Chapter 33

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Chapter 12

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Incomprehensibly, his gaze darkened with a sinister edge.

"Was it something you couldn't refuse?"

"...No way."

He laughed at my answer, just like always.

"I was just curious why you refused."

"Because I have my usual work. It's what I'm used to doing before serving meals, so I turned it down."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

I had no idea why I needed to explain it like I was making excuses.

Rihart seemed to accept my response and didn't press further, but something still felt off, so I stood there blankly, staring at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're handsome."

At my lifeless reply, Rihart's eyes widened.

"I hope I can at least entertain the maid's eyes."

Where on earth did he pick up such a sly line?

With that face of his, curving his eyes into a gentle smile—it was enchantingly dizzying.

I turned my head away from him and offered the meal.

Always such a dangerous face.

"Why aren't you looking at me now?"

"Because I don't want to see your face."

Rihart let out a low chuckle at my response.

Really, this novel's obsessive madman was utterly unpredictable.

Emily was worried about Rozhi.

Rozhi had been different lately.

The Rozhi that Emily knew was prickly and carried a vague air of listlessness...

Emily had known Rozhi long before coming to this mansion. They'd been connected for years.

She was the one who'd helped Rozhi get hired here in the first place.

'I fed her and raised her.'

Emily knew Rozhi inside and out.

Rozhi's changes felt a bit awkward, but seeing the spark of life on her face wasn't unwelcome.

No, it was actually a good thing.

Rozhi was precious to her, after all.

'More than that...'

Emily recalled Marie being dragged away.

This could get dangerous.

Emily had seen the way Marie looked at Rozhi.

Eyes brimming with venom.

From her wealth of experience, Emily knew exactly what people with eyes like that were capable of.

'This is pretty dangerous.'

Eyes that screamed trouble.

And Emily's hunch proved right.

Marie gathered up every last hidden fruit, stashed them secretly in her pocket without being spotted, and slipped out of her room.

This was absurd.

Told to reflect on her actions, Marie had been all but confined to her room.

She gnawed at her nails until the skin tore open. Blood trickled down, but she kept chewing, heedless.

Her anxiety was driving her mad.

After pacing the room for what felt like ages, Marie came to an abrupt halt.

It looked like she'd have to put that "plan" she'd thought of earlier into motion right now.

It was her only way to survive.

She waited impatiently for time to crawl by. She waited for the dead of night, when no one stirred.

After an eternity, once the entire mansion had fallen asleep, Marie finally rose.

Her destination: the basement room housing the monster.

The gatekeeper standing watch out front was crouched down, nodding off with sleepy jerks of his head.

"Stop dozing and wake up."

"Uhmm...?"

"I said wake up...!"

She kicked his leg, and only then did he jolt awake, snapping his head up.

Spotting Marie, the gatekeeper's eyes sank into a murky gloom.

He'd glimpsed Marie in passing a few times before.

That was why he knew she was at the center of today's incident.

"You have a job for me."

Was she insane?

At the woman's sudden demand, the gatekeeper blinked in shock.

"...Whatever it is, I refuse. I might work in a forgotten corner, but I'm not deaf."

"... ."

"Maid Marie, I heard you spiked the monster's food with something suspicious."

"I didn't."

"Either way, all the evidence points right to you. Including the fact that the maid who serves the monster's meals reported it to the butler—I know everything that happened today."

Marie shot him a piercing glare.

He turned his head away from her stinging stare.

"Then, should I go ahead and reveal that you're the spy?"

The gatekeeper's face twisted in clear dismay.

How the hell did she know he was a spy?

Stunned speechless, his mind went blank, and his fingertips turned ice-cold.

"The people who know about this..."

"If I'm the only one who knows, are you going to kill me?"

He had no idea how she'd found out, but he needed to deal with this woman who knew his secret.

Otherwise, he would be the one in danger.

But Marie sneered, as if reading his thoughts.

"Don't even dream of it. You think I came here without any precautions?"

The gatekeeper's pupils quivered violently.

Marie felt a wave of relief at the sight. Because she truly had no precautions at all.

In truth, it was nothing but a desperate gamble.

She'd learned he was a spy purely by chance.

If she hadn't snuck out at night to meet the kitchen maid, she never would have seen him making contact with the outside.

"If you don't want that exposed, you'll cooperate with me."

The gatekeeper wrestled with the dilemma for a long time.

Right now, only two people in this place knew he was a spy.

One was Marie, who was threatening him now... and the monster inside that room.

He had no clue how the monster had figured it out.

The first time the monster whispered through the door that he knew the gatekeeper was a spy, the man lost all reason.

He lashed out with violence against the monster. His naive plan was to crush him with fear.

Any wounds would heal quickly anyway, given the monster's insane recovery.

But no matter how much he beat him, the monster's eyes remained arrogantly defiant, leaving the gatekeeper no choice but to beg him to keep quiet.

And so, he'd been forced to obey the monster—Rihart's—every command.

Things like providing minor conveniences without raising suspicion or feeding him information useful for an escape.

Shaking off the bitter memory, the gatekeeper finally spoke under Marie's impatient gaze.

"...What do you want?"

Unfortunately, he couldn't touch the woman in front of him.

She wasn't just some lowly maid—she was a noble's daughter, basking in the head maid's favor.

Killing her would only complicate everything.

"That's right. The fruits in the food? I told them to mix them in."

It was a confession he never wanted to hear.

Not exactly a secret, but the moment she laid it bare, he had no choice but to bend to her will.

He had no idea if she'd truly taken measures against him, but if she had, he was in deep trouble.

If this cornered woman spilled his identity to the marquis, his life was over in an instant.

"But I'll find proof that I'm innocent."

"...How?"

"The kitchen maid's locked up, and I'm in confinement. If fruits still end up in the food, that proves it wasn't me."

"You don't mean you're asking me to..."

Marie smiled and handed him the pouch bulging with fruits.

"There's more than usual, so it'll take effect right away once it's in the meal."

"... ."

"Oh, and by the way—this was all Rozhi's scheme."

She meant for him to frame it that way.

The gatekeeper took the jar of fruits from her without a word.

It was his way of agreeing.

Inwardly, he apologized profusely to Rozhi, who always greeted him with such kind smiles.

He didn't care what happened to the loathsome monster inside, but Rozhi was a sweet, fragile maid who deserved protection.

Yet to save his own skin, he had to do her harm.

'I'm sorry.'

He kept apologizing to her in his mind.

However...

They had no idea someone was listening to every word.

"Ah."

In the dark room.

The man with his eyes closed let out a soft chuckle.

His angelic timbre resembled a sacred hymn.

"Things are getting really interesting, maid."