11. A Difficult Being.
Rakalt glared at Adelen with his sharp eyes.
“You’re not thinking about the Crown Prince being pitiful or that he should have been handed over to that guy, are you?”
“…”
Adelen’s mouth was glued shut. She couldn’t even say no.
Blood gushed from the spot where he had been stabbed so hard.
“Ha, what kind of idiot is this…Are you really a Teplan person?”
Adelen jumped up.
That weird guy…No, even General Kias mumbled something like that.
“Y-yes, I am! I’ve never been to Morn and I’ve never met anyone from Morn either!”
“But why would you think of taking Morn’s side?”
“Me?! When?!”
Did she faint while talking? How could she not remember what she just said?
She couldn’t figure out when she had taken Morn’s side.
“The moment the crown prince returns to Morn, General Kias will launch an all-out offensive against Teplan.”
“!”
“You’re holding the only heir to the throne hostage, so you’re delaying the war like this, but you just want to give him back? Do you want to get rid of Teplan?”
“I originally didn’t want to tell you that. But you were already considering whether to give him up or not, and you were thinking about it again just a moment ago.”
“…”
Even if she had not ten mouths but a million and twenty-two, she had nothing to say.
Rakalt snorted as if he had known this would happen.
Adelen was frustrated.
How did she, who was praised for doing a good job wherever she went and doing her best to serve her master, end up like this?
Should she have just been quiet when she was told to take care of the child? It was clear that the maids’ ancestor spirit was angry because she dared to refuse her master’s order out of selfish greed.
However, life didn’t come with only frustration.
“Yes, we were talking about the period. Now that it’s come to this, let me be a little more precise. If everything goes well, it will take a few days, or at most, a few months.”
“Until we lure General Kias properly and capture him.”
“…Ah…”
The face that was about to brighten up immediately turned dark.
It seemed that there was no way for everything to end happily and peacefully.
Until just recently, she lived without even knowing when, where, or how the war was being fought. But now, it was ridiculously easy to find herself in the middle of the battlefield.
If she sympathized with the enemy, her side would all die, and if she supported her side, the enemy would die pitifully.
“You shouldn’t think that if you just avoid Kias, you might be able to save your life. The crown prince is the only royal family left in Morn. What would happen if he disappeared?”
“I, I don’t know.”
To Adelen, the talk of succession to the throne and all that was so unfamiliar and difficult.
“Anyone can step up to become the king of Morn.”
“…Ah…”
“So, for those who want to take the throne, now is the perfect opportunity. If they kill just one crown prince, they’ll get a chance, but what will happen to you who’s stuck next to him?”
“W, we’ll die together…?”
“Yes.”
Adelen eventually understood.
No matter what happened, staying by the master’s side was the only way to live longer.
“But you might get into trouble again with your strange sympathy or run away, so I’ll be keeping you in my sights.”
“Understood…”
Adelen had no choice but to nod her head while crying. There was no other way.
I’ve never even held hands with a man, and now I’m going to have to sleep in the same room with one.
How far will my life fall into the abyss?
* * *
I felt like a hole was going to be drilled into my face.
I wonder if he’s researching an execution method that involves glaring at me and killing me with his eyes.
Adelen rolled her eyes here and there, unable to bear Rakalt’s hot gaze directed at her.
“…”
“…”
There was a stern silence in the room.
The baby was also quiet.
She tried focusing on taking care of the baby, even muttering a tone, so that she would be less conscious of the master’s gaze.
Since the baby was quiet, there was nothing to do.
“Ujju…”
All she could do was pat the baby’s butt, who was just sleeping quietly, while watching him.
Since it was the master’s room, she couldn’t just go out and dust or polish the furniture.
“Euu.”
The sleeping baby mumbled as if he had woken up for a moment.
This was a precious opportunity that Adelen couldn’t miss.
“Huh? Baby, are you bored? Should I sing you a song? Do you want to wake up?”
The baby didn’t say anything. He didn’t even show any sign of intent. But Adelen kept singing.
Adelen walked around the sofa with a wobbly gait.
She glanced at the master’s expression. The master didn’t say anything. He just stared blankly. “Ujjujju, ujjujju. At night, birds sleep, stars sleep, and grass sleeps…”
Adelen sang a lullaby randomly and expanded her wandering territory a little more.
If only she could go somewhere where her master’s eyes couldn’t see.
“Should I see if there’s a bird sleeping outside the window?”
“Why? Do you plan to run away via the window?”
“…No.”
I don’t think I can do that.
That’s something only the master can do.
“The windows at night are the perfect place to make an ambush. Come inside.”
“Yes.”
Adelen turned around with a sigh. However, she didn’t want to go back to the sofa, so she circled around as much as possible.
Now that she looked around, the room was really spacious.
Of course, since it was the master’s room, it was natural, but she hadn’t had time to think about how spacious the room was because she had been so busy.
The room wasn’t fancy, but it was grand and elegant. The interior was finished with the finest materials, and the precious-looking decorations were in harmony. It was a room, but it looked like a small house. There were also several rooms connected to the main room.
‘At least I can hide from the master’s eyes.’
Whether I opened my eyes or closed them, I would suffocate if I was in the master’s line of sight. Fortunately, there seemed to be places to breathe here and there.
“When you’re done looking around, come back and sit down. You’re driving me crazy..”
“Oh, yes! I’m sorry!”
When I had almost finished looking around, the master’s urging stopped me in my tracks.
It seemed that he wasn’t just ignoring me and leaving me alone, but was watching me.
Adelen quickly returned to the sofa.
The time of gaze torture had resumed again. How long would this torture last?
Adelen occasionally glanced at Rakalt’s face.
Now that I think about it, it was also the first time I had properly looked at the master’s face.
When I met the master, I was usually so terrified that I couldn’t focus on anything, or I was bowing down and looking down at the floor.
The master was really huge. He was tall and had big arms and legs with big feet attached to them.
That doesn’t mean he looked dull like a bear. He felt nimble like a large cat.
With his dark gray hair, blue eyes, and waxy white skin, he gave off a strange aura that was noble but not human at the same time.
Anyone looking at his appearance would find no flaws. There wasn’t a single ugly or distorted detail.
To summarize it up, he was handsome.
However, before I thought he was handsome, I thought he was scary.
The master’s very existence radiated a predatory aura. That’s why I would shiver whenever I saw him.
The fact that Adelen’s legs were trembling right now was also a result of that.
“I told you you are driving me crazy.”
“I’m s-sorry…”
“I guess you are feeling prickly?”
That’s how Rakalt interpreted Adelen’s fidgeting reaction when she received his gaze.
“I, I won’t run away.”
“Not for now.”
“…”
“But if someone were to wave a blade in front of your nose a few times, you would gladly do that.”
“N, no…”
It was too direct for him to say that.
Even if I denied it, no one would believe me, and I can’t bravely deny it because I don’t have confidence in myself.
But it was unfair.
If it was the only way to keep my life, shouldn’t loyalty or patriotism have to be compromised?
I’m not a great person who would risk their life to protect their country, but an ordinary maid.
Of course, all of that was left unspoken.
The words that couldn’t come out of her mouth were spoken by her pouting lips.
“…Hmm.”
Rakalt stared intently at the maid who couldn’t do anything right.
The baby was a headache, but the maid was a headache, too.
