Chapter 003
“I heard a rustling and wondered if a little rat had snuck in.”
“……!”
Startled by the low, deep voice coming from behind her, Heidi whipped around in a panic.
Crash!
The vibration of the desk sent her lamp plummeting, creating a sharp shattering sound. As the single streak of light vanished, the room was instantly swallowed by darkness.
Only their silhouettes remained visible.
Heidi squinted, struggling to read the face of the man who had suddenly appeared.
‘I can’t see his face. Who is it?’
If it were a man permitted to enter the Master’s room, it would likely be the butler.
But even at a glance, the man standing before her was not the butler.
The faces of the servants working at the Marquis’s estate flashed through Heidi’s mind.
‘Was there someone this tall among the workers?’
Heidi quickly scanned the dark silhouette looming before her.
He stood a good head taller than even the sturdiest of men.
His build was firm, tapering sharply from his shoulders to his waist.
A man with such a physique would undoubtedly stand out among ordinary people. For Heidi, who prided herself on her keen eye, he wasn’t someone she could have missed.
If so…
“……A thief?”
Heidi felt the man flinch slightly as he heard her small murmur. He asked back, sounding incredulous.
“A thief? Are you talking about me?”
Frozen with fear, Heidi scrambled to put distance between herself and the man. If he were an unauthorized outsider, encountering him was a dangerous situation for her.
Crunch.
The sound of glass shards breaking under her feet echoed clearly.
‘Ah, the lamp broke. If I just run blindly, I’ll end up getting hurt.’
Realizing her mistake, Heidi stopped in her tracks. She tried her best not to let her panic show as she retorted.
“W-well, what else am I supposed to think? Sneaking into the Master’s room at this hour without even turning on a light.”
“You seem to have a habit of talking about yourself as if you’re speaking of someone else.”
“I knocked and came in with a lamp, you know!”
“Ha.”
The man let out a hollow laugh at Heidi’s backtalk, seemingly dumbfounded.
“What a character……”
While the man was momentarily speechless, Heidi spoke up quickly.
“Instead of doing this in the dark, let’s turn on a light and talk. Or we can go out to the hallway. I have nothing to hide.”
As soon as Heidi finished speaking, the man replied firmly.
“That’s out of the question.”
I knew it.
Heidi scoffed inwardly.
“Just as I thought, since you have a guilty conscience—”
It was then.
Shh-shk.
The heavy curtains covering the window were pulled open, and bright moonlight came pouring through the large pane.
“……!”
Heidi’s eyes widened slightly as the man’s face was revealed in the moonlight.
Jet-black hair, damp as if he had just washed.
Sharp eyes beneath slightly furrowed brows.
A high, straight bridge of the nose and a firm-looking jawline.
He was a handsome man unlike any Heidi had ever seen in her life, but she had no leisure to admire his beauty.
‘His eyes…….’
Vivid, blood-red eyes like rubies.
That color, identical to Eloise’s, was undoubtedly the symbol of the House of Heisen.
‘So, this person is…….’
A face that was unfamiliar, yet not.
Heidi’s face turned deathly pale as she realized the identity of the person standing before her.
“M-Master?”
Marquis Decion Carlos Heisen.
Even if one didn’t work at the Heisen estate, any citizen of Panther was bound to know him well.
A scholar with a reputation so thick he was called the intellect of Panther, and the man who became the Princess’s mentor at the youngest age.
Though he lost his parents early and took over as head of the family before reaching adulthood, he was a capable Lord who had built the prosperity of the family and territory at an unprecedented pace.
Because there were so many titles attached to his name, he was a man who, conversely, needed no modifiers at all.
‘Ah, so that’s why…….’
Heidi could finally perfectly understand what Eloise had said about the portrait.
The painting couldn’t capture even a hundredth of the aura Decion emitted.
Especially that fierce gaze.
Sensing that she was doomed, Heidi swallowed hard. The red eyes staring at her felt like they were choking the life out of her.
They surely possessed the same hue as Eloise’s, yet how could they project such a vastly different atmosphere?
