The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health

Chapter 9

Aida, the terminal maid at Halbern Manor, was having a bad day.

Nothing seemed to go right. She’d been chastised by the head maid, and the senior maid had been particularly nasty today.

The murderous atmosphere of the manor was still alive and well, starting with Mehen and Arellin, and naturally, those below her had to be careful not to stumble and offend. The frustration was building, and it was about to explode.

“It’s all her fault!”

Maids are strictly forbidden to talk behind their backs, but what’s the point if they’re not caught?

Whenever they could, they would gather and gossip.

Who’d lost their hair, who they’d seen secretly flirting with whom.

From the mild-mannered butler-maid from Ernst, to Mehren, the most powerful man in the manor, to Arellin, the sole owner of the manor.

“Hey, did you hear this?”

The young, blemished master was a regular customer of theirs.

‘She’s no big deal.’

Besides, it was clear that this stupid, inadequate young owner wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, even if he was being abused right in front of him.

“You’re so stupid. Isn’t she a mojiri?”

“So you’re going to be called a halfwit. Why would you call me a halfwit?”

“If it were me, I’d be furious and run to Mehen and tell him to cut it off.”

“Since you can’t do that, it’s no wonder you’re looked down upon by us lowlifes~”

Even if they were noble blue blood, they were still human.

They hurt, they cry.

Arellin held it in. She didn’t want to worry the people who cared about her, and she thought she could handle it.

So the maids’ gossip grew bolder by the day.

Some of the maids even took pleasure in the fact that they could openly try to persecute the blue-blooded nobleman and suffer no consequences.

But how did it come to this?

“Who…?”

Aida was dumbfounded by the strange child before her.

She could tell he was a noble, but she couldn’t tell who.

But she did know one thing.

They were screwed.

She knew she was in the wrong place.

“Kneel and be respectful, this is not a man you can look up to.”

At Graham’s command, the maids immediately fell to their knees and bowed their heads. Obedience in their bodies. They ate up their fear.

“Your Highness, you may speak.”

Your Highness?

The maids rolled their eyes.

“I, Your Highness, what is it?”

Arellin had no close friends.

They knew her better than anyone.

But suddenly the crown prince? It didn’t make sense. The crown prince had visited once before, but only to apologize.

‘Then why come again!’

Pession demanded, offended.

“What makes you think you have the right to question me?”

“…!”

“I ask the questions.”

Young or old, imperials are imperials.

The arrogant air of one who had been ruler since birth dominated the room.

The maids froze at the presence of Pession, who took control with such ease, and the Highness of Graham, who served him.

“I wonder what you were just talking about.”

The maids rattled.

“So, who doesn’t know the subject?”

They instinctively knew they shouldn’t open their mouths here.

A chill ran down their spines.

The maids suddenly realized what they were in for.

‘Do it wrong, and you’ll die.’

A chill ran down their spines.

***

Ever since he was born, Pession had been surrounded by people.

People to like, people to praise, people to befriend, people to give allegiance to, people to keep in line.

People, people, people.

So many desires they harbour. He was naturally used to human desire, but never like this.

Malice.

The evil intent to hurt someone, to bring them down.

For the first time in his life, he felt a cold chill in his heart at the malice towards others.

“Why are you suddenly silent? Did you have your tongue cut out or something? Weren’t you talking just a moment ago?”

Peshion had never been truly angry before, but now he was.

The maids, struck by the unrefined flesh of the prospective Swordmaster, could only shudder, unable to speak.

The uproar quickly spread throughout the mansion. The nurserymen arrived at the center of the commotion.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.”

“Shhh.”

The more people gathered, the more the maids trembled with fear.

On the other hand, Prince Pession, the party causing the disturbance in the middle of someone else’s house, was very confident. As if it were his own house.

“What’s all the fuss about?”

Eventually, Mehen arrived.

Graham wanted to slap his forehead; the imperial dignity of barging into the mansion unannounced was beyond him.

Still, Graham didn’t stop the crown prince because he knew the situation was manageable.

‘I’m glad it was an accident.’

In the grand scheme of things, the crown prince could have punished the maids as he pleased and informed Mehren later, but he could see why there was such a fuss.

‘It’s the nature of outsiders to do other people’s chores.’

A crown prince is a crown prince.

Instinctive behavior, even if it’s not the political calculus of canceling debts. Pession may have been a bully, but he never crossed the line.

“Why is His Highness the Crown Prince here…”

Frowning at the sight of Pession, who shouldn’t be there, Mehen’s gaze landed on Graham and the kneeling maid, respectively.

“Sir Mehen!”

The terrified maids’ faces turned pale. If the Crown Prince was an unfamiliar terror, Mehen was one they knew better than anyone.

“Huhuhu, hmph.”

The terrified maids began to cry as the situation spiraled out of control.

Eventually, even Arellin appeared at the commotion that filled the manor.

“What’s going on?”

As soon as Arellin appeared, the maids’ faces changed. In unison, the maids bowed their heads towards Arellin.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please help me, my lady! Forgive us, forgive us, forgive us.”

“Lady, forgive me!”

A maid did the same, falling to her knees and banging her head as she began to beg.

“Ha, funny.”

Pession scoffed.

“You think begging is going to do anything now, you fool. Don’t you realize that you’re so stupid that you’re going to call your master a Mojiri half-breed in the privacy of the mansion?”

“-!”

Astonishment erupted from all sides.

The maids and butlers outside the nursery, even Mehen, frowned.

Except for one person, Arellin.

“What’s that?”

“…”

“…”

Arellin’s calm retort drew a look from the Nursery and Mehen.

“Has this happened to you before?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Not really, you’re not wrong.”

“…”

Mehen’s face crumpled into a grimace.

A moment of uproarious confusion.

“Enough.”

With a deep sigh, Mehen ran a hand through his hair.

“Everyone get back to your room.”

When Mehen stepped forward, exuding an even colder aura than usual, the commotion began to clear up.

“What shall we do with these maids?”

“Throw them in jail. I will interrogate them personally.”

***

Mehen glanced at the crown prince and Graham, but said nothing more.

…Graham was more afraid of that, though.

“What on earth is he going to do with them later?

Instead, it was Mehen’s aide, Dylan, who greeted them.

“I apologize, Your Highness, for the unseemly sight.”

“You do realize it’s an unseemly sight, don’t you?”

“I was surprised to find you here unannounced. I would have greeted you differently if you had called ahead.”

“Hmmmm. That’s…”

Pession coughed as he remembered why he had been allowed to waltz into the mansion without announcing his arrival, a euphemism for ‘if you hadn’t shown up unannounced, we wouldn’t be seeing this.’

Pession’s gaze turned to Arellin, who was still surrounded by the nurserymen.

“Anyway, I hope this is handled well. I’ll be watching.”

“Yes. With Sir Mehen eyes on it, it won’t be handled half-heartedly.”

With that, Dylan wished the maids well.

It wouldn’t really kill them, but it would give them a better life.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go back to…”

“Arellin!”

As soon as she showed any sign of turning back, Pession rushed towards Arellin.

Looking at Dylan, who had gone rigid with a grin on his face, Graham patted him on the shoulder.

“Sorry about that.”

“You’re in a lot of trouble.”

“Hahaha.”

The two men exchanged silent consolations and then sighed heavily.

The master were the problem, after all.