About The Death That You Served Me

Episode 14

 

“If you knew how delighted I was to find that the tea leaves had disappeared, you wouldn’t say that.”

 

The Duke brushed his hand through his hair in frustration.

“Delighted…”

“Because they were of service to you.”

 

His tone was firm. Before Ashlyn could say anything, the Duke hastily added,

“No, there was no service to give on my part. I was going to give them to you anyway… so consider it that you used something of your own for your purpose.”

 

Tevet’s tone was soft. As if he’d read her mind.

Ashlyn chose to just keep her mouth shut at his desperation.

The object she was holding in her hand made her very uncomfortable, as if it were a thorn.

 

“But you knew how to store platinum tea leaves.”

The Duke suddenly changed the subject. Ashlyn’s eyes flashed open.

“What?”

“When I was talking about the storage method earlier, it seemed like you already knew. Did you also hear it from the Imperial Princess?”

“I…”

“There are very few even among the aristocrats that know how to properly store the leaves – even I only got the chance to know about it from the Princess. Seeing that you know about it…”

 

Ashlyn felt her heart skip for a moment.

“With the princess,”

Crunch. As he took a step back, the sound of dry leaves breaking echoed unusually loudly. 

“It seems you were quite close to the princess of Britannia.”

I didn’t know about it, he muttered silently. A long shadow fell over him. Was it just her imagination that his tone suddenly sank? Ashlyn couldn’t even blink her eyes, let alone swallow a single drop of saliva. It was because his crimson eyes were staring right through her.

 

And one more thing…

‘Have I ever spoken to Duke Laperion about Platinum Tea Leaves?’

No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t remember such a thing. She had little to no interactions with Duke Laperion to begin with.

 

A painful headache rose from her temple.

At the same time, a sound of drumming pierced her ears.

 

‘You will lose—’

 

What was this?

 

Ashlyn staggered, clutching at her head.

“Ashie.”

 

As her body shook, a dry northern wind blew fiercely. 

Instinctively, the Duke shielded her from the wind, supporting her. 

 

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” His brows were furrowed as he examined her complexion.

Fortunately, along with the wind, the headache quickly subsided. 

 

Ashlyn lightly shook her head. The blurry focus in her eyes gradually returned.

 

‘Just now, something…’

 

 What was that? 

However, like a typhoon has just passed, her mind was completely empty. 

 

“Oh goodness.” At that moment, the Duke made a clicking sound with his tongue. His gaze landed on her injured leg, which was a mess. 

 

“The bandage has come undone.” In an instant, his large frame moved. 

“My Lord!” Ashlyn exclaimed softly. Without a chance to refuse, she’d been picked up in the Duke’s arms. 

 

“Just stay still. Your face looks like you might collapse at any moment.” A disapproving voice fell overhead.

 

 “I can… I can walk.”

 

 “You’re bleeding from your leg.”

 Only then did Ashlyn shift her gaze to her leg. Thin streams of blood were seeping from behind the cloth.

 

‘Oh, I’m bleeding…’

Was that why she felt dizzy?

 

 “It looks like the wound has reopened. It’s alright. I can walk.”

 “No, I can’t.”

 “My Lord, I don’t want other people to see us like this.” 

“Not many people know this shortcut. You won’t meet anyone.”

 

Ashlyn struggled weakly, but it was futile. His strong arms wrapped around her. She could feel his solid chest and the steady heartbeat pulsing through his strong neck. As if determined not to let her go, his tone was firm.

 “…” In the end, it was Ashlyn who had to surrender. There was no way she could oppose the strongest Duke in the Empire.

 

 “I knew I should have carved out his heart.” A low, angry voice followed. Although the Duke didn’t mention the subject of his anger, Ashlyn felt like she knew who it was directed at.

 

* * *

 

There was no one in the infirmary. It belatedly came to her mind that it was currently lunchtime.

Moreover, considering what had taken place this morning…

The lunch hour would probably last long for the employees in the mansion today.

 

Of course, this was a fortunate thing for Ashlyn, who’d entered the infirmary in the Duke’s arms.

 

“I should start by cutting off those doctors. They can’t even properly treat a wound and are lazy on top of that.”

 

The owner of the mansion muttered with an annoyed face. 

“Don’t do that.”

 

 The Duke let out a short sigh before seating Ashlyn on the infirmary chair.

“Show me the wound.”

 “My Lord, I can do it myself. It would be better for you to leave now.” 

He pretended not to hear her, naturally. Sitting opposite Ashlyn, he carefully started to handle her leg like he was handling delicate glassware.

