Chapter 24
24
“Excuse me? The portrait said, ‘Saint of Peace, Rilke.’ I just thought she was like a Saintess.”
She killed people with that angelic face? I didn’t think Rilke was like that. She was a scary person.
At my words, Dante traced the rim of his teacup with his finger and replied.
“That’s not wrong. She was once revered as a Saintess who conveyed the oracle of God, and later she was falsely accused of communicating with demons and falling into corruption. But the truth is unknown. History is often distorted by fabrications and slanders.”
This guy has an encyclopedia function.
I shouldn’t judge someone based on rumors alone.
I could also be recorded in Dante Wiki as ‘Mia Fortuna? She was a murderous chariot from hell’ due to unfair slander in later generations.
“That’s right. I think there are rumors among the people in the back alleys that I’m a murderous weapon, a witch who can separate someone’s spine with a single finger.”
“Stories have begun to spread among the underground forces and Ability Users that a manager has appeared at the new mansion. There is a perception that the mansion manager is a servant of the devil and an evil being.”
A servant of the devil? I’m a servant of cleaning?
Dante, who was staring at me with the wronged expression of a house elf, said.
“I am also called by various unflattering names, including a devil. But some of it is true, so I don’t really care. It’s true that I’ve killed a lot of people, and it’s true that I’m a demon-type Ability User.”
It seemed to be his way of comforting me, telling me not to care about what others think.
A demon, a man who acts first, an impatient hothead.
It’s understandable that such a man wouldn’t care.
I engraved the lesson that I shouldn’t mess around and gave Dante a harmless smile.
“Then maybe Rilke was also falsely accused.”
At that, Dante’s blue eyes looked up as if recalling a distant memory.
“The ‘El Pasa Era’ when she lived was a time of rebellion against the Piasa Imperial Family, and sovereignty was being replaced. In fact, most of the stories were maliciously spread to undermine the Imperial Family.”
I reflexively flinched at the word rebellion. I tried to straighten my shoulders and cleared my throat.
“By the way, are there any descendants of the Piasa family still alive? I’d like to meet them.”
“All the imperial family members, including direct and collateral lines, were executed at the time, so there probably aren’t any left now.”
That’s a very unfortunate story.
Suddenly, I remembered Mathias’s eyes as he looked at the Rilke rose seedling that hadn’t even bloomed yet. And the lonely expression he wore as he looked at the garden that Killian had transformed beautifully.
It was similar to the face I make when I think of my grandfather, so I vaguely realized that it was longing.
“Rilke must have lived a long time, right? As the manager of the mansion, she would have been protected by the owner, Mathias.”
“I’m not sure about that part. Officially, it’s recorded that she was executed along with the other imperial family members, but it’s different in every history book.”
Isn’t that too sad? I tried to think positively.
“She might have lived a long and lonely life. I was scared when I first came here, but Mathias made me less lonely.”
Because he constantly nagged me without giving me time to think about anything else. He would sit across from me at meals and give me all sorts of criticisms, saying that my cooking skills were terrible and how could I eat such things.
“Strange. I thought elegance and grace were innate. But being bad at housework is innate…”
He was also amazed to see me, who was a commoner to the bone.
These days, he seems satisfied with the state of the mansion, so he nags less, which is almost disappointing.
Dante, who had been listening quietly, asked in a calm voice.
“Are you not lonely now?”
“Yes. With Dante and the others coming, the mansion is lively.”
Before I knew it, the teapot and teacups were empty. I was thirsty, so I drank it like water.
He noticed my gaze and stood up, saying.
“I’ll take care of the cleaning. Go and rest.”
Why does he want to do it without me? Am I that seriously unhelpful?
I got up without giving in.
“I said I’d help. I’m good at it now.”
“…Alright.”
I stubbornly started washing the dishes, showing Dante the teacup I had diligently washed, as if receiving an inspection.
“I’m good at it now, right?”
“You were never bad at it.”
He took the teacup and wiped the rim again.
