Chapter 10
The sharp, irritated voice scraped unpleasantly against my nerves.
I clenched my teeth, acknowledging that my bad feeling had been correct. The man in front of me truly seemed to be someone of high status.
Moreover, unlike Theo—who had adapted surprisingly quickly to this confusing situation called a “shelter”—the blond handsome man looked completely unfamiliar with everything.
His anxious eyes wandered aimlessly, and his tightly tensed shoulders trembled slightly.
{Mission! Serve delicious food to the hungry visitor.}
★Info: The visitor has been starving for several days.
★Reward: 100,000 to 1,000,000 points depending on satisfaction.
“…Huh?”
Starving for several days? What does that even mean?
I tilted my head, unable to match this information with the man in front of me.
Would someone of high status ever go hungry unless it was a diet? That question wouldn’t leave my mind.
But upon closer inspection, not only did the man look pale, his build also seemed smaller compared to Theo.
Although he wasn’t frail due to his height and frame, his wrists visible beyond his sleeves and his sharp jawline suggested a lean physique.
In an instant, a wave of sympathy rose within me. Based on experience, people tend to become irritable when they’re hungry.
“First of all, this is a shelter, and I’m NPC tenant Dorothy. Didn’t the system tell you?”
“The system? Are you referring to that blue box only I can see?”
As expected. This man hadn’t grasped the situation at all.
Well, it was only natural—unless you were someone like Theo, a mercenary who had experienced all kinds of harsh conditions.
“If you come inside first, I’ll explain everything. And I’ll give you food too.”
“…Food?”
“Yes. You’re hungry, aren’t you?”
“…Not at all.”
He was lying despite having been starving for days. His pride and wariness seemed to be extraordinary.
“Then are you planning to stay at the entrance forever? You probably won’t be able to leave for at least twelve hours.”
“I cannot tolerate your attitude. Do you not know who I am?”
“You seem like someone important, but I don’t know. Will you tell me?”
“You do not know who I am?”
“I don’t. And you’re being extremely rude for a first meeting, you know?”
My blood pressure began to rise at his condescending attitude.
After the group disbanded, the trauma of being treated poorly while working service jobs at department stores resurfaced.
Calm down, Dorothy. People naturally become irrational when they’re starving.
Though, to be fair, this man was likely raised as nobility in a class-based society, so his behavior might be innate.
But did that have anything to do with me?
Even when customers treated me badly while paying my salary, it was infuriating—so why should I tolerate bad behavior from someone who wasn’t paying me at all?
Like a stone dropped into a calm lake, ripples of anger spread through my mind.
If he acted rudely one more time, reward or not, I wasn’t going to hold back.
“Are you calling me rude? Have you lost your mind?”
“Yeah. You started speaking informally first. I’ve been using polite speech.”
“How dare you speak to me like that?”
“So what if I do? You keep referring to yourself as ‘we’—are you some kind of emperor? And even if you were, so what?”
This is my home turf. If we fought, I’d win—you think you would?
I crossed my arms, shifted my weight onto one leg, and stared at him with an annoyed expression.
For a moment, I felt embarrassed remembering I was wearing a maid outfit—but human worth isn’t judged by clothing.
The man hesitated at my demeanor, then straightened his back and shouted with authority.
Unfortunately, his voice was hoarse and weak, sounding like the final struggle of a sick patient.
“Very well. I am Isthar of the Alenges Dynasty, second emperor of the Valdehart Empire. Strange that there are those who do not recognize me.”
“…Oh my.”
An emperor, after all.
Given his attire and demeanor, it didn’t seem like a lie. I might as well believe him.
Then he must be the emperor Theo mentioned—the one who shows no interest in the people’s welfare.
Wait… something’s odd. If he doesn’t care about the people, why has he been starving for days?
Weren’t tyrants usually portrayed as people who indulge in lavish meals and wine every day while ignoring starving citizens?
Was there some special circumstance forcing him to go hungry?
The inconsistency made me tilt my head.
I then asked bluntly with a shameless expression. Since the mission seemed doomed anyway, I decided to go all in.
“Why are you starving if you’re the emperor? Didn’t you say you hadn’t eaten for days?”
“How do you know that…? Y-you insolent—!”
The emperor staggered back, looking as though he had seen a ghost.
