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

<Episode 189>

 

The first breath was hot.

Until the moment when the bold Rue’s warmth parted my lips, I had no choice but to be entranced, and carried away.

 

Rue’s eyes, which I could see from a distance where our eyelashes touched, were more beautiful than the universe itself. His head, which had been deeply, very deeply kissing and pressing against my lips, gradually lowered towards me.

 

Unable to withstand his weight, my legs gave away, and I almost collapsed on the sand, but Rue didn’t seem to care at all. If I wasn’t mistaken, his lips were moving lower and lower.

 

At that moment.

My heart, which had been beating perfectly rhythmically, like a gear of a cogwheel that had been still for a long time slowly starting to twist, began to throb rapidly.

 

‘No way… Are you going to continue here?’

I felt a sense of crisis like never before. Are we really going to continue?

 

In front of the path of the gods?

When it was like the entire universe was watching?

 

“Are you crazy? You can’t just let me fall right now!”

 

Rue, who had always steadfastly resisted any struggle, hesitated and withdrew as if he had no choice when I bit his lips in a panic.

 

“Why are you so sensitive? I just want to touch my master a bit.”

That dirty, shameless response gave me quite a shock. The Rue I knew was definitely someone who wouldn’t hesitate to do something unexpected and wouldn’t let me get a rebuttal in!

 

“Who are you?”

I stumbled backward slowly, bewildered.

 

The blue-haired Rue I was facing here inside me wasn’t the 22-years-old Rue, but Calepa Rue. But isn’t he behaving like 22-years-old Rue?

 

Rue, with a gloomy expression and arms crossed, replied in a gruff voice.

 

“That’s the stupidest thing you’ve said so far.”

The brief complaint instilled clear conviction in me.

 

‘He’s the 22-year-old.’

 

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be this emotional.

Still, my confusion was justified. Didn’t the Rue in front of me had blue hair, not blonde?

 

‘What happened?’

 

Could it be that he rose to the level of a demi-god in just two days and invaded my soul? Considering that Calepa’s heart was blue, it made sense that Rue’s hair turned blue too…

 

No, whether I understand it or not, Rue, who was currently showing more enthusiasm in searching than me, was suspicious. Especially that expression!

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“You’re really gutsy.”

 

“…Gutsy?”

 

“I knew your guts were big, but I never expected you to be this audacious, Ash.”

 

“What on earth are you talking about?”

 

“Was I that annoying?”

 

It was a ridiculous question.

 

“Why would I find you annoying, of all people?”

 

“If not, why didn’t you mention that I’d have a memory problem?”

“That’s…”

 

Rue looked down at me with a cold gaze when I couldn’t answer.

 

“The feeling of memories related to you slowly fading away… It’s a disgustingly dirty feeling. Well, even this emotion I’m feeling now will soon be forgotten.”

 

Even this emotion will be ‘forgotten’… Even though I already knew that fact, I couldn’t help but feel a slight disappointment. It was all the more so because I knew about his future.

 

“…Did you think I would say that?”

 

Rue smirked mischievously and grabbed me by the waist with one hand. With his strong grip, he lifted me up and led me into the endless desert with sand stretching as far as the eye could see.

 

“I will never forget you, Ash. Within my power that resides within you, I feel like I can store every moment we’ve had together.”

 

“Store?”

 

Wait a moment.

 

‘Could it be that just like Dian’s soul held his memories, Rue’s power can also hold his memories?’

 

Walking with Rue in a daze, I looked around with a blank expression. It was a dry desert on all sides.

 

The path that had stretched towards the universe, like a dream that had been caught, had disappeared without a trace. It seemed that Rue didn’t appreciate my actions of looking around, as he grabbed my head and turned it towards him, speaking.

 

“I didn’t like it when you mentioned something about my future self, or whatever… But this, I like. As expected, the plan you were talking about was pretty useful.”

 

That was certainly a creative idea that even I couldn’t have anticipated.

However, the Rue in front of me was suffering from one great delusion.

 

The Rue who was trying to regain his memories will not become just the 22-year-old Rue who’d become a demi-god, he’d become Calepa Rue. Unlike Rue, who will return to the Kingdom of Astrosa 160 years ago… I will return to the Penrotta Empire 160 years in the future – where my body is.

 

Rue’s memories will probably also be connected only then.

‘…Is it a useless distinction now?’

 

What did it matter even if his memories returned?

Rue used a powerful force that was not allowed in this world and became a god. Although I too had reached the realm of a demi-god, I wasn’t confident I could keep Rue on the land…

 

“It seems like your mind is complicated.”

His voice sounded like a blurry echo.

 

I closed and opened my eyes to concentrate my mind. However, every time I blinked, the world around us became even more blurred.

 

“Rue?”

 

The desert began to crumble. Rue’s new form was the same. He was becoming a flickering light, so distorted that it was difficult to recognize his shape, and disappearing.

 

“I’m sorry, it’s too late. No matter how much you try to outsmart me, you can’t escape from me anymore. I told you, I will chase you until the end.”

 

“Rue!”

 

The faint unease turned into fear and swallowed me.

What if this was the end?

If I can never meet him again from this moment on?

 

“No, Rue! Please come back!”

 

I reached out my hand, half stumbling, trying to catch the disappearing Rue, but it was futile. The gentle starlight I reached out to kissed my hand and whispered.

 

“You can look forward to it, Daisy. The moment I regain my memories will be the real beginning.”

 

At the end of that wish, which was nothing short of a warning, I woke up from a long sleep.

 

* * *

 

The note Ash left that day was short.

 

『Special training for a healthy body.

 

Walk 2 hours a day, run 2 hours, do 300 push-ups, 200 chin-ups, clean windows…

 

Studying is good, but don’t neglect your physical training.

