CHAPTER 16…………………………………………..
“Is the story over?”
“Yes. Thank you for waiting.”
At Ripei’s words, Risha smiled and nodded. Judging by the timing, it seemed she had deliberately come back late because we were in the middle of a conversation.
Living with a family that always ignored me, even this small consideration felt touching.
Because of that, my mood lifted a little, and I ended up making an offer I normally wouldn’t.
“Thank you for today, my lady.”
“Please call me El. And come again if you need help next time.”
“Oh my.”
“As long as you keep it secret, I welcome commissions anytime. I need money, you see.”
“I’d be delighted if I can receive help from such precious talent, my lady. Thank you.”
It felt like I’d gained a good connection. A mage skilled enough to take commissions even from the Sky Ark might come in handy someday.
“Here’s your payment. I put in more than the market rate.”
With a clinking sound, a heavy pouch was placed in my hand.
…She really does seem like a good person.
I handed Ripei his cloak back. As he straightened my robe, he ruffled my hair roughly.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
“Make sure you eat properly.”
“Of course. I already put that in the contract.”
“What? Hahaha. That’s so like you.”
Laughing heartily enough for the sound to echo through the forest, Ripei waved at me and headed down toward the village. Since both of them were mages capable of using first-tier Light Orb magic, there was nothing to worry about.
I stood there waving until their figures were swallowed by the darkness. It was a comfortable meeting—one where I didn’t have to be on edge for once.
“I should head back too.”
Looking up at the sky, I saw that the moon had already tilted quite a bit. Judging by its position, at least two hours had passed.
“I wonder if he’s back already.”
He wouldn’t have forced the door open just because he didn’t hear water from the bath, right?
That would have been a real disaster.
“The offer I made is strictly business. So until the term ends, you don’t need to worry about that sort of thing.”
Thinking of what he’d said, he wouldn’t invade the bathroom with impure intentions.
Still, it was somehow an irritating thing to say.
‘Am I really that unattractive?’
As I entered the cabin, I looked down at my body and voiced my honest thoughts.
“Hmm. I really am kind of unimpressive.”
Like a mannequin made of nothing but bones. Covered in scars here and there, with no curves to speak of—definitely not a pretty body.
‘No wonder he’d say that. Well, it’s a bit disappointing, but I get it.’
Just as I reached for the cabin door handle, I froze.
‘Disappointing? Why?’
When I questioned myself, the image of the captivating collarbone and firm chest muscles I’d unwillingly witnessed earlier flashed through my mind, and my face burned hot.
‘Absolutely not. No matter how much of a feast it is, that would be a last supper.’
Shaking my head hard, I closed the cabin door and muttered,
“[I’m coming back.]”
As usual, a faint light spilled from the door as it opened outward, and I stepped through with a shallow sigh.
“Fine, I’ll admit his arms are impressive—”
“Arms?”
I froze mid-motion as I was closing the door. At that exact moment, the duke was opening the door and entering.
A suffocating silence filled the room for a brief moment.
“…You’re coming in now?”
Good, that sounded natural!
Hiding my tightly clenched fists under my robe, I smiled lightly, pretending I’d just finished bathing and that everything was normal.
‘I’m sure it was natural…’
The duke closed the door behind him and smiled brightly at me.
“It seems you enjoyed your bath. It took quite a while.”
My heart skipped.
“Well, yes. The water was warm, so I dozed off for a bit.”
“If you’d stayed any longer, I might have called the mistress of the house. You seem to fall asleep the moment your head touches anything, my lady.”
“Hahaha…”
Since I’d spent almost the entire carriage ride sleeping except for meals, I really had no excuse.
Trapped in an enclosed space with the Duke of Nosdian, I’d pretended to sleep to avoid saying something wrong—and each time, I’d actually fallen asleep within three seconds.
After days of that, he eventually started covering me with a blanket every time I got into the carriage.
“Thank you for your concern. I’m really fine.”
“It seems so.”
“Then, may I go to sleep now? As you said, I’m rather tired.”
As I edged backward toward the bed while carefully watching his expression, the duke’s gaze followed me.
“…That pouch.”
“Yes?”
“It looks quite heavy.”
Damn it. I should’ve left it in the cabin, but I’d forgotten and brought it with me.
Aside from one dress, everything I owned had been bought by him. So naturally, a pouch he’d never seen before in my hand would raise suspicion. Cold sweat broke out. Making excuses would only look more suspicious, so I decided to push back boldly.
“W-What about it? I-It contains some scary women’s items.”
I’d meant to say heavy women’s items, like oils, but I bit my tongue from nervousness.
Scary women’s items—what even was that?
At my words, the duke’s smile softened to a more moderate level. For some reason, even his eyes were smiling.
“Scary women’s items… I see. I’ll be careful, then.”
No, don’t accept that. What are you imagining?
My face turned bright red, and I dove straight into bed.
“Good night, then!”
The bed was big enough to fit three or four people, making it perfect for hiding my single body. I pulled the blanket over my head and shut my eyes tight.
‘Don’t think about it, just sleep! He promised he wouldn’t touch me, so if I pretend to sleep, he won’t question me anymore!’
I’d only meant to pretend, but just like he said, I fell asleep almost instantly.
