Chapter 17
Episode 17
Rihart had crushed the precious potato, but I decided not to say anything about it.
He must have surged with anger upon hearing Arjen's name mentioned.
While Rihart himself was locked away here, Arjen planned to leisurely have his bedroom attended to—that must have twisted his nerves.
But why had Arjen summoned me?
A lot had happened during my time on Rihart's meal duty, but I'd navigated it all steadfastly, clearing death flags one by one......
"I'll bring dinner a little later, so finish peeling the potatoes by then."
"......"
"Got it?"
"Will there be a reward if I finish them all?"
"I'll think about it."
"......Very well."
He smiled as he always did.
Emily eyed us both with a strange look.
Soon the door closed, and Emily grabbed my shoulders, interrogating me.
"You, what's your relationship with the monster?"
"Can't you tell? I'm the one who feeds him."
"......I know that. That's not what I mean—why do you two seem so close?"
Close?
Well, Rihart did seem to be acting friendly and approaching her.
"He's always like that."
I summed up Rihart's behavior simply. But Emily didn't seem convinced.
"I've never seen anyone as close to him as you among all the previous attendants......"
"......"
"They all kept a proper distance, but with you......"
Emily frowned as if puzzled, then gave up thinking and pushed my back, escorting me to Arjen's room.
"Hang in there, Rosie!"
She cheered me on just like when I'd first gone to deliver Rihart's meal.
I nodded awkwardly. Arjen summoning me, of all people.
To attend his bedroom, no less.
I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. I felt like I might die from nerves.
"Who is it?"
A voice came from inside right after I knocked. It was Arjen.
"It's Rosie. I heard you summoned me."
"Ah. Come in."
I cautiously turned the doorknob and entered.
The moment I laid eyes on the long-awaited Arjen's face...... I froze solid.
"Hello, Rosie?"
You're not the Marquis! You said you weren't Arjen!
But you are!
I felt like going insane with injustice, but regrettably, in this class-based society, I couldn't voice my feelings.
"We meet again."
Should I laugh or cry in this situation?
"Last time, I failed to recognize you as the Marquis and made a mistake......"
"Ah. That's fine."
Arjen was subtly cool about it. Relieved by his attitude of brushing it off, I inwardly patted my chest.
"I heard you turned down the exclusive maid offer—is that true?"
"......Yes, it is."
"Was it because of the monster rumors?"
"No."
"Then why did you refuse?"
So that was why he'd summoned me.
Arjen had needed an exclusive maid for Rihart all this time.
So, having reported Rihart's escape attempt and uncovered Marie's crimes, I must have seemed suitable in his eyes.
I'd passed his criteria.
Realizing that made me endlessly depressed. I'd been scrambling to avoid death flags, only to catch Arjen's eye of all things.
"I plan to leave this place soon, so I refused."
"Leave?"
Arjen tilted his head at my words.
"I was fortunate enough to work in the Marquis's household. And now that my circumstances have improved, I want to pursue the dream I've had since childhood."
It was a textbook answer.
"What dream is that?"
Unlike moments ago when I'd answered fluidly without hesitation, I couldn't say a word now.
I don't have a dream like that.
"......Marriage."
I awkwardly spat out the first thing that came to mind. Truly improvised.
"Marriage?"
"Yes."
"If that's what you want, point out anyone you desire in this mansion. I'll assign them to you."
Like pairing pets......?
I knew from the novel, but he was truly an unreasonable madman.
"......I want to marry someone I love."
"What a futile desire. Love doesn't last anyway. It withers soon enough, leading to unhappiness."
His words reminded me of Arjen's past.
I recalled the brief glimpse of his backstory from the original novel.
He had never once been loved.
Parents should naturally care for their child, but his didn't fulfill that role.
Arjen was unloved.
He thought himself unworthy of love and tried to justify his parents' actions.
The child Arjen didn't know it wasn't his fault, and his immature mind concluded it was because he was 'not pretty enough.'
But Arjen was beautiful.
Yet since he didn't believe it himself, it was meaningless beauty.
That was the first trigger for Arjen's obsession with beauty.
"I know. As you say, it might wither."
"And yet?"
"But humans are so irrational that I want to make a foolish choice."
Arjen clicked his tongue as if he couldn't comprehend me at all.
"When do you plan to leave the mansion?"
"Soon......"
"When exactly is 'soon'?"
"Within a fortnight, I think......"
"I see."
Arjen propped his chin and tapped the wine bottle on the table.
"Do you know?"
"I don't."
"You were the first to notice the broken chain."
I needed a moment to think about what he meant.
Was he referring to discovering the chain Rihart had broken on my first day attending his meals?
"Truth is, I broke it myself."
His unexpected words made my eyes widen.
No, then why did he twist Rihart's ankle?
'Bad personality.'
"With the Mana Shackles on anyway, it's hard to escape just because a mere chain is broken. Plus, my condition wasn't good...... Come to think of it, you haven't asked for medicine lately."
Arjen's green eyes gleamed chillingly.
"Why?"
He seemed to demand an explanation from me.
I debated whether to mention giving him medicine on the first day, but worried a lie might backfire, so I told the truth.
"I gave him medicine on the first day...... about nine days ago."
"That was a small amount anyway. It shouldn't be enough to make him feel better......"
Could it really be because of the scent Rihart mentioned? For real?
Truthfully, I hadn't fully believed Rihart's words.
"I wonder why......"
This was a crisis.
It seemed better not to tell Arjen this unnecessary fact.
"Why indeed."
"I wouldn't know."
"Really?"
"How would a mere maid like me know?"
"Now that you mention it, true."
Something felt off, but I thought I needed to change the subject before he brought it up again.
"Marquis, I have something to tell you."
"What?"
"The Guard assaulted Rihart. And he's a spy as well."
I spilled the Guard's secrets one after another.
I figured there was no better story to capture his attention.
I'd originally planned to tell the butler, but whatever.
Arjen narrowed his brows after hearing my full story. I'd vaguely explained how I found out.
"You're useful after all. Such a shame you're retiring."
Don't regret that.
"......Thank you."
Arjen said nothing more.
Was the conversation over?
"Um...... may I go now?"
"Go where? Didn't you hear you're to attend my bedroom?"
......So it really was about bedroom duty?
Today's luck seemed utterly the worst.
I'd forgotten amid conversing with Arjen that I was supposed to attend his bedroom.
No, more like I'd wanted to forget.
'That bedroom attending probably doesn't mean THAT bedroom attending......'
It won't......
Even if it did, there were plenty of people who could properly attend him by Arjen's side, so why me......
'He just wants me to clean the bedroom, right?'
......Yeah. That must be it.
"I'm sorry, Marquis."
I bowed my head and approached Arjen. He extended his hand with a satisfied smile.
I quickly glanced around him, pretending ignorance, and opened my mouth.
"Should I change the bedsheets?"
"......What?"
