THDR 03

Chapter 3

He rubbed his glasses nervously, furrowing his brows so tightly that wrinkles formed between them. He looked genuinely annoyed at the mention of the Saint.

“Of course we tried! I finally persuaded the boss to meet her, and he just ignored her like she didn’t exist. After all that trouble to bring her here…”

Ever since I’d signed that confidentiality agreement, this man had become a little too comfortable with saying whatever he pleased.

Was he just waiting for this chance or what?

“They say he’s been holed up in his room ever since the Saint rejected him?”

“So I thought… but apparently not.”

That’s… vague.

“You don’t know the real reason?”

“If I did, I would’ve dragged it out of him.”

Fair point.

Still, what worried me was that even the heroine of this world—the Saint herself—had failed to bring Zerbanth back to life, figuratively speaking.

“If the Saint couldn’t help him, do you really think I can? Why me, of all people?”

“While looking for someone suitable, I happened to hear rumors about Miss Titaime of the Angela family.”

There it was again—Tea Time. Why does he keep calling me that?

Is he still sulking because I called him Belt instead of Veilt earlier?

“What kind of rumors, Mr. Belt?”

“Do you remember Miss Hannah Whitely?”

“Oh, Hannah…”

She was my friend—my only comfort back when I lived under the Angela family’s roof, being bullied by William.

‘I never even got to say goodbye when I ran away…’

She hadn’t been in a good situation either, so I couldn’t ask her for help. All I could do was run as far as I could without dragging her down with me.

A bitter smile spread across my lips.

“Do you know Miss Hannah Whitely’s real name?”

“Hannah Whitely.”

“Well, it’s not really my place to say, so let’s skip that. Anyway, she suffered from deep depression when she was young—hurt herself, even. And the one who stopped her and helped her return to the world was you, Miss Tita—er, Tea Time.”

Excuse me, you said it right the first time. Why change it?

“That was just coincidence…”

“No, she’s still looking for you to this day. She says she owes you her life.”

“So that’s why you thought I’d be suitable for the job—because the situations are similar.”

“Exactly.”

Hearing my friend’s name after so long filled me with a sudden longing.

“I probably shouldn’t meet her until this job is done, right?”

“I won’t stop you if you insist. Though, if William catches you in the meantime, I’ll have to decide whether to bring you back or leave you there—depending on the boss’s condition.”

You might as well just tell me not to meet her at all.

“…Then I guess I’ll have to wait a while. She’s doing well, I hope?”

“Extremely well.”

“Would it be alright if I wrote her a letter?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Thank goodness. I’ll write as soon as I arrive.

Ugh…

I’m going to be sick.

The carriage had been racing nonstop for four days. Not a single break.

Why does this world not have teleportation portals or anything like that? If it did, evacuating during a demon attack would be so much easier.

Most importantly, I wouldn’t be dying of motion sickness right now!

At this point, I was praying for someone—anyone—to invent a fast mode of travel. Car, gate, broomstick, I didn’t care.

Clatter!

The carriage jolted violently before coming to a stop. The coachman’s loud voice followed:

“We’ve arrived!”

Finally!

“Let’s get off.”

Mr. Veilt stepped down first, then offered me his hand. When I took it and stepped out, I was greeted by a massive mansion surrounded by a beautiful garden.

The sight alone was enough to chase away the nausea.

The mansion was built in a U-shape and had four stories, though each floor was so tall it felt like more.

“This is the Duke of Destine’s residence.”

“It’s… beautiful.”

I couldn’t help but whisper in awe.

“You’ll be responsible for everything related to the boss from now on,” he said, leading the way. “You’re free to move about as you like—no special permission needed. Serving the boss comes before all else. And if you have any questions, come directly to me.”

“Why did you change from calling me Tea Time to Daqua?”

“Right this way, please.”

So I’m allowed to ask questions, but not get answers?

Following him inside, I found the mansion as grand inside as it was outside.

Antique sculptures and art lined the hallways, while the ceiling frescoes and marble floors exuded quiet luxury and elegance rather than gaudy wealth.

“I’ve already informed the head maid and butler, so you don’t need to greet them.”

“Won’t they think that’s rude?”

“I’m ruder, so it balances out.”

That’s not how that works, sir.

“Oh, and—please refrain from calling the boss ‘Your Grace’ or ‘My Lord.’”

“But… he is a duke.”

“He says those titles make his skin crawl.”

I think the boss is the weird one here.

