Chapter : 14
When I took a closer look at the person groaning as they pushed themself up, I saw that although their body was slender, they were clearly an adult—and a man.
“Ugh…”
Inside the hood pulled over his head, curly silver hair was messily tangled.
Behind the large glasses, golden eyes were filled with tears.
I’d seen men on the verge of tears quite a lot lately, so I was somewhat hardened to it, but even so, I couldn’t help being flustered.
Honestly, when Arcas teared up, my reaction was more like, ‘You’re huge—what’s with that?’ so it didn’t really move me.
But seeing tears welling up in this man’s eyes made me feel like I’d committed some truly atrocious crime.
“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”
When I approached, the man flinched and recoiled.
“I–I’m fine…”
Judging by how his voice trembled, he seemed to be in quite a bit of pain.
“A hospital… Is there a hospital around here? Let’s go to one!”
At my words, he urgently shook his head and forced himself upright.
He must have been hurting badly—his face was tightly scrunched. When I held out my hand to help him up, his body trembled violently.
As soon as I grabbed his arm and pulled him up, he turned as if to go back the way he came. I quickly grabbed the hem of his clothes.
“I’m sorry for grabbing you. But you really should go to a hospital.”
“It’s fine. I’m not hurt at all…”
If I let him go like this, I’d definitely get reported—100 to 0—for negligence.
With me being the 100.
“Then at least give me your contact information. Even if you’re not in pain right now, aftereffects can show up later.”
“Ah, no…”
“Please, just your contact info. Or at least your address. Please! Okay?!”
As the back-and-forth dragged on, passersby began glancing over at us suspiciously.
“Selene, what’s going on? What happened?”
When Arcas came rushing over from the shop, the man let out a small squeak and hurriedly pulled out something like a tiny business card from his pocket, handing it to me.
“I’m Selene Weddon, okay? I left my home address with that bakery over there, so if anything hurts, you have to contact me right away. Got it?”
The man nodded, pulled his hood down low, and disappeared into the alley.
Whew. Letting out a sigh of relief that I hadn’t caused a hit-and-run, I noticed a jewel lying on the ground.
Oh dear, he must’ve dropped it.
I quickly picked it up.
Arcas, who had come up beside me, looked utterly confused.
“What was that? What did that guy do?”
Facing Arcas, whose expression was growing stiff, I shook my head.
“The outside world really is dangerous…”
* * *
When I returned to the mansion, I completed my preparations perfectly.
Namely—preparations to shut myself in.
I’d brought back some interesting-looking books from the library, and I’d carefully selected only desserts that could be kept at room temperature.
I’d already informed Arcas that I’d be taking the week off, and thankfully, he postponed his fully packed schedule.
“If Selene wants to rest, then she should. You can just work hard next week.”
He never said he’d cancel anything completely, though.
Anyway, with even the homeowner’s permission secured, I happily dove into bed.
‘No one will ever separate me from my bed.’
* * *
“She says she won’t be having dinner, and that she will not be attending the tea party at Baron Ariold’s estate. Please proceed accordingly.”
After leaving Selene’s room, the butler gathered the servants at the foot of the stairs and spoke. Silence settled over them.
After a long moment of exchanging glances, one servant cautiously spoke up.
“Why… would she refuse the party?”
The servants huddled together, all wearing worried expressions.
“Don’t young ladies usually like parties?”
“The previous young lady asked about parties as soon as she arrived, didn’t she?”
None of them could understand why a young lady at the age to enjoy social gatherings wouldn’t even leave her room.
One maid raised her hand and spoke quietly.
“Do you think… something happened while she was out?”
At those words, the servants’ faces turned pale.
After a brief silence, murmurs filled the space under the stairs.
Since no one knew what the young lady might have experienced outside, speculation ran wild.
“She said she met Eloy and Viviana, right?”
“Did they perhaps bully her?”
“No way… Didn’t they promise to be kind?”
“What on earth happened?”
Everyone’s gaze turned to the coachman standing at the back.
“…Those two did take the young lady away, one on each side.”
“Then why didn’t you stop them?!”
“Me? How was I supposed to?”
The maids fumed as if Selene had gone somewhere and gotten beaten.
“How could people be so awful? Our young lady is so kind!”
“Exactly! She even brings desserts to give to people like us!”
“Even if we don’t see her often, she’s always so considerate…”
Some of them began to tear up.
“Could it be… did they even pull her hair?”
At that, Lurie clutched her forehead and staggered. Yuri caught her and spoke quietly.
“She didn’t look upset enough for that. Let’s observe for now. It’s better than her going out and disappearing altogether.”
Everyone remembered the chaos at the mansion when only the carriage and luggage had returned.
Those who had seen Arcas running everywhere searching for Selene understood Yuri’s words.
“Let’s find out what’s going on from those who go outside. And let’s be her strength. She must feel so lonely.”
At the words of Mrs. Marvin, the most senior kitchen staff member, everyone nodded.
And thus began Operation: Be the Young Lady’s Support.
That day, the kitchen staff poured their hearts into preparing a perfectly balanced, nutritious, and delicious meal.
Yuri subtly used a larger plate than usual and carried the heaping meal to Selene’s room.
“My lady, your meal is ready.”
But something about Selene’s behavior inside the room felt strange.
“Wait! Hold on!”
That wasn’t her usual voice from under the covers.
Sounds of moving and clearing things came through the crack in the door.
Yuri quietly opened it just a little.
Why open the door?
What if the young lady had fallen?
Or what if she was tangled up in the blankets and couldn’t get out?
Isn’t it a maid’s duty to keep a close eye on her charge’s safety, missing nothing?
Successfully performing the basic maid skill of opening a door without making a sound, Yuri narrowed her eyes.
The scene inside the room, glimpsed through the crack, gave off an ominous feeling.
Despite the bright sunshine outside, the curtains were fully drawn, letting in no light.
A single small lamp on the bedside table illuminated the room, and Selene was hurriedly clearing away scraps of paper from the table.
Yuri quietly closed the door and waited for Selene to call her.
After delivering the meal, the servants gathered in the kitchen—their command center.
Everyone leaned in, eager for Yuri’s report.
“The young lady is… haa…”
As Yuri hesitated, the servants cried out.
“What is it? What happened?!”
“She seems to be doing… something like magic.”
For a moment, everything went silent—then screams erupted.
“Should we tell the Count?”
“But we’re not even sure!”
“What if it really is magic? What if it’s a spell to return to where she came from?!”
After much confusion, it was decided that Yuri—the one who had peeked into the room—would see this matter through to the end.
The young lady didn’t seem to sleep until deep into the night.
So early in the morning, Yuri and Lurie secretly entered Selene’s room.
If they were caught, they planned to say they were just cleaning.
They crept up to the table and examined the papers lying there.
Then, with eyes wide open, they looked at each other.
They knew instinctively.
This was a curse diagram.
Beneath the drawing, words were written.
Squinting to read them—
“Sirinyu…?”
Lurie gasped aloud and hurriedly covered her mouth.
Thankfully, Selene slept on, undisturbed.
The two quickly slipped out of the room and whispered softly.
“Sirinyu… as in Grand Duke Rifrix?”
“Has the young lady ever met the Grand Duke?”
“I’ve never heard anything like that!”
“Surely he didn’t bully our young lady too…?”
The maids stared at Selene’s silent room with worried expressions.
* * *
This is strange.
I’m definitely inside my blankets—my perfectly private space.
I’ve got piles of books to read, and I haven’t even finished the desserts I bought last time.
My room is deep inside the second floor, not even near a passageway.
And yet.
Why is my room suddenly so crowded with people?
