Chapter 14.
My chest felt so tight I couldn’t finish my sentence. While I was still speechless, Hugo stood up.
“Oh my, it’s already that time.”
His pocket watch now pointed to dinnertime.
He had to go greet Wolfgang in the dining room.
Normally, I would hop down from the chair to join him for dinner, but today Hugo slightly bowed and asked politely,
“Did my words help you, by any chance?”
“Of course. Thanks to you, I’ve found my lifelong role model.”
I nodded and clenched both fists with enthusiasm.
“Asha is going to become the Master of Back Slaps!”
Looking down at me, Hugo smiled warmly. He didn’t forget to offer kind words of encouragement.
He truly was a good person, but I figured I should probably retract my earlier statement about him being “normal” as we walked out of the butler’s office together.
As we made our way through the deathly silent hallway toward the dining room, I spotted servants with pale faces.
Cooks, kitchen assistants, even the maids serving meals were all unusually tense.
‘Well, of course. That psycho brat is the young master. Who wouldn’t be scared?’
If he got annoyed and pulled out a knife, that’d be a one-way ticket to the afterlife.
They were probably terrified of making a mistake—or even breathing wrong and getting on his nerves.
Among them, the sensitive Betty was trembling from head to toe.
Tsk, tsk. Being that nervous just increases the chances of a mistake.
I shook her apron gently and fussed in a small voice.
“Gasp! Unnie, unnie! You dropped something!”
“W-what did I drop?”
As Betty frantically looked around, I crouched down and held up a finger heart.
“My love.”
“…….”
“Oh no, here’s another one. And another. And another.”
I spun in circles around the dazed Betty, pulling out more finger hearts with a boop boop, until giggles began breaking out around the room.
Even Betty, caught in the moment, gave a small laugh.
“Asha, seriously.”
She covered her mouth, chuckling, and patted my head. She was still nervous, but her hands weren’t trembling as much as before.
‘That should be enough.’
At that moment, Hugo, who had been watching us, cleared his throat.
It was a signal to stand properly.
I quickly joined the other servants, standing with my hands clasped in front of me.
‘He’s coming.’
My heart gave a sharp jolt like an alarm.
I couldn’t hear any footsteps. Not even the rustle of clothing.
Of course, like father, like son. Not just the face—they’re even similar in things like this.
“You’ve arrived.”
Following Hugo’s bow, all the servants folded at the waist.
But I stood perfectly straight, not bowing at all.
My defiant stance caught Wolfgang and Levi’s attention immediately.
Especially Levi’s glass-like, dark red eyes, which I met while trying hard not to tremble like Betty. He raised one eyebrow and muttered,
“Truant.”
“…….”
“Lack of discipline.”
What the heck? Why did he add another insult?
Geez. I guess he’s still salty I didn’t follow him earlier.
I should add a note to Wolfgang’s ongoing character dictionary project:
“More sulky and petty than expected.”
I shot him a short glare, and Wolfgang motioned for Hugo to open the door.
As they led the way into the dining room, I naturally followed behind them. Then, Betty leaned toward me and whispered,
“Thank you, Asha.”
She must’ve realized I was trying to distract her on purpose.
Instead of brushing it off or pretending not to notice, I replied,
“If one day I get super scared like you, unnie, you can count for me like I did.”
Betty looked confused but nodded like she understood.
That was enough.
I gave her a bright smile and continued walking.
The dining table was as massive as ever, and Wolfgang sat in his usual seat at the head.
To his left—where I usually sat—was Levi.
Then where was my seat now?
If you thought the right side of the head seat, you’re a novice.
If you thought next to Levi, you’re intermediate.
If you thought “on Wolfgang’s lap,” then you’re advanced, but not quite right for this moment.
The master-level choice, of course, was—
“Hehe.”
—between Wolfgang and Levi!
With a big grin, I dragged a chair between the two of them and sat down.
The corner of the table dug into my chest, but that was a small price to pay.
Trying to calm the stinging tension in my head, I smiled at Levi.
This was my ultimate harmless smile—one that screamed completely insignificant.
If I didn’t wave a white flag right from the start, I had a feeling he might just strangle me on the spot.
But surprisingly, Levi was calm.
He looked at me like I was an amoeba passing by—completely indifferent.
That level of apathy was truly an art.
Whether a maid like me sat next to him or danced on the table, he seemed utterly uninterested.
It even made me wonder if he remembered me at all.
I mean, I don’t want to be remembered only as the weirdo from dawn, but not being remembered at all is worse.
Is there anything more hopeless for someone trying to win another’s affection than being ignored?
So, I deployed Asha’s Signature Flirty Wink.
“…….”
No reaction. Did he not see it?
One more time—wink.
Still nothing from Levi.
Why? That was cute. He could at least look confused!
