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

<Episode 180>

 

While Rue was talking to Creon or whatever his name was, I wiped the dirt and snow off my face while still lying there.

 

‘Yeah, this is much better. It’s not even my body, so there’s no need to cause any animosity. If I make trouble here, it could make things more difficult for Dian.’

 

I, too, had a sense of patience, so I knew how to let things go like a mature person. Since Rue, the leader of this army, said something, there won’t be any more unlucky incidents like today.

 

“White.”

The female maid assassin who had been watching from close by raised her right hand at Rue’s call.

 

“Yes, Commander!”

 

“You take care of Dian Serenier. Pay attention to make sure no one bothers him unnecessarily.”

 

“…Me? Does it have to be me?”

 

White, who pouted her lips, soon lifted me up and walked into the barracks. As the entrance to the barracks closed, I quickly got out of her embrace and brushed off the dirt and snow that had stained my clothes.

 

White, who was hovering around, suddenly spoke just as I was about to take off my coat.

“…Right, there are also those who are grateful for your help. For the last two days… since you also helped treat those who were in critical condition.”

 

Did Dian do that?

When I glanced at her, White flinched and grabbed hold of the entrance to the barracks, taking a step back.

 

“Of course, it doesn’t mean I forgive you. Y-Yep. They’re separate things! Yeah. Just, uh, keep that in mind. Yeah!”

 

She recited unasked facts and hurriedly left the barracks as if running away.

‘Treatment… I’m glad I endured it. It would be strange to torment those whom Dian helped again.”

 

However, contrary to my intentions, the patience given to me was short-lived.

Two days later, I found blue bruises on Dian’s back and abdomen.

 

* * *

 

‘Who could it be?’

 

That was the first question I had before carrying out the mission.

When I opened my eyes, the rebels were moving their base, just like yesterday. As a valuable hostage, I was being transported in a carriage and looked outside. The purpose was to weed out the cute little troublemaker who left blue marks on Dian’s body.

 

“Halt!”

Luckily, we arrived at the new camp just before sunset. The place where the carriage stopped was, um…

 

‘A ghost castle?’

A hazy fog enveloped the crumbling castle.. The creaking sound of the old gate opening was enough to hurt the ears. And even the air carried a nauseating smell, for some reason.

 

‘It’s been abandoned for so long that the rebels can use it as their base, I guess.’

 

Well, that worked out well. I could take the opportunity to move my belongings and solve the issue I was pondering.

 

After getting off the carriage, I deliberately bumped into this person and that person as I walked.

 

Among them, there was someone who stared at me with an unusually intense gaze, to the point of grabbing my shoulder.

 

“Be careful.”

It was the assassin who infiltrated the Serenier Castle with White.

 

‘Candidate number 1. He personally experienced torture in the dungeon of the castle, so he must be quite vindictive.’

 

Did this guy leave bruises on Dian’s body?

I couldn’t be sure. But if I were a rebel who held a grudge against Dian, wouldn’t I be more active than anyone else if Dian caused a commotion?

 

I silently stared at the sword at the servant’s waist, contemplating, and then asked him to duel.

 

“Let’s have a match.”

 

“What did you say?”

 

“Let’s spar.”

 

When he discovered the sword I’d stolen, the assassin’s gaze on me changed.

He had keen eyes. I moved towards the less crowded side of the castle wall and called out to the assassin.

 

And we fought.

 

“Ugh.”

 

He was worse than White.

I couldn’t even exchange a few moves, but the servant flew through the air like a piece of paper and crashed into the castle wall. Some of the onlookers who had been secretly watching rushed forward to support him.

 

“What are you doing, Dian Serenier?!”

“What do you think? It’s a duel. Do you want to charge at me this time?”

“What?”

 

I turned my throbbing shoulder with a slight shrug and added a remark.

 

“I’m like a thorn in your side, aren’t I? You can’t stand seeing the child of Serenier, your enemy, accompanying you.”

 

“…”

 

“I won’t go tattling to the captain, and I’ll deal with the repercussions on my own. So come at me. If you’re scared, run away.”

 

It was a light provocation, but the response was quite enthusiastic.

Candidate number 2.

 

“Ha!”

 

“Next.”

 

…Candidate number 5.

 

“Ugh.”

 

“Next.”

 

…Candidate number 9.

 

“Uh, ahh!”

 

“Next.”

 

That’s how it went until I reached the 11th candidate. Feeling a strange sense of Deja vu, I had to stop my movement with candidate number 12 in front of me.

 

…What’s going on?

 

‘These guys, they don’t have eyes burning with vengeance or resentment.’

I didn’t like the condition of the warriors lined up to face me with their swords.

 

I thought only a few of them seemed strange when I caught their eye, but when I looked at Creon, the main culprit of the situation from two days ago, he had a completely different gaze than expected. There seemed to be more than just a few issues.

 

What’s with that excited expression when your friend showed such an ugly defeat?

