59. A Man Whose Specialty Is Being Handsome
That sulky, childlike face…
I looked at Cayenne with mixed feelings.
Cayenne—the main hidden villain of the original story.
At night, he was a dangerous, seductive man. But during the day, he was like a completely different person.
[The daytime personality is… yeah.]
[A ‘pure’ soul born of the greed of the high and mighty.]
Last night, Cayenne explained his other self in those words.
[My goal is to kill that guy.]
[He’s the only stain on my existence.]
“He asked me to help erase his daytime self…”
His plan was to get rid of that “stain” in his life and take full possession of this body.
But I wasn’t confident I could ever go along with something so horrifying.
When I let out a quiet sigh, Cayenne tilted his head.
“What is it?”
“……”
“……yo.”
“Pfft.”
‘As I thought, this side of him really is a bit slow.’
His awkward, half-hearted reply made me want to tease him.
Unlike the sharp and seductive Cayenne of the night, the daytime Cayenne had a clumsy side.
‘This Cayenne wears his emotions all over his face.’
When his hair was brushed aside, his tall, strikingly handsome features came through. That smooth, tempting beauty combined with his cautious, innocent expression made for a strange contrast.
“Why? You like cleaning, don’t you? I heard you’re the most enthusiastic when it comes to tidying up among all the servants here.”
“That’s just because the others are incompetent, yo.”
“Really?”
I held out something I’d gotten from the head butler in front of Cayenne.
A gift, prepared especially for Cayenne, who worked so earnestly at cleaning.
“A new duster.”
The bristles were extra thick and soft, like they could wipe away any speck of dust with a single touch. A magical duster—any true cleaning enthusiast would find it hard to resist.
Cayenne’s eyes widened.
Without realizing it, his hand reached out for the duster—before he jerked back in hesitation.
“Put it away.”
He batted it aside with a sharp flick of his hand.
Yet his eyes stayed fixed on it.
“Really? If you want it, I could give it to you.”
“I don’t nee—”
Swoosh.
I gently swayed the duster before his eyes.
“……!”
Soft as foxtail grass, silky as spun silk, it waved temptingly.
His red eyes followed the duster left, then right.
When I tilted the duster to the left, his head turned left.
Swoosh.
To the right.
Swoosh.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
Back and forth, his head snapped quickly like a metronome.
‘This is kind of fun…’
I was just starting to enjoy myself when—
Snatch.
“Ah! You stole it.”
He’d snatched the duster right from my hands.
“Stop doing weird things and give it here. It’s mine.”
With a prim little huff, Cayenne turned his head away and strolled off to the cleaning area.
The duster was clutched carefully in his arms like a treasure.
And the bounce in his steps betrayed just how delighted he was.
“……”
“Well, my lady, it seems his nature isn’t all that bad. Please don’t be too hard on him,” the butler said, trying to defend him.
I shook my head.
“As if I could be angry.”
If his nature really had been bad, maybe I’d feel less troubled.
‘But the Cayenne of the night said he would kill this personality…’
In the original story, Cayenne’s daytime self never appeared.
‘That must mean his plan succeeds.’
I changed the subject.
“Does Cayenne get along with the other servants?”
“Actually, I do have something to report about that.”
The butler lowered his voice.
“What is it?”
“Recently, there have been frequent complaints from the other staff. He often disobeys superiors’ orders or acts unpredictably.”
“……”
“Especially during meals. Apparently, he’s interfered with the communal food, and even taken portions meant for others.”
“Shouldn’t something be done about that?” I asked, concerned.
The butler shook his head.
“The other stewards and I are mediating appropriately. He still needs time to adjust, my lady.”
That night, after finishing my usual routine, I was preparing for bed.
It was a quiet, late hour—the only sound was the chirping of crickets.
Knock, knock.
A sound broke through the silence—someone tapping on my window.
I turned my head, and in the darkness, a man revealed himself.
Bathed in faint starlight like a spotlight, he perched on a branch outside my window.
‘…Cayenne.’
He smiled like a demon who’d come to tempt a soul.
That flawlessly sculpted smile was so breathtakingly beautiful my heart skipped out of rhythm, pounding wildly.
Even knowing he was dangerous, for a moment, I lost myself in his looks.
‘But… why is he just staying put?’
