The Peaceful Life of a Maid Who Hides Her Power and Enjoys It

<Episode 168>

 

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself standing in the middle of a desert.

 

Let’s see, how did I end up here?

“Probably because that child said <Don’t die, Ash…>”

 

Ah.

 

“Damn it.”

 

Yeah, the relics were activated, weren’t they? But why did I end up in this desert? And it didn’t even feel like my body or soul had been healed.

 

The only thing that had changed was that I had returned to my original form as Daisy.

 

“Could it be that I’m dreaming right now?”

 

“This isn’t a dream.”

 

Gasp.

“Y-You scared me!”

 

I checked behind me and let out a relieved sigh when I saw Rue standing there. So, it wasn’t a dream?

 

“Then how are you here?”

“It’s not just a dream, this place is basically inside you.”

 

So that’s what he meant.

‘Inside me.’

 

While I was wondering what to do, I heard a faint voice coming from beyond the sand dunes.

 

[…Then I will proceed like this…]

 

I turned around and saw a wall. It was a wall so long that I couldn’t see its end.

 

[…Miss, are you okay…?]

 

Miss?

 

I looked back at Rue again. Just like when we met in my dream the other day, he had an expressionless face that made me feel suffocated.

 

‘Rue can’t hear that sound.’

 

Something was suspicious.

 

“Rue, let’s go towards that wall.”

“Why do we have to do that?”

 

Was this really Rue’s sense of reason? He was nitpicking for no reason.

 

“I can faintly hear voices of people from over there. It could be Dian Cecht’s call.”

While observing Rue’s face, which reluctantly agreed with my words, I reached out my left hand.

 

“Hand.”

He looked at my hand with a sullen look and then calmly extended his hand.

 

‘Look at those sour eyes.’

I really can’t let you go. Feeling somewhat grumpy, this time I spread my arms wide and demanded.

 

“Pick me up.”

 

Hmph. This time he’s showing reluctance. But it seems like his emotions haven’t been completely suppressed like I thought.

 

Even though he showed his displeasure, Rue didn’t refuse my request. I leisurely crossed the desert while being carried on his back.

 

But there was one advantage.

 

‘I feel like I’m better at dealing with him than the real Rue, maybe because I’m aware he’s a being of reason, instead of an actual person.’

 

Hmm.

 

“Rue, call me master.”

“That day won’t come until I die.”

 

He was even being reasonable to an unnecessary degree.

 

“By the way, this will be excluded from the three meetings, right?”

“There is no reason to exclude.”

 

Ah, seriously, so unnecessarily rational!

 

“How can that be? You said this wasn’t a dream, right? Then don’t include it in that damn farewell practice or whatever!”

 

“But we did meet.”

 

“Listen carefully, Rue. Your argument is illogical. Think about it. What if we meet here again next time, and the time after that, and the time after the time after that? Since the three meetings would already have happened, are you just going to abandon me in this desert and leave me to die? Huh?”

 

He was speechless. Sensing this was an opportunity, I pressed him even more.

 

“Did Rue leave you with me to do that? No, he didn’t. He left you to take care of me, not make me sad. Are you going to abandon me here to starve to death and just leave like that? Are you really going to do that?”

 

He remained silent, and I was so frustrated that I bit his shoulder.

 

“Answer me!”

 

“…I’ll do as you say, so let go of my shoulder.”

 

Good, keep being obedient like that. I gently rubbed the skin that had faint teeth marks on it with my cheek.

 

“Do you really find it that good?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Well, because I can stay with you longer.”

 

“….”

 

“Because I like you.”

 

“….”

 

“I like you more than anything else in the world.”

 

I spoke as if I were possessed, but my mouth was still bitter.

 

I couldn’t say these things when Rue was next to me. I should have expressed my feelings more often. I was only regretting it now that it was too late.

 

Not long after, we arrived at the wall. But…

 

‘What’s that?’

 

Inside the wall, there was a painting, no, a person moving.

 

‘Is it because it’s not real? I’m seeing all sorts of things.’

 

The person in the center of the wall appeared to be the daughter of a high-ranking person. A maid approached her as she sat quietly, reading a book and spoke.

 

“Miss, Lord Serenier requests your presence.”

 

Serenier.

A familiar name. The girl left the room with a gloomy expression on her face.

 

From then on, the girl’s ordinary daily life continued. She met her father, who seemed to be Lord Serenier, had meals, and mixed strange potions before falling asleep…

 

Well, it would’ve been ordinary if it weren’t for this weird wall.

 

“Who is that girl?”

 

“Dian Cecht.”

 

…What?

Who did you say that was?

 

“You’re lying, right? Did you say that girl is Dian Cecht? But she’s a girl? Besides, she was clearly called Serenier…”

 

In response to the barrage of questions, Rue calmly answered.

 

“It’s a local tradition. In each generation, they have more than ten children, and among them, the physically weak ones are raised as the opposite gender until they turn 18. With the intention to deceive the devil from taking the child away.”

 

“Devil?”

 

“The reason the Serenier family practices this is because most of the children used to die when they were young.”

