The longer the Head Maid’s hesitation dragged on, the busier I became in turn.
With the other maids gone, I was running Callius’s residence practically on my own.
That was why I eagerly awaited the vacant staff positions being filled.
“Don’t you feel uncomfortable, Young Master? How about I go to the Head Maid and ask her to send another maid right away?”
“What’s the rush? Melissa will know who to pick and send on her own.”
Unaware of what was on my mind, Callius sounded nonchalant to the point of dismissal.
“As far as I’m concerned, having just you is enough.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. In any case, it seems the flowers have withered. The scent has faded. Would you bring fresh ones?”
What? I brought them just a moment ago—how could they have withered already?
…Is this man deliberately running me ragged and messing with me?
I narrowed my eyes and fixed my gaze on him.
The gentle feelings I had felt a moment ago vanished without a trace.
“What is it? Why are you just standing there hesitating?”
“…I’ll be right back.”
Even if he was doing it on purpose, how could I beat his stubborn foolishness?
Swallowing down my grievance, I scooped the flowers into my arms and had no choice but to obediently take my leave.
The next day, as I headed back toward Callius’s residence to begin the day’s work,
I was walking down the hallway when nearby noises stopped me in my tracks.
The repeated sound of thuds, followed by a man’s groans rising from the heart of the darkness.
It was obvious he had lost his way.
I turned toward the sound and asked,
“Who’s there?”
The moment I took a step closer, he caught the sound of my cane and cried out with immense relief.
“Ah, it’s that maid! The one attending Lord Callius!”
Hearing his voice, I recognized him at once.
It was a servant named Brandon, the one who had come a few days ago to deliver a letter to Callius from the Academy.
“I came to bring the Young Master important news! But… why is it so pitch-black here?”
he asked, bewildered.
“The Young Master is practicing moving around in the dark. A short while ago, he ordered this hallway blacked out as well.”
After mastering walking in the dark, Callius had wanted to broaden his range of movement.
Not satisfied with merely his usual pathways, he had ordered the windows of the hallway leading to the central staircase boarded up with planks.
Thanks to that, he had gained far more freedom to move about.
Naturally, anyone wandering in without prior knowledge, like Brandon, was bound to stumble helplessly through this labyrinthine darkness.
“Ah, I thought…”
Brandon breathed a sigh of relief at my answer.
“I was afraid the Young Master’s condition had worsened and he was trying to shut everyone out.”
“Shut everyone out?”
The words instantly brought back Callius’s apathy when I mentioned bringing in new maids.
No… that couldn’t be.
There was no way he was starting to close off his heart and push everyone away, just like in the original story.
“In any case, what was the important news you brought?”
I asked, attempting to brush those worries aside.
“Ah, right. When the Young Master heard he might be expelled from the Academy, he looked so utterly heartbroken that my own chest ached for him.”
He went on, his voice heavy with concern.
“So I wondered if there was any way around it, and I asked the Academy if there was a method to earn attendance credit without sitting through lectures.”
The next moment, a faint glimmer of hope rose in his voice.
“And they said there’s one way!”
“What is it?”
“They said that if he submits an alternative paper every semester and passes the evaluation criteria, it counts as full attendance!”
“Really?”
I asked, astonished by the possibility.
“Yes! Granted, the number of people who have actually graduated that way is practically nonexistent… but at least the door isn’t entirely shut.”
“That’s wonderful news! What a relief!”
“Yes… but…”
Brandon hesitated, letting out a heavy sigh.
“At first I was thrilled, thinking hope had returned for the Young Master. But the more I thought about it… the more I realized it might be useless.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious? The Young Master spends his entire day in darkness. How could he possibly write a paper under such conditions?”
Ah…
Brandon paused a moment, then sighed once more.
“That’s why I was hesitating to pass this along, even on my way here. I was afraid of giving him another bout of pointless disappointment.”
“Then let me tell him.”
“Oh, would you really?”
he asked, his tone suddenly brightening.
It was glaringly clear how relieved he felt to dump the burden onto me.
“Then I’ll leave the task to you!”
“I seem to be sleeping better these days, probably because I’ve started moving around more.”
Callius spoke with a rare hint of ease in his voice as I stepped into the room.
“That’s good.”
I agreed, nodding, but Brandon’s words refused to leave my head.
Pushed by the nagging worry, I couldn’t help but ask cautiously,
“Still… while expanding your range of movement is a good thing, I worry the new maids might find it difficult to adjust.”
The rustle of his arms shifting abruptly stopped.
Then he answered in an indifferent tone,
“Perhaps. But I don’t have to accommodate everyone’s circumstances one by one.”
"…"
That was true, but…
His response stirred an uneasy prickle of worry within me.
In the original story, he had been wounded so deeply by the way people treated him that he ended up sealing his heart completely.
That was why I had resolved to help him, so he wouldn't meet that kind of end.
After a brief hesitation, I decided to be direct.
“My Lord, does having new staff around bother you?”
Silence fell over the room for a moment.
Had I been too blunt?
Then he let out a soft breath and said,
“It’s not that. It’s just…”
He sat down on the bed and continued,
“I know the work is demanding for you alone, and bringing in more hands is fine. But… are you all right with that?”
“Me?”
What did this suddenly have to do with me?
“I mean, will you be comfortable working alongside other maids? You’re temporary staff, and besides…”
He trailed off, hesitating.
Yet I understood his concern right away.
What had happened with Mary and Dorothy was still fresh.
“…Is this because of me?”
Realizing the reason, a hollow feeling settled in my chest.
I offered a soft laugh to lighten the mood.
“It’s fine. The Head Maid will definitely choose suitable people.”
“Perhaps… but if you run into any trouble, tell me. Honestly, I’m not particularly inconvenienced even if it’s just you.”
“But having only one maid attending the ducal heir… isn’t that ridiculous?”
“What’s so ridiculous about it? It’s what I want.”
He finished with a finality that brooked no argument.
"…"
At that, I turned serious again.
There was nothing blatantly wrong with his words.
Nor did it seem like he was trying to push people away or avoid them.
If anything, him feeling comfortable with me was a welcome change.
Still… if he resigned himself to living in the dark like this…
‘What will happen to the original story?’
His future inheritance of the title, his cure at Helena’s hands?
Could my unnecessary meddling have hindered his path instead of helping him?
…I had to find something that would bring Callius back to the world outside this darkness.
