THDR 08

THDR

Posted by Bela, Released on October 9, 2025

Chapter 8

Rustle, rustle.

With the steady sound of breathing and a small weight resting against his chest, Zervant slowly lifted his eyelids.

Usually, whenever he had a fever, his body would feel awful and heavy, leaving him miserable afterward.
But this time was different.
He didn’t feel sticky or drained.
If anything, he felt refreshed — like he had slept deeply and soundly for the first time in ages.
Even the heat that had tormented his body seemed to have completely vanished, leaving him cool and clear-headed.

Reaching for the glasses on the bedside table, he instinctively extended a hand toward the soft, fluffy weight pressing against his chest.

“Mmnn…”

Titia’s sleepy murmur made his body freeze.
The tension in the hand clutching her hair slowly eased.

When he looked down, he saw Titia fast asleep — awkwardly curled against him as if his chest were her pillow.
She still clutched a towel in her hands, probably having fallen asleep while wiping his body.

Her damp hair clung to the back of her neck. Without thinking, Zervant reached out.
His fingertips brushed against the cool sweat on her skin, wiping it away gently.

For some reason, guilt twisted in his stomach — as if he’d done something wrong. He bit his lower lip hard.

Just then, the words she had muttered before he fell asleep flashed through his mind:

“I worked really hard… I hope the Boss praises me.”

“Hah.”

A sigh slipped out, half amusement, half exasperation.

“Praise, she says… barging in here like that without permission.”

Muttering under his breath, he carefully supported her neck and lifted her upper body.
He considered just leaving her on the floor — but in the end, he scooped her up.

Zervant started to lay Titia on his bed, but his arms halted midway.

“It’d be bad if she got the wrong idea…”

He turned toward the door to leave her elsewhere — but his legs stopped cold.
The dark hallway beyond looked like an endless abyss.
He squeezed his eyes shut as a dizzy wave washed over him, his breath suddenly uneven.

In the end, he all but dropped Titia onto his bed and sank down himself.

Sweat soon slicked his face again. His breathing was rough and uneven.

“As if I could go anywhere…”

He couldn’t even step outside.
The realization darkened his gaze. Everything felt pointless all over again.

He pushed himself upright.
“Just… make sure you’re gone before I get out of the bath.”

He muttered the words like a sigh and poked the small beauty mark beneath her lips before heading into the bathroom.

For some reason, the fingertips that had touched her skin burned hot. He clenched and unclenched his fist, trying to shake the strange tension from his body.

“There’s definitely some kind of energy around her…”

He could feel a faint trace of power emanating from Titia again.
At first, he’d mistaken it for mana — thought she might be a mage.
That was why the word “mage” had slipped out of his mouth that day, before he’d realized what he was saying.
And she, oblivious, had started talking nonsense about being a “smile mage.”

“Hah…”

A small laugh escaped him.

“I really must be losing it.”

Closing his eyes, he poured cold water over his head.

When he finally came out of the bath, Titia was gone — thankfully.
Only the rumpled sheets where she had slept betrayed that she had ever been there.

He stared at the creased spot for a long moment, then turned away.

* * *

Whew, that was close.
I can’t believe I fell asleep in the Boss’s bed!

“What should I even say if he asks…?”

Maybe: I was just checking to see if there was anything on the bed?

That might work.

I remembered wiping his body, but everything after that was a blur.
How could I be so exhausted that I crawled onto his bed and passed out?
And I even picked the most comfortable spot…

It was really soft, though.

I just hoped he’d pretend not to notice.
He ate all my peaches, after all. Maybe he’d show me a little mercy.

“Haah…”

“Why the heavy sigh?”

Oh great, Sir Danny. So now you’re curious?
You were acting like I was invisible, and now you run up to me the second you want to know something.

“I did something terrible to the Boss,” I said gravely.

“What did you do?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t tell you for free.”

“Will this do?”

He handed me a gold coin.

I accepted it reverently, holding the beautiful coin in both hands.
“I slept in the Boss’s bed.”

“…I’m telling Veilt.”

He snatched the coin right back.
I reached for it, protesting, “I was kidding!”

He lifted the coin out of reach.
“I know you weren’t.”

“I should be forgiven anyway,” I said stubbornly.

“Probably.”

I blinked. I’d been ready to argue, but Sir Danny agreed so easily.

“If your intentions had been impure,” he added, flicking the coin in the air, “the twins would’ve torn you apart.”

He flipped the coin once more and walked off, looking entirely too cool about it.

Don’t act so dramatic.

“So as long as the twins don’t care, I won’t get fired, huh?”

