Chapter 8
8
I looked at him with trembling eyes.
He had a very beautiful appearance, but I couldn't feel any warmth from him.
Like a very well-made wax doll.
I was sure of it.
This man was Cadienne Mercedes, the Dark Power Family's sub-male lead in <Everyone Loves the Saintess> that I had read before I died.
At the same time, he was the man I absolutely needed to survive.
'I never thought I'd run into him like this.'
Anyway...
'He's really, really handsome.'
Even in the original story, the praise for Khadien's beauty was immense.
But there was a clear difference between reading it and seeing it.
He seems a hundred times more handsome in person.
But.
'He looks kind of tired.'
Indeed, his lifeless, dry eyes, the dark shadows under his eyes, his pale skin, and bloodless lips made him look like a walking corpse.
I knew the reason better than anyone.
'...Insanity.'
The cause that tormented him so terribly.
It was known to the world as Insanity, and he also thought of it as Insanity, but it was revealed in the latter part of the story that it was actually a side effect of Magical Overload.
But by then, Khadien had already lost his life at the hands of Vincent, and Vincent, like Khadien, suffered from Insanity, and the story ended.
'A tragic ending.'
Was it because I knew the ending?
I looked up at him with a complex gaze.
Then Winston whispered to Khadien in a small voice.
"This is the Flingtern Teacher I mentioned."
It seemed he had already reported about me.
Winston looked at me again and asked with a serious expression.
"Why are you in front of the Young master's room at this hour, Teacher?"
Lest I cause any unnecessary misunderstandings, I quickly replied.
"I'm sorry. I think I had a fever, so I came down to get some medicine, and I was worried about the Young master..."
If I just said I came down, it would be suspicious, so I added a plausible excuse.
'It's not like only Vincent got rained on.'
But Winston didn't back down easily.
"Then you could have called someone."
"It's late, and it's my first day here, so I didn't want to cause any trouble."
"Even so..."
"I thought the butler would be by the Young master's side."
But you weren't there.
Judging from the situation, it seemed he had left his post for a while to report to Khadien.
Winston had nothing to say about this, so he closed his lips.
Contrary to my expectation that he would easily let it go because he owed me a lot, Winston was quite persistent.
I suddenly noticed a look of embarrassment in Winston's brown eyes.
'It's because of Khadien.'
He couldn't just let it go because Khadien was watching.
'What should I do?'
As I was pondering, a voice as cold as ice suddenly cut through the silence.
"That's enough."
I looked at the owner of the voice.
Khadien was looking down at me with cold purple eyes.
How long had he been watching?
I didn't notice at all. I felt a creepy chill for no reason. It was as if he had read all my thoughts.
Even though our eyes met, Khadien still had no change in expression. No, his face was so emotionless that it was as if he didn't even have emotions.
"Go in and check, and if something happens, then we can hold them responsible."
It meant that any further argument was meaningless.
'That's an accurate judgment.'
He was right.
I had already explained myself, so instead of exchanging words, I could just check on Vincent's condition and be done with it.
'He's as cold as ice.'
He was supposed to be his son, but his judgment was so cold.
'It's like they're complete strangers.'
I bit my lower lip and looked at him with a sullen look.
Khadien indifferently looked down at me.
Winston quickly intervened in the chilling atmosphere and mediated.
"Then, since it's late, let's talk about this again tomorrow. Flingtern Teacher, please return to your room. Also, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I will have a knight stationed in front of your door. Is that alright with you?"
It might be an excessive measure just for loitering in front of the room.
'But he's the heir to the Mercedes Ducal Family.'
I could fully understand.
Besides, I would feel more comfortable if they did that.
"Yes, do as you please. Then I'll be going now."
After bowing my head, I quickly passed the two of them.
I was conscious of the Duke's gaze for no reason, so I walked even more confidently.
But that confidence disappeared weakly the moment I turned the corner.
'Wow, that was nerve-wracking.'
I had met his gaze challengingly, but it belatedly occurred to me.
What kind of personality he had.
'He got rid of anything that caught his eye.'
Completely from this world.
I almost became one of those disposals.
I hurried back to my room before Khadien changed his mind.
As soon as I returned to my room, I slammed the door shut.