Completely unaware that the Duke of Nosdian stood quietly watching me for some time afterward.
In the annex of Count Enrilke’s estate, located in the southern part of the Nosdian duchy, a guest waited impatiently for the one who had summoned him.
Because of the guest’s notorious reputation, all the servants were holding their breath.
Soon, a maid approached him and bent her knee slightly. Perhaps from nervousness, her voice trembled at the end.
“Baron Royster, the Dowager Lady requests your presence upstairs.”
At those words, the man jerked his chin, signaling her to lead the way.
As the maid bowed again and turned, the hem of her skirt lightly brushed against the trousers of the gaunt man known as Baron Royster.
In that instant, the baron’s face twisted violently.
“[Perli Ka Shak.]”
“Ugh!”
With the incantation, a ring-like wind wrapped around the maid’s neck and lifted her into the air. Her face turned pale in an instant as she struggled for breath.
Baron Royster shouted with an expression full of irritation.
“You insolent thing. How dare you touch me with that filthy body!”
“Kh—kugh!”
Unable to breathe, the maid couldn’t even beg for forgiveness. She could only claw at the sharp wind tightening around her neck, injuring her hands in the process.
Seeing this, several servants rushed forward and prostrated themselves on the floor.
“B-Baron! We don’t know what En did wrong, but please forgive her!”
“We were at fault!”
They bowed their heads and pleaded. The baron was infamous for harassing servants over trivial matters, and as people utterly powerless, they were accustomed to begging nobles for their lives.
“P-Please, Baron… mercy…”
The maid tried her best to beg as well, but with her throat being crushed, hardly any sound came out. It felt as though her breath would give out at any moment.
“En!”
At that moment, a servant who cared for the maid couldn’t hold back and grabbed the baron’s leg.
“Baron! Please let En go! She’ll die!”
The baron’s gaze turned icy.
“[Deri Bon Shak.]”
In the next instant, a sharp blade of ice formed and severed the servant’s wrist as it clutched his trousers. Blood splattered across the entrance floor.
“Aaagh!”
“D-Derek’s hand…!”
“Hmph! What value does a notch’s life have, that you dare grab my clothes! Do you know how much this outfit costs? Even if you worked your entire life, you couldn’t afford even this sleeve!”
“I-I’m sorry… We were wrong.”
Angry and wronged though they felt, the other servants only trembled on the floor, begging forgiveness for sins they hadn’t committed, afraid that if they interfered again, they might lose their heads next.
“H-Hngh!”
The maid was now on the brink of death, only the whites of her eyes visible.
“How noisy.”
At that moment, a woman’s voice rang out from the staircase on the second floor.
“Couldn’t you restrain yourself even briefly, and instead torment the servants again?”
“Ah. Lady Enrilke.”
Only then did Baron Royster glance around at the blood-soaked scene and realize his mistake.
“My apologies, my lady. I’ve dirtied the entrance again.”
“Tsk, tsk. You never change. Since you soiled the parlor last time, I had you wait in the entrance this time—yet you’ve turned even this place into a mess.”
“My apologies. These lowly creatures dared to brush against me.”
Baron Royster was a noble with an especially strong hatred for notches.
The dowager, nearing sixty, waved her feathered fan gently and sighed.
“All notches are like that. Still, show some mercy. A noble ought to be generous even to worthless things.”
With a flick of her hand, Lady Enrilke erased the servants’ blood from Baron Royster’s clothes. It was a silent spell—true to the skill of a mage once renowned even in the Sky Ark.
“Th-Thank you, my lady!”
“Come upstairs.”
He dispelled the spell choking the maid as if he’d lost interest and hurried up the stairs to the second floor.
“M-My lady…”
At that moment, one servant called out desperately from below, hoping to beg that the injured two be allowed to see the estate’s physician.
“My personal doctor is a magical physician. You should go out and find someone who will treat you. If they can’t be healed, there’s no need to come back.”
“Ah… ah…”
The servants’ faces darkened. With one suffering from suffocation and the other from severe blood loss, the village was far too far away.
But the dowager showed no concern—no more than if a tool used to manage the household had broken—and went up to the second-floor parlor.
As he entered and closed the door, Baron Royster let out a sigh.
“You must have a hard time dealing with such fools.”
“Even such creatures can be useful if put to the right purpose.”
“Magical stone processing has improved a great deal lately. Wouldn’t it be better to replace them all with magic tools?”
“I’m old-fashioned. I find them more convenient than magic tools. And sometimes, they’re good for venting one’s anger.”
“Ah, that’s certainly true. Hahaha.”
At the dowager’s gesture, maids magically guided a prepared tea set through the air, setting it gently between them.
Watching the teaware clink as it automatically brewed tea in a fixed sequence, Baron Royster felt once again skeptical about the usefulness of notch servants.
“So, I contacted you last night, yet you came quite quickly.”
“For whose summons would I not? I, Sinoth Royster, am always ready to rush over for you, my lady, hahaha!”
Baron Royster raised his voice and laughed like a sycophant. Lady Enrilke frowned slightly at his vulgar behavior but did not openly show her displeasure as she got to the point.
“Have you heard the news that the boy is taking a bride?”
It was information she had recently received from a spy she had painstakingly planted.
