CH 16

What did I just hear?

I watched Richard without answering. I think I heard hallucinations, so I waited for Richard’s words—.

“I asked if I could take it off.”

I heard it right.

“Are you going crazy because you want to be slapped on the cheek?”

“I don’t have that kind of hobby, but if the maid likes it, I’ll welcome it.”

“I don’t feel the joy when hitting—”

“That’s too bad.”

—Don’t you just say you don’t have that kind of hobby? 

After smiling brightly, Richard soon hardened his expression.

With a very serious-looking face, in preparation for an unexpected situation, I released my strength from my clenched fist to slap him on the cheek. 

“I just need to look at the shoulder for a moment.”

“Why—?”

“If you show it to me, I’ll explain.”

“….”

“If you don’t like it, you can reject it. I have no intention of forcing you.”

I think it’ll be okay if I just show him my shoulders a little bit.

After becoming possessed, everyone wore tight clothes, but in my previous life, I wore clothes with off shoulders. 

Of course, it was a purchase mistake.

I only saw the front part and it was pretty, so I made an impulse purchase without looking closely, but later found out that the shoulders were all ripped out. 

I was thinking of returning it, but I wore it because it was a waste of return fee—.

No, why am I even thinking about this?

And at the time, I came to my sense when I realized Richard was looking at me. 

“I’ll show you. I just need to loosen the strings behind me.”

I turned my back.

“Please untie the string.”

“….”

“Won’t you untie it?”

“…Why don’t you refuse?”

When you’re the one who asked if I can take it off? At that time, I really thought I had a problem with my ears.

“I’m confident I’ll kill you right away if you do anything stupid.”

“I shouldn’t do it because I want to live. Then, Maid, excuse me for a moment.”

I bit my lip for nothing as I felt Richard’s long fingers loosen the string behind my back.

I was nervous for no reason.

The touch of loosening the string was itchy, so I shrunk for no reason. Richard smiled slightly behind my back and whispered low and said that it was okay. 

Finally, the string was loosened and cold air touched my shoulder.

I looked back at Richard, fiddling with my shriveled shoulders.

“Is this enough?”

Richard stared at my shoulder.

It could be embarrassing, but when I saw his stiff expression, such feelings flew away.

“…What’s wrong?”

Richard blinked slowly, took his eyes off my shoulders and shook his head.

And then I closed my clothes again and tied the string.

“You know what? Devil worshipers put a brand on them.”

“…Why is that?”

“With the will to become the devil’s wings, they engraved a brand with an iron near the wing bones.”

What do you mean by devil worshipers? Why are we talking about this?

What does that have to do with me?

I recalled the memories of the devil worshipers.

Strangely enough, it was a novel I had read a long time ago, but the information quickly came to mind.

The beings who bring disaster to the empire by trying to get rid of the transcendental. 

Because of them, I remember that crises often came in the novel.

“To be honest, I thought the maid might be a devil worshipper.”

“An innocent person like me?”

“…Innocent. Well. Let’s say it like that.”

The answer is kind of vague.

“But to be honest, I was surprised that there was no stigma.”

“—Unexpectedly. If there was a stigma in the first place, I wouldn’t have shown it to you.”

“Yes, I just decided you weren’t.”

He answered brightly, but that didn’t return my ridiculousness. 

—What do you mean devil worshippers? 

“Are you doubting me because of the scent?”

“Yeah, I thought the devil worshipers had changed their way this time.” 

The blue eyes that curled like a half moon were very pretty.

“Did you not like it?”

“If it was good, I wouldn’t have been a real devil worshiper.”

“It makes sense, Maid.”

I tried to grumble at him, but I decided to shut up.

At first, I didn’t want to talk to him, but before I knew it, they were talking casually to each other. 

In a new sense of awareness, I re-evaluated Richard. This scary guy. 

At the time when I was reading the original, I snorted when I saw the expression that he seduced maids one after another in order to attract people. 

It was a little funny to drive praise and attractive expressions like that because it was the male lead—.

In fact, Richard led me to have a natural conversation with him, who was not trying to get involved with him. 

‘Scary. It’s scary.’

But I’m sure it’s okay.

Tomorrow is the last day of meal duty.

Today is the last day to see Richard. There will be nothing more to see.

Now that I’m parted from Richard, I don’t have to feel the danger of my life. 

Without realizing it, I hummed with excitement and pulled the tray of potatoes that was nearby.

“…I was wondering why you brought potatoes. What are you doing, Maid?”

“Don’t you know when you see it? I peel potatoes.”

So why are you peeling potatoes here? His eyes were roughly read.

The last price to hear Marie’s plan from Richard was not to be next to the gatekeeper, and to be by his side until the end of the meal.

I responded because there was not much time left on duty anyway.

That’s how I cut potatoes next to Richard.

“I prepared your knife in case you’re bored. Now, take it.”

“…Aren’t you trying to use me?”

“Ah, I got caught.”

“….”

The knife was prepared as a blunt one that was not suitable for use as a weapon.

Of course, Richard will also be aware that harming me here will not gain anything.

Richard, who plays a friendly role, just smiled as if it was fun and received the knife and potato I gave him.

That’s how he peeled potatoes.

I was a little proud to think that I would be the only one who would have this obsessed male lead peel potatoes. 

‘I’ll have to go to the butler once the potatoes are all cut.’

Marie’s crime was not made public in order to make the gatekeeper blow it out, but now that her crime has been proven, there is no reason to keep his crime a secret. 

Marie, who put medicine in Richard’s food, disappeared, and the gatekeeper, who assaulted Richard, was also replaced. 

The maid who will come after this has benefited greatly from me. But I don’t really know myself.

That was when I was cutting potatoes alongside Richard.

“Rosie! Rosie!”

I heard Emily’s voice calling my name urgently from outside.

“Go ahead, Maid.”

“I was going to do that.”

I put down the potatoes and left the room without saying goodbye to Richard. Because I thought I’d be back soon.

“Rosie, listen to me carefully—”

Emily grabbed my shoulders in a hurry. Her trembling fingers held me tight not to miss me.

Hey. It hurts. 

“What’s going on, Emily?”

“There’s a problem!”

“What’s going on?”

Then what should I ask?

Is it because I don’t know what’s going on? I didn’t feel the urgency.

“Don’t be surprised when you hear it.”

“Why? No way, do they want me to be the exclusive maid for the monster?”

That’s really terrible.

“No, it’s worse than that.”

Emily took a breath and finally opened her mouth.

“What’s going on is—”

Gulp. 

“The Marquis wants you to be the bedroom attendant!”

The thinking circuit stopped for a moment.

Oh my, what’s going on?

“What bedroom attendant?”

I even forgot that I had a conversation with the door open at the sudden news.

Richard, who was peeling potatoes from behind, looked up loosely and looked at me.

The potatoes in his hand had been crushed.

“Bedroom attendant—”