 

Because you’re going to be the world’s greatest healer, Dian.』

 

Dian, who read the handwriting multiple times, which could only be described as cheerful, closed his eyes and reflected on the memo once again.

 

‘…Alright, I’ve memorized it all.’

After closing the notebook, Dian started the new day with a stretch.

 

The wake-up time was the usual 8 a.m. Dian pondered when to incorporate Ash’s advice on “special training” into his daily routine and headed to the pharmaceutical room.

 

After a long snowstorm passed, Ostura Castle’s weather was milder than the summer at Serenier.

 

Ghost Castle.

 

“Haha.”

 

When he recalled the great nickname Ash often called the Castle by, he couldn’t help but laugh. 

Seeing the unusually bright expressions of the soldiers he’d encountered on the way, it seemed that good news had reached the rebel forces, unlike yesterday.

 

“The commander’s fever has gone down a lot. It’s mostly a mild one now. I think he’ll soon regain consciousness. It’s all thanks to you, Dian. You truly are the best healer! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

“Oh, no. I’m even more grateful to you for saying such a thing.”

 

Dian liked this castle.

 

Among them, what he liked the most was that people of all ages, hometowns, and genders had gathered here with a single purpose. Being outside Serenier, he was gradually learning what community consciousness meant.

 

However, the cheerful mood that lasted all day gradually faded after sunset.

 

‘It’s now… 11 o’clock at night.’

It was too late.

When on earth would he fall asleep?

 

Ash would be able to deal with her things more comfortably if he fell asleep even a minute earlier. Worried about this and that, Dian buried his face in the pillow.

 

The next day, Dian woke up at 8 a.m.

But Ash didn’t leave a note today.

 

‘…Well.’

This happened occasionally.

 

Ash was someone who lived a very busy life despite only being given a few hours. Since Dian’s active hours had recently become overwhelmingly long, she had a lot to take care of in a short amount of time, so her schedule was busy.

 

‘Besides, Ash seems to be quite close with the commander of the rebels.’

 

From what Ash said, Ash had been by the commander’s side ever since he fell. According to the testimonies of those around them, the two seemed to get along quite well.

 

‘Are strong people naturally attracted to other strong people?’

 

But wasn’t the other person the former Tower Monster?

 

“Chirp!”

 

Dian felt uncomfortable and scared of the man.

There was no other person as uncomfortable and intimidating as that man in his life. If he were to list the reasons one by one, it would be endless, but beyond trivial grounds, it was accurate to say that his mere existence was uncomfortable. He was a person whom Dian completely applied the expression ‘not compatible since birth’ to.

 

“Chirp.”

 

The same was true even when objectively speaking.

The rebel commander was anything but a match for Ash.

 

Unlike Ash, who was sweet, fun, cool, and like an older sister you would be proud of in any circumstances, that man with the golden eyes was unlucky, arrogant, violent, and of course, handsome too…

 

“Peck, Chirp!”

 

“…Ah! Sorry, Ash. I’ll take you out now.”

He hurriedly opened the cage and took out Ash.

 

As if she didn’t like his belatedness, Ash poked his nails with her yellow beak and started exploring the bedroom with brisk steps. The little Naz hanging from her feet swayed with each step.

 

The next day.

Dian woke up at 8 AM.

 

Once again, Ash didn’t leave a note today.

 

With a worried heart, he left a long message in his notebook. If there was any problem, he asked her to deliver it to him through White. Below that was a short record of what happened today.

 

He hoped that Ash’s reply for him would come tomorrow.

 

But the next day, too.

The next day, Ash left no notes.

 

‘Why?’

 

Why wasn’t Ash leaving any more notes?

Dian sat there in a daze for a while, when a neat new book came into his sight.

 

<Advanced Herbology.>

 

He had brought it with the intention of reading it someday, but he had never actually opened the book even once. He was being complacent; thinking that what he already knew was enough for now.

 

『Because you’re going to be the world’s greatest healer, Dian.』

 

Suddenly, the last sentence of the last note came to mind. Dian grabbed the book as if possessed.

 

He slowly started reading the first page. But before long, large droplets fell onto the crisp pages, disrupting his concentration.

 

“…Hng.”

 

“Chirp.”

 

At that moment, he heard cheerful footsteps, and the bedroom door swung open.

 

“Good morning, Dian! Did you sleep well? The commander finally woke up today…”

 White’s voice remained unchanged, bright as ever.

 

It was a day like any other.

His little hawk was just the same.

 

It was the same as usual… but the days ahead would never be the same.

The moment he realized that, the tears he’d been holding back finally burst out.

 

“Ugh. Sob…”

“Huh?”

 

White, who had been frozen in front of the door with a bewildered face, belatedly rushed over..

 

“Dian? A-are you crying? What’s wrong? What happened? Who made our Dian cry! Who is it! Come out right now!”

 

The frantic shout echoed through the Ghost Castle.

 

Soon, rebels emerged from all directions and flocked like ants to surround Dian. They debated among themselves about the reason behind “how Dian, who is more mature than any adult, ended up crying” and raised their voices.

 

A loud cry spread through the ghost castle.

 

Soon after, rebels from all directions flocked like ants to surround Dian. They raised their voices among themselves, discussing how “Dian, who is more grown-up than an adult, came to shed tears.”

 

However, no matter how much warmth surrounded him, the large hole in his heart could never be filled.

 

Ah, so this was what loss felt like. It was a realization that brought no joy at all.

Ash was gone.

 

Blaming himself for not even being able to say a proper goodbye, Dian continued to shed tears without rest.

 

For a very long time.

---

 

Sobbing with Dian my favorite boy

thought these two chaps should be posted together afterall so