Why is he doing it again? I didn’t see any flaws. I asked back in a slightly gloomy tone.
“Please tell me honestly. I won’t be hurt.”
“You’re not good, but you’re not bad either. Just not breaking them is…”
Clang-
As soon as he finished speaking, I shattered a teacup, and Dante sighed as he looked at me.
“It’s okay. Just not getting hurt is…”
“Ouch, it stings!”
I cut my finger while picking up the broken pieces.
He looked down at me as if I were a nuisance, like one that exists in every group.
“…It’s just a small cut.”
He grabbed my hand and looked at the finger with a trickle of blood.
“You’ve suffered a serious injury. You should rest today.”
Is that how he’s concluding this?
“Are you trying to drop me at this opportunity…?”
“It’s just, I keep getting distracted.”
He slowly shook his head with a face that begged me to stay still.
Does that mean that my help is causing him not just fatigue, but also nervous sensitivity?
“I was a hindrance.”
I already know that, and I actually like that he feels that way. Because that’s my goal. That way, that man won’t be able to overcome his exhaustion and will pass out at night.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Seeing me quiet, he must have thought I was intimidated, so he continued as if making excuses.
“It just means I can’t concentrate when you’re around.”
…?
If that’s not a hindrance, then what is it? Does he want to say that I’m not just a hindrance, but annoying?
Meanwhile, he continued to look down at my hand in his. A subtle silence flowed between him and me, who had gotten closer.
Could it be… something else?
Sensing the strange atmosphere, I darted my eyes around, and when I met his serious eyes, I quickly averted my gaze.
Blue eyes under completely black hair. Eyes that usually slant sharply upwards, but droop slightly when smiling. Lips that curl up beautifully even when expressionless.
My dynamic visual acuity allowed me to see everything.
“I will be by your side so that you will not be lonely in the future. Because you told me to be by your side for the rest of your life.”
A languid voice mixed with breath brushed past my ear.
Yes, the male lead should say handsome things to the female lead with a warm face… But wait, he’ll be by my side for the rest of my life?
I, who had been lost in sentimentality, quickly came to my senses and asked.
“Huh? Suddenly? Are you saying that because of what I said last night? I meant that I’m leaving the housework to you for the rest of my life.”
“It means the same thing to me. You don’t have to worry about being left alone anymore.”
His blue eyes seemed to see through my inner thoughts.
Actually, I was worried about being lonely. More realistically, I was worried about being left alone in an empty mansion after being caught up in the rebellion and going to the Security Bureau.
The me reflected in those eyes must have a dumb face.
He lowered his gaze slightly and continued.
“I will never let anyone take Master away from me. Especially not a plague doctor. You and I are inseparable.”
“Huh?”
I had become a human who could only say ‘Huh?’
“Originally, the person who cleans and the person who makes a mess cannot be separated.”
That’s right. In the end, my fun messes increase his fun housework.
“Why are you saying you want to monopolize the housework so fatally…?”
That man has a habit of causing misunderstandings with his extremely indirect way of speaking. And I’m particularly weak at listening comprehension.
I quickly pulled my hand away and hid it behind me, adding.
“Then, are you not going to clean up the corrupt empire that I wrote on my resume?”
At my timid voice, he answered with a serious face.
“I will if someone interferes with me. I tend to get rid of anything that bothers me, whether it’s a person or an object.”
Ah, so if the country prevents him from doing housework, he’ll start a rebellion and sweep it away? I knew he was a hot-tempered psycho, so I wasn’t surprised.
“Okay, I was surprised because I thought you were proposing.”
When I made a hollow face, Dante tilted his head and smiled.
“Master proposed first. Both when we first met and last night. Twice.”
The breath I was exhaling carelessly was cut off. What did I say at first? I think I said I wouldn’t let him go for the rest of my life.
Anyway, he took it that way?
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
My thoughts momentarily stopped at that seductive remark.
I brought a mastermind into my house as a housekeeper.
