CH 8

“The maid has a strong scent.” 

That was what he said last time.

He looked at me strangely with hazy eyes, as if a beast entranced by flowers.

“But when I smell that scent, it doesn’t hurt.”

“….”

“I don’t feel sick even though I haven’t taken the magic suppressor.”

Richard’s fingertips touched my forehead very lightly. And then he gently stroked my cheek.

“There is no pain. When I meet the maid.”

There was a strange heat in Richard’s gaze. Facing the madness hidden in his gleaming blue eyes, I reflexively slapped his hand away. 

A strong instinct taught me. If his shackles had not been fastened. If I had met him outside of the Marquis Estate. I would have been caught by him, and under the sharp blade of a knife, every single piece of his curiosity would have been dissected. 

It was an unpleasant sensation that made me shiver.

“Well, it’s good if you don’t get sick.”

Contrary to my complicated thoughts, my mouth only made a very simple sound.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It’s best not to get sick.”

My body smells. 

Only Richard could smell a scent that neither I, Emily, who was with me, nor the people around me could smell.

Is it a possession buff or is he lying to me? 

It didn’t matter. Because I wouldn’t be seeing Richard after a week. 

I watched him eat with my mouth shut. Sparing my words today. 

The sight of his wounds healing little by little was beyond wonder and it felt as if he was not in the realm of human beings. 

Eventually, I turned my head away.

But did Argen hit Richard like that in the original story? 

No. 

An essential condition for beauty was ‘the state of being intact and complete’. 

Argen hated the fact that even if he only occasionally punished Richard, he would get scratches on his body. 

‘Then what is that?’ 

Why did he get hurt?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out. Did Argen really hit him? 

I was curious for a moment and soon I saw why Richard was injured.

Why this person—

When Richard finished eating, I arranged the tableware and left the room. 

But I saw something I hadn’t seen before. It was probably the part I didn’t really care about.

It was only then that I had figured it out. Who was the culprit who made Richard that way?

I smiled at the person standing in front of me. But I was inwardly surprised by the completely unexpected person.

He was a person I knew very well. 

“Are you leaving, Maid?”

Now that we’ve gotten used to each other, the gatekeeper spoke to me as I came out of Richard’s room. 

I watched the whip worn by the gatekeeper on his waist and quietly soaked up the arsenic. 

His whip was stained with blood. 

So it’s you. 

The gatekeeper, who smiled softly, looked different from usual.

If I hadn’t looked at his waist, I wouldn’t have even looked at him. 

I didn’t expect the gatekeeper to assault Richard.

Perhaps the gatekeeper also knew Richard’s monster-like resilience and committed the act.

Come to think of it, it was rare for Argen to visit Richard at the beginning of the novel. 

Argen often visited Richard around the time when the love and affection between the two gradually accumulated.

So, did he think he wouldn’t get caught? 

‘What a headache.’

If I hadn’t known, I wouldn’t have bothered.

But why was Richard still being beaten? 

Although Richard was wearing shackles, he had the power to easily overpower one or even a few more gatekeepers. 

I had a lot of thoughts.

I think I spent most of the morning thinking only about that. 

“Rosie! What are you thinking about?”

“—Just this and that?”

“When you come back from meeting the monster, I think you keep zoning out.” 

That was all my virtual effort trying not to step on a death flag. 

“—But Rosie, are you really going to do it there?”

Emily’s expression darkened when she saw me sitting right next to the gatekeeper with a tray full of potatoes and cutting.

I smiled brightly at the gatekeeper next to me. The gatekeeper’s expression changed even more.

What’s going on? I haven’t done anything yet. 

I decided to closely monitor Richard’s vicinity.

Since the gatekeeper caused an accident and I shouldn’t be in danger, I was going to monitor the gatekeeper as well.

“I asked the head maid if I could work here, and she said there’s no problem.”

The grim look that appeared on the face of the maid, who was answering my questions, was clearly visible. 

“—Rosie, you know that’s not the question.”

“Then?”

“Why do you work so hard? Why do you have to peel potatoes in front of the monster’s door!”

Well, in the eyes of people who didn’t know the original work, I may seem to be making a fuss.

“You’re weird these days, Rosie.”

“Emily, let’s be clear. I’ve always been weird.”

“….”

Emily looked at me with speechless eyes, shook her head as if she couldn’t stop me, and went upstairs. 

On the floor where there was no one, only the sound of peeling potatoes was heard.

“—Maid, what are you doing outside?”

Richard, who was silent in the room, approached the door and called me from the maximum distance the shackles could be pulled.

“Work.”

“Next to the gatekeeper?”

“Yes.”

Richard, who had always been sly, seemed to have a bitter look. Even Richard was, but what about the gatekeeper standing with a poker face? 

The gatekeeper was sweating.

“Let’s get closer.”

I shamelessly talked to the gatekeeper.

“Don’t you want to be friends with me, Maid?”

“Yes, I don’t want to.”

Richard spoke to me more brazenly.

Go away, hoo hoo. 

As if to exorcise a ghost, I cut the potatoes while imagining beckoning to Richard.

Then it was lunch time. It was time to go eat.

“Rosie, are you still peeling potatoes there?”

Emily’s face, who came to pick me up for lunch together, turned dark when she saw the half-cut potato.

I skillfully maintained my brazenness while looking at her expression.

Emily also said let’s go eat with a face of giving up.

I got up from my seat excitedly.

What menu would it be today?

There were several maids gathered at the kitchen to receive the meal.

I smiled when I happened to make eye contact with a maid.

But she avoided my eyes as if she had seen something that the maid could not see.

‘Huh?’

Something felt odd.

The atmosphere in the kitchen was cold.

Emily also frowned as if she had noticed something strange.

I went to get a meal regardless. But–

“Oh, my. I’m sorry, what should I do? I don’t have yours.”

The brown-haired maid drew laughter as she saw Emily and me.

“What do you mean we don’t have any food?”

“Exactly what I said. Did someone accidentally throw it away?”

“Hey!”

Emily approached the brown-haired maid with an angry face.

I’m already starving. What is this? I was angry with her, but I decided to watch the situation silently for now.

“Emily, I said I’m sorry. Why are you getting angry?”

“Are you saying sorry for throwing away the food? What the hell is this all of sudden!”

At Emily’s words, a brown-haired maid glanced at me. And then—

“She’s the monster’s maid, but what if the monster’s curse is transferred?”

“What?”

At the absurd words, Emily raised her eyes and looked at the maid in front of her. 

“What nonsense is that, Marie!”

“What do you mean ‘nonsense’? It’s the monster.”

The brown-haired maid grinned as if the word monster was an invincible logic that solved this ridiculous contradiction.

It was a little ridiculous for me.

It had only been a few days since I possessed this body, but I have maintained a smooth relationship with the maids so far.

There was no sign of any trouble at all, and if, as the maid named Marie said, it was a problem to serve Richard, what would happen to the people who had served him so far?

“Anyway, I’m worried that the curse will spread. So will you go out?”

The brown-haired maid was delighted, thinking that I would obey her.

I thought.

You’re not supposed to touch the food. 

“Why should I go out?”

“….”