Episode 33
“Ah, it hurts… ugh…”
Hearing a groan of pain, Elysia erased the gravest sin she’d committed from her mind. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things.
“You’re finally speaking properly.”
It had been well over a month since the spell was broken—of course he could talk again.
Duke Partine released Eden’s hair and turned his body toward Elysia.
Elysia quickly composed her expression.
Her eyes widened as if she couldn’t comprehend the situation in front of her.
Elysia had become a master of acting by now, and her expression was flawlessly natural.
“Father. This child is…?”
She even glanced around the annex, pretending to inspect her surroundings, as naturally as ever.
Thanks to that, Duke Partine answered her question without a hint of suspicion.
“From now on, he’s yours to manage.”
“…Manage, as in…?”
Elysia glanced at Eden.
Their eyes met, and Eden smiled sweetly through his tearful gaze.
Even in this situation, Eden smiled at her—his purity horrified Elysia.
‘No, I can’t.’
She quickly averted her eyes from Eden’s.
Unlike her, Eden wasn’t skilled at hiding his emotions. She couldn’t risk getting caught now.
Even so, a part of her couldn’t stop worrying about the handprint left on Eden’s messy hair.
Fortunately, with his back turned, Duke Partine didn’t notice the change in Eden’s expression.
“There was a maid responsible for feeding him, but her mouth was too loose. Couldn’t let her stay.”
“…The servants who went missing a few days ago—surely not…”
“That’s right.”
Duke Partine didn’t elaborate. He didn’t say he’d killed them.
But Elysia already knew what had happened to them.
So she pretended to understand.
“Rather than hiring a new maid, it’s better if you take care of it.”
If he was that desperate, he could do it himself.
Of course, Duke Partine was not the type to take such responsibility. From Elysia’s perspective, it was a relief that he was an irresponsible man.
Elysia briefly grasped her own shoulder before responding.
“You mean I should bring him food…?”
“Yes. And monitor him too. He’s too dumb to run away, but who knows? He might get funny ideas.”
Could he even run away in that state?
Despite her thoughts, Elysia nodded with a submissive expression.
“Yes. I understand.”
He valued Elysia’s obedience and quick wit.
And Elysia knew that.
But this time, she decided it was better to act a little differently.
“But Father, what do you mean by ‘dumb’…?”
Excessive obedience could sometimes raise suspicion. Sometimes, you had to act a little clueless.
Elysia decided that today was one of those days.
“Exactly what it sounds like. He doesn’t know anything, which makes him easier to handle.”
Duke Partine answered bluntly. Yet he didn’t mention that it was Delphir who had erased Eden’s memories.
But anyone in the Empire would know who Delphir was.
So hiding the fact that he used Delphir’s power was impossible.
Not that he was trying to hide it—he just didn’t want to say it aloud.
While quietly analyzing his psychology, Elysia made one more deliberate mistake.
“As you say… but what is he, that you’d go to such lengths…?”
“Elysia.”
As expected, Duke Partine’s sharp voice cut through the air.
He clearly had no intention of answering any questions about Eden’s identity.
“You’re awfully talkative today.”
“…I apologize.”
Elysia obediently apologized and said nothing further.
This made three times she’d slipped up—first during lunch when she mentioned Ariel, and now twice today. It was time to stop.
“If you keep running your mouth, everything you’ve built will come crashing down.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
The one crumbling wouldn’t be her—it would be Duke Partine.
Elysia smiled inwardly but kept her outward expression submissive in the face of his harsh warning.
Even if it meant stomping down her pride again, it wasn’t a big loss for her.
After hearing Elysia’s reply, Duke Partine glanced at Eden standing behind him.
Elysia nearly let out a heavy sigh but silently watched the two with anxious eyes.
Thankfully, Eden wasn’t looking at her—he was looking up at Duke Partine.
His mouth slightly open, he stared blankly at the man.
Anyone would call that a dull, vacant expression.
But Duke Partine seemed to think it was only natural and showed no signs of suspicion.
Elysia pressed a hand to her chest and let out a hidden sigh of relief.
Eventually, Duke Partine walked toward Elysia—not to her directly, but to the door behind her.
