Chapter 14
If I hadn’t spotted Eon at the perfect moment, I would have mistakenly believed they were obeying my command.
“Of course.”
Only now did I begin to understand the situation. So the telepathic message to issue an order… Was it all just to stage the ridiculous scene of a cornered human shouting orders?
“…I’m a bit late.”
Eon said something as he approached, but all I heard clearly was that he was late. A bluish light bloomed from his hand, and the pain that had been weighing down my entire body began to ease.
“Well, at least you’re healing me.”
“You’re badly injured.”
Was this what they called giving poison and antidote together? Or maybe it was more like repairing a broken doll? Though the healing magic was appreciated, I couldn’t bring myself to feel entirely grateful.
“Do you resent me?”
‘Resent? Who? Eon?’
Of course not. Resentment for being too late was only something you directed at someone you expected would save you. And Eon and I were far from having that kind of relationship.
“Of course not.”
I merely mouthed the words, yet somehow, he understood them. A shadow passed over his face. His voice sank lower.
“…I’m sorry.”
Sorry? I never imagined I’d hear such a word from him. As he tended to my wounds and spoke as though this incident were his own failure, he felt strangely unfamiliar. It almost gave the illusion that I was his lover—or even his master.
He had said he could read my thoughts. And I had repeated over and over, like a chant, that I wanted to live, that I didn’t want to die, while being chased by Tara, controlled by Marilyn.
If Eon truly wanted to save me, he should have appeared at least when Tara grabbed my ankle. Just like that fancy teleportation magic he used back when he was with Rudis.
‘So this apology must be a lie.’
“You don’t believe me.”
Once again, Eon responded as if he had read my thoughts. Then, he gently supported my back and legs and lifted me into his arms. He was careful to cradle my head on his shoulder so it wouldn’t tilt back.
“I’ve treated your wounds, but the trauma must still be great. You should rest for now.”
He nudged Tara’s limp body—collapsed like a drained robot at my door—with his foot.
“Ah.”
A sound escaped me before I could stop it. Though Tara’s body had attacked me, it wasn’t her fault.
“Are you worried about that maid? Even though she nearly killed you?”
“It wasn’t Tara’s fault.”
“Then whose fault was it?”
“She was being controlled by Marilyn.”
“Marilyn?”
Eon repeated the name slowly, as if testing the feel of it in his mouth.
“I doubt Marilyn would control her and make her attack you for no reason.”
My body tensed instantly. Since he was holding me, he must have noticed the change.
If he learned that Marilyn had attacked me because I broke the rules, then Eon might be the one to punish me next. Even if he could read my thoughts, I didn’t need to confess anything aloud.
“I don’t know… She just suddenly changed and charged at me.”
“Suddenly, you say. That’s not a word that suits Marilyn.”
Eon gazed at me silently. He was so close I could count the lashes on his eyes. The lie I told made me uneasy, so I turned my head—but there was no escape since I was in his arms.
“Alright. I’ll forgive the maid.”
His words sounded like he was accepting my story. My tongue moved faster than my will.
“What about Marilyn, then?”
“Whether she suddenly turned or had a reason, it doesn’t matter. A maid who dares climb above her station and attack her master must be driven out.”
His voice turned sharp. Although he said he would drive her out, it didn’t feel like he meant something so simple.
‘So Marilyn will become a victim too…’
But when I recalled the murderous gleam in her eyes and how she tried to tear me apart, I felt surprisingly indifferent. No, if I were honest, I felt relieved.
Not just because of what happened today—she had always felt ominous in many ways. And losing one senior maid meant one less watcher. It wasn’t a thought driven by justice or compassion.
‘I think I understand now why I wasn’t the protagonist, but merely a side character in this possession story.’
“That maid will wake up soon. I’ll leave it to you, Miss Selenia, to decide what to do.”
Eon said that and laid me gently on the bed.
“Ugh…”
Not long after Eon closed the door and left, Tara groaned. I approached her with a blanket. Her pain-stricken face overlapped with the mad expression she had worn when charging at me. I flinched and hesitated, pulling my hand back instinctively.
‘It’s okay. It’s okay. You know it wasn’t Tara, right?’
My mind knew, but my body still wouldn’t relax. The eerie grip on my ankle and the force that dragged me—my body remembered it all vividly.
‘No, get a grip.’
While I was trying to calm myself, Tara woke up.
“M-Miss?”
Startled by her voice, I even dropped the blanket.
‘Ah—’
Our eyes met, hers full of confusion, mine full of unease. She seemed to realize my fear. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Y-You were trying to help me…”
Tara couldn’t finish and began to sob. It might’ve been better if she didn’t remember what she’d done. But it seemed she remembered everything Marilyn made her do with her own body.
“I… I tried to kill you…”
“No, no, Tara.”
The sobbing, sorrowful Tara before me was completely different from Marilyn. Her tears slowly washed away my fear and tension.
I reached out and gently patted her back.
“See? I’m perfectly fine. Not even hurt.”
“H-Hic… You could have died…”
“But I didn’t, right? And besides, that wasn’t you—it was Marilyn.”
“R-Really?”
Tara looked up at me with teary eyes.
“So it’s not your fault. You don’t have to feel so guilty.”
Only then did her sobs start to quiet down.
“Come here. The floor’s too cold.”
I pushed some broken porcelain shards aside with my foot and led her to the sofa. Tara looked around at the fallen chairs and the mess on the table.
“That was all Marilyn’s doing. Don’t worry about it. I still don’t know how she controlled you, but…”
“She’s been doing it from the start. Since I was first brought here.”
Tara clenched her fists tightly, her voice full of resentment.
“Since you were brought here?”
“I…”
She glanced around nervously, as if someone might be listening.
“Don’t worry. Eon said he’d drive Marilyn out. She won’t be able to harm you again.”
I wiped her tears as I reassured her. I was the one who needed to be careful, not her. Once again, I suggested we speak through metaphors like a novel. Tara seemed to understand and nodded.
“So… One day, the boy went out to run an errand. On his way back, he met a woman. She was tall, with reddish-brown hair and unfocused green eyes.”
The person she described was clearly Marilyn.
“The woman greeted the boy like she knew him. She said his brown hair and green eyes were beautiful. The boy had never heard such words in his life, so instead of feeling flattered, he became cautious. So he started walking faster…”
