Instead of My Beloved Sister, I Married a Monster - Chapter 35

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 35

Somehow misunderstanding her attitude, Count Max replied with determination.

“I understand you might not trust me since I’ve only shown you my poor side until now… But even so, back in my hometown I was often praised for my skills. I will serve you wholeheartedly from now on, so please watch over me.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I’m not someone important enough to need a guard… And it might be uncomfortable for you, Count.”

“Why would I be uncomfortable? For me, this is protecting my life’s savior.”

Count Max replied with a puzzled tone to Evnia’s explanation.

While it was true that I had stepped forward to save Count Max, I never expected he would praise me by calling me his life’s savior.

When I lived in Hessen, my help was always treated as presumptuous, unnecessary, or burdensome.

As Evnia blushed at this unfamiliar reaction, Seven didn’t miss the opportunity to tease Count Max.

“That’s exactly the problem. A knight should save the lady, not the other way around.”

“That’s… I’ll work harder…”

“Hey, Ram. Having just one knight in the family won’t do. You need at least a knight order to accomplish anything. Huh? Look at this for a moment.”

Did Seven have something else he really wanted to say?

He pointed at each person sitting around the dining table with his eyes as he spoke.

“A lord and his wife, one butler and one maid, one knight, one freeloader and even one pet. What is this? Are we playing house? Playing pretend? No wonder a noble young lady casually shares meals with the servants without a care. She even prepares the food herself. She knows too. If she tried to follow common sense here, she wouldn’t last long before dying.”

“I actually have something to say about that. Let’s start hiring some people from now on.”

Seven looked incredulous at Ram’s quick response.

“What?”

“Let’s live properly from now on, not like we’re playing house. Let’s do the building repairs we’ve been putting off, and fix up places like the garden.”

“You… you… When I begged you to live like a human being all this time, you didn’t even pretend to listen.”

“Our family has grown, our family.”

Saying that, Ram looked around with a displeased expression.

Perhaps Seven wasn’t the only one who cared about the fact that a noble family’s mistress shouldn’t be preparing meals for the staff.

Ram burst out angrily and shouted.

“How many servings is all this anyway? Is she your maid? She’s not even twenty yet and she’s getting housewife’s eczema from preparing three meals a day!”

“It’s not three meals a day though…”

Evnia quietly corrected the facts in a small voice, but Ram didn’t even pretend to hear her.

He stood up from his seat and spoke to everyone like a warning.

“From now on, take care of your own meals. Today she and I will eat outside until dinner, so keep that in mind.”

Then he walked toward the fish tank and lifted Giyermo out of the water.

To be precise, he didn’t lift a finger, but Giyermo’s body floated up into the air by itself.

Ram didn’t even glance at Giyermo, who began writhing in agony again, and turned his head to look at Evnia.

“You come down to the 1st floor lobby in an hour.”

“Pardon?”

“Is an hour too rushed? Do you need more time to prepare?”

“Oh, no. That’s not it…”

“Then I’ll see you then.”

As soon as they had inadvertently made plans, Ram disappeared along with Giyermo.

It was when the flustered Evnia was just blinking while staring at the spot where they had vanished.

Seven lovingly stroked the pancake on his plate with the tip of his fork before speaking.

“Evnia.”

“Yes?”

“Stop by a shop on your way and buy some jerky or something. I thought I was finally graduating from a life of eating only rations, so I forgot to buy some when I went out last time.”

I had wondered why the storage space for rations in the warehouse was so large, but it was because that had been their staple food before I came.

Evnia couldn’t hide her bewildered expression as she asked.

“But you said you’d hire more people. Won’t you find a cook soon?”

“Evnia.”

“Yes.”

“Would you come work at this cursed castle? When there are even rumors that the master eats people?”

“…”

“If we were going to hire people, we should have done it long ago. If you hear news of someone desperate enough for money to sell their body, go find that person and bring them here. Otherwise, there’s no hope.”

Even Count Max, who had just been hired, nodded deeply in agreement with Seven’s words.

Evnia was about to reply that surely it wouldn’t be that hard to find people, but then she remembered her own feelings before coming to Litberck and ended up closing her mouth.

Count Max had accepted Ram’s offer because he had experience living here, even if it was forced.

If they offered high wages to strangers, they would probably think there was a reason for such money and be too scared to accept. If they offered little money, there wouldn’t even be room for consideration.

“…Don’t worry too much. There will be more people who won’t be swayed by rumors and will recognize the true value of this castle.”

Leaving behind what sounded like empty comfort even to herself, Evnia carefully stood up from her seat.

Her housemates licking their plates clean while savoring their last feast looked a bit pitiful, but right now she had a more urgent matter than the unsurprising staff shortage.

Unlike those remaining in the dining hall, Evnia returned to her room with an excited heart.

That was because her first outing with Ram was approaching in just an hour.

* * *

Dressing to please someone you want to impress, but not so obviously that your intentions show, was a complex challenge.

However, this troubling dilemma didn’t torment Evnia for very long, because the choices available to her were quite meager to begin with.

30 minutes to neatly iron and put on the only tunic dress she had made herself,

15 minutes spent wondering if she should apply something at the vanity before finally giving up and stepping away,

After spending about 45 minutes total, only about 10 minutes remained until the appointed time.

Evnia decided to spend that time going down to the lobby early to wait for Ram.

She thought it would be better to avoid being late rather than examining how shabby she looked in the mirror.

When she diligently walked to the meeting place, there was an unexpected person already waiting there.

Evnia stopped mid-way down the stairs and called out to him in a pleased voice.

“Lord Giyermo!”

Had Ram taken Giyermo to restore him to his original form?

The person who had been a fish just moments ago in the dining hall had now returned to being a proper butler.

Evnia hurried down the remaining stairs and asked.

“Did Lord Ram finally forgive you? What a relief, you must have been very frustrated all this time.”

Even though he surely heard Evnia’s words, he gave no response and just waited for her to reach the lobby.

His posture with arms crossed and one hand cupping his chin even looked arrogant.

The gaze that followed her every step felt very burdensome, but Evnia didn’t show it and approached him.

In fact, she had no choice but to do so. Giyermo was standing right in front of the stairs, boldly blocking the path she needed to pass through.

“…Why are you staring at me like that?”

Just when she was beginning to suspect that perhaps he hadn’t gotten his voice back yet due to the lack of response.

Giyermo smiled with the corners of his mouth curling up.

“No matter how much I look, I’m confused. What exactly this marriage means to you.”

“…”

“For someone who dislikes it, you look excited, but for someone who likes it, you keep asking to be killed.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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