What a relief.
I almost lost the perfect chance to smack William upside the head.

Actually, come to think of it — if it were Veilt, and he heard I’d slept in the Boss’s bed, he’d probably clap and say I had guts.

* * *

“Titia.”

“Mr. Veilt! Long time no see — I was starting to forget your face.”

He smiled. “Likewise. Here, this is a reply for Miss Hanna.”

I hadn’t expected one.
Just seeing the letter made my heart skip.
After vanishing without a word, I knew she must’ve been worried sick… and angry.

Very angry.

When Hanna got mad, she could curse for hours without repeating herself.
The letter was probably filled with colorful language.

…I wasn’t ready for that.
Maybe I’d read it later.
I carefully tucked the letter into my chest pocket.

“Titia,” Veilt said, “would you like to meet the Saintess?”

“Eh? No?”
I’d seen her face in newspapers enough times — no desire whatsoever.

Even if she was the heroine of this world, I wasn’t interested.
It wasn’t like I had a favorite character or anything.
I just happened to like the personality of that villainous sub male lead. It wasn’t obsession or fandom — just taste.
If another novel had a similar character, I’d switch loyalties without hesitation.

“Congratulations,” he said calmly. “You’ll be seeing her soon.”

No thanks!

“What do you mean? I heard the Saintess was away on an engagement trip.”

“She’s returning soon. She sent word — she wants to meet the Boss before returning to the temple. Hmph.”

He definitely clicked his tongue — though his expression was so composed I almost thought I’d imagined it.

“Then… the male lead — I mean, the Crown Prince — will come too?”

I would have liked to see the two of them together just once, but Veilt shook his head.

“The Crown Prince is too busy to stop by. The Saintess will come alone.”

“Isn’t she busy too?”

“The kingdom’s more stable now, so not as much as His Highness. I wish she were too busy.”

“Do you… dislike her, by any chance?”

“Yes.”

“…Sorry, what?”

I’d only been teasing — but his answer was immediate, dead serious.
Before I could respond, he looked at me and asked:

“Just because everyone else likes her, must I as well?”

“Well… no.”

His sharp tone said enough. He really did dislike her.
So when he’d blamed things on “the Saintess” last time, that hadn’t been a slip of the tongue after all.

“If you dislike her so much, why not just stop her from coming?”

“We’re letting her see the Boss once more — just to be sure. If it fails again, that’ll be the end of it.”

“Did you write something tiny in the confidentiality contract that I missed? Why are you so honest about all this?”

“You worry too much,” he said with a faint smile. “Because we can handle it.”

He said it with such calm confidence that I could only nod.
In any case, if the heroine was coming to see the Boss, there was no reason for me to be anywhere near him that day.

“When she arrives, what do you want me to do? I can just… not be around, right?”

“Well… yes. That would be best. Unfortunately, you’ll only be able to watch from afar.”

Not unfortunate at all.

Stop trying to make me sound like a Saintess fan!

“I don’t need to prepare anything, do I?”

“No. Just stand back and praise the Saintess from a respectful distance.”

He said he disliked her — yet wanted me to sing her praises?

“Sure, fine,” I said drily. “Maybe if I pray for wealth right in front of her, God will finally listen.”

“Hah. You really are remarkable. I might try that myself.”

You seem way more remarkable than me, Mr. Veilt.

“Actually,” I said thoughtfully, “it might be safer if I don’t show my face. Is it really okay for me to be seen by the Saintess?”

William was still searching for me, after all. And I knew perfectly well my looks weren’t exactly forgettable.
The Marquis Kennedy was trying to marry me without even setting a deadline — so if I didn’t know, I’d be an idiot.

Here in the Duke’s mansion I was safe, but if I caught anyone else’s eye, things could get dangerous.

“The Saintess probably doesn’t even know who William is,” I added, “but still, it’s better to be careful.”

Veilt only smiled faintly. “You needn’t worry. No one — not even the Saintess herself — could touch you here. This is the Duke of Destine’s estate, residence of the Eclipse Guildmaster.”

“But legally, William is still my guardian. If he tried to exercise that authority…”

“William Angela wouldn’t dare raise the law against us. He knows better.”

“For the first time, you actually sound reassuring,” I admitted.

“That’s a rare compliment,” he said lightly — and he almost sounded proud.

“…By the way,” he added smoothly, “I heard you slept in the Boss’s bed.”

Sir Danny’s mouth was lighter than a feather — and twice as fast.

“I didn’t mean to,” I said quickly.
I left out the part where the Boss had been sick, of course. His health was none of anyone else’s business.