The Peaceful Life Of A Maid Who Hides Her Power And Enjoys It - Chapter 143

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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 143

Count Sereniye, who had just popped a piece of caramel that was neatly placed on the vanity into his mouth, raised one eyebrow.

“Jigharke Berkleighton? That’s quite a surprising truth.”

“He’s the Swordmaster. I’m certain.”

Another piece of caramel was tossed into my open mouth. I rolled the sickeningly sweet flavor around with my tongue and continued.

“He said it himself, with his own mouth.”

“Speak slowly. At this rate, you’ll bite your tongue.”

He placed a chair that had been beside the window table next to me and asked.

“Do you remember when?”

“Roughly. If someone had secretly fed it to me while I was sleeping, I wouldn’t remember until I died… but assuming that wasn’t the case, there’s only one day I can think of.”

“Who could secretly feed you anything when I’m watching you with my eyes wide open?”

“It’s not impossible. There were days when you returned to Kalerpa, weren’t there?”

Count Sereniye sat down in the chair with his mouth closed. Then, quite naturally, he wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me lightly as if moving a bag, placing me on his lap. With just the strength of one arm.

“Tell me what happened.”

This is the dress the Head Maid carefully managed.

I was worried it might wrinkle unnecessarily, but I didn’t feel like pushing Count Sereniye away either, so I roughly settled into his embrace and told him about that day’s events.

That day was when I had decided to sneak into Mephistopheles’ Castle.

In other words… the day I decided to die.

After receiving agreement from all the commanders, just before having some time alone, I received refined 【Compassion Herb】 pills as a gift from some comrades.

【Compassion Herb】 has excellent abilities as a painkiller, so if used well, it can enable a miraculous recovery in times of crisis.

Even then, with supplies cut off, the 【Compassion Herb】 that had gathered for me was practically the last. The Allied Forces had entrusted me with their final move.

The Swordmaster approached silently just as I had finished gathering the precious supplies and was starting to warm up my body.

I reflexively caught the infinitely small and light-looking object he threw, and it was a round, crude pill.

“What is this?”

“A secret medicine passed down through generations of the Berkleighton Family.”

What? There was no need to ponder his intentions. I was about to straighten up to give it back when the Swordmaster uncharacteristically quickly continued.

“I’m joking. It’s the same medicine as the compassion herb used by the military. Just a bit higher in purity. It will reduce pain more effectively.”

“Really?”

“If you’re suspicious, open it and check.”

【Compassion Herb】 was originally a colorless, odorless drug. There was no way an outsider like me could distinguish it. I roughly sniffed it, and seeing nothing special, I crumpled it into my pocket.

“Thank you. Thanks to this, I’ll leave this world without pain.”

“You always speak words that provoke guilt so casually in front of me.”

“Well, isn’t the Duke someone without blood or tears? Thanks to that, it’s comfortable.”

The Swordmaster snorted as if incredulous, then suddenly stepped forward.

“If you’re so comfortable, why don’t we share a vow, Count Andert.”

“…You know that magic is illegal, right? You’re so confident that anyone listening would think it’s legal. But what vow are you talking about making now?”

“A vow to survive.”

This time, I was the one who found it incredulous.

A vow to survive? Demanding an impossible vow. Had he become sentimental, unlike himself?

“I refuse. That’s too terrible, isn’t it? It means burning not just my body but my soul as well.”

“That’s an exaggeration. I simply wish for your safe return.”

“That’s impossible. And if an impossible vow is made and the vow is broken, the soul breaks along with it.”

“That’s all the more reason you don’t need to refuse my vow. When a person dies, body and soul break simultaneously. Your soul would break because you died, not because you broke the vow.”

He had become uncharacteristically sentimental, and this time too, he was unusually stubborn.

But I know well the pain that a comrade’s death brings. Was that why? Suddenly, I thought that if the Swordmaster could find comfort in just such a vow, that would be enough.

So, I eventually shared a vow with the Swordmaster.

A vow to survive.

What’s important here isn’t the vow I shared with him at that time.

“So… that pill I thought was 【Compassion Herb】 was actually Dian Ket’s heart?”

