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Chapter 28
“Yes.”
What? This bedroom—what did he say?
Right after Ethan calmly replied, the Duke’s gaze shifted to Killid.
“Killid Croport, you’ll take the room to the left of this bedroom—”
“W-Wait a moment!”
Without thinking, I raised my hand and interrupted.
Three Croports and one suspiciously powerful (?) maid all turned their attention to me.
Under their focused gazes, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“Um, isn’t that… a bit excessive?”
“Excessive?”
“Yes. I mean, I don’t know if it’s really necessary to go that far…”
‘This bedroom’ the Duke mentioned—was mine.
Sharing a bedroom corridor with Ethan and Killid?
“Wouldn’t it be better to strengthen the security inside and outside the mansion and post several guards—no, knights—outside my room instead?”
“Of course that will be done. But I believe that alone is insufficient, Elly.”
“……”
“If it weren’t for the orb, your proposed measures would have been enough… But you know about the orb. No, you probably know more about it than we do.”
Cutting off my words, Duke Croport continued.
“You are in far more danger than you realize.”
“……”
“I understand why you might think everything will be fine just because you survived two encounters with the orb. But we can’t assume those times were anything less than sheer luck.”
“I… understand what you mean.”
“Good. Elly, we don’t want to lose you.”
“……”
“It would be unbearable to lose you again… in vain.”
I was a little surprised. I didn’t expect the Duke to speak with such sincerity.
Perhaps he hadn’t meant to say it either, as he fell silent and shifted his gaze with a slightly flustered expression.
Looking toward Killid, the Duke hastily changed the subject, as if trying to erase his previous words.
“Killid, from today onward, use the bedroom to the left of this one.”
“Understood.”
Only after hearing Killid’s unexpectedly calm response did I realize I had been slightly tense.
…What was I nervous about again? Why?
“And Enfi.”
“Yes.”
“You and your partner must always stay close to Elly.”
“Understood. Leave it to me.”
Partner?
Does he mean another maid? No, the nuance felt… different.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I leaned toward the person next to me.
“Brother.”
“Hm?”
“Who is Enfi’s partner…”
“Oh, Elly. You didn’t know? Enfi used to be a mercenary.”
“A mercenary?”
“Yes. And there are several other maids here from the same background.”
…All the questions were answered at once. I nodded in understanding—then paused.
To think Enfi worked as a mercenary before becoming a maid at Croport.
So then… how old is Enfi really?
At that moment, Duke Croport looked at me again and spoke.
“Elly.”
“……”
“If you ever feel anything suspicious or strange, report it immediately. Not just to me, but to Ethan or Killid too.”
Suspicious signs or presence…
If Bella had that kind of power, maybe the ending of My Earthquake Daughter would’ve turned out better.
Swallowing the truth I couldn’t tell anyone, I replied.
“I will.”
***
Sharing bedroom corridors with Ethan and Killid… wasn’t that big of a deal, now that I thought about it.
Right, it’s not even the same room…
Even if it was the same room—so what?
Just because we’re in the same space to wash and sleep, it’s not like anything’s going to happen between us…
The only real issue is that the room’s relatively small and a bit uncomfortable with three people…
With that in mind, my earlier behavior felt even more strange.
Why had I reacted so sensitively and objected to the Duke’s simple decision?
‘Was it the Confucian girl inside me acting out?’
A Confucian girl so deeply rooted that she couldn’t even tolerate men sleeping in adjacent rooms?
…I mean, sure. It’s said that every Korean woman has at least one Confucian girl living inside her (?)
I just hadn’t had a chance to meet mine until now…
‘Well, I’ve never even had to deal with guys before.’
In elementary school, boys and girls all played together. I went to an all-girls middle school.
As for high school… let’s skip that.
My doctor was a man. Yep. The end.
“Alright. Problem solved!”
“What is?”
“…Nothing.”
It had become a habit. I really needed to stop talking to myself now that I wouldn’t be alone much anymore.
I glanced over at Enfi, who was in the bedroom with me.
After the Duke’s order, Enfi had become a permanent fixture here. Well, not a ghost, since she’s alive… maybe a resident presence?
I lay down on the bed and spoke while looking at Enfi.
“Can I go for a walk for just an hour?”
“An hour? But Lady Sara said absolute rest for a while.”
Right… Because I accidentally strained my ankle again just last night…
“Then I won’t walk around, I’ll just sit in the garden.”
“Hmmm…”
“It’s just so stuffy. I’ve been cooped up in this room all day.”
Luckily, Enfi nodded, as if my persuasion had worked.
Just as I was about to smile, she added a condition.
“Only for an hour. And also…”
The moon tonight is a half-moon.
Was that a waxing or waning half?
I turned my head while admiring the moon hanging in the garden sky.
I hadn’t said a word, only stared—but the person beside me spoke first.
“What?”
“…Nothing, I just figured it must be a pain for you.”
I answered honestly.
Killid didn’t deny it—nor confirm it. That’s right. Enfi had chosen Killid to accompany and protect me in the garden.
I thought I’d be assigned a knight or two, but…
Silence followed. But surprisingly, my words weren’t ignored. Killid eventually spoke.
“Better than letting you die.”
“…What?”
Did I hear that right? I stared dumbly at Killid, and he turned his face slightly, continuing.
“There’s nothing more disgraceful than a Croport dying inside Croport by someone else’s hand.”
…Am I even really a Croport?
That childish retort popped into my head—but I didn’t voice it.
There’s no way Killid suddenly acknowledged me as Ellysa.
More likely, regardless of the truth, the world sees me as the ‘Croport noble daughter,’ so he spoke accordingly.
Well, it’s true—if I were to die in here—or even just be seriously hurt—the Croport name would fall into disgrace immediately.
Still…
“I thought you disliked me more.”
“What?”
Oops, another muttered thought.
As I debated how to explain the words that escaped my mouth, I decided to just be honest.
“I thought you hated me more than that. Enough that you wouldn’t bother protecting me in times like this.”
But I said it in a very low voice—so Enfi wouldn’t hear from a distance.
If she did, it would probably spark a scene.
I could already imagine her yelling about how it didn’t make sense for the young master to hate the lady, and even if he did, there’s no way he’d let family get hurt…
As I pictured Enfi’s over-the-top reaction, I naturally imagined what Killid might say in return.
Hmm, he’d probably claim that personal feelings and protecting the family’s honor are two separate things.
That seemed likely. In fact, Killid had acted similarly in the past.
At the jewelry store, he stepped into my affairs—likely something he didn’t want to be involved in—just to prevent unnecessary conflict between Croport and the royal capital.
So even now, he probably separates his dislike for me from the duty to protect me from external threats…
“You think I hate you?”
I blinked.
What did I just hear?
I stared into Killid’s eyes, trying to figure it out.
Maybe because of the dim lighting, Killid’s blue eyes looked even more like the deep sea than usual.
So deep, I couldn’t tell how far I’d sink if I fell in.
