Chapter 7
“Young master.”
Contrary to my nervousness, the boy was lying quietly in bed. But that didn’t mean he was okay.
‘…Just as I feared.’
He was drenched in cold sweat, groaning and writhing in pain, breathing harshly.
“…Hrk.”
“Young master, can you hear me?”
Even when I shook his shoulder, there was no response. He was completely unconscious.
Turning my head, I saw a few grapes on the table. Judging by the situation… it seemed like he’d been poisoned.
They acted faster than I’d expected. Leticia always secures multiple pawns as insurance.
It doesn’t matter who succeeds. I thought it would take longer to sway someone. I’d been too careless.
‘He wouldn’t have eaten the grapes.’
He knew Leticia’s methods well enough to be cautious. He wouldn’t eat easily poisoned food. The grapes were just a decoy—perhaps the poison was administered while he slept.
His fingertips were turning purple from the fever. His lips had gone pale. It was a miracle he was even alive with that much poison—probably thanks to his built-up resistance.
“…Haah.”
I didn’t expect it to come to this. My head throbbed.
Now that it had, I had no choice but to save him. If I didn’t, I’d be the one to die. I had to save him to avoid being accused as an accomplice—and killed by the boy.
“Good thing I know this poison.”
After dying to it several times, I’d desperately gathered antidotes. Though I’d gradually forgotten with each repeated death…
Luckily, I still had it stored away. I ran straight to my room, tipped the drawer, and dug through the vials. Among the many antidotes was one labeled “Levitan’s Antidote.”
That was the name of the poison he’d ingested. Since the antidote was also colorless and odorless, I had labeled it.
“This one…”
I grabbed the rolling vial without even organizing the rest and rushed back to his room. I opened the door and hurried to the bed. His condition was still dire.
His forehead burned like fire. Though only a short time had passed, he no longer even had the strength to groan, only letting out ragged breaths.
I uncorked the vial immediately. Supporting his back, I forced open his mouth and poured in the antidote. He grimaced deeply in pain.
“…Keh, cough!”
“Don’t spit it out.”
This is your lifeline.
I knew it was hard, but he had to drink it all. I patted his back as I fed him every drop.
“All done.”
I wiped his lips after he finished and sat by his side.
Fortunately, the antidote worked quickly. His breathing slowly became more even. I placed a wet towel on his forehead, gently brushing his cheek in the process. It was rough, but still soft.
Still just a child. And yet, this life was so cruel for someone like him.
“Why do you even keep living?”
I couldn’t find a single reason for him to keep going. Wouldn’t it be better if he just died? At least I was stuck in a halfway state, unable to live or die…
‘Maybe he can’t die because he’s the protagonist.’
Like me, an extra, maybe he was bound by the same rule. Death always seemed to miss him.
Hesitating, I slowly placed my hand on his neck. If I pressed down now… would he die?
It was the perfect moment to test it. A collapsed boy couldn’t fight back. But… this perfect chance didn’t sit well with me.
In the end, I withdrew my hand. Watching him like this, I just couldn’t muster the will to kill him.
“…Stupid.”
Not just the boy. I felt like an idiot, too.
* * *
The boy recovered quickly. After a while, he opened his eyes.
“Ugh… M-Maid…?”
“You were poisoned. I gave you an antidote, so you’ll be fine soon.”
I rubbed my tired eyes and checked him. He definitely looked much better. He probably wouldn’t suspect me anymore. That was the point of staying by his side.
Of course, it was also to prevent another assassination. But more than that, I wanted him to know I was the one who saved him. That way, he’d stop doubting me—at least for now.
The boy hung his head at my words, biting his lip in frustration.
“Ah… poison… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”
“The one who gave it to you is at fault.”
“Still… I troubled you…”
That’s all he had to say after I saved his life? My already exhausted mind sank deeper.
He’s always apologizing. It was the kind of apology that made you feel worse just hearing it.
“I only did what I had to.”
“B-But…”
“If you’re going to say that, just go back to sleep.”
I pushed him back onto the bed. With the blanket tucked up neatly, he rolled his eyes and looked utterly deflated. His bright yellow eyes glanced up at me, then grabbed my fingertips.