Watching him fumble with the doorknob while pressed against the entrance was almost laughable.
“I told you you couldn’t leave. Stop being stubborn and come inside. I’ll give you something to eat.”
“…I-I refuse! How can I trust you and eat your food?”
“Why? Worried I poisoned it?”
At my casual reply, his mouth snapped shut. It seemed I had hit the mark.
My gaze shifted to his trembling, emaciated hands gripping the doorknob.
I noticed familiar marks and scars across the back of his hand.
Russell’s sign—scars caused by induced vomiting.
These are injuries formed when people stimulate their throat with their fingers to vomit, often scraping their hands against their teeth in the process.
“You weren’t starving. You were throwing everything you ate back up.”
“……”
“And not just once. You’ve been doing it repeatedly, haven’t you?”
At my sharp deduction, his face turned even paler. Already pale, he now looked like a wax doll drained of all color.
I silently stared at him.
Given his temper, I was certain he wouldn’t be able to hold back his curiosity.
“How did you know that? Are NPCs mind readers? Some kind of mage?”
“Nah. I have similar scars on my hand.”
“You have similar scars?”
“Yeah. I used to throw up everything I ate too.”
To lose 4 kilograms in a week for a comeback, the only options were not eating at all—or eating and then vomiting.
I smiled bitterly as I looked down at my hand.
Beneath the knuckles of my left hand, there were faint indented scars where flesh had once been damaged.
Though they had faded, someone who had experienced purging would easily recognize them.
I stepped toward the entrance and held my hand out to show him the scars. His wary blue eyes followed my movement.
I held my hand up in front of his pale face. His gaze shifted from my feet to my fingertips.
“See? Same kind of scars.”
“……”
Silence carried an unspoken answer: yes.
Responding to that, I added another question.
“Your voice—wasn’t it clearer before? Not this hoarse?”
“……”
“Mine was too. Even now I’d say my voice is still nice, but it was even better before.”
So much so that I once thought it was the most beautiful voice in the world.
The emperor slowly steadied his breathing and stared at me through narrowed eyes.
I could feel his confusion and pain, which made my stomach churn. Judging from his condition, this hadn’t been happening for just a day or two.
Whether he had truly ingested poison, whether someone had poisoned him, or what exactly was going on—I couldn’t say.
But one thing was certain:
There weren’t many allies for him within the palace if he had to constantly consider the possibility of poisoning.
And like Theo had observed, he wasn’t living a comfortable life.
“I’m not going to poison you, so stop hesitating and come inside. There’s probably a reason that blue box brought you here.”
The emperor exhaled a held breath and nodded.
Seeing him comply so obediently for the first time made me chuckle.
Like a fussy stray cat… even feeding him is this difficult.
I walked toward the sink, intending to make some porridge, when a bad feeling made me turn around quickly.
As expected, the emperor was attempting to enter the house wearing his shoes.
“No!! S-shoes!”
“…Shoes?”
“You have to take them off before entering here!”
“Is this your inner quarters? Then I should at least wear slippers…”
“Slippers?”
Honestly, what kind of emperor starts looking for cake instead of bread?
I shook my head but opened the shoe cabinet by the entrance.
Surely there would be slippers of some kind.
Fortunately, I found a pair of indoor slippers that matched the rabbit pajamas.
Whether they fit the emperor or not… he could make do.
“Wear these.”
“You want me to wear slippers with a rabbit doll on them?”
“You’re really picky. If you don’t like them, go barefoot.”
“You truly remain consistently rude.”
What’s he talking about? He was the one being rude first. Reverse uno.
Grumbling, the emperor still obediently removed his shoes and changed into the slippers.
His heels stuck out slightly, but that wasn’t my concern.
“For now, sit over there by the table. You see the floor sofa, right?”
“You expect me to sit on the floor?”
“…Ah.”
An irritated smile crept onto my face. Maybe because our first impression was bad, but every word he said grated on my nerves.
Calm down, Dorothy. Calm down. People from another world might find floor seating unfamiliar.
Wait, but Theo seemed quite used to it… perhaps mercenaries who survived harsh conditions adapt quickly?
Comparing Theo and Isthar, I sighed deeply.
Having caught my hint, the emperor was already sitting quietly on the floor sofa without further complaint.
“Good. Stay there quietly. I’ll prepare the food.”
