Chapter 19
“I… I wish my older sister could come here too.”
Rita, who had looked dejected after hearing that the Duke of Luzen—her mother—might already be dead, suddenly seemed to regain her spirit and blurted it out.
The princess responded with mild surprise.
“Indeed. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. If possible, my younger brother, Louis, should come as well.”
Then she looked at me as if demanding an answer. For a moment, I felt a vague discomfort in my chest.
But soon, I smiled and said,
“The mansion is spacious. It should be able to accommodate Your Highness’s party.”
“Well, isn’t that an awfully shameless request?”
At that moment, Killian, who had come to collect the empty dishes, suddenly spoke up.
“We don’t even know how many people you’re talking about. And you said you’re royalty and from a ducal house, didn’t you?”
“That is true, but…”
The princess replied awkwardly while watching Killian take the tray from the table.
“Even in this situation, you’re already ordering us around. Just looking at that, I can already guess how high-handed you’ll be once you come here.”
To be fair, Killian had a point.
As soon as the princess regained consciousness, she revealed her identity and started speaking to everyone informally. Even after eating the chicken soup, she had demanded a better meal.
Of course, that didn’t mean all royalty and high nobles in this world were like that.
But perhaps because of what had happened with the archbishop, I couldn’t bring myself to say Killian was wrong.
The princess glared sharply at Killian.
“Is this not Lady Marie’s mansion?”
But only for a moment. Soon, she relaxed her expression.
“We would never behave recklessly here.”
“That’s not something you can be sure of, is it?”
Killian replied at once, as if he had been waiting for that line. Then, turning to me, he asked gently—as though he were a completely different person,
“Is this all the dishes?”
At that, the princess let out a short scoff.
Rita, Grandpa Eugene, and Sir Barren could only watch us in silence.
“Uh… should I help?”
The atmosphere had grown uncomfortable, and I couldn’t bear to stay in the princess’s bedroom any longer. Killian, quick to read the mood, tilted his head and smiled softly.
“That would be nice.”
“Then… excuse me.”
I hurriedly stood up and followed Killian to the kitchen. I couldn’t stop worrying about what kind of conversation the others might have once we were gone.
I stood with my back to the pantry, biting my lip, when Killian, having set the tray down in the sink, turned around.
“There’s actually nothing for you to help with.”
“Huh? Sorry, what did you say?”
“It’s nothing. Marie, just rest.”
He pulled out a small chair that the mansion’s former cook must once have used to take breaks and offered it to me. I sat down and watched his back as he tied his apron.
Meow.
At some point, I noticed a cat had followed us in. I placed it on my lap and played with it absentmindedly.
Killian bent down in front of the low sink and washed the dishes with practiced ease. As he carefully scrubbed the greasy plates, he suddenly turned to look at me.
“My back’s burning. I can’t concentrate. Do you like my back that much?”
He smiled, folding his long eyes smoothly. It was the same kind of silly joke he always made.
But somehow, I felt more at ease, and I smiled back at him.
“Yeah. Broad shoulders, slim waist. You look great.”
I gave him my honest impression. Killian deliberately puffed out his shoulders even more as he rinsed the dishes.
His ridiculous behavior made me laugh again and again.
I teased him, calling him a psychopath—ten percent joke, ninety percent serious—but when I thought about it, he was strangely reliable.
I set the cat down on the floor and walked over to him. Then I leaned my head against his firm arm as he dried the dishes with a cloth.
“What should I do? I was thinking of taking in as many people as possible…”
I felt a slight tension enter Killian’s arm. I continued,
“But somehow… I don’t want to. Am I becoming someone with a personality disorder too? Or a psychopath, like you?”
“First of all, I’m not a psychopath.”
“After killing someone so easily?”
“If I had left him alive, he might’ve come to your bedroom in the middle of the night. I believe it’s better to prevent crimes in advance.”
I was startled to realize that I found his logic oddly convincing.
That so-called archbishop had said disgusting things to me—about me being the last woman in the world and working together to create a new humanity.
“But you wouldn’t have just stood by and watched, would you?”
Killian paused his dishwashing.
“That’s true.”
“This may sound strange… but I feel relieved having you here, Killian.”
“Just by looking at me, you can tell I’m not that bad a guy.”
“Seems so… Can I trust you?”
“Of course.”
I had agonized before saying that, but he answered as if he’d been waiting. I lifted my head and looked up at him. He met my gaze, moving only his eyes.
“You won’t betray me, right?”
“I swear on Sir Arthur.”
“Dad is already dead.”
His red eyes flickered. Killian frowned slightly.
“Then… fine. You can cast a vow spell on me.”
But I wasn’t a mage. And what even was a vow spell? While I scratched my head, Killian made a suggestion.
“Why don’t you look through your favorite book? You said it had all kinds of things in it.”
He added that I probably only saw blank pages anyway.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t opened Yurina’s diary at all because things had been so hectic.
“Should I really look?”
“Do it with a cool spell. Like, if I try to hurt you, a knife instantly pierces my heart.”
“What’s cool about that? That’s horrible.”
I recoiled in disgust, but Killian cupped my cheek with his wet hand.
Then he bent down and kissed my pale pink hair.
“There’s nothing lonelier than having no one to rely on. So, Marie… trust me.”
As if he truly understood that feeling, his voice was unexpectedly warm.
When he used to play with my hair, I hadn’t cared, but now, hearing such ticklish words made me strangely embarrassed.
“W-We should go look for a magic book… Ha, ha…”
I tried to sound normal, but I ended up stammering and even laughing awkwardly.
Clutching the cat, I fled the kitchen.
If Killian’s goal had been to emotionally corner me while I was vulnerable, then he was already halfway successful.
✦ ✦ ✦
Even after two days, the princess still rarely left her bed. Considering her condition, it was understandable.
But the fact that Rita had been glued to the princess’s bedroom for two straight days felt unsettling.
She even slept together with the princess. Since the princess welcomed her warmth, my wide bed ended up being mine alone.
“Grandpa Butler, do you know how to sew?”
At least the cat stayed with me. I spent almost two days with it in my arms.
Even now, I was holding the cat and handing four dresses to Grandpa Eugene.
“I’m not as skilled as ordinary maids, but I can manage to some extent.”
“Then please help me. These two are for Rita, so shorten the hem. For the others, loosen the waist.”
“You plan to give them to Lady Rita and Her Highness. You truly have a generous heart.”
Grandpa Eugene sat near the fireplace in the drawing room and gladly took the dresses. But perhaps because of his age, his eyesight was poor, and he struggled to thread the needle.
“I will help.”
Sir Barren, who had been carrying firewood up from the basement storage, approached him.
“Oh my, thank you, Sir Knight. Then could you sort them by color?”
“That’s no trouble at all. Leave it to me.”
I watched Grandpa Eugene and Sir Barren working together kindly, then turned my gaze to the diary.
Since I had already eaten lunch and had nothing else to do, I decided to go through it today.
Imperial Year 990, September 26
Everything is proceeding smoothly. Today, I drank the magical potion my father prepared for me and fell asleep.
When I regained consciousness, my soul had settled into a body that would soon be changed.
Awkward movements, unfamiliar scenery.
It felt exactly like a dream.
My new body was sitting at a desk. On a thick, high-quality paper book, the words were written:
“Mathematics, College Scholastic Ability Test, Mock Exam Workbook.”
