‘If you don’t like what I made, should I go buy something from outside?’
‘Ugh, please, just leave me alone!’
Crash!
The first time in my life I threw something toward my mother, I couldn't see the look on her face.
The only glimpse I had into her feelings was the shocked gasp that escaped her lips.
Mother quietly closed the bedroom door and left, only to return late that night to silently pick up the scattered mess across the floor.
I stayed hidden beneath the covers, holding my breath, listening to those sounds for a long time.
The eyes that had lost their light shed no more tears.
Yet a corner of my heart throbbed with an ache beyond words.
The next day, for reasons unknown even to me, I stepped out of my room for the first time in six months.
And I began to relearn everything from scratch.
Walking, reading, writing, and more.
Things I had thought I could never do on my own again.
And surprisingly, the world I experienced devoid of visual information—through hearing, taste, smell, and touch—was just as rich and multifaceted as the one I had once seen.
It wasn't an empty, imperceptible void, nor was it in the least bit dull.
As the years slipped by, I gradually found my way back into my old daily life.
Just when I was finally settling back into the world…
A truck hit me, and reincarnation happened.
That was the second catastrophe of my life.
To tell the truth, it took me months to realize I had possessed another body.
The girl I took over, Lizzy Swan, was seventeen years old and had lost her sight in an accident, just as I had.
Facts that others grasped at a single glance, I had to hear, touch, and feel out for myself.
Grappling with a language I had never heard before, feeling unsettled that no sounds of televisions or cars ever reached my ears even after months had passed—only then did I realize I had possessed someone else.
By then, Lizzy Swan had already lost her mother, her only family, in an accident, and had lost her vision as well.
Fortunately, when she was left with nowhere to turn, her aunt and uncle took her in and looked after her with devoted care.
‘If not for the two of them, I might not have survived in this world.’
With their help, I began learning to weave reed baskets and the like to earn my keep.
Then, one day, my aunt came running back from the village, announcing she had tremendous news.
A ducal estate in the neighboring territory was looking for a maid.
However, the conditions were remarkably strange.
‘They're looking for someone who can work even in an environment where nothing can be seen. Lizzy! Aren't those conditions practically made for you?’
‘That's true, but… what kind of requirement is that in the first place? And which ducal house is this?’
‘It's the House of Duke Rivannion!’
‘Rivannion… what?’
The House of Duke Rivannion… reincarnation… working in pitch-black darkness where nothing can be seen…
Only then did the pieces fall into place.
I finally realized which novel's world I had landed in.
Yet, unlike what reincarnators usually do in stories, I had no leisure to fret over whether my interference would distort the original plot.
Making a living was far more pressing.
Since the wages offered by the ducal house were bound to be vastly higher than whatever I earned selling reed baskets, I came to the estate without a second thought.
And there, I met Callius.
“…Is this punishment for throwing something at Mom back then?”
I muttered under my breath, listening to the crunch of glass shards beneath my feet.
The room, where an enraged Callius had hurled everything in sight, had once again devolved into complete chaos.
It had only been a few days since I painstakingly tidied this entire place on my own, and here it was, back to a disaster.
I let out a heavy sigh.
Oblivious to my frustration, Callius was asleep, his breathing soft and shallow.
Taking care not to wake him, I quietly brought a broom and began sweeping up the broken glass.
‘He only lost consciousness for a brief moment.’
An hour ago, the doctor who examined the collapsed Callius offered only that terse verdict.
He didn't prescribe any real treatment, merely adding, ‘Ensure the young duke gets plenty of rest in a stable environment.’
The moment the doctor left after making that rare trip, I was the only one left by Callius's side once again.
“My Lord, are you awake?”
He did not regain consciousness until around noon the following day.
“How are you feeling?”
"…"
Callius gave no answer.
It seemed as if he had reverted right back to his former state.
That young master who never replied no matter how often he was called, doing nothing but lying there listlessly.
“You must be hungry. Shall I bring you something to eat?”
"…"
“Is there anything you'd like? If I tell the kitchen, they'll make it right away.”
“…I don't want to eat.”
“Why not? You need to eat to regain your strength.”
“…I said I don't want to.”
“I'll head down now and come right back—”
“I said I don't want to eat!”
In that instant, something whipped past my cheek.
It slammed against the wall, then dropped to the floor.
"…"
The only sound filling the room was an unknown object rolling across the floorboards.
“…All right, then. I'll bring the food later.”
I calmly got up and made my way toward where the object had landed.
I felt around for it; it was a water cup.
Luckily it hadn't shattered, but the spilled water had soaked the floor.
Fetching a rag, I began wiping down the wet floorboards.
Tsk… the chores really never end, do they?
“…Did it hit you?”
I raised my head at the sound of his voice breaking the silence.
Oh, is he checking to make sure he landed the hit?
“Why? If it missed, are you going to throw it at me again?”
"…"
“Besides, you know you have an exceptionally foul temper, right? I ought to ask for double my wages.”
"…"
Despite words that bordered on insolence for a maid, Callius said nothing.
A moment later, he shifted, lying back down on the bed, and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
“Then you should leave for somewhere else too. There's no reason for you to stay here.”
I paused my wiping and straightened up.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You won't gain anything by staying at my side. You've seen for yourself. I'm completely useless now.”
…Good grief. Does he think I'm staying here expecting some grand reward?
I'm just staying because my pay comes in on time.
I answered, a touch of exasperation in my voice.
“And if I leave? Who will tend to you?”
"…"
“How will you get around? Who will bring you your meals? Or do you plan to starve yourself to death?”
At that, Callius breathed a deep sigh and said,
“…Living like this is worse than dying.”
…What? You little punk.
Hearing him talk as though he had given up on everything, my hand clenched into my apron without my realizing it.
True, I already knew his story would end happily.
And I knew it was foolish for a mere extra like me to be swayed by every word he said.
I knew all that, but still…
“My Lord, you can't just give up like this!”
Perhaps the reason I couldn't stop worrying about him was that his current state resembled my own past so closely.
“And what do you know?”
he retorted coldly.
“Of course I don't know anything. I can't fully understand what you're feeling. But I do know your life doesn't end here.”
The day I lost my sight, I thought my life was completely over too.
Yet look at me now.
My life hadn't ended; instead, I ended up tumbling into an unfamiliar world, living on, and even looking after a reckless brat like you just fine.
“…I can walk without seeing, I can eat, and I can change my own clothes. With practice, you can do it too.”
So don't you dare give up either.
I swallowed the rest of my words, hoping the sincerity in my heart would reach Callius.
After a long silence, he finally parted his lips, his voice cracking.
“It's no use. I won't be able to anyway.”
“You will.”
“I won't.”
“You can do it, My Lord. You will.”
Gently reaching out, I took his hand for the very first time.
