Chapter 09
“Who are you?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed. The woman before him was clearly the type of predator.
“You insolent brat. Step away from my child at once—unless you want your head cut off.”
Her growling voice sounded like a blood-soaked beast.
“That’s your child? You don’t look alike.”
“She is my daughter. And the benefactor who brought you here and cared for you after you suddenly fell from the sky.”
It was a sharp warning: if he had any shame, he should behave respectfully toward that noble girl. Vasilisa grinned.
That girl saved him? Wrong. Even if left alone, he would have woken up and survived just fine.
‘That’s certainly true, but…’
Silvery hair tinged with pink. A color fit for a fairy in a storybook. Soft and voluminous, gently curling—hair that made one want to reach out and touch it.
And above all, the girl’s eyes.
What should he do? Vasilisa felt that unfamiliar sensation rising within him, making him want to fidget.
He wanted to see if those eyes that did not fear him were real. Whether they would still not fear him no matter what he did. His heart pounded heavily. Even when he stood on the stage of his first killing, he had not felt like this.
‘This is really… interesting.’
The cause of this delight was clear. That girl with the corpse-pale face.
A smile spread across his lips.
“Are you the Duchess of Tinya?”
“…I am. I don’t know what gutter you crawled out of, rat, but you’re well-informed.”
“It’s not because of where I came from. It’s because I’m smart. In this world, if you don’t know things, you die. Especially in this damn world where high-ranking Tilet users get used and thrown away.”
“I’ll ask you. Where did you come from?”
“You look like you already know. And even if you don’t, I wouldn’t tell you.”
The sword pressed closer to his neck, but it did not cut him. What surprised Vasilisa was that the tip of the blade, infused with her Tilet, made his skin sting.
‘So it really is fire Tilet. The rumors about the Tinya duchy were actually understated.’
Their gazes clashed fiercely. It was a hair-trigger moment—one wrong move and they might lunge at each other.
The tension broke when Vasilisa grinned lazily. He raised his hand and waved it playfully like a sparkling star. Annoyance flickered across the woman’s expressionless face.
“I won’t attack. I surrender.”
“What are you scheming?”
“Pure goodwill. It might be fun to test myself against you, but right now I’m more interested in something else than fighting.”
He stepped back, raising both hands. The sword did not follow.
“That ‘something else’ isn’t my daughter, is it?”
“What do you think?”
With a heavy gaze, the woman looked at him once, then at her collapsed daughter, before stepping forward and gathering the girl into her arms.
The girl slumped weakly against her mother’s shoulder, looking terribly small. Small, fragile, like a doll that could shatter.
Vasilisa pointed at the girl with his finger and grinned.
“That girl also claims she’s my savior.”
“Remove your finger before I cut it off.”
“She told me to repay my debt. To me.”
Vasilisa burst into loud laughter. He might have looked like a translucent fairy while doing so—adorable, even—but neither the woman nor the boy’s atmosphere softened in the slightest.
The air was that of a hunter wary of a strange and dangerous beast. The mother’s sharply lifted red eyes and the uninvited guest’s languid purple eyes locked in tense confrontation.
“So, Duchess. Give me a chance to repay the favor.”
“What nonsense? I don’t keep impurities beside my child.”
“Oh? Then would you prefer I appear beside your daughter whenever I please? You already know that’s possible.”
“……”
At the boy’s threat—that if she refused officially, he would approach the girl as he liked—the duchess’s brow furrowed harshly.
She seemed deeply troubled, but Vasilisa already knew she would ultimately comply.
High-ranking Tilet users were troublesome, often insane—and surely his madness had reached her. As he had always lived stubbornly by his own will, he wanted to stay beside that girl now. And he should.
“You’re not someone who listens, are you?”
“Nope. You’ve got a good eye.”
Vasilisa smiled brightly. It was the first time someone had shown such naked irritation toward him. Both mother and daughter were equally entertaining. When she grew more annoyed at his sunny smile, he laughed clearly.
“I hear that a lot. So, what’s that noona’s name?”
“You will not lay even a fingertip on this child. Nor act disrespectfully.”
“Yes. So what’s her name?”
“My child is very weak. Do not startle her like today. Do not threaten her. The moment you do, your head will be the first to roll.”
“Huh? Duchess, aren’t you being a bit overprotective?”