He looked like a puppy.
“Thank you… for saving me…”
His eyes curved as if asking, Was that okay to say? Warmth spread from his small, soft touch.
“It was only natu—”
“S-Still, thank you. I thought… you’d pretend not to see me.”
If I’d ignored him, I would’ve died, I thought. But from his perspective, it made sense.
He must’ve suspected I was also one of Leticia’s planted assassins after seeing me kill one so calmly just days ago.
But now I’d saved him.
‘No wonder he’s surprised.’
I didn’t expect him to say it outright, though. I thought he’d just naively let it go.
I gently removed his hand and pulled the blanket up to his chin.
“I wouldn’t ignore it. I’m your maid, after all.”
Yes, as long as I was his maid, I couldn’t turn away. One way or another, I was going to be involved.
The boy fidgeted with his hands and blushed.
“Thank you… for becoming my maid.”
He smiled brightly, a smile so pure it made it impossible to suspect him of any hidden thoughts.
After saying that, he soon fell back into a deep sleep. His strength must’ve run out.
“….”
Watching the corners of his mouth lift, I slowly stood.
‘What a mess.’
Because I became your maid, I’m trapped in this cycle. Killing and dying, over and over again. And now, you—the cause of it all—thank me.
What an ironic moment.
Neither anger nor joy, but a strange emotion lingered inside me. Even I couldn’t name it.
* * *
Now that the boy had recovered, the only thing left was to find out who poisoned him. That part wasn’t hard.
“He’s alive?!”
“I’m telling you, he is! How?! I thought we handled it perfectly…”
There were no allies of the protagonist in this castle.
That meant no reason to keep secrets—and loose lips.
As expected, after poking around, I found the trail. Two maids—one blonde, one with brown hair—were whispering together.
‘Maids, huh? Must’ve been recent hires.’
The main culprit seemed to be the brown-haired one. She nervously bit her nails.
“Now we won’t get paid…!”
“Why not just try again? This time, we’ll succeed.”
“Do you know how terrified I was? I couldn’t even breathe.”
“So you’re just going to quit? You said you needed the money.”
“Well… yeah, but…”
The way they casually talked about murder was always infuriating.
“You said you used poison?”
“Y-Yeah. Did it while he was asleep…”
I pieced together their conversation. As I suspected, the grapes were just a decoy. The poison had been administered while he slept.
‘No need to hesitate, then.’
I laid out a plan as I walked quietly. I would use the poison I got from the Duchess.
That evening, I visited the brown-haired maid’s room. It wasn’t hard to find—just follow her discreetly.
Once she left, I snuck in. The room had the same layout as mine, so I didn’t hesitate.
After a quick search, I found the perfect item.
‘This water bottle will do.’
I opened the half-full bottle and poured in Leticia’s poison. Colorless and odorless, it mixed seamlessly with the water. No one would suspect a thing.
After confirming it was blended, I left without a trace. As long as she drank it, it was done.
‘Even if I left her alone, the boy would’ve killed her.’
If I’d ignored it, she would’ve come back to kill again. That’s why he always eliminated threats first. If not, he’d be the one to die.
I often killed in his place. He always used me as his shield. Which meant if I left her, I’d likely be targeted too. Eventually, it became a habit to deal with them first.
‘At this point, they should just give up.’
The endless attempts were revolting. So many people still wanted the boy dead. So many, it had become routine.
Maybe this was the system’s doing. Sometimes I wondered. Not that it mattered—I’m just an extra.
The next morning, I headed straight to the kitchen.
“She died? Again?”
“Told you! She’s cursed for sure…!”
“Ugh, gross. I’m glad I didn’t get involved.”
“Me too. If you try, you die—it’s bad luck.”
Even before I fully entered, whispers filled the air.
I was only here to observe, but rumors spread fast. Probably because the dead maid had tried to poison the boy.
‘So they think he’s the killer now.’
Every assassination attempt ended with the attacker’s death. It wasn’t long before people started believing he was some kind of death-bringing monster.
Thanks to that, no one suspected me.
‘Fine by me.’
Girl has lost it