 

Why are you trembling so nervously?

 

Why are you gripping your sword tightly with a tense face?

 

“Dian Serenier!”

 

At that moment, White came running from not far away.

With a pale complexion, she rushed over and anxiously assessed the situation before asking.

 

“W-Why is this happening all of a sudden? Huh? Weren’t you just preparing the anesthetic in a separate carriage? What happened?”

 

I had no intention of hiding the reason for my actions.

Instead of answering, I took off my coat. When a skinny girl stripped off her clothes, the previously quiet surroundings became noticeably noisy.

 

Just as White was about to lift me up with a bewildered expression, I exposed my back and scolded her.

 

“I got this on my body this morning. Should I endure it?”

 

“….”

 

“Do I have to quietly endure it even if I get beaten up?”

With a surprised look, White examined my back and hesitantly responded.

 

“I-I understand what you’re saying, but… isn’t this… a bruise that appeared on the first day, not today?”

 

“…The first day?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“…How do you know that?”

“Because I heard it directly from you? Huh?”

 

What, it’s not a new bruise?

It was a bruise that appeared before Rue warned me?

 

“Ahem.”

 

I think… since I rarely check Dian’s bare body… so this misunderstanding…

 

I cleared my throat and looked around, and the atmosphere was undeniably heavy. If it wasn’t just a misconception, this silence wasn’t simply out of sympathy or reflection.

 

Curious, I touched my back and felt rough traces with my fingertips.

 

‘The scars.’

 

I hurriedly tried to pull down my top again.

However, the tightly held clothing didn’t budge. As a chilling coldness washed over me, I instinctively turned my head.

 

“A whip.”

 

“…”

 

“Are they from Rovski Serenier?”

 

Rue, who I didn’t know when he arrived, was behind me, kneeling on one knee and staring at my back.

 

I questioned, lowering my shirt with an awkward expression on my face.

 

“Rovski. Who’s that…?”

“The Head.”

 

I quickly put on my coat again and pondered for a brief moment.

‘Can I reveal Dian’s personal life on my own?’

 

Even if I was present at the scene, it was only for a day, wasn’t it? For Dian,  the person involved, it might be a trauma he never wanted to let others know about.

 

‘Yes, it could be trauma.’

And yet, I exposed that trauma to the public. Wasn’t I complete trash for it? I am trash. I am garbage… I replied with a droopy voice.

 

“Not the head.”

 

While stroking his chin, Rue stared at me with a strange expression and soon grabbed my hand.

 

Pushing through the crowd of soldiers, laborers, cooks, and others, we quickly made our way up the stairs nestled between the buildings for nature. Rue continued to gaze at me with that strange expression.

 

“…Why are you staring at me like that?”

 

“Because I like it.”

 

“What?”

 

“I don’t think you’d die easily even if you were thrown into a ditch.”

 

That came out of nowhere. Of course, I’m not one to easily die in a ditch…

 

“Are you a follower of Rogue?”

A follower of Rogue?

 

“Dian Serenier is a healer.”

And Daisy Fager is trash.

 

Perhaps not pleased with my answer, Rue looked at me with an irritated gaze and spoke.

“How many times do I have to explain that when I say ‘you,’ I’m not referring to Dian Serenier?”

 

Was it because of the penetrating gaze that saw through me, or was it just my imagination that the back of my neck suddenly felt hot? Even if I tried to pull my hand away, it felt like he was holding on even tighter, so I couldn’t protest for long.

 

“I-I’m not a follower of Rogue. And I’m not someone who would harm you or the rebels, so you can relax.”

 

“Then who are you?”

 

“….”

 

“You have so many secrets. What a joke.”

 

Ugh. Put yourself in my shoes, Rue. Could you easily reveal everything?

As we reached the quiet courtyard with no one around, I remembered something that I had completely forgotten over the past few days.

 

‘Oh, right. What about Rue’s wounds?’

 

Weren’t the trail of his torture left as clear on his back as Dian’s?

“Perfect timing, Rue. Sit over there for a moment and roll up your clothes. Let me check your wounds.”

 

Rue’s eyebrow twitched.

Instead of undressing as I requested, he bypassed the courtyard and walked towards the back of the castle. Beyond the gloomy courtyard covered in fresh white snow, there was a lake that was neither big nor small.

 

No, it wasn’t a lake.

‘Wow, there’s a hot spring here?’

 

I felt like I knew why this ghostly mist surrounded the area. It wasn’t mist; it was steam generated by the hot spring water!

 

However, I didn’t have the luxury to leisurely enjoy this fantastic scenery.

 

Rue, who had been walking leisurely, suddenly started undressing. I had seen him without his upper body clothing countless times, but I couldn’t help but be surprised at this moment. He was even about to take off his bottom.

 

“W-Why are you taking off your clothes?”

“You told me to, didn’t you?”

 

At his annoyed response, I realized a new fact that I hadn’t recognized before.

Rue doesn’t know that I’m a woman.