The Maid With a Child

3. The Master Of Fear.

 

Adelen became serious.

“What? Since Adelen caught it, it’s only natural for Adelen to take care of it.”

“I don’t remember the master saying, ‘Raise it, Adelen.’”

Adelen replied fiercely and held on.

Adelen’s creed was to do her best in whatever she was told to do, but this was not the case when it came to raising children.

When Adelen was in the orphanage, she took care of her younger siblings. So she knew better than anyone how difficult it was to raise children.

It was okay if they were old enough to talk and run around. But taking care of the younger siblings who came to the orphanage right after they were born was hardship itself.

It was a forced march that required putting aside sleep, daily life, and physical strength.

‘They have raised you until you became what you are now. Shouldn’t you repay the favor?’

She raised countless younger siblings without even being able to say that it was hard. The day she left the orphanage, Adelen made up her mind. From that day on, the first baby she would hold in her arms would definitely be her child.

She had already held this baby, but she couldn’t do that anymore. She couldn’t go back to that hell of parenting on her own two feet.

“But…It seems like you’re the only one who knows how to raise a child. You knew right away when it was hungry, you knew what to feed it, and you’re still holding it in your arms as well. If we knew how to take care of it, we would have already done so.”

“I don’t know how to raise it either. I just saw a lot because I had a lot of younger siblings. I can’t do it!”

Parenting was a job that didn’t have a break. Ever.

The master didn’t specify a time limit of ‘until when’. If the time limit was until this baby grew up, she absolutely could not accept it.

“If you’re not going to help me out, then I will,”

Adelen threw away her newbie attitude and boldly displayed her determination.

“….quit my job and run away!”

It was that serious.

“Oh, no!”

If Adelen were to leave, the responsibility would naturally fall on them next. The senior maids clung to her desperately.

“We’ll do our best to help! Adelen, please!”

“‘Help’?”

The seniors looked at Adelen after hearing her chilling question.

“We should do it ‘together.’ ‘Together.’”

“That’s right. Raising children is something we do ‘together.’”

Only then did Adelen smile kindly.

And that’s how the Sigelion Counts’ joint childrearing began.

 

* * *

 

The head of the Sigelion family, Rakalt, got up from bed a long time after the sun rose.

The soft bed that seemed like it would sink with him to the end of the world and the feel of the feather-like bedding finally brought his body, which felt like it was falling apart, back together.

“Um….”

Rakalt relaxed heavily and got up from bed.

After taking off his gown, the butler handed him the everyday clothes that he had prepared in advance.

The butler, who was watching Rakalt’s body as he changed his clothes on his own without any help, asked in a bitter voice.

“Wouldn’t it be better to call a doctor?”

This war was long and fierce.

Rakalt’s body, as a result, had several large and small wounds. The military doctor treated them, but there were still wounds that were bleeding through their bandages.

“I’ve done everything I could. These are wounds that just need time to heal.”

“Then please let me change the bandages.”

“…”

At the butler’s earnest request, Rakalt stopped buttoning his shirt. Although he didn’t say anything in return, the butler quickly moved to bring medical supplies.

In the meantime, Rakalt took off the shirt he was wearing and sat on the living room sofa.

The butler, who had been talking care of Rakalt since he was a child, skillfully removed the bandages, disinfected the wounds, and wrapped new bandages.

“Are you going to rest for a while?”

“I guess so.”

“That’s fortunate. I hope you can rest well this time.”

“Yes.”

After a short conversation, silence fell. Only the unpleasant sound of bandaging resonated through the room.

The butler’s fingers clinched slightly.

No matter how long he had served him, he was still a difficult person.

But at the same time, he was also pitiful.

When the master was young, he started out as a servant and rose to the position of butler.

During that long time, the master was always difficult and pitiful.

A person without flaws is bound to be difficult.

The master was raised to be a flawless being from the moment he was born.

The previous count, who had raised his status from an unknown knight to the rank of Count Sigelion, was merciless to himself and his children.

He wanted his son to be like him, and Rakalt did not betray that expectation. He grew up just as the previous master had wanted. A head of the family who prioritised the safety of the family over his own.

The process was never smooth.

Even walking was viewed as training, and after he got older, every moment of his daily life was either training or studying.

After the previous count died young and he inherited the count’s title, he thought that things were going to get better…

But it just kept getting worse, never getting better.

Their master was much more ambitious than he thought.

‘I can’t rest until I make Sigelion a duchy.’

He would then become a duke’s butler…That’s good…That’s great…As long as the master didn’t pass away before that.

Although he still felt sorry for him, the master who inherited the position of the head of the county had become an unapproachable being.

That’s why the butler was still hesitant to speak to him.

However, he couldn’t help but ask this one thing.

“But master, who was that baby yesterday?”

Rakalt stared at the butler.

The butler lowered his eyes, feeling more nervous than when he was preparing the welcoming speech yesterday.

“That’s because, depending on the baby’s identity, what to prepare and how to prepare may change….”

“It won’t be here for long. Is it important?”

“Then…I guess I don’t really need to know.”

“Right?”

“Y-yes.”

Rakalt nodded in satisfaction at the butler’s simple answer.

“While we’re on the subject, let me check on his condition briefly. Bring him.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The butler, who almost got reprimanded for asking a question out of curiosity, rashed out of the room as if he was running away.

Left alone, Rakalt finally let out a deep breath and stretched out on the sofa. He don’t know how long it had been since he had felt such a peaceful morning.

But that was only for a moment. Soon after, there was a knock on the door.

“Come….”

Rakalt, who was about to tell them to come in, stopped midway and looked at the door.

His eyes turned toward the door sharply, like a beast about to hunt. One side of his expressionless face stiffened.

Peaceful, what bullsh*t.

It seemed like it wasn’t a morning that suited the word.

“You’re here. Alright, you were going to die anyway, so it’s better for you to die sooner than later.”

As he muttered, the sword that had been drawn silently cut through the air.

 

* * *

 

As she walked down the long hallway to the master’s room, Adelen felt her already missed up mind growing even more dizzy.

Why was she, a mere maid, being called to the master’s room?

She should be just doing her assigned job of cleaning and feeling proud as she looks at the smooth surface.

“Don’t talk nonsense in front of the master and just reply to anything with yes.”

The butler must have been worried as well, as he earnestly urged her at the door.

“Y-yes.”

“Smile a little. Taking care of your health is also your duty.”

“…yes.”

Was that something she could do on her own? While mumbling to herself, Adelen tried to fix her davistated expression by tapping and massaging her face here and there.

“I brought the baby, master. Can I go in?”

“…”

But there was no answer from inside. Adelen looked back at the butler.

“Is it really the master who had called for us?”

“Yes. Maybe he went somewhere for a moment…No, he is not the type to leave work to…”

Clang-jang-chang!

At that moment, a loud noise rang out from inside.

The two of them turned around in surprise and met each other’s eyes.

“Oh, is there something going on inside? We should go in…”

“No.”

The butler stretched out his arm to stop Adelen.

Adelen couldn’t ask twice because his expression was so serious, as if he was going to war, and closed her mouth.

Meanwhile, an unknown sound like a bang or a thud, rang out from inside again.

I don’t know what it was, but it was a violent sound.

Adelen’s face turned a shade whiter every time she heard a

sound from inside.

“M-master, is he…okay?”

“M-master will be okay….”

… Maybe.

Because it’s been like that all his life.

This chapter and the next 9 chapters are sponsored by Amy. Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity 💘💘