899
With just a few words, Susie dealt with the valet who had come to sound her out on his master's behalf. She had him beaming, and with the gold pocket watch she had secretly slipped him in hand, he escorted her to the carriage in complete satisfaction.
Susie settled into the carriage, leaving him with a view of her demure profile. Once the meek-looking lady's maid had also climbed aboard and the valet had closed the door for her, however, his smile instantly became perfunctory, and the same contempt as his employer's surfaced in his expression.
He put away the "bribe" he had received and went back to report to the viscount.
Now there were only her and the lady's maid here, and the atmosphere immediately became private and relaxed.
Her shoulders slumped, and she instinctively wanted to bend forward, pressing her forearms tightly against her thighs. But the tight corset and the hat on her head immediately reminded her that she was now a human who walked upright-she squirmed a little on the seat twice, suppressing the urge to relax and sprawl in an undignified heap on the soft cushion.
Watching her, Audrey, who sat opposite her, could not help laughing.
"Susie," she teased, "you're already a Sequence 6 Hypnotist, so why are you still not used to pretending to be human? When I went to the Southern Continent, you impersonated me at home without ever being discovered."
"That's because I took a shortcut... because they have a fixed image of you in their minds, I don't need to behave exactly like you. I just need to make them feel that 'it's Audrey doing this.'"
Even if a few minor unexpected incidents or discrepancies in their impressions arose, they could be glossed over without doing any harm.
Now