I threw off my coat and lay down on the bed, and a groan escaped my lips. If nothing else, the bed was the best.
'By the way...'
"Insanity."
I thought of Khadien.
'Seeing him in person, his condition seemed more serious.'
As far as I knew, he couldn't sleep properly and suffered from intermittent, splitting headaches.
'He couldn't function in daily life unless he directly smoked Sedation Herb.'
Thanks to the efficacy of Sedation Herb, which alleviated the pain, the headache was quickly resolved, but the real problem was...
'Severe insomnia.'
At first glance, it looked like he hadn't slept for at least a week.
"..."
I felt uncomfortable for no reason.
Because I knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight either.
"Ugh!"
I pulled the blanket over my head.
There was nothing I could do even if I thought about it now.
It was much more beneficial to go to sleep now to prepare for tomorrow.
'Let's sleep, yeah.'
I squeezed my eyes shut and chanted a spell to fall asleep.
But that day, despite being exhausted, I couldn't fall asleep until late.
* * *
The next day, I frowned at the stinging sunlight and opened my eyes.
'An unfamiliar ceiling...'
As soon as I thought that, I jumped up.
I belatedly remembered where I was.
'That's right, I became a tutor for the Dark Power Family!'
To be precise, it was a disguised employment for a purpose.
And...
'I was detained one day after becoming a tutor.'
Heh.
Feeling somewhat empty, I chuckled and fell back down.
Since I couldn't go out anyway, it was much more beneficial to roll around on this cloud-like bed.
As I did, I suddenly thought of Vincent.
'I wonder if his fever has gone down.'
Vincent's fever was also a disease that came from the heart.
He was consumed with longing and harmed his own body.
'But yesterday would have been different.'
I had given him a dream to soothe his sadness.
'I hope that dream has an effect.'
Unlike my initial goal of working as a tutor and approaching the Dark Power Family, I was starting to worry more and more about Vincent.
'It doesn't feel like someone else's problem.'
I stared blankly at the ceiling with the highest-quality crystal chandelier, even though it was a guest room, and muttered.
"They're not going to tell me to leave, are they?"
If they kicked me out because they thought I was suspicious...
'Su, surely.'
There was no way Winston would give up on me so easily.
'...Right?'
A sense of unease crept in, and as I was wondering what to do if they told me to leave, at that moment.
Knock knock.
There was a knock and the sound of the door opening.
I got up and looked towards the door.
A maid with her black hair neatly tied back entered.
She bowed her head when she found me.
"Hello. My name is Chelsea, and I will be serving as Flingtern Teacher's maid from today. If you need anything, please tell me."
"Nice to meet you, Chelsea. I'm Livia Plington."
I greeted her happily.
When I reached out my hand to shake hers, Chelsea looked slightly embarrassed.
I was puzzled for a moment, but soon realized why.
Most maids were from lower nobility or families that had been destroyed.
Those they served were mostly powerful people.
Those who were used to ordering people around did not treat servants like maids as equal human beings.
'Tools.'
They only saw them as tools for convenience.
If I didn't have a title or education, I would have entered a certain family as a maid.
Chelsea's black eyes trembled, as if this was the first time she had received such a greeting.
Eventually, she carefully took my hand.
"Please take care of me, Chelsea."
"...Yes, please take care of me."
After exchanging greetings, Chelsea prepared the wash water and breakfast.
As I wiped my wet face with a towel and glanced at the trolley coming in, my mouth dropped open.
'Is that breakfast?'
A dazzling halo shone behind Chelsea as she pulled in the silver trolley.
Ugh, it's dazzling...
I couldn't take my eyes off the trolley that was approaching.
Oily smoked duck with lemon, savory potato gnocchi, a salad with a ton of fresh vegetables, and even a healthy juice.
'Co, come to think of it, when was the last time I had a proper meal?'
It was long before my father died, so I couldn't even guess.
Besides.
'I was starving yesterday too!'
Was I so hungry that I couldn't even feel it?
The moment I saw the food, I started to feel incredibly hungry.
"Then I hope you enjoy your meal."
Chelsea left the room, considerate of me, who was already holding a knife and fork and ready for battle.
As soon as the door closed, I started devouring the food.
'This is delicious, and that is delicious too.'
Ah, the Dark Power Family is the best after all!