Without a word, he opened the door and left, as if he had no more business here.
Elysia stared silently at his retreating back and spoke without even glancing at Eden.
“I’ll come back later.”
When she returned, she planned to gently smooth Eden’s messy hair, with a sense of guilt.
“……”
Eden didn’t respond.
Because Elysia had told him not to.
If she ever came with someone else, he was to pretend not to know her.
Eden remembered her order clearly and followed it to the letter.
“Good job.”
Elysia, easily understanding Eden’s intention, smiled faintly and followed after Duke Partine.
Once the room was quiet again, Eden smiled brightly.
Elysia had praised him because he listened.
That alone filled Eden with joy.
Meanwhile, outside, Duke Partine didn’t immediately return to the mansion. He stood still in place.
An unpleasant feeling washed over him again.
Elysia, sensing something was off, glanced at Lisbeth beside her.
Lisbeth was staring down at the ground, her expression gloomy.
‘Ah… this is…’
Elysia easily guessed what both of them were thinking.
She had foreseen this situation, but she hadn’t expected to witness it directly.
At first glance, it might seem like Duke Partine was waiting for Elysia to come out.
But that wasn’t it.
“Thanks for your work.”
“…By that, you mean…”
“Elysia will handle that child from now on, so you don’t need to come anymore.”
It sounded like he was simply transferring the task to Elysia.
But both Elysia and Lisbeth knew that wasn’t the whole story.
“…Understood.”
Lisbeth responded calmly.
Her voice belonged to someone who had already given up on life.
‘I’m not skilled enough to save someone else.’
Elysia had always thought lowly of herself, so that was the first thought that crossed her mind.
She bit the inside of her cheek without realizing.
“…Excuse me.”
Elysia forced an awkward smile and called out to Duke Partine.
“I don’t want to disobey your orders, but… I don’t think I can monitor him by myself. Time-wise, it’s not feasible.”
Please.
She tasted blood in her mouth.
She was too tense to even notice how bitter it was.
Afraid that Duke Partine might respond negatively, she quickly continued.
“If I’m away too long, others will start to find it strange.”
Even Duke Partine had to admit that it wasn’t realistic for Elysia to watch Eden 24/7.
‘He may treat lives lightly, but he’s a coward.’
That’s why he wanted to dump Eden’s care entirely on her.
If it were the lazy, useless Elysia from the original story, maybe that would’ve worked.
But that wasn’t her.
She had too many responsibilities, and unlike the original, there were plenty of people who’d notice her absence.
“…That’s true.”
Thankfully, Duke Partine seemed to understand and agreed.
Lisbeth, who had been standing beside Elysia, slowly lifted her head.
She looked like someone who had glimpsed a sliver of hope.
“Is this knight the only one here? Anyone else?”
“No. For now, it’s just him guarding this place.”
‘What?’
Elysia almost let her surprise show on her face.
If what he said was true, that meant Lisbeth had killed the previous staff involved with Eden and had been guarding the annex alone.
For 24 hours straight.
‘Are you insane?’
He had told her to take a break, and yet he was overworking himself?
What shocked her more was how normal Lisbeth looked despite it all.
Well, maybe knights really were built differently.
“She seemed capable of handling it alone. But I guess you’re not the same as a knight.”
‘…He’s completely out of his mind.’
He wanted her to do what Lisbeth did just because Lisbeth managed it?
What did he think she was?
If he was going to do that, he might as well have left it to Lisbeth in the first place.
Clearly, he was getting anxious because too many servants had started to break his rules.
‘Coward.’
And greedy on top of it.
“If this one keeps secrets well, then I think it would be more practical to split the watch between us.”
Elysia cautiously offered her opinion and waited for Duke Partine’s answer.
“She’s the only one left now, so I suppose that’s not a bad idea. Better than hiring someone new later who might not be up to the task.”
Duke Partine, calculating the safest option, ultimately accepted Elysia’s suggestion.
As soon as she heard his response, Elysia relaxed the stiff tension in her neck.
She had dodged another crisis.
Elysia thought she had used up all her luck for the year today.