The Cayenne I knew wouldn’t hesitate to break the window and come in.
As if answering my doubt, he raised a finger to the glass.
“!”
Crackle—!
A spark flared, a blue barrier blocking him.
He quickly withdrew his hand with a shake of his head.
That’s when I realized why he was waiting so patiently like a tame lamb.
‘So the mansion’s defenses really were strengthened. Even the security wards are tougher now.’
I unlatched the window.
Normally, intrusion wards stopped forced entry from outside, but they deactivated temporarily when released from the inside.
“Excuse me,” he murmured.
When I reached out my hand, Cayenne gladly took it.
His warmth transferred directly to my fingertips.
The moment he placed a foot on the windowsill—
Beep— Beep— Beep— Beep—!
“Huh?”
A shrill alarm went off, the barrier glowing red.
“An intruder!”
“An intruder has appeared!”
Shouts rang out from the guards stationed at the mansion gates.
“Protect the young lady! Move!”
The guard captain pointed straight toward my room.
“Tch.”
Cayenne’s smile vanished instantly.
Upon hearing the captain’s urgent report, Icart rushed straight to Roselia’s room.
“Another attack? Who’s behind it?”
“The identity is still unknown, but the First Guard immediately headed to the young lady’s quarters.”
Icart shut his eyes tight.
If something had happened to Roselia again… he didn’t even want to imagine the rest.
He shook his head, forcing out those ominous thoughts.
“Let’s go.”
He hurried down the hall, crossing it at a near run.
When he reached Roselia’s door, he forgot all composure as a young noble and burst inside.
“Roselia!”
“O-older brother…”
Roselia greeted him awkwardly.
Thankfully, there were no traces of an attack in the room, and she seemed unharmed.
But the twitch of her lips, forming an unnatural smile, looked suspicious.
“Are you hurt? Anywhere?”
“No, of course not.”
Icart turned to interrogate the guards.
“What happened this time?”
“At first, we thought an assassin had slipped in…”
“And?”
“But it turns out, it seems a bird triggered the barrier.”
“…A bird?”
The guard looked sheepish.
At the end of his gaze, a crow tilted its head on the windowsill.
Roselia jumped in.
“It looks like the crow bumped into my window. I opened it in surprise, and then the alarm suddenly went off.”
“…Huh.”
Icart let out a deflated sigh.
His heart had dropped to his feet thinking Roselia might have been attacked again.
After coming so close to hell, the anticlimax only made him feel more drained.
“All this… over one stupid crow.”
Since the last incident, the mansion’s wards had been reinforced until not even a rat could slip through. Who would’ve thought one bird would cause such a ruckus in the middle of the night?
Icart glared at the crow with a murderous aura.
But the stupid bird, seemingly fearless, only tilted its head innocently.
“Caw—!”
When Icart moved to grab it, the crow flew straight into Roselia’s arms, rubbing against her affectionately.
Even though it couldn’t speak, the sight made Icart’s irritation spike.
“A stupid and unpleasant crow.”
He ordered the guards coldly:
“Maybe it wasn’t an accident. It could’ve been sent with ill intent. Guards, kill it at once.”
“Yes, young lord.”
“Caw—!”
The crow flailed desperately, as if it understood.
A guard raised his crossbow—
“Wait!”
Roselia cried out, horrified.
“I think it was just an accident! The poor thing hit the window so hard it fainted. It’s just… dumb—”
“Caw!”
The crow flapped indignantly, protesting.
“No, really, it looks like a normal crow. Its wings are clumsy, its body is scrawny… there’s no way it was raised for training.”
“Hmm.”
Roselia held the crow protectively.
Her words softened Icart’s glare somewhat, and the crow looked up at him with big, pitiful eyes—like Puss in Boots.
The ultimate “cute act” strategy.
Even as a crow, his beauty wouldn’t fade.
After all, Cayenne’s specialty—his hobby, even—was being handsome.
Capturing people’s hearts with his dazzling looks was easier for him than sipping soup.
His charm worked on everyone, regardless of gender or taste. With one well-aimed display of cuteness, even this stern man should fall.
Cayenne fired his most pitiful gaze at Icart, determined to win him over.
After several seconds of eye contact—
“…Still disgusting.”
Icart’s irritation only deepened.
XD
And Eckhart shows his lead buff by being immune