IATVWAMOLS 58

58. The Double Life of the Household Chore Maniac Villain

Kaien spoke in a sly tone.

“Master, you’re secretly quite the pervert, aren’t you?”

He had only whispered it, but his breath brushed right against my ear. Damp warmth tickled the back of my neck.

My face flushed hot at his brazen words.

“What the—…!”

He pressed a finger to my lips.

“Shh. Raise your voice and you’ll wake everyone.”

As Kaien said, the corridor was silent, everyone else fast asleep.

Every hushed word, every occasional creak of the floorboards sounded far too loud.

If we were caught bickering in the middle of the night while he was half-naked, the aftermath would be disastrous.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

“As you wish.”

He willingly led me into his room.

“Put something on. Quickly.”

I averted my gaze as I spoke.

Seriously, why doesn’t he even think of getting dressed?

I pushed him to hurry, trying to avoid the awkwardness, but Kaien deliberately dragged things out.

“Mmm. I should dry myself first.”

“…Why in the world are you bathing at this hour?”

“That’s rich. You’re the one barging in at this hour, Master.”

When I grumbled, Kaien answered with perfect composure.

And… he wasn’t wrong. I had come to him unannounced. I couldn’t argue further.

“Just get dressed. I won’t look.”

I turned halfway around to face away from him.

Kaien let out a faint chuckle.

“You’re free to look, though.”

“…!”

“Are you embarrassed?”

He came right up behind me without hesitation. Like a puppy begging for attention, he rested his chin on my shoulder.

“I belong to you anyway, Master. Do whatever you want.”

“Who said I’m embarrassed? It’s just indecent, so put something on.”

I snapped back brusquely, on purpose.

At least I wasn’t facing him—because even if my voice could fake composure, my face would betray how flustered I was.

While cooling my burning cheeks, my eyes caught sight of his neatly folded clothes on the bed.

“Here. Put them on.”

I tossed them over my shoulder, and he accepted them without complaint.

“How thoughtful of you.”

As he finally began dressing, I let out a relieved sigh.

“…Haa.”

I hated to admit it, but he had been leading the pace from the very start.

This isn’t why I came looking for him in the first place.

As I waited, I let slip the real question.

“You. Which side of you is the real one—the daytime personality, or the nighttime one?”

Kaien froze mid-motion.

He glanced at me, half-dressed, and replied:

“Master, I’ve been curious for a while now. Just how much digging did you do about me?”

“Plenty. I even learned you’re suffering aftereffects of a certain experiment.”

“Well, well. That’s impressive.”

He clapped twice, but his lips curled into a crooked smirk.

For the first time, cracks formed in that perpetually cheeky facade.

“I was already shocked when you called me by name… but to know that much? I didn’t expect it.”

“Well, I’ve got a reliable informant.”

It was the Administrator, of course, who had told me everything—like reading a bedtime story while revealing terrible secrets.

【Administrator: Once upon a time~】
【Administrator: There were wicked sorcerers performing forbidden experiments.】
【Administrator: Obsessed with their delusions, they used innocent children as sacrifices.】
【Administrator: They believed pure, unstained souls had the highest chance of success.】
【Administrator: They repeated cruel experiments to transplant flawless souls into different bodies, and as a result—】

“…I found out your soul was split into two.”

“Oh? Then I’d really love to meet this great informant of yours.”

Kaien’s red eyes glinted dangerously.

He strode toward me with a threatening air. His shadow loomed over my head.

“Didn’t your informant mention this? No one who learns that truth survives.”

He licked his lips with a serpent’s tongue. Those vivid red eyes gleamed with murderous intent, like a predator locking onto prey.

Bang!

As if struck by an invisible force, he staggered backward.

“Kh…!”

I looked down at him clutching his chest.

“Didn’t I tell you? That collar isn’t for decoration.”

I casually dangled the bracelet set with a magic stone.

“…Ha. Truly befitting my Master—laying down the hierarchy so clearly.”

He let out a rough breath. Then, regaining composure, his face slipped back into its usual easy smile.

“But thanks to this, I understand now.”

“Understand what?”

“The activation conditions for the obedience spell tied to my collar.”

His eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence.