While I sat there quivering in humiliation, Wolfgang, who had been observing with amusement, spoke up.
“Son.”
“Yes.”
“When someone shows you interest—”
“At least give them a reaction.”
It flowed like a practiced script, as if they’d had this exchange before.
And just like that morning, Levi paused like a machine processing a new command.
‘He really is like a doll.’
From his looks to his expressions—under the chandelier’s glow, it all stood out more.
He was only eleven, but already had perfect visuals. No wonder someone like Bibi could like him even if he was a psycho.
Maybe I was similar?
Maybe this was karma for telling Queensbury I only cared about looks.
As I mentally sentenced Levi to “guilty face—life sentence in my heart’s solitary cell”, he opened his mouth.
“Hi.”
Huh? Was that… to me?
Before I could even respond, Levi turned his head away.
Ugh, my blood pressure.
I swear, that doll doesn’t know how conversations work.
“I-I’ll serve the food now.”
Betty and the other maids wheeled in trolleys and began setting dishes on the table.
Meat, meat, and more meat. I grimaced.
Apparently, Levi had Wolfgang’s taste in food too.
Once the maids withdrew, Wolfgang elegantly cut his steak and slid the plate toward me.
It had been happening more often lately, and I smiled sweetly.
“Thank you, Sir—”
Oops.
I quickly glanced at Levi.
It wasn’t just the title—it probably annoyed him.
Coming home after a long time, only to see some stranger getting pampered by your dad? Must be unpleasant.
Even if he didn’t show it, Levi was still a kid. He could definitely get jealous.
Looks like I’ll be hated before I can even be loved!
In a panic, I stabbed a piece of steak and playfully offered it to him.
“You should have the first bite, Young Master! Here comes the airplane—whoosh!”
Emergency reroute. Abort mission.
I caught the Eye of Sauron and immediately redirected the fork into my own mouth.
‘That was close. I nearly got shot down.’
I heard Wolfgang stifle a laugh, but I couldn’t retort like usual.
Because Levi was still glaring at me.
Scary. Seriously scary. Okay, maybe I pushed my luck a bit, but that glare was intense.
I was nervously chewing the rubbery meat when—
“Airplane?”
Levi mumbled softly.
‘Ah, right. There are no airplanes here.’
So that’s why he was staring—not angry, just confused.
Jeez. With those sharp eyes, it’s easy to misread him.
I swallowed the meat and carefully replied,
“Curious? If you’re curious, 5 gold.”
I held out my palm, and Levi blinked slowly.
Was he… actually considering it?
Worried he might give me actual pocket money, I quickly curled my hand.
“J-just kidding…”
“Joking.”
Levi repeated the word quietly, as if it were unfamiliar.
I guess no one had ever dared joke around him before.
But kids need silly stuff like that growing up.
If they don’t, they end up like Benjamin—mature late and all over the place.
I was seriously starting to worry about Levi’s future.
“Just checking, but… do you know what a joke is?”
“A definition.”
“No, no. You can’t just know the definition! When you’re at the academy, your friends—”
Wait, he said he didn’t have friends, didn’t he?
Dear Wolfgang, are you sure your son is okay?
I looked at Wolfgang as if accusing him. He just shrugged.
Not like he gave up—more like he never tried.
Then again, Wolfgang didn’t seem like the type with friends either, so maybe he figured he had no right to meddle.
Sigh. This household…
I leaned toward Levi again.
Still awkward and scary, but strangely, I felt a bit sorry for him.
I’ve always been soft on kids.
Even if he’s a psycho, it was clear he was still immature, so pushing through wasn’t that hard.
“Instead of gold, ask for my name.”
“……”
“Then I’ll tell you what an airplane is. Just for you.”
As I whispered that, his black-red eyes stared into mine.
His lips moved once, then suddenly, he turned his head away.
Huh? I asked,
“Are you… shy?”
No answer. Just a deadly aura as he stared holes into his plate.
Oh my, even psychos can get shy? Maybe he’s just never made friends before.
But if he gets embarrassed twice, he might turn violent.
Realizing I should dial it back for now, I shut my mouth—only to be pierced by a burning gaze.
It wasn’t Levi.
Wondering who else might be trying to kill me, I looked around and—
“Oh dear.”
Peeking through the dining room door, Bibi was biting her handkerchief like some jealous heroine from an old drama.
Good grief. I never thought my short-lived life would be this popular.
I gave a beatific smile, gesturing toward the two men she adored with a fluttering hand.
She nearly foamed at the mouth with rage.
From that point on, it was a mealtime of chaos.
Bibi’s jealous fury rained down like bombs. Wolfgang tossed in teasing remarks.
And every time I turned to check my tingling temple, a pair of eyes would flick away just in time.
I popped a cherry-red tomato into my mouth, its sweet and tangy juice bursting pleasantly between my teeth.
