CH 33

I don’t want to go in.

I was standing in front of Argen’s door blankly.

After a day’s work, I was only thinking of taking a break, but I was brought here when Argen called me.

I grabbed my pink hair.

—Should I dye my hair red?

Like that, I stood in front of Argen’s door for 10 minutes without being able to do anything.

“Are you not going to go in?”

The knight standing in front of the door to guard Argen’s room looked at me. 

“I have to go in.”

“…Then hurry.”

“But in 5 minutes.”

“….”

It’s been a while since I felt this kind of nervousness. It reminds me of the days when I couldn’t enter my house with my report card—.

I was trying to recall those days, but suddenly my head became blurry as if it were foggy.

—What did I do in those days? 

“It’s been 5 minutes.”

“Ah—”

The knight who was guarding the door now gave me a look to go in.

“Then, 5 more minutes—”

“….”

I was standing looking at the knight for no reason, and the door suddenly opened.

I saw the knight with betrayed eyes. Why do you open the door however you want?

The knight says, ‘No it’s not me.’

The knight was sweating and blinking as if to look over there.

I tried hard to turn my stiff neck forward.

“….”

Argen with a frown on his forehead was standing there.

“You’re not coming in, what are you doing there?”

Argen’s head tilted slightly and his golden hair fell down.

It was a beautiful face, but when I saw him, I couldn’t just admire his beauty.

The low, sunken green eyes looked unhappy, and I took a stiff posture.

I can’t go against Argen’s will—.

“I was organizing myself outside.”

“You were organizing yourself? I think you’ve been standing in front of the door for a very long time.”

“….”

“Didn’t you stay outside for a long time because you liked my knight?”

“…Yes?”

“That’s not true, Marquis!”

I wondered what kind of bullshit that was, but the knight was serious and denied it.

I was just tricking the knight for no reason. I feel like I’ve been dumped even before I confess. 

“I’m kidding, but how can you be so stiff? Why don’t you laugh a little?”

“Hahaha—”

The knight, who had been standing stiff all the time, laughed hard as if he had heard a very funny joke. Social life is not easy. 

Seeing the knight smiling hard, I followed Argen inside.

Argen sat down on the chair next to the table. He crossed one of his legs and leaned his body back and sat boredly, raising his chin and looking at me. 

It was an elegant and aristocratic figure.

“I heard it from the butler.”

I don’t know what the hell you heard, but I hope you didn’t hear anything.

“Something’s happened, so you will keep working.”

“….”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

If I answer, I think he’ll tell me to become an exclusive maid.

“—Yes. I think I’ll continue for the time being due to circumstances.”

“That’s unexpected.”

What do you mean unexpected? 

Did Argen see my desire to leave this place that strong?

I was going to think that way and move on, but I almost choked on his next words.

“You said you wanted to get married before.”

Argen asked with a drowsy smile. The open smile was very pretty.

—But marriage? Me? What kind of marriage?

“Didn’t you say you quit your job because you wanted to get married?”

“…Ah, yes I did that.”

It could have been a disaster to forget such an excuse.

“Are you no longer interested in marriage?”

I don’t know why the topic went this way.

Would it be better to maintain the topic as it is so that there is no talk about an exclusive maid at all?

“I still want to get married. But I also needed money to get married, so I decided to continue working here.”

It is also true that I was going to stay here for a while because of Yurtha, but in fact, I was at a loss as to how to get along even if I went outside.

“It’s good that you need money. If you become an exclusive maid, you’ll get what you want.”

He was kind as if to seduce me.

Finally, the time has come.

“Marquis, how can a maid like me become an exclusive maid? I’m just trying to fit my status—”

“Do you really think so?”

“….”

“I see it a little differently. Do you know your place or you don’t want to be an exclusive maid?” 

“I know my place very well.”

“Is that so?”

Argen tilted his head and smiled slowly. I felt anxious as his eyes narrowed. 

“Rosie, do you know why I saved you?”

“….”

“The escaped underground monster was looking for a pink-haired maid.”

Yeah. There’s no way he’ll just let it go.

Why did you fit in with Emily’s nonsense joke about my hair being red? I was curious about that. 

“Why did the monster look for you, Rosie? I’m curious about that.”

“….”

“There’s no way he has been looking for you in a time when he didn’t have enough time to run away even with such personal feelings.”

Argen, who was leaning loosely on a chair, got up from this seat.

“Is there anything special about you?”

“…Ugh.”

Argen grabbed my chin and looked over it as if appreciating a jewel. 

Wherever the green eyes touched, the skin numbed as if the cheeks were about to burn or freeze.

“Why did the monster look for you?”

Argen’s hand, which gripped my chin, gained strength. 

I couldn’t even push him when my chin twitched, so I stood still and bit my lips.

I knew it, but again, this guy wasn’t normal either.

“Answer me.”

Coercive tone.

I thought he was normal for a short time, I must be crazy for a while.

This situation was terrifying, but also a little annoying.

“…I, I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

I can never convey the scent that Richard said I have on me or anything.

If so, it’ll be dangerous for me, too.

So I don’t know. The word seemed to be a wrong reply, and Argen expressed shame for it. At that moment, I got goosebumps on my back stem.

I had to open my mouth again to live.

“The only time I met him in the basement was when I was on duty for his meal. But..”

I swallowed my saliva and opened my mouth.

“The monster confessed to me that he liked me.”

“What?”

Argen’s hand was loose. He looked at me like he was dumbfounded.

“At first— I thought he was trying to seduce me to help him escape from here. But after escaping, he said he likes me and asked me to run away together—”

I don’t know what I’m talking about either.

Argen looked at me with a grim face for a moment.

“If it wasn’t for Young Master Yurtha, I would be…”

“Yeah. Rosie, it must have been a pretty dangerous situation.”

His eyes narrowed as if trying to determine whether my words were true or false.

However, Argen didn’t seem to remember why Richard wanted to run away with me.

“…there shouldn’t be any variables, but it’s quite annoying.”

Variable?

What variable are you talking about?

I didn’t understand Argen, but I couldn’t ask what he meant.

At that time, a black tattoo-like thing crept up near Argen’s neck. What’s that?

I thought I had seen it wrong, so when I closed my eyes and looked again, there was nothing in there.

I guess I saw it wrong because I was tired.

“Rosie, the monster has to stay underground.”

“…”

“He can’t go out until I let him go.”

…Until you let it go? 

Is this a common obsession’s line? You can’t run away until I let you go, it’s the same common line, but it felt strangely different.

“So, Rosie, take care.”

“…”

“I’m talking about being an exclusive maid.”

“…”

I couldn’t say anything to Argen.

He finally put a dead flag on my neck.

“I’m a kind master, so I’ll give you time to think.”

“If I think about it and refuse… What will happen?”

“You’ll find out about it then.”

Damn it. It was a threat. In the end, it doesn’t matter whether I have time or not.

What do you mean kind master? It was the funniest thing I’ve heard this year.

I smiled like a slave who thanked my master for his kindness.

“Thank you.”

“But Rosie, remember why I’m being tolerant.”

Instead of answering the words, I looked at him still.

This was a threat.

“…Thank you for your generosity.”

This bastard.