 “…” His gaze as he unwrapped the bandage to examine Ashlyn’s wound was dark. The long, red-stained wound had become inflamed around the edges. 

‘I thought it had already closed up, but I guess it didn’t.’

 

Ashlyn didn’t care much about it.

On the other hand, the man in front of her was infinitely serious. His forehead was crumpled like he was facing the greatest challenge on earth.

 

“…I’ll have to disinfect it first.”

 

He rummaged through the supplies in the infirmary and gathered a few necessary items. As a man who’d been on the battlefield, he seemed accustomed to treatment.

 

“If it hurts, tell me. Don’t hold back.”

“I’m okay.”

“It’s like this because you’re not okay.”

“…….”

“Tell me everything. I’m here to help you.”

 

Ashlyn looked at his focused face from above as he attended to her wound. The wind from the open window gently rustled his shining hair. His slightly lowered gaze was incredibly serious. Thanks to his delicate touch, she couldn’t even feel the pain. Breaking the short silence, she suddenly spoke. 

 

“My lord, why did you try to give me those tea leaves?” 

It was an impulsive question. 

“Since it’s a tea supplied to the royal family, it must have been difficult to obtain.”

His hand, which had been moving over her wound, stopped abruptly. After briefly looking into her face, the Duke smirked. 

 

“There’s no special reason.” His tone was light. “I just wanted to show you that taste.” 

He shifted his gaze back to her wound. 

 

“Because platinum tea leaves are the most expensive and precious thing in the southern region.” His tone was unwavering.

Ashlyn’s eyes trembled faintly.

The most expensive and precious thing.

The heart of a lover who only wanted to give her the best things he knew of.

 

Even more so, a heart that says it is happy to have helped the maid who stole and used that item… 

 

His dedication felt like a spear piercing through her body. Ashlyn realized for the first time that sincere affection could act as such a heavy shackle.

 

‘Where did this maid’s soul go?’

They said she was suffering from a severe unknown illness.

So she was probably already dead. She was just occupying her empty shell.

Ashlyn swallowed her bitter emotions. Her feelings towards him were complicated. Sometimes she felt fearful and hateful, but when he expressed such immense affection… she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. 

 

His lover, for whom he consistently showed heartfelt emotions, was actually dead and gone. Yet he hangs on, unaware of that fact. It was pure empathy between one human being and another. The more she confirmed his sincerity, the worse it felt.

 

 “That’s it. Did it hurt?” 

Tightening the wrapped bandage, the Duke asked softly. His gentle gaze pricked at a corner of her heart. 

 

“No. Thanks to you, I’m fine.”

 Her voice came out weakly. The Duke carefully examined Ashlyn’s face. Her casual tone, even the slightest change in expression –  all scrutinized by his blindly devoted eyes.

 ‘…Will I really be able to leave this mansion?’ 

Her confidence had been shaken, but,

‘No, I can’t.’

 

Ashlyn immediately corrected her thoughts. 

‘That’s even more more of a reason to leave. This is something I can’t do to the Duke.’

 

The guiltier she would feel, the more shaken her resolve would be.

‘When I’m physically away from here, my mind will be away from him too.’

 

So, as planned, she had to leave the mansion before summer came.

“Thank you for your treatment, my lord.”

Ashlyn said wholeheartedly.

 

“I only did what was natural, Ashie.”

A low, affectionate voice returned.

 

Looking down, Ashlyn suddenly noticed the Duke’s empty hands. His fingertips trembled delicately as if holding something back.

Ashlyn turned her head. 

It was surprisingly easy to physically turn away from his overflowing affection.

 

* * *

 

Ashlyn heard a very eerie rumor.

It was being said that Jason Barron was found dead somewhere in an alley. 

 

‘But the condition of the corpse…’

She recalled Sophia’s troubled expression as she told her the rumor. 

‘Both his eyes and tongue were gouged out, and his limbs had been severed.’

 

Hearing those words sent shivers down Ashlyn’s spine. No way… it couldn’t be.

And yet, the duke’s voice kept echoing in her head as if she were experiencing a hallucination. The next day, shocked upon hearing the news, the old steward declared his early retirement.

The position of the steward remained vacant for a while, but rumors spread that another senior servant would soon take over the role. 

 

Time flew like an arrow. The seemingly never-ending northern winds ceased. The scent of the air touching her nose changed, and even the desolate north began to sprout new plants.

 It was spring. 

The end of this spring. The beginning of a new summer. 

 

The time for Ashlyn to leave the mansion was approaching.

 

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Duke Laperion being a certified yandere