Chapter 16
Sedative
The wound was gone.
The leg that had been bitten by the dog. The deep scar that had remained. She was clearly a woman who had been limping until yesterday because it hadn't fully healed.
He didn't think she could run away like that with that leg.
"Stand up."
Before his eyes, which were now painted over with reason, Liana's heart pounded.
She put down the spoon and slowly rose from her seat.
The calf, hidden by the long skirt, was once again fully revealed by Shed.
"What happened?"
Shed slowly raised his eyelids and met Liana's eyes.
"...I used Holy Water."
Liana spat out the excuse in a trembling voice.
A lie she had prepared like an excuse every time she used her ability.
"Holy Water?"
Liana nodded at Shed's question.
Holy Water was a healing medicine made by Clerics by injecting their Divine Power, and it cleanly healed most wounds without leaving scars.
In battlefields or emergencies where Clerics were difficult to deploy, Holy Water became a life-saving elixir.
Holy Water would be able to explain her abnormal regenerative abilities.
Then, Shed's eyes narrowed slightly.
"How did you, a mere maid, get Holy Water?"
Holy Water was precious because its effects were great.
Usually, a Cleric's Divine Power could only fill a small 50mL bottle of Holy Water per day. There were less than a hundred people in the Empire who had been formally appointed as Clerics.
Therefore, the Temple strictly managed and sold Holy Water. It was a precious item that even nobles used carefully unless it was wartime.
It meant that a maid like her shouldn't have such a thing.
"......"
Liana closed her mouth at his questioning.
"I asked. How did you get Holy Water?"
Shed grabbed her wrist and roughly pulled her up from the chair.
But as if her lips were sealed shut, Liana remained silent.
Shed's jaw muscles clenched threateningly.
Although Holy Water was precious, it wasn't impossible to obtain.
Holy Water that had been secretly smuggled out was often sold on the black market at a high price. Although it was rare, there were times when Clerics with ample Divine Power showed mercy to those who were pitiful and unfortunate.
Perhaps she had stolen the Holy Water from the Barony of Godwin, where she had worked at the Great Temple.
But Liana didn't make any excuses.
As if he wasn't worth talking to.
Or as if she didn't want to tell him anything.
Blood boiled at those tightly closed, silent lips.
"You have a duty to answer my questions, Liana Serpens."
Bang!
"Ugh!"
Shed pushed her against the wall.
Rough veins bulged on the large hand that twisted her wrist.
"Will you come to your senses if I burn down a city instead of a port?"
It had been like this since the old days.
Luise Ideana had never properly told him anything since the old days.
She was always silent, his questions were always ignored, and he could never get an explanation for anything.
She put up a solid barrier as if he couldn't step even one foot into her world, and made decisions on her own.
Shed couldn't figure out what he was doing right or wrong, or what she wanted.
He could only accept the decisions made by the well-bred lady as if it were fate.
Nothing had changed.
He had risen to a high position, and that woman had been thrown into the mud, but that woman was still shaking him.
Her warmth, her betrayal, her death, and their meeting.
"Know your damn place."
As Shed gave more strength, her small, curled palm turned white.
Liana struggled to pull her wrist away.
As her eyes, stubbornly looking up with her lips closed, turned red, Shed roughly let go of her hand.
He knew.
Even if he pushed her like this, she wouldn't answer.
That she would keep her mouth shut even with those bright red eyes.
That's why he was even more angry.
Clearly, he was her master now, but it felt like she was making all the decisions.
"Fine, keep your mouth shut until the end."
Like a beast growling, Shed's low voice flowed out from between his teeth.
"You won't be able to escape anyway."
Shed ordered Liana Serpens to be assigned as his personal maid.
From early morning to night, Liana had to stay by Shed's side and take charge of the chores he ordered.
Even the bed where she would close her eyes to sleep was prepared in a corner of his room.
He was a man who made sure to keep what he had warned.
Liana felt like she was walking on a thorny path with every step.
Even when she tried to close her eyes to sleep hidden under the blanket, she felt like she was being watched.
Like that, she was gradually getting closer to Ideana.
And.
"Ah, it's only now that I get to see your face like this."
On the way to Ideana. A guest who entered Shed's camp smiled brightly at Liana, who was standing next to Shed.
Liana quietly lowered her head at the sight of the guest's face.
