Chapter 33
“Monster hunter?”
I tilted my head and asked again.
That was the answer I got from Betty, who was helping me bathe, when I asked her what “Cazador” meant.
“Yes. Apparently, that’s what they’ve called them in Bastion since ancient times.”
“Hmmm.”
Using the word “hunt” with “monster” somehow fit… and somehow didn’t.
Betty, who had been diligently washing every nook and cranny of my body, lifted a bucket of clean water for the final rinse.
“Close your eyes.”
“Mm.”
I closed my eyes with satisfaction.
The room was lovely, the dinner I’d had with Levi was delicious, and now this warm bathwater before bed felt heavenly.
What is happiness if not this? This was happiness…
“Ah! Cold!”
“My lady!”
Betty, more startled than I was by the sudden downpour of cold water, dropped the bucket.
Crack!
Before I could check whether the bucket broke or the wall cracked, she scooped me up in her arms.
“Why was the water cold…? Are you all right, my lady?”
“Y-yes…”
Honestly, I wasn’t fine.
It was already getting colder at night, and now I’d been hit with freezing water out of nowhere. My teeth were chattering.
Betty quickly wrapped me in layer upon layer of towels and rushed out of the bathroom.
“I’ll put more firewood in the stove right away!”
“J-just… take your time.”
I followed her out lazily—only to see the stove practically on fire.
This wasn’t heating, this was arson-level.
If anything, the cold-water bucket should be waiting beside that stove.
After stuffing firewood and oil into the stove, Betty sat me down right in front of it.
Ahh, much better. Honestly, when that cold water hit my head, I thought I’d go into cardiac arrest.
Betty, looking like she might cry, gently rubbed my arms as if thawing out a snowman.
“I’m so sorry, my lady. I should’ve checked first.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
It wasn’t really her carelessness—just bad luck.
All the other buckets had been warmed properly; only the last one had cold water.
Even after I reassured her, Betty couldn’t relax.
It seemed she felt she’d ruined the memorable first day at the main house.
“I can’t believe I made such a mistake. I’ll make sure to warn the ones who fetched the water.”
“No, really, it’s fine. They were probably just flustered.”
From their perspective, the master had returned early and brought an unexpected guest besides. And on the very first day—of course they were tense and busy.
Maybe it’s because I still sympathized more with the servants than the masters, but I didn’t feel like nitpicking them.
Besides, I couldn’t catch colds anymore—not that it stopped me from feeling cold.
As I basked in the stove’s warmth, I glanced out the dark window.
‘…It must be even colder outside.’
I wondered if Wolfgang was okay.
I didn’t think he’d get hurt—if he did, the title “Lord of the Monster Dam” would be a joke.
Still, the more I enjoyed my comfort here, the more I kept thinking about him, rushing off without even a chance to rest.
And most of all, I wanted to tell him that the room was pretty.
I hesitated, then asked Betty, who was helping me into a thick gown, “When will Father be back?”
“I’m not sure. Probably not until he’s dealt with things enough that the monsters can’t get past the wall.”
“Right, about that wall, where is it—haaahm.”
I wanted to ask more, but a yawn escaped instead.
The long carriage ride, the night in a camp tent, and now the chill that had seeped into my bones… the moment I warmed up, drowsiness hit me like a brick.
Betty practically carried me to bed.
“You must be tired. Please sleep well.”
“Mmh… you too, Betty.”
The moment my head touched the feather pillow, I was out. The dreamland I found in this soft bed—so different from a camp blanket—was deep and sweet.
So much so that, come dawn, I didn’t even notice when the fire in the stove went out.
“Ugh, my whole body aches.”
Sleeping while shivering all night had left me sore all over.
After burning so brightly last night, at some point the fire had completely died; in the morning, only pale ashes remained.
Betty looked on the verge of tears when she saw it.
‘I even stopped by during the night to add more wood… I thought for sure the flames would last till morning.’
It’s an easy enough mistake—keeping the fire going all night isn’t exactly easy.
I brushed it off and headed to our meeting spot, massaging my shoulders.
“Levi!”
On the third floor, midway down the hall that met the stairs, Levi was already waiting.
“Good morning. Sleep well?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s it?”
That look—like what else is there to say—was almost irritating.
I crossed my arms and lectured, “When someone asks you that, you’re supposed to say, ‘Did you sleep well, too?’”
“…Did you sleep well, too?”
He even copied my tone exactly.
Well, points for effort.
