize someone else had been there the entire time.
"I didn't even notice her... Who is she?"
Her gaze shifted toward the woman.
She appeared to be in her early twenties.
Long, bright red hair flowed gracefully over her shoulders, framing fair skin and deep, expressive eyes. Her features were delicate and strikingly beautiful.
She wore an elegant violet dress adorned with a few simple silver accessories. The afternoon sunlight caught the faint silver embroidery along the fabric, giving it a subtle shimmer whenever she moved.
Nothing about her appearance was overly extravagant.
Yet, even while sitting there in silence, she possessed a quiet presence that naturally drew attention. It wasn't the richness of her clothes that made her stand out, but the effortless grace with which she carried herself.