IBMDF 17

Chapter 17

“It’s the blind maid.”

Soon, I heard a voice reporting my identity to someone.

I hadn’t heard it often, but I recognized the owner immediately.

It was Benjamin, the butler who managed the duke’s estate.

But why was he suddenly here…?

“Butler, what brings you here?”

“Is the young master in his room?”

“Yes.”

As soon as I answered, another set of footsteps slowly approached.

For some reason, the sound of those shoes carried both composure and authority.

Instinctively, I stepped aside.

There was an overwhelming feeling that I shouldn’t stand in this person’s way.

The person stopped in front of me and asked,

“What is Kallios doing right now?”

A low, heavy voice that seemed to sink into the floor.

Somehow similar to Kallios’s voice, yet carrying far greater pressure…

Ah.

I quickly took a few steps back and bowed deeply.

The duke.

“Y-Young Master is resting in his room at the moment.”

“Guide me inside.”

The Duke of Levanyon ordered.

My heart dropped.

‘This is strange.’

In the original story, the duke never came looking for his son first—not even until Kallios chose to leave his room on his own…

So why had he suddenly come now?

“Then… I’ll guide you to Young Master’s room.”

I spoke while trying to hide the tremor in my voice.

Even though they were father and son, Kallios and the duke felt completely different.

Kallios could be prickly, but sometimes he showed warmth and humanity.

The duke, on the other hand, radiated coldness and severity through his voice alone.

The kind of person who seemed capable of ruining your life if you displeased him.

I should avoid drawing this man’s attention whenever possible.

When we arrived in front of Kallios’s room, I said to the duke,

“Um… from here on, the lights need to be turned off. Instead, if you hold my arm, I can guide—”

Before I even finished speaking, I felt a hand grip my arm tightly.

The duke had seized my arm without hesitation.

“Move.”

He spoke curtly.

His attitude made it seem as though he regarded me not as a person, but as a tool for navigation.

I feel like a human walking stick.

I heard Butler Benjamin extinguish the lights.

I opened the door and guided the duke inside.

Then I quietly called out to Kallios.

“Young Master.”

Immediately, I heard the rustling sounds of Kallios still busy at the table.

I informed him of the duke’s visit.

“Master has come.”

The next moment—

Thunk.

A basket dropped to the floor, and Kallios sprang up from his chair.

“Father?”

His voice held both shock and confusion.

“Kallios.”

The duke’s voice echoed quietly through the room.

“It’s been a while.”

“…”

After exchanging flat greetings,

an unbearably awkward silence settled between them.

Wow… how can a father and son be this stiff? Even I’m uncomfortable watching.

Well.

In the original story, the distance between them never truly closed, and eventually Kallios personally stripped his father of his title.

Compared to that ruined future, this moment was merely a mild preview.

Still, if I stayed here any longer, I’d suffocate too.

“U-um, I’ll wait outside.”

The duke wouldn’t be able to see anyway, but I politely bowed toward him before leaving the room.

Whew. I can breathe now.

Although I’d escaped the awkward atmosphere, I was personally curious about what the two would talk about.

Especially why the duke had come.

Knowing it was pointless, I pressed my ear against the wall.

But then…

Kallios and the duke’s conversation sounded surprisingly clear.

“—”

As if I were standing inside the room myself.

What? Was this place built poorly or something? Why does sound leak through the walls this much?

Even while secretly clicking my tongue, the duke’s low voice reached my ears clearly.

“…A letter arrived from the academy.”

Ah.

It seemed the letter we had waited for had reached the duke before Mr. Brandon.

“It said your substitute report passed evaluation.”

From beyond the wall, I could sense Kallios’s surprised yet relieved breathing.

“It also mentioned that if attendance continues to be replaced with reports, graduating should pose no issue.”

“…”

“How did you send the report? The academy uses magic to detect forgery and ghostwritten documents. Anything written by someone else should have been filtered out.”

The duke sounded genuinely curious.

Just as Kallios was about to answer, the duke interrupted.

“Well, the method doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you’ve shown the will to fulfill your duty as heir.”

The duke smiled faintly.

“If you’re willing to abandon weakness and stand on your own, I can overlook any illegal means or shortcuts.”

“No, Father. I didn’t use anything illegal or improper.”

Kallios immediately denied the assumption.

“The reports sent to the academy were all written by my own hand.”

“…Yourself?”

The duke’s voice carried deeper disbelief than ever before.

“Lizzie found a way for me to write reports. My maid.”

At the sudden mention of my name, I jerked my ear away from the wall.

What? Suddenly. There was no need to tell the duke my name too.

I was calming my startled heart and about to press my ear back against the wall when—

“Ahem.”

I heard Butler Benjamin clear his throat nearby.

“When exactly did you start eavesdropping?”

“Ahaha…”

With no choice, I awkwardly laughed and stepped away.

* * *

“…I see.”

After hearing the entire story from Kallios, the duke murmured quietly.

“If all of this is true, then there’s no reason for you to remain in this pitch-dark room any longer. I’ll speak with my aide and arrange for defective magic stones to be supplied as soon as possible.”

The duke promised readily, as though such a thing was easy for him.

“What about Lizzie?”

“What?”

The duke raised an eyebrow at his son’s question, offered instead of thanks.

“If it weren’t for Lizzie, graduating from the academy would’ve been impossible for me.”

“…Right. Then after rewarding that maid sufficiently, we’ll send her back home. Once the magic stones arrive, there’ll be no need for a blind person to continue attending to you.”

“No. Please let Lizzie remain here.”

Kallios spoke firmly.

“I may be able to brighten the room with magic stones, but my illness isn’t fully cured. I’d like to keep her nearby in case something happens. If possible, as my personal maid.”

At those words, the duke’s eyebrows twitched upward briefly.

Soon, he nodded once.

“…Fine. She’s blind, but she seems fairly clever. Perhaps there’ll be other ways to make use of her. I permit it.”

Because the room was dark, the duke couldn’t see his son biting down hard on his lip.

Silence fell again.

After a moment, the duke spoke quietly.

“I still haven’t given up on you, Kallios.”

“…”

“I’m still searching for a cure. So endure a little longer. Someday, I’ll take you out of this dark room.”

Someday.

Nothing more than empty words.

A promise without certainty.

In the past, Kallios might have been excited by those words—might have held onto even the smallest hope.

But not anymore.

Kallios knew his father too well now.

…There was nothing left to be disappointed about.

Thinking that, he focused on the presence beyond the wall.

Yes.

As long as that girl remained by his side.

More than his father’s claim of searching for a cure, he found comfort in the fact that she would stay beside him.

And so he answered,

“Yes, Father.”