Sighing, I tugged on his sleeve. “Come on, let’s go eat breakfast.”
On the way, I thought about the wolves.
It seemed the townhouse had warned them in advance, because there was an empty pen set up for them in a corner of the garden—with premium jerky on the side, no less.
So they were being treated pretty well…
‘But they seemed oddly uneasy.’
They kept whining at the air or baring their teeth.
Was it because we’d come into the dreaded Bastion main estate? Or maybe from moving territories too often.
Either way, I’d have to keep an eye on them. And also…
“Let’s make an official sick-visit.”
Across the massive dining table—so big it made his head look like a dot—Levi tilted his head.
“A sick-visit?”
“To your little brother. I realized—he’s sick, and you’re just leaving him alone.”
Of course, the servants would be caring for him, but…
At first, I’d thought it better to let him rest on day one. But wouldn’t it be polite to check in on him myself?
Besides, I felt sorry for him, with such an indifferent brother and father.
‘And it’s not like I’m visiting out of personal interest in a frail, sharp-tongued pretty boy… nope. Not at all.’
I was already spoken for, after all.
Still, the more beauty in the world, the better for the eyes.
In my head, Franz had already become a delicate flowerbud hiding sharp thorns.
“Ahem. Levi, don’t you worry at all when your little brother’s sick?”
When you think about it, it’s a sensitive family situation.
Levi straightened and answered, “He’s a Bastion.”
“Ah. Right.”
At this rate, “Bastion” needed to be added to the dictionary—synonym: omnipotent.
I smirked. “…Then Father must not worry at all, either. Because he’s a Bastion.”
Levi didn’t even nod this time—as if the statement was too obvious to answer.
Really, what a family I’d married into.
I couldn’t help but laugh; I felt like their bottomless confidence was starting to rub off on me.
“Anyway, you’re coming with me for the sick-visit. You need to say hello.”
We couldn’t just avoid seeing his sick brother forever.
It was still early, so I decided to stop by the wolves first, then visit Franz in the late afternoon.
Until then, I’d explore the mansion with Levi—call it a date.
It was the perfect plan.
At least, until strange things started happening.
It began with water pouring over my head.
Ever since yesterday, incidents involving water kept happening. This time, it was dirty mop water.
If Levi hadn’t pulled me back, I would’ve gotten it full in the face.
“Heh, thanks. The maids probably didn’t look before tossing it.”
At that point, I could still shrug it off.
It was almost like a little heart-racing date “event.”
Even when a black cloth suddenly flew at me, or we stumbled upon a random mud puddle, I didn’t think much of it.
Unlucky? Sure. Worth complaining about? Not really. And every time, Levi saved me from harm.
But then something genuinely strange happened—right after we left the wolves’ pen.
“They’re still uneasy. They don’t know why, either…”
I was chattering away as we walked through the garden when Levi suddenly covered my eyes.
Oh my—had he already picked up my teasing habits? How quick of him.
I was quietly pleased… until I caught a glimpse through his fingers.
“…Ah.”
The corpse of a rat.
The garden here had no flowers, only grass and trees neatly arranged. Still, this was the duke’s estate—bare at worst, but never dirty.
A rat carcass lying out in the open? Impossible under normal upkeep.
And those wounds…
‘Looks like it was caught in a trap.’
That was when I started to feel real déjà vu.
Had I really just been unlucky since yesterday? Or…
“I’m fine,” I said, setting suspicion aside for now.
I pulled his hand down and looked around.
Plenty of grass and trees—good enough for a burial.
“Over there, under that tree will do.”
I wrapped the little body in my skirt hem.
Levi reached out, startled.
“I’ll—”
“It’s fine.”
I could communicate with animals, and seeing their corpses didn’t disgust or scare me—it just made me feel pity.
With Levi’s help, digging a small grave wasn’t hard.
I patted the little mound.
Rest well. May you live long in your next life, whether as a person, an animal, or even a plant.
And if you can, give me a hand along the way.
Brushing off my skirt, now dirtied, I stood.
“I’ll go change my clothes.”
“I’ll come—”
“No! I’m going alone! Wait here!”
And I dashed off before Levi could follow.
I crossed the garden safely and stepped into the gleaming marble hall—only for the world to flip upside down.
The moment I slipped in a grand, sweeping arc, I realized—
Ah, so that’s how it is…
‘Someone really wants to screw with me.’
Thud!
I went down headfirst, and the floor reeked faintly of oil.
