CDMGS 36🌻

Chapter 36

“…Pardon?”

At the low voice, I lifted my head just a little, sneaking a glance at the duke.

He was watching me lazily, chin propped against the armrest, his drowsy gaze fixed entirely on my movements.

“If you need anything, you can tell me. Just as you always have.”

To be honest, the only time I’d ever asked him for something was once—when I needed tea leaves and cups.
And even now, tea leaves would probably be the only thing I’d ever need.

Still, I answered firmly,

“Understood!”

That was when the strange thing began to happen.

After a conversation with the duke that was impossible to explain in words, I headed toward the dining hall.
The clock hands pointed exactly to lunchtime.

The hall was already bustling with servants rushing in as if they had been waiting for this very moment.

Suddenly, a long arm shot up and waved.

“Head Maid, over here!”

The one shouting so loudly that all eyes turned was Alex.

Each time his wooden arm creaked and swung, it smacked the heads of servants sitting before and behind him.
Though met with glares, Alex remained undaunted. The sight made my chest tighten.

He used to be so light he couldn’t even step on grass…
Now, his arm didn’t break even when striking the heads of other monsters—
even the shiny gray iron-headed one that looked the sturdiest of them all.

“I kept the seat next to me open!”

As I lingered to watch him, someone across from Alex urged me on.

It was Eki, who had already placed my plate beside the empty seat.

Had they bonded while cleaning the back garden together when I wasn’t around?
Eki, Alex, and even Jameson were all eating at the same table.

“Yes, I’m coming!”

Even though I had only just left their side, I suddenly felt an odd pang of fondness.

I waved as I walked over. The servants glaring at Alex quickly pretended they hadn’t seen anything the moment I approached, hastily turning their heads away.

Still… isn’t it a little sad if they’re openly that scared?

Even if my rank was equal, the title of Head Maid was clearly a heavy one to them.
The more time passed, the more businesslike my dealings with the staff became. It left a faint bitter taste.

Yet the closer I walked, the stranger things felt.

Every servant who glanced at my plate had a pale face.

Huh? What’s with them?

I tilted my head as I sat beside Eki. A quick look around showed that every servant nearby had frozen with their spoons halfway to their mouths.

Time itself seemed to have stopped inside the dining hall.

I scratched my cheek lightly, then picked up my fork.

I don’t remember doing anything so terrifying.

All I’d done was work as Head Maid. Recently, I’d scraped sticky marks off the windows with slime skin.
Used a monster’s long, blade-like arms to clean the window frames.
And today, I’d only dipped Jameson’s tentacles into a bucket of water.

…Okay, fine. Maybe that does sound scary.

I gave myself a short moment of reflection.

Clink.

But it wasn’t just the servants who froze.

Even Eki, right beside me, dropped her fork along with the precious steak she had just speared.
Her tiny mouth hung open as she stared at something.

“Good afternoon, Head Maid.”

A calm, gentle voice whispered, and my head snapped to the side.

Clear, pure blue eyes locked with mine.

A butler stood right beside me, holding a plate.

My fork slipped from my hand and clattered onto the dish.

What is it with people suddenly showing up without a sound?

First the duke, now this man.

Not only had his footsteps gone unheard, there hadn’t been even a trace of presence until he was standing next to me.

Still, thanks to the duke’s sudden appearances and disappearances, my racing heart quickly steadied.

I answered awkwardly,

“Ah… hello.”

“Would you mind if I sat beside you?”

His face leaned closer as he asked.

It wasn’t as if I could say no—he was already close enough that all he had to do was sit.

So I shifted slightly to make room.

“Yes, please, go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

When he set his plate down, when he pulled the chair out, when he picked up his fork—
every sound rang clearly in my ears, because the rest of the dining hall was frozen in silence.

It was as though only the butler existed here, his movements magnified by the stillness.

So it wasn’t me they were afraid of after all. It was him.

But the butler showed no sign of discomfort at their reaction. He cut a piece of meat and chewed with an easy smile.

“As expected, even after so long, it’s delicious. The food at the Vermagnion Duchy never disappoints.”

When he smiled like that, a dimple appeared on his right cheek.
He looked kind, not at all like someone who had committed some grave crime.

And yet, if he had once been the duke’s butler and had done something so severe that a rule was made specifically about him—
then it meant he had truly angered the duke.

Eki and Myron had shown the same grim reaction when I asked them about him before.

“Was the duke… close to that man?”

They both fell uncharacteristically silent.

“Just tell me if they were once friends, okay?”

“…He was, perhaps, the one closest to the duke.”

That was all I managed to extract from them after persistent pleading.

So what had this man done, for everyone to react like this?

I’m dying of curiosity…!

But if I asked another servant, they’d just dodge the question.
And I couldn’t ask the man himself.

The wave of isolation made me want to pull my hair out.

Then it happened.

“Why have you returned?”

The sharp voice came from my left.

It wasn’t loud, but in the silence of the hall, every word rang clear.

Shockingly, it was Eki who spoke.

The same Eki who had dropped her precious fork the