 

That was a pretty morbid custom. Rue added briefly.

 

“Even if they survived, some of them had no choice but to live with a sick body for the rest of their lives. People considered the disease a devil’s curse and tried to protect the children.”

 

So, does that mean Dian’s real surname wasn’t Cecht but Serenier?

I looked back at the wall. A family dinner was starting. The atmosphere wasn’t particularly cheerful.

 

Cough, cough.

 

Dian often had dry coughs.

When I looked at him like this, he was definitely not a girl but a boy. The width of his shoulders couldn’t be hidden even under thick winter women’s clothing, or the structure of his fingers.

 

I surveyed the dining table. Dian had five brothers, and he was sitting in the fourth seat.

 

‘He’s definitely very small for his age. Not only is he short, but his complexion isn’t great either.’

Dian’s father, the head of the Serenier family, raised his glass and called out to Dian.

 

[Soon, ‘that slave’ will be sent to you. You remember, right?]

 

[Yes…]

 

[Make sure there are no disruptions in the preparation. This slave is very precious and will fulfill our wishes. Do you understand?]

 

[Yes.]

 

Dian was a very quiet boy.

There was little conversation among the family, the amount of food consumed was minimal, and emotional expressions were almost nonexistent.

 

The only time he smiled was when he dealt with the young hawk he raised in his bedroom.

 

[I’m fine, Ash. Even if I don’t like it, what can I do? It’s something I have to do.]

 

‘That’s that Ash!’

Dian, with a bitter smile that didn’t match his age, gently stroked the beak of the young hawk.

 

[…But must I really do this? Was I only born to create poisons that kill and torture people?]

 

[Bweaaak!]

 

[Yeah. There’s no point asking you that. I’m so weak right now that I can’t even pass through that winter forest.]

 

His dry gaze turned towards the snow-covered forest outside the window.

 

[It’s worrying, Ash. Can I manage ‘that slave’ well for a month? Haha. I heard they’re really rough… I’m not confident.]

 

It was a sad sight in many ways.

What kind of family makes a boy that age make potions that seem to be killing people?

 

‘Serenier. I only knew it as a family managed by Rue.’

 

I had another question.

‘How long do I have to keep watching this?’

 

Was Dian Cecht’s legacy… just a way to show Dian’s own past?

That’s when it happened.

 

[Haa, haa…]

 

Dian suddenly started breathing heavily.

His complexion wasn’t just pale; it was turning blue. His fingertips and lips turned white, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably, collapsing to the floor.

 

‘W-what? What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?’

Startled, I approached the wall and observed Dian’s condition closely.

 

[Someone, please help me…!]

 

The moment his cry reached me.

 

Thump…

 

Thump…

 

I slowly put my hand to my left chest. Was it a reaction to Dian Cecht dying? My heart was beating very strongly.

 

Thump…

 

Thump…

 

The powerful resonance suddenly created a loud vibration.

Suddenly, a white line shot out from my heart. The long line started to coil into a circle, eventually forming a massive sphere.

 

As I looked closely, I found that it turned into a white mist filling the cracks of a shattered bead.

 

“This is… my soul, isn’t it?”

 

I reached out my hands and grasped the soul that was pulsating vigorously like a living heart.

 

At that moment.

The form of the soul slowly crumbled and began to take on a new shape. The mist became the shattered bead, and the shattered bead turned into mist.

 

Now, it was Dian Cecht’s soul that was broken.

It was my soul that was supporting that shattered one.

 

‘Why is this…?’

I stared into the wall again.

 

Dian dying.

Me, who was watching over Dian.

 

And what connected us was…

 

“Soul.”

 

Whoosh.

A pitch-black swamp appeared on the wall.

Silently, the expanding swamp swiftly sucked in my soul and body at an unbelievable speed. What was this!

 

“Rue!”

Rue hastily grabbed my arm, but ultimately couldn’t overcome the power of the swamp.

And so, I was sucked into the wall.

 

* * *

 

I felt nauseous.

That was the first impression I had when I woke up in a bed after what seemed to be a long time.

 

My whole body throbbed. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw a blurry sunlight streaming through the window. Everything else was unfamiliar. The texture of the bed, the structure of the ceiling, and even the air…

 

“…Miss?”

 

Even the voice I heard was unfamiliar.

I turned my head.

 

A maid with a startled expression was at my bedside. With her eyes wide open and her mouth covered, the maid soon let out a scream and ran out of the bedroom.

 

“Oh my god, Miss D-Dian is awake! The young lady has woken up!”

 

Miss Dian.

‘Am I Miss Dian..?’

 

No, I am not Dian.

I am Daisy Weatherwoods.

 

I was born as Ash, once a hero, and once a maid, but now I am an unmarried woman called Viscount Weatherwoods. 

 

Why was I being called Dian, though?

I truly have no idea. I really don’t know.

But there’s one thing I can be certain of.

 

I’m screwed.

---

 

 

OOPSS

So Daisy’s soul is actually the one supporting Dian Cecht’s? This is all so confusingg and I want to know moree

 

Loved to see the comments, was worth it, hehe