Chapter 18
‘Is he telling me not to clean it up?’
Maybe he just didn’t like things being moved around.
A servant, quick-witted enough to be assigned exclusively to Levi, hurriedly stepped back and adjusted the balcony curtains.
“The, the weather is really nice today. The flowers outside are in full bloom—it’s definitely spring. Though it still gets a bit chilly at night.”
He muttered to himself into the air for a few moments.
Then he suddenly froze, arms wrapped around the curtain. A chill ran down his spine.
Crimson-red eyes were piercing into him like harpoons.
‘What’s with him today? He’s acting so unlike himself.’
As he fought back the urge to cry, Levi asked him a question.
“Cold?”
“Y-yes?”
“……”
“Oh, I mean, sometimes. At night, you know. It’s probably just the last cold snap before spring fully settles in. Though honestly, what we call ‘cold’ here is nothing compared to Bastion territory…”
The servant rambled on, not even sure what he was saying anymore.
Levi had responded in the form of a question—something that had never happened before.
Usually, no matter what the servants said, Levi would ignore them entirely. A slight nod was the most response anyone could hope for.
Levi’s crimson eyes slowly dropped away and turned back toward the window.
His porcelain-doll profile reflected a quiet contemplation.
“Well, then, I’ll take my leave!”
Seizing the moment, the servant bolted from the room. The moment the door closed behind him, his legs gave out.
Sweat dripped from his back and palms.
‘Good grief. I almost died in there.’
No matter how much experience one had, serving the Bastion family never got any easier.
No wonder the weaker servants still trembled and shattered teacups in their presence.
A demigod. The last surviving demon. The man who could shoot down even a flying phoenix—Bastion.
And among them, Levi Bastion was the most deserving of that fearsome name.
He didn’t shout. He didn’t lash out like some petulant young master. And yet, his gaze alone was enough to crush a human heart.
‘Honestly, I’d rather he threw a tantrum.’
At least if he were a typical spoiled noble, you could work around that. But after years of service, Levi’s thoughts remained impenetrable.
The servant was trudging down the hall when he ran into a fellow worker.
“What’s wrong with you? You look half-dead.”
Too tired to speak, he just signaled that he’d come from Levi’s room. His friend patted him on the back in sympathy.
Death. That’s what it felt like. No matter how many times you saw him, the fear never lessened.
If only the masters and young masters were more like… well…
‘If only Levi were a little more like Asha, this job would be a dream.’
They both thought the same thing and glanced around.
Odd. That girl wasn’t fluttering around today like usual.
Did we push her away too hard? Still, they couldn’t help but worry something might’ve happened to her.
In truth, the Bastion family’s closest aides all wished that girl would stay for a very, very long time.
“I miss her.”
“Same here.”
Like the other sunlight that once melted the northern frost, they hoped she wouldn’t burn out too soon. That she’d live a long and healthy life.
To make that happen, though, she’d have to give up her favorite phrase—“I’m going to be the Bastion family’s eldest daughter-in-law.”
Did she have to be a daughter-in-law? With the way Wolfgang’s been acting lately, it seemed there might be other possibilities.
Of course, if she managed to marry Levi without any bloodshed, that’d be a blessing for them too…
‘Nah, no way. Just because she’s a little like Lady Katrin doesn’t mean she’s got her drive or her fiery temper.’
The servants shook their heads as they remembered her perfect spinning kicks and began searching for that head of fluffy white curls.
Meanwhile, in the maids’ quarters, a search was already underway.
“Has anyone seen Asha?”
Joan, the most senior maid, asked, but no one raised a hand—not even Kim or Sarah.
Looking around with a frown, Joan singled out Bibi.
“Bibi, what about you?”
“…How should I know?”
“You’ve been spending the most time with her lately.”
“Well, that’s just because she kept following me around.”
Even Bibi, who usually complained about everything, snapped that she had no idea where Asha was. The other maids’ faces darkened with concern.
Just as the anxious murmurs started to rise, Betty stepped forward.
“What if we told the knights?”
“Good idea. Let’s all split up and search too.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Led by Betty and Joan, the maids all poured out of the dormitory.
Only Bibi remained, sitting proudly in place.
Hmph. That dumb mutt showed up out of nowhere one day like a stray puppy, wagged her tail around the mansion, buttered up to everyone, acted annoying but then smiled like she didn’t want you to hate her, and every time she got her hands on a treat, she’d trot over and give you one, even to her love rival who actually appreciated her stupid charm…
“Agh! Where the hell did that mutt go?!”
Soon, the entire staff of House Bastion joined the search, turning the mansion upside-down.
All of this happened even before the Duke or the butler gave any formal orders.
And through it all, a pair of crimson eyes watched silently.
“……”
The balcony doors were wide open. The view beyond them looked unfamiliar somehow.
Had it ever been this noisy and chaotic before?
Thinking back, yes—it had.
A long time ago, when his mother was still alive.
‘Today’s treasure hunt day!’
That one sentence from her had started it all. A real treasure hunt.
Katrin never held back.
If she wanted something, she had to do it—even if she was sick.
Especially after they fled to this place from the harsh estate air that worsened her condition.
As if refusing to acknowledge her own approaching death.
She acted like she didn’t want to leave behind any regrets or unfinished business.
‘I’ve hidden it well, so go find it! Begin!’
Every servant, Wolfgang, even baby Franz who was just learning to walk—all of them pretended to search for treasure to make her happy.
Only Levi had remained by her side, wrapped in a mountain of blankets.
‘Aren’t you going to look for treasure too, my eldest?’
‘I don’t see the point.’
It was something five-year-old Levi said often.
He didn’t understand the point.
Sure, most kids that age constantly asked, “Why?” but Levi’s confusion went deeper than that.
He truly couldn’t grasp it.
Why people hid useless objects and then called them treasure. Why people bothered to find them.
And why his mother’s lips tightened behind her mask every time he said things like that.
The day he mercy-killed a dying bird, she made the same face.
Then she stormed off to his father and kicked him.
Grabbed him by the collar, shouting, “What are you going to do about our son?!”
Even then, Levi didn’t quite understand why she acted that way.
Nor why a father far stronger than her simply stood there and took the blows.
Reasons. Explanations. Why?
His world was full of things he couldn’t understand…
‘When everyone’s playing and you’re alone, it’s sad. If Levi happily found the treasure, I’d be so happy too.’
He couldn’t fully absorb emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure the way she patiently taught him.
But still—
‘…I’ll go find it.’
In the end, Levi did as his mother wished.
Even now, if someone asked why, he wouldn’t be able to explain.
He had started reading early, and his world was built on books.
He memorized dictionaries. Learned from renowned tutors. Constructed a moral framework like a sandcastle in the desert.
From a young age, he was taught to divide right and wrong with logic.
And by that logic, mercy-killing a dying creature was the right thing to do.
Levi, ever brilliant, mostly did what was right.
The first time he broke that rule—was with his mother.
He didn’t strangle her when she was coughing painfully. Instead, he wrapped a warm shawl around her shoulders.
And she would smile, as if to show Wolfgang, and whisper—
‘See? I told you there’s still hope.’
Hope.
The word Levi understood least. But seeing her so happy when she said it made him think he must’ve done the right thing.
When he won the treasure hunt that day too—
She smiled wide. He couldn’t see well through the mask, but she probably looked truly happy.
Whoosh.
A breeze stirred his black hair, brushing past like the touch of her hand.
Happiness and health were apparently two different things, because after that treasure hunt, her condition rapidly declined, and soon she closed her eyes for good.
That treasure hunt had been the last game he ever played with her.
Now that he thought about it, the prize for that treasure hunt was…
“We found it!”
Flinch.
Levi’s foot twitched.
It was a miracle he didn’t leap up from the chair by the balcony where he’d been sitting all night.
Had he done so, he wouldn’t have known what to make of himself.
“It’s the girl’s apron!”
Someone held up a piece of white cloth.
It was under the tree she’d wandered near every night for the past week.
“Why is it here?”
“I hope nothing bad happened.”
“There’s something in the pocket.”
“Strawberry candy.”
“It’s her favorite. Why didn’t she eat it…?”
“My lord!”
Just then, Wolfgang himself appeared in the back garden.
Startled, the servants stepped aside, and the knight captain, Winston, quickly handed him the small apron.
As one of the longest-serving retainers alongside Hugo, Winston added a discreet report.
“According to the guards, she didn’t leave through the front gate.”
That left only one possibility.
Winston gestured toward the forested hill behind the estate.
“Should I dispatch a search team to the mountain—”
Whoosh.
Something fast and dull—not wind—flashed past.
As everyone looked around, confused, Wolfgang narrowed his eyes alone.
“No need.”
“Pardon?”
“She actually did it. Guess taste really is hereditary.”
Shaking his head, he mumbled something the others couldn’t hear and turned away.
He thought he could almost hear her smug voice teasing in his ear.
‘See? I told you there’s still hope.’
As he passed under the open balcony with the silent butler in tow, Wolfgang said,
“Hugo.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“Are the peonies blooming now?”
Hearing that it was their season, he smiled.