Maybe it’s because he’s heard that too often running the guild.

“We take more pride in being part of the Eclipse Guild than in any noble title.”

There was a quiet pride in his voice when he mentioned Eclipse. Even his normally icy expression softened slightly.

“In formal settings you’ll have to use his title, of course. But everyone in Eclipse calls him ‘Boss.’ You should, too. Since you’ll be serving him directly, it’s important not to irritate him.”

“Alright.”

I didn’t really care what I called him, so I agreed easily.

We climbed the grand central staircase. When we reached the third floor, a long corridor appeared, lined with tall windows.

The sunlight glimmered off the marble floors, but the deeper we went, the darker it grew—heavy black curtains blocked the light.

Candles along the wall flickered gently, casting a dim path ahead.

Straight to meeting the boss, huh? He must really be in a hurry.

Well, he is paying me enough to keep my mouth shut.

“This way.”

Mr. Veilt stopped before a massive dark-brown door.

Even the door to the recluse’s room was enormous—fitting for a duke, I guess.

Judging by its size, the room inside must be huge. Big enough to lock yourself away for years, even.

“The room next door will be yours. There’s a maid uniform inside; you can bathe and change before meeting him.”

The room was surprisingly large and pristine—fit for a mansion’s master, not a servant.

After a quick, impressed glance, I grabbed the uniform and went to wash up.

When I emerged, fresh and in uniform, Mr. Veilt cleared his throat and raised his voice slightly.

“Boss! I brought the new personal maid I mentioned!”

“…”

“He says you can come in.”

Pretty sure he didn’t say that.

Ignoring my skeptical look, Veilt kindly opened the door for me—unnecessarily. He gestured for me to go in.

It was pitch dark inside. Not even a candle flickered.

Only one spot glowed faintly in the distance.

‘That must be where he is.’

I waved a hand uncertainly, trying to feel my way forward. Veilt sighed and placed something in my palm.

“I forgot to give you this. Glasses. You can see clearly in the dark with them. One of our guild’s proudest inventions.”

“You couldn’t have given these sooner?”

“I’m wearing mine already.”

He’s lucky I’m not the boss—he’d be the one running out of the room.

Still grumbling, I put the glasses on. My vision brightened—not as if it were daytime, but enough to see.

Scanning the room, I spotted a man crouched in the corner.

That faint shimmer I’d seen earlier? It was his hair.

He wasn’t even on the bed—just huddled beside it, his face buried in his knees, arms wrapped tightly around himself.

Even curled up, he looked large. I couldn’t imagine how tall he’d be standing.

Okay. First impressions matter.

I straightened my posture and greeted him cheerfully.

“Hello, Boss! My name’s Titia. I’ll be in your care from now on!”

“…Don’t smile.”

His voice was so small and lifeless it almost disappeared, yet in the dead silence of the room, it carried clearly.

“Boss,” Veilt called again.

Slowly, the man lifted his face. Only his lower half remained hidden behind his knees. Through round glasses, dull eyes stared blankly at me—so empty they were strangely beautiful.

His bangs and glasses obscured most of his face, which only made me want to see more.

Our gazes met, and his pupils quivered slightly.

“…A magician?”

Me?

That came out of nowhere, but I kept my composure.

“Me? Ah, well… in a way, I suppose I am. I’ll be casting the spell of laughter on—”

“Get out.”

Maybe I should follow that kind suggestion and do exactly that.

He was clearly on edge right now.

I decided to step out and take a breather—maybe recover from the long trip—but Veilt caught the door and said,

“Please take good care of our boss.”

Click.

He shut the door—rudely.

“Um, Mr. Veilt?”

Clack, clack.

Did he just… lock it?

“How am I supposed to get out if something happens?”

“There’s a bathroom inside.”

“What if the boss snaps and kills me?”

“I’m excellent at cleaning up bodies.”

Excuse me!? That’s not reassuring!

“Please take care of him until lunch. See you then.”

So… I’m trapped here until lunchtime?

Does he realize forcing someone into a room like this could make them faint?

But I could hear his footsteps fading away. I sighed.

Well, no point panicking. This was a mountain I’d have to climb eventually.

Even Hannah had been terrified at first.

I quietly sat down a little distance away from him. I didn’t speak.

There was no use forcing conversation right now.

Once he got used to having me around, maybe then he’d listen.

So I sat there and started counting numbers in my head.

Which, in hindsight, was a mistake.

Because before I knew it, I’d fallen asleep.