Chapter 9: The Hero’s New Job (8)

　　“Um, so the butler went down to the village to buy some food. If you could just wait a little bit, we’ll have dinner served shortly.”

　　Bowing her head, Daisy looked as pale as if she were the one at fault. But Sedian showed no reaction. He wasn’t getting angry like he usually did, nor did he show any signs of irritation. Daisy blinked her large eyes.

　　“My lord? Are you all right? Are you feeling ill?”

　　“…No. It’s not that.”

　　Ill? Far from it. His body felt great right now. He didn’t know why, but it hadn’t felt this light since he was cursed. To exaggerate, he felt like he could fly. But contrary to his lightweight body, his heart was heavy. It felt like a lead weight was hanging in a corner of his soul. This was probably because of…

　　“It’s been three days since I started touching your body, my lord. How about you finally admit it? That nothing happens when someone touches you.”

　　…that butler, Rei, or whatever his name was, who was trying to prove a point by experimenting on his own body.

　　Sedian sighed and tilted his head back.

　　How annoying.

　　He was filled with complicated emotions. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t grateful to Rei. But if you asked if it was only gratitude he felt, that wasn’t it either. He was grateful, but at the same time, he felt sorry. He was also worried about what would happen if the curse really did transfer and Rei died. For Sedian, who still had no certainty, it was only natural to be anxious. He closed his eyes. The moment he did, the image of the reporters who had recklessly charged at him yesterday unfolded in his mind.

　　“My lord! We have a right to know, too!”

　　“Please answer us!”

　　The moment he heard the reporters’ voices, Sedian felt as if his heart had stopped. Someone died because of me, he thought. They have to report it. Then, what will happen to me? Will I be able to return to the main estate? This time, will my parents really abandon me? Am I really going to be okay? Did I really do something wrong?

　　His body trembled, and fear rose to his throat. But there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t cry, and he couldn’t run away. Revealing his chaotic inner state would only be feeding them fresh bait. So he endured. He endured with an indifferent expression. But inside, he was rotting away. So, without realizing it, he had a weak thought. Help me.

　　…But he himself knew better than anyone that no one would help him. Even though he was the one who had been unjustly cursed, he had been cast out instead of helped. Exiled to this remote country village, left to waste away without any treatment, he could hardly expect help from others. So he thought it would be the same this time, too. Until Rei appeared…

　　“My lord!”

　　With the sun at his back, Rei was running toward him. His hair, the color of a deep, dark night, was tossed in the wind. Because he had run across the garden, petals fluttered with his every step. Lilac petals, kicked up by his feet, scattered in every direction. Strangely, every single detail of that scene came into sharp focus through his blurry vision. In that moment, Rei’s eyes—an enigmatic lemon color in the sunlight—held only Sedian. He knew he would never forget this for the rest of his life.

　　That doesn’t mean I trust that punk or anything.

　　He didn’t know enough about Rei to trust him. On top of that, Sedian knew better than anyone how flimsy trust was. So, he didn’t trust Rei. Furthermore, everything he said was nonsense. Who would believe that someone died just because a room was too dirty? It was reasonable for Sedian to be annoyed.

　　But…

　　He was lying because he was worried about me, so was it too harsh to kick him out?

　　His heart grew heavy again. Unlike Rei, who had acted for his sake one way or another, he had only said nasty things and gotten angry, and that weighed on his mind. Sedian slowly opened his closed eyes. He looked at Daisy, who still had a pale face, and spoke.

　　“Where is the butler’s room now?”

　　“…Pardon?”

　　“Where is the room the butler is staying in? Don’t make me say it twice.”

　　“Ah… he’s currently using the room in the basement.”

　　“Move him.”

　　Daisy was about to ask a question, but quickly clamped her hands over her mouth. She had just been told not to make him say it twice. So she didn’t ask, but her wide-open eyes were clearly asking what he meant. Sedian sighed again.

　　“Move the butler’s quarters to the room next to mine. …That way, he’ll come faster when I call for him.”

　　Daisy tilted her head in confusion, then her eyes widened. Oh my goodness. Our young lord… wants to have someone near him. Wasn’t this the same young man who hated even the sound of footsteps so much that he had all the servants moved to the basement or the first floor? But to have Rei stay on the same floor, in the room right next to his? Daisy felt a surge of emotion. It seemed their prickly young lord was finally starting to open his heart to people. At this rate, maybe he would become kind…

　　“What are you looking at?”

　　Daisy quickly looked away.

　　“I’m done talking, so get out.”

　　A kind master he would not be. Daisy clicked her tongue in disappointment and left the room.

* * *

　　“Ah, yes. One arancini and one osso buco, please. Yes. You can deliver them to the Luciano residence.”

　　After coming down to the village, I placed an order at a rather decent-looking restaurant. Even though it was early evening, the dining hall was quite crowded, so it seemed like it would take some time. I added a request to make it as quick as possible and paid. This area, Bellea, was a tourist destination famous for its beautiful white sand and emerald beaches. So, every summer, it was flooded with tourists, and right now, being early summer, there were people everywhere I went.

　　“Ah, I’m sorry.”

　　Walking through the bustling crowd, I bumped shoulders with an old woman and quickly apologized.

　　“Where in the world are you looking when you— Oh my, it’s all right. What a handsome young man. These things can happen when you’re walking.”

　　The old woman had been about to get angry, but as soon as she saw my face, she smiled brightly. Is a handsome face really all it takes? I deliberately smiled even more brightly and gave the old woman a nod.

　　“Thank you for forgiving my rudeness, madam.”

　　“Rudeness? Not at all. These things happen.”

　　The old woman, with a kind face, asked politely, “But from your clothes, you seem to be a servant of some house? If you don’t mind my asking, may I know which one you’re from?”

　　She must have guessed from the tailcoat I was wearing. That’s why she was asking about my superior. Usually, noble ladies who met like this would introduce themselves, and if they seemed to be of a similar station, they might visit each other’s homes and become friends. Sedian had always been isolated, so it would be good to start opening a path for him to interact with someone. Having made up my mind, I quickly answered.

　　“I am in service to the young lord of the Luciano ducal family. At the country house over the hill…”

　　“Good heavens!”

　　But before I could finish, the old woman took a step back. And that wasn’t all. Everyone around me put two steps of distance between us.

　　“Y-y-you serve that lord? Th-then the curse…!”

　　“Pardon?”

　　“It’s nothing! Anna! Go quickly and get some holy water! Hurry!”

　　I was speechless.

　　Watching the old woman scream at her attendant, I clicked my tongue. No, the curse isn’t contagious like a cold…

　　“W-well then, farewell!”

　　The old woman, who knows where she found the strength, practically ran to get away from me. The other people around me did the same. Thanks to them, I was able to pass through the crowd with a decent amount of space around me, as if I were surrounded by an invisible barrier. I didn’t know whether to be happy or not.

　　It seems the news of the previous butler’s death has spread.

　　It was already unsettling that the reporters hired by the Gray Company knew about the previous butler’s death.

　　But for ordinary citizens to know as well…

　　I had checked the newspapers for the past few days and found no articles related to this. Yet the citizens knew.

　　Someone inside the mansion spread the rumor.

　　In other words, there was someone inside the mansion colluding with the Gray Company. So, who could it be? The chef? The maids?

　　Whoever it is, I have to find out.

　　Having made my decision, I quickly bought a tea table from a furniture store and started walking toward the mansion.