His sharp gaze scanned every corner of Heidi’s face. Every time his eyebrows twitched as if something caught his attention, Heidi felt as though her heart might explode at any moment.
To call the master of the estate a thief.
Heidi squeezed her eyes shut.
She might be kicked out of the mansion. With the experience of working at the House of Heisen, she could probably find work elsewhere.
‘But there’s no place that pays as much as this…….’
Toward Heidi, who was feeling hopeless thinking about her future, Decion asked as if conducting an interrogation.
“Who are you? Explain what kind of maid enters my room at this hour.”
Heidi gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, putting strength into her fingers as she answered.
“I am Heidi Dalton, Lady Eloise’s maid. I came on an errand for the Young Lady……”
“Eloise’s maid?”
Decion furrowed his brow slightly. He asked in a dubious voice, unable to shake his suspicion.
“What kind of errand did Eloise send you on?”
“A-Ah, the ink the Young Lady was using ran out, so she said she would borrow the one in your study for a moment.”
“……At this hour? Her hobby for writing seems to be the same as ever.”
Decion’s voice softened slightly at the answer Heidi sputtered out while trembling. He seemed to have recalled that Eloise’s long-standing hobby was transcription.
‘Is he just letting it slide like this?’
Just as Heidi, watching his reaction, was about to peek at Decion’s expression.
Their eyes met squarely.
Heidi’s eyes grew as wide as they could go, her pale violet pupils shimmering as they caught the moonlight.
Staring intently into her eyes, Decion suddenly crumpled his expression.
“But how am I supposed to believe your words?”
At Decion’s words, which suggested he still hadn’t shaken his unease, Heidi opened her lips hesitantly.
“A-Ah, the Young Lady will confirm my story.”
“…….”
“It’s true. If you don’t believe me, we can go together right now—!”
Decion cut off Heidi’s explanation, which was continuing in a frantic, trembling manner, with a gesture of his hand.
“Enough. Confirming if your words are true is a trivial matter.”
Feeling his voice clearly soften, Heidi breathed a sigh of relief.
Glancing at Heidi, Decion picked up an ink bottle and handed it to her.
‘Does he mean for me to go?’
Receiving the heavy ink bottle, Heidi watched his reaction carefully.
She had caused a major accident with the Master on their first meeting. If she added even a small mistake here, she might truly be kicked out.
Decion’s stern gaze landed on the stiffened Heidi.
“I’ll overlook today’s incident, so keep quiet about seeing me here.”
“……!”
“I detest fusses like ‘welcome’ ceremonies. It’s no big deal. I want to rest alone tonight, so keep a tight lip.”
“Yes.”
Heidi answered softly and nodded.
It seemed his reason for not turning on the light was to avoid attracting the attention of other servants.
“Then, I’ll just quickly clean up the broken lamp and—”
“It’s not necessary, so leave.”
“Yes, sir!”
As she was turning to leave obediently, Heidi stopped as if something had occurred to her. After a moment of hesitation, she parted her lips.
“Should I keep it a secret from the Young Lady as well?”
“…….”
“The Young Lady has been waiting a long time. She’s been looking forward to this for days. To finally see you, Master.”
He paused.
At Heidi’s words, Decion’s body momentarily froze.
Gaining courage, Heidi suggested in a voice with a bit more strength.
“Wouldn’t you like to say hello, even for a moment? She’s still awake.”
“…….”
Contrary to Heidi’s expectation that he would readily agree, Decion did not offer an answer immediately.
‘Why does he seem so awkward?’
While Heidi stood there in a daze, Decion slowly parted his lips.
“Tomorrow.”
Decion’s red eyes moved to Heidi.
“I would prefer it if you didn’t tell Eloise that you saw me. I will visit her when the sun rises.”
“……Ah, yes! I will do that.”
Answering briskly, Heidi offered a polite bow and then hurried out of the room. Once in the hallway, Heidi tilted her head slightly.
Was it a delusion?
Heidi slowly chewed over the expression Decion had worn at the last moment. And his voice, which had subtly sunk whenever she spoke about Eloise.
‘He looked pained somehow. As if he felt guilty. Why?’