A grinding sound came from the woman’s clenched teeth.
“You will not harm the maids who attend her. No—within this household, you will not cause any disturbance at all. The only time you may use your power is to protect my child. Can you do that?”
“That’s quite demanding. But if I follow all that, you’ll allow me to stay by her side?”
“Yes. Stick to her like a servant and attend to her needs.”
Vasilisa’s eyebrow twitched. A servant?
“Oh? You intend to use a high-ranking Tilet as a servant?”
“If you break even one condition—if my child is hurt because of you…”
She was speaking coldly, but this was a familiar moment for Vasilisa. He needed to listen carefully. These were the terms of the contract he must uphold in exchange for staying beside that girl.
“I know you are a strong Tilet. But if the day comes when you harm my child, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and kill you. I will ensure you have nowhere to stand. No matter where you came from, I will sever your roots and make sure you cannot even die whole. Do you understand?”
How vicious.
“I understand.”
Vasilisa gave a shallow nod.
‘Ugh… what is this?’
Something kept poking my cheek. I was having what one might call a perfectly sweet, honey-like sleep. But an unwelcome intruder was interrupting it.
Honestly.
Do you know that feeling when a fly buzzes around your ear? Irritated, I slapped at whatever kept poking my cheek.
Go away.
Smack—a fairly crisp sound rang out, and someone laughed.
Laughing after being hit? Whoever it was must be insane. Living like that, they’d surely regret it someday. Enjoying being slapped? Tsk.
Shaking my head at the absurd thought, I tried to sink back into sleep when, this time, someone whispered louder than before.
“Wake up, noona. I’m bored.”
A chill ran down my spine.
That voice!
I gasped and opened my eyes—only to face a horrifying sight I wished were a dream.
“Wh-what.”
“You’re awake?”
The smiling face didn’t vanish like a mirage. Instead, he even waved cheerfully at me, acting friendly. No matter how fast I blinked, that ridiculously beautiful face remained clear.
“Hi, noona. Sleep well? Ah, you drooled.”
“……”
I do not drool. Just in case, I wiped around my mouth slowly. The boy grinned and snapped his fingers. The sharp sound rang brightly.
“That dumbfounded look is cute. Don’t you remember me? We said hello earlier. Tsk, what are you, a goldfish? With memory like that, you’re in trouble.”
“……”
His finicky tone shone sharply with venom, even beneath his bright smile and gentle voice. So this is what it means to insult someone with a smiling face. Even generously, his glittering eyes could not be called kind.
‘Wait. That’s not the point.’
I grabbed hold of my wandering thoughts.
Even as I fainted, I had assumed that when I woke up, Vasilisa would have disappeared from the mansion. In the original story, he hated being tied down and never tolerated disrespect. So why?
“You.”
As I spoke in disbelief, he immediately leaned closer. Reflexively, I scooted backward across the bed on my bottom.
Why, why are you like this?
“Hi, noona. Now that you’re awake, could you tell me your name? No one in this house will tell me. So annoying. Security’s way too tight, don’t you think?”
My name? Why does he want to know my name? But annoyed by his entitled tone, I snapped back reflexively.
“Don’t want to.”
“……”
“Did you leave it with me or something?”
Wow. Even with a smile like a gentle lamb or a pretty kitten, he could still display such a nasty temper. I almost admired him for it, forgetting the situation.
Vasilisa really was beautiful. No wonder he was the bad boy who shook the iron-willed heroine with just his face and smile. Even as a child, he already fit the role.
But I was not the heroine.
I strengthened my gaze and mentally chopped down my wavering thoughts like splitting firewood with an axe. My heart would not be swayed by that pale, lovely face. The mental age inside this body was far older and deeper, you know?
“And don’t try to charm me with your face. It won’t work. And don’t be curious about my name.”
I saw it. The momentary stiffness in the smile that had been pretending to be gentle.
I knew exactly how dangerous the original Vasilisa was—smiling sweetly while hiding a calculating and perilous nature. If anything, he would have less patience as a child, not more. A child who knew no restraint holding a blade sharp enough to cut anyone—how dangerous was that?
‘Did I just bring something incredibly dangerous into this family?’
My heart pounded, but I hid my thoughts and looked at him with a cool, half-lidded gaze.