“Yes. But it wasn’t the smooth pearl form like the heart crystals I know, but a smaller, cruder form.”

“That’s the form of a heart crystal closest to its original state, before processing. Well, it hadn’t been long since Dian Ket closed his eyes when Mephistopheles betrayed us… there wouldn’t have been time to process it.”

“Then it’s certain. The Swordmaster must have known about the power of heart crystals, right?”

“Well. After hearing the story, I’m actually leaning toward the hypothesis that he wasn’t certain of the heart’s performance.”

“Why?”

Instead of answering, he gently stroked near one of my shoulders.

“The trace of the vow you made with him… was it carved around here?”

Count Sereniye, who had been gently scratching over the thin clothing with his fingernails as if wanting to tear it off, continued slowly.

“You’re constantly wearing evidence that you’re alive on your body. How presumptuous.”

What kind of cryptic words are those?

“…Ah!”

I, who had been frowning deeply, belatedly understood the hidden meaning.

‘The fact that the trace of the vow hasn’t been erased also means, in other words, that the vow hasn’t been broken.’

Doesn’t the trace itself signify my survival?

That’s why the Swordmaster saw the ‘possibility’ of my survival. Because the trace of the vow we shared was still clear.

Just as I was straightening my back, which had been comfortably leaning, surprised by this newly realized fact.

“Ugh.”

A short groan filled with pain came from behind my head.

It was a groan so unsuited to the being called Lu that I turned my head with a sinking heart.

The first thing I saw were eyes slightly closed from enduring pain. Then I saw the shoulder that had been slightly bumped when I straightened my back.

His shoulder and entire arm were firmly fixed. With all my attention focused on his beauty, I only now noticed the bandages supporting one arm.

“Lu, haven’t you treated that shoulder yet?”

My feverishly racing mind quickly cooled down.

My mood became gloomy as well. Realizing I had been sitting on a patient’s lap without any consideration, I tried to get up quickly, but Count Sereniye’s healthy arm tightly bound my waist.

“It’s not as deep as it looks. About seven stitches worth.”

“That’s not what’s important. Why aren’t you using magic? Are you worried people will think it’s strange?”

Lu’s behavior of not answering was suspicious.

He has a tendency to keep quiet when at a disadvantage, like me. But his current silence was completely incomprehensible.

What exactly was disadvantageous?

“Don’t tell me… you can’t do it?”

As soon as I voiced my doubt, I was certain it was the correct answer.

Instantly, an intense anxiety spread through my heart, creating the illusion that my reason was swaying like a reed.

Completely forgetting that Lu was a patient, I gripped his elegant tailcoat tightly and asked.

“Really? You really can’t do it? Why?”

Lu pulled my excited body closer and gently soothed me.

“Shh. Calm down. I’m just trying not to overdo it.”

“Why would that be overdoing it? It’s because of balance, isn’t it? Right? You definitely said you were going to Kalerpa…”

“I didn’t go.”

You didn’t go?

Whether he knew of my confusion or not, Lu looked at me with an unwavering, straight gaze.

“Since you’ll probably ask why again, I’ll answer in advance. Because I didn’t want to.”

“…”

“I didn’t want to go.”

Lu was calm.

Was that why? I couldn’t bring myself to ask ‘why’ again to that face. It was because Lu’s face held only pure sincerity, not excuses.

Suddenly, warm warmth touched my forehead.

It was Lu’s forehead. Those eyes I had seen at the hunting festival. Eyes filled with complete affection and trust gently embraced my rough breathing and whispered.

“Do you know what I’m feeling right now, Daisy?”

His slowly blinking silver eyelashes trembled faintly.

Yes, they trembled. Lu’s eyelashes quietly swayed as if gripped by fear… or as if an uncontrollable violent storm was sweeping through.

“You’re maddeningly lovely.”

Lu’s finger touched near my eyes.

“These eyes that want to share my pain.”

Then to the bridge of my nose.

“This nose that snorts when angry.”

Then to the corner of my mouth.

“These lips that nibble with small front teeth… they’re so lovely I want to swallow them in one bite.”

Finally, to my heart.

“So I have no regrets.”

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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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