'Ecless Vittel.'
She knew the man with the ruby-red eyes.
Ecless Vittel was a person who stood out at a glance. He, who was like a symbol of wealth, was also famous for his handsome and sophisticated appearance.
The earrings that sparkled brilliantly near his ears captivated people's attention at once.
The coat decorated with delicate embroidery, the vest tailored from high-quality fabric, the cufflinks studded with sparkling rubies, and the brown shoes made of high-quality calfskin showed the touch of a meticulous craftsman.
The clothes he wore and the accessories he wore soon spread like a trend in society.
The Mandarin Collar style vest that Godwin Baron had bought was also a copy of the clothes that Ecless Vittel had once worn.
He was a clever merchant who led trends and sold trends.
But for Liana, Ecless was defined by only one thing.
The son of the Vittel Merchant Group owner who had accepted the deal when she sold Shed.
The person who willingly sent the slave Shed to Lester Territory.
Perhaps because of that connection, Ecless seemed to be quite close to Shed.
'He probably doesn't recognize me...'
Liana thought with her eyes lowered.
She had only met him eight years ago, when she traded Shed, and had only exchanged a few words.
The time they faced each other wasn't long either. The time it took to make the deal probably wasn't even an hour.
Since then, a lot of time had passed, and the naive young lady Luise had become the shabby maid Liana.
So there was no way Ecless would recognize her.
But it wouldn't hurt to be careful.
"Greetings, Viscount Ecless Vittel."
Liana greeted the guest with courtesy, like any other maid.
But.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Liana Serpens."
Liana looked at him in surprise as Ecless clearly called out her name.
It was rare for a noble to memorize the names of maids from other families.
Shed's eyes alternated between the two.
"She must be very famous."
Ecless added at Shed's somewhat cold gaze.
"Famous?"
"The Duke even has a woman he's keeping around. Everyone is talking about it."
"Nonsense."
Shed coldly cut off Ecless, who was speaking jovially.
Despite the rather cold reaction, Ecless didn't change his expression and headed for the chair placed in front of Shed.
When he asked with a gesture if he could sit down, Shed nodded briefly and opened his mouth.
"Get out, Liana."
It was the only time he separated Liana from him.
As soon as Shed's words fell, Liana lowered her head and went out of the camp.
She was clearly following orders obediently, but Shed was bothered by her footsteps, which felt faster than usual.
Even though the knights would be strictly guarding her outside, it was as if she had been waiting for the time when she could be separated from him even for a moment.
"Even if it's nonsense, it's better to be careful about rumors."
Ecless said casually, looking at Liana, who was disappearing out of the camp.
"It will definitely reach the ears of Giselle High Priest."
Ecless took his eyes off Liana and fiddled with the coin he was holding in his hand.
"Our High Priest is a woman with a lot of pride."
The youngest graduate of the Monastery, the youngest Cleric, the youngest High Priest.
She was the owner of strong Divine Power and an elite among elites, having swept all the youngest titles so far.
She, who was being mentioned as a candidate for the next Pope, wouldn't be happy to see her fiancé keeping a maid around.
The noble High Priest wouldn't tolerate such a flaw in her fiancé.
"Are you worried that I'll be dumped?"
"That's not likely, but I'm just saying you should build a good business relationship with your fiancée if possible. She's a great partner that's hard for anyone to get."
"......"
At Ecless's advice, Shed rested his chin as if he was bored.
Ecless sighed.
There was no point in talking more, he wouldn't listen anyway.
Instead of rambling on with unnecessary nagging, he brought up the main point of his visit.
"And, the medicine you requested has departed for Paradel Fortress. The medicine will probably arrive around the time we arrive."
"Fast."
"That's why many customers use Vittel Merchant Group."
Ecless smiled with a feigned flattering light, recalling Shed's unusual request.
"I want you to prepare a Sedative."
The reason why Lupus have been historically treated as slaves for a long time was not only because their eye color was ominous.
The reason why Lupus were given the derogatory term "beasts" was because of their heat cycle.
With a cycle that came at regular intervals, Lupus easily became excited and felt impulsive desires when heat came.
However, Shed had never caused problems with heat before.
No, he had never looked for a woman or revealed lust.
But Shed Lester, who had never looked for a Sedative before, was starting to look for one.
