IDNJH 10

Chapter 10

As always, the head maid was quick in both her demeanor and her handling of matters. She consistently proved why she’d lasted so long at the Duke’s household.

So why did someone as competent as her turn a blind eye to Rain and several other servants who overstepped their bounds?

*’Obvious.’*

There must have been Gwyneth’s influence—someone who’d been exceptional since childhood—at play.

He’d likely delivered a carefully packaged message to the head maid, with the clear intention of leaving things as they were—uncomfortable or not. The sharp-eyed head maid would have instantly read between the lines and washed her hands of anything related to me.

I understood the head maid’s position. How could a mere employee refuse the words of the future heir who would one day be her employer? For the sake of her own livelihood, she had no choice.

Anyone would prioritize their own safety. Even I do.

“If you ever feel uncomfortable or have a particular maid in mind, please let me know immediately.”

“Okay.”

“Yes. Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait……”

Just as she was about to make a swift exit after finishing her business, I called out to her in a quiet voice.

Regardless of how things turned out, I couldn’t waste this opportunity to talk with the head maid—something that had come about quickly thanks to the Duke. She wasn’t someone I got to see often.

“Thank you for your concern, Petra.”

Speaking in a small voice, as if mustering all my courage, the head maid looked at me silently for a moment.

I wasn’t flustered by her lack of response. This was a tactic I’d always used, and it always worked.

Based on my experience, the head maid, who initially seemed like a robot, was actually a very human person. Especially—she seemed to have a soft spot for young children.

*’Maybe because she’s a parent herself?’*

She’d probably deliberately told me that the Duke himself had ordered her to take care in selecting my maid. Call it sympathy for a neglected child.

Anyway, although the timing of this approach was a bit earlier than usual, I thought it might actually be more effective now. Even if her affection didn’t rise immediately, it would pay off in the future.

“It’s my duty, Miss.”

Her tone and voice were as stiff as ever, but I knew the faint guilt hidden within her words.

After I said this, the head maid would work twice as hard, as if she’d received some kind of buff—of course, on the condition that my treatment improved as the family’s affection rose.

*’Now that the Duke himself has given the order, she’ll have a solid excuse and won’t have to worry as much about Gwyneth’s eyes. She’ll pick a decent maid and gradually weed out the ones she disapproved of.’*

In fact, given the head maid’s personality, keeping Rain and some of the other servants at the Duke’s estate must have been stressful. So the head maid gets to preserve her pride, and I get to replace the overstepping servants without lifting a finger. Win-win, wouldn’t you say?

*’Somehow, this round is starting off well?’*

—

* * *

Three days later.

A knock came at an odd hour.

I thought it might be the head maid, but the knock sounded somehow lighthearted.

If that’s the case, the owner of this knock is……

“Hey, it’s me. Felix.”

Yeah, I figured it was you.

I let out a small sigh.

I’d predicted he’d recover quickly, but even so—wasn’t this a bit too fast?

*’What does he want this time?’*

Since I’d confirmed his affection was high, I wasn’t particularly anxious.

Still, I had to stay on guard. He was the type whose words and actions could go anywhere—like a bouncy ball.

After mentally preparing myself, I cautiously opened the door to find Felix standing there with a crooked posture.

“Don’t you eat?”

Felix blurted out his business before I could even greet him.

Talk about impatient.

But honestly, I preferred this to long-winded preambles anyway.

“I was near the dining hall all day yesterday, but I didn’t see you.”

“Ah…… I eat in my room.”

“Why do you eat alone in your room?”

*Because you told me not to be seen, you goldfish-brained bastard.*

The absurdity almost made the words slip out, but I forcefully swallowed them down and tensed my face to control my expression.

*’What kind of person even exists like this?’*

I was so dumbfounded I didn’t know how to answer.

“Did someone say something to you? Or give you a look?”

“……”

“……Don’t tell me it was me?”

Even considering that to Felix this was over a decade ago, his memory was atrocious.

I suppressed the urge to smack Felix on the head and shook mine instead.

“I just find my room more comfortable.”

This was genuine. Going to the dining hall was a chore for me.

When affection was at a moderate level, I’d make a mandatory appearance at the dining hall, and at those times, I was the one leading all the conversations around the table.

Thanks to that, I was so busy playing the clown that I couldn’t even tell whether the food was going down my nose or my throat.

*’The dining hall? Just thinking about it now gives me chills. Ugh……’*

But however Felix interpreted my words, he roughly swept his bangs back and muttered a low curse.

“Starting today, come to the dining hall and eat with us.”

Absolutely not. Why would I.

“I’m fine on my—”

“Let’s go.”

Before I could finish, Felix grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the dining hall. I gritted my teeth.

*’Listen to people for once, you human bulldozer!’*

I understood why Felix was acting like a runaway freight train with broken brakes.

Right now, with his affection high, he’d be concerned about me eating alone in my room. Especially after what he’d heard before dying.

But if I didn’t actually have my memories and didn’t know his affection was high, this would have been extremely confusing. I’d have thought he was tormenting me in some bizarre new way.

Still, what could I do about it?

*’Damn Barderias… Instead of all those useless lessons, teach your kids some social skills and basic human decency!’*

Realizing I couldn’t escape this situation anyway, I let myself be dragged along like a paper doll, flopping in Felix’s wake.

I could only pray fervently that no one else would be in the dining hall.

Especially not Gwyneth. Or Gwyneth. Or Gwyneth.

But as always, God didn’t answer my prayers.

“!”

The moment Felix forcefully swung open the dining hall door, I locked eyes directly with Gwyneth, who was seated near the head of the table.

His pitch-black eyes, which seemed to let in no light at all, turned toward me—and a chill ran down my entire body.

Unable to bear that gaze, I immediately averted my eyes.

No matter how I thought about it, the things I’d said before the regression were the biggest mistake of my life.

*’Please let this pass without incident. Please.’*

I stayed quietly behind Felix, trying as hard as possible not to provoke Gwyneth. Soon, I heard the scraping sound of a chair being pushed back.

“What? Where are you going?”

“I’m done eating.”

“I don’t think you ate much, though?”

“I’m not feeling well.”

It’s because of me. 100% because of me.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

I’d ended up disrupting his mealtime. And he was someone who absolutely hated having his space or time intruded upon.

His affection definitely dropped.

I felt a little wronged. It wasn’t like I’d wanted to come.

*’Felix, you damned bastard……’*

As I was internally chewing Felix up like a piece of gum, Gwyneth brushed past me.

“……Hey, just eat first.”

Felix said he’d be right back, and before I could stop him, he followed Gwyneth out of the dining hall.

I could feel the servants assigned to the kitchen and dining hall stealing glances, wondering what was going on.

*’Eat first in this situation, he says……’*

Please, just send me back to my room.

—

* * *

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“About what.”

Even when a voice clearly directed at him came from behind, Gwyneth didn’t even glance back.

He showed no sign of slowing his pace—a roundabout way of saying he had no intention of talking.

Felix scowled at that attitude and quickened his steps to catch up with Gwyneth.

“Don’t play word games. Weren’t we done talking? You said you understood when Father asked you.”

Less than a day after time had returned, the three siblings had realized each other had their memories.

Gwyneth had easily figured it out from Felix’s uncharacteristic behavior on the first day of their return. Felix, in turn, had noticed when Gwyneth—who at this age would normally be obsessively controlling the household—let the tense atmosphere pass without any intervention.

Knowing that Kairos hadn’t come out of his room, Gwyneth guessed he also had his memories, but Felix was uncertain—since he didn’t know much about Kairos at this age.

Felix’s deliberation was very brief. He was never the type for deliberation anyway.