In one swift step, he was before me, one hand wrapping around my throat.

“…!”

He didn’t squeeze, only held lightly. But a little pressure would be enough to choke the breath from me.

“First, physical force without hostile intent doesn’t count as an attack.”

I remembered when we first met, and he had pressed a scalpel to my neck.

Then he released me, only to brush his lips against my nape.

“Second, simple physical contact also doesn’t count as an attack.”

I remembered when he had kissed my forehead.

“But with clear hostile intent, not only physical but magical attacks are reflected.”

“…!”

Fwoosh—

Kaien summoned a tiny flame on his fingertip and flicked it at me. But it bounced back, striking him instead.

He calmly caught it, then blew it out.

My brows knit in alarm.

“So all that nonsense you’ve been pulling… it was just testing the spell?”

To see when obedience magic would trigger?

“Pretty much. But come on, don’t you think you should sympathize a little with someone who was suddenly sold off and collared?”

He shrugged.

Why is every male lead in this world dark-hearted?

“And besides, I became certain of something. With a wealthy, meticulous Master like you, you’re perfect as my business partner.”

“Business… partner?”

Kaien smiled slyly, like a fox.

He had made me an unexpected proposal, but I asked for time to think.

After that midnight encounter, I secretly observed Kaien during the day.

Once I judged his body sufficiently recovered, I decided to start assigning him chores.

After all, I’d originally brought him in as a servant.

To avoid suspicion, I had to present him as a normal servant anyway.

The only problem was… he had no servant experience. I wasn’t even sure he had ever lived in an orderly household.

So until he adjusted, I entrusted his training and management to the head butler, William.

“Don’t worry, milady. The new servant is adapting well to his duties.”

On the third day since Kaien was assigned as a probationary servant, William reported warmly when I asked after him.

“That’s good to hear, but I’m still uneasy.”

“If you’re still concerned, why not drop by during his work hours and see for yourself?”

“…Perhaps I should.”

William said Kaien not only handled his tasks skillfully but seemed personally satisfied with them.

Really?

Who actually enjoys chores? He’s doing them because he has to.

Still, I decided I needed to see it with my own eyes. After lunch, I went to spy on him.

“His first assignment is cleaning?”

“Yes, milady. He should be in the multipurpose room right now. Even as a probationer, his cleaning skills are already on par with the other servants.”

“Seriously?”

Kaien, with that face like he’d never dirty his hands, cleaning?

I can’t picture it at all. Maybe William had mistaken him for someone else?

But the veteran butler wasn’t the type to make a novice’s mistake.

“…Unbelievable.”

Yet the moment I entered the multipurpose room, I had to accept William was right.

Swish, swish.
Scrub, scrub, scrub.

Kaien was hard at work sweeping and scrubbing the floors and window frames.

His newly issued servant uniform was already dust-stained.

His shaggy hair, neatly tied back, revealed his focused expression more clearly.

Other servants worked nearby, but none matched his speed or precision.

He actually looks like he’s enjoying it.

He wasn’t just diligent—his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

Even as he wiped sweat from his brow, his lips curved in a satisfied smile.

It was as if he and the cleaning itself were one.

“He’s working very hard.”

“Indeed, milady. He even skips his breaks, working tirelessly all day.”

That sounded like overwork. Though… the cleaning really was impressive.

I looked on, half worried, half amazed, while William beamed proudly.

“After his shift, he even tidies up the tools perfectly. He takes great care of the cleaning equipment. Such passion is rare among young men these days.”

“Does he do anything besides cleaning?”

“I planned to wait until he was used to it before assigning more, but… as you can see, he’s already quite skilled. I’ll soon give him other tasks as well.”

“I see.”

I nodded and stepped toward the center of the room.

The other servants immediately made way for me—

But one person didn’t notice.

Completely absorbed, Kaien hadn’t realized I’d approached.

I peeked over his shoulder.

“You really like cleaning, don’t you?”

“Wh-what the—?!”

Startled, Kaien flinched.

He’s still wary of me, huh.

The moment I drew near, he instinctively pulled back—though he clutched his cleaning tools tightly to his chest.

“Come on, admit it. You like cleaning, don’t you?”