CH 22

“Young Master!”

Maya, who had come running up behind us, dropped to her knees in front of Othello.

“Where have you been going to be coming back only now?” Othello questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“I had to go to the butler for a while about the budget allocation for the young lady, so I left her in the care of some poorly trained maids, for which I apologize.”

The maids shuddered and bowed; their faces ashen.

“…….”

Yes, well done, Maya.

The maids deserved to be punished, but I, a baby, didn’t have to watch a person die.

I ran to Maya and put my hand on her shoulder.

“Maya.”

Then I looked back at Othello.

That’s it, Othello. The story of <Taylor’s Home> was for all ages.

Judging by the trembling of the maids, that was enough of a life lesson for them.

Maya continued, “Bring the new maids and…… send those two to the north barn.”

At those words, the maids covered their mouths with muffled sobs.

The north barn, where they would dismember the monsters that had been hunted?

I had heard that it was where slaves, not free people like maids, who owed debts they couldn’t pay, were forced to work until they died.

Either way, you can imagine the conditions must be harsh.

“…….”

Othello’s energy, which had felt like he was about to strangle the maids, was gradually fading away.

After a while, he said to the maids.

“Consider yourself lucky to be alive.”

Somehow it sounded like he was threatening to kill them the next time he saw them.

Once he had cooled down, Maya stood up.

Maya turned and glared at them, and the two maids backed away and disappeared.

Othello stared at me for a long moment, then spoke for Maya to hear.

“For your information, I’m not mad at you because you’re a kid, so don’t get any ideas.”

I stood there, staring into those dark eyes. My eyes widened at the cold voice, and Othello averted his gaze.

He turned around quickly and added, “I just won’t stand by and watch the Winchesters be insulted by a maid.”

Maya kept her back to him until he disappeared down the corridor.

Behind him, the aura of the black flame still lingered.

* * *

“Miss…… I’m so glad you’re back safe and sound. It’s my fault for leaving you to those people, but you shouldn’t be wandering around like that either. It could have been dangerous.”

I avoided Maya’s gaze as she settled me on the bed and sighed.

Well, a mistake is a mistake.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Did you fall or something?”

Maya examined my knees and legs.

The delicate lace fluttered.

Then she brought a bowl of warm water and washed my hands and feet clean.

“Milk, milk,” I babbled, and Maya smiled brightly.

“Okay, Miss.”

While Maya had turned around to give me milk, I pulled out a piece of paper I’d been hiding under my clothes.

I had torn a page from the book in the room I had moved to earlier.

I had originally intended to grab the whole book, but when I realized I’d been sent home with the message that I’d been banned the moment I grabbed the paper, it was the only thing I’d been able to bring back with me.

Recalling the title of the book <Taylor’s Home>, I started to read it. I was already familiar with the language, so it wasn’t hard to read.

[After a day without a red sunset, a dark night without a single star comes. Even if the source of darkness is rooted out, reality does not change.

That source comes from the Taylors. At least the Winchesters didn’t create a vicious technique like Kaisa.

The world is filled with eternal destruction, and I am alone.

This is the twenty-seventh.]

This is not the same novel I knew as <Taylor’s Home>. This was more like someone’s own diary.

I went to read it over again.

[The world is filled with eternal destruction, and I am alone.

This is the twenty-seventh.]

I noticed that the handwriting was a little messier than the previous sentences.

I wondered who had written this.

Was it the owner of the room I had been in?

And what does the number twenty-seven mean?

Destruction, an ominous and unsettling word.

There was nothing I could make out of it.

“Miss, I’ve got milk.”

I looked at the bottle of milk in front of me, and being a good girl, I grabbed it with both hands.

The warmth of the bottle soothed my frightened heart.

* * *

“Eugh…….”

“Heuheuk…….”

Robin looked questioningly at the two maids as they came out, their shoulders hunched with tears.

He had just returned from tidying up the Roxen estate.

He’d been expecting to be appointed as bodyguard to the promising young master Jin Winchester, but instead he’d been asked to be a Knight of the Youngest Lady…..It was a bit of a depressing surprise.

He wondered if his chances of rising in the Winchester family were over.

“Why are those maids crying in broad daylight?”

At Robin’s words, the elder maid near him clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“I knew it would happen to them, running around chattering away. You should have listened to them when they gave you advice, so you wouldn’t end up in the dumps.”

“What?”

“I can’t believe how much the mansion has changed in a year.”

Hearing that, Robin looked around. The walls towered in the distance, and Winchester Manor stood like a sturdy fortress.

“What on earth do you mean it’s changed…….”

Robin looked around and stopped when he saw maids placing sponge-like cushions along the edges of the doors.

The sharp edges and structures were covered with cushions, and they were placed around his knees to his waist.

It was as if they were tailored to the height of someone.

Now that he thought about it, he noticed that they had been attached everywhere.

“What are these?”

Their purpose was unclear.

“It’s something to prevent you from falling and hitting your forehead.”

“Huh?”

“Or to prevent you from cutting your hand or bumping into something.”

Robin raised an eyebrow.

As far as he knew, there were no cripples in the manor who couldn’t walk.

“I don’t think you’d last long, knight, seeing as how you don’t have a clue.” The old maid clicked her tongue in regret.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I can’t tell.”

“What do you mean?”

“The masters don’t like their stories talked about in public. They’re rather reserved, you know.”

Robin didn’t understand the older woman’s words.

“It’s just our job to suit our masters’ moods and not cause offense. Good luck with that, knight,” the old woman said, and left.

“Good luck with what?”

He was still standing there, not understanding.

“Mmm~ Mmm♪”

A servant carrying a large basket of fruit swept past Robin.

The nobles of Winchester didn’t like sweets, not even the children, so it was hard to smell anything sweet in the manor.

But there was a sweet scent of puree wafting from far away.

“What the hell…… has changed…….”

Robin was muttering when he felt an eerie sensation behind his back.

Robin stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, his hands twitching involuntarily.

How could such an aura emanate from a young boy?

For Robin, a powerful knight but a mere mortal, it was an aura of wonder.

All the more reason to be disappointed that he could not be the knight of Jin Winchester in front of him.

“Sir Robin.”

The sound of Jin’s voice brought Robin to his senses, and he bowed.

“Greetings, Young Master Jin.”

Emitting a thick black flame, Jin strode over to Robin and stopped. His presence was overwhelming, like a giant approaching.

Then his lips curled.

“I see that you wish to play with your master today.”

With that, Robin’s head snapped up and he looked up at Jin. Jin’s cool green eyes were dark with interest.

“Play means……?”

“I wanted to make sure you were worthy.”

Robin stared at Jin nervously, seeing the vivid black flames behind him.

If he was worthy…….

“……!”

Instantly, the words of the old woman came back to him.

The protective gear at the height of a child, and maids who looked at them with strangely terrified faces.

Jin smiled a twisted smile that sent a chill down his spine.

“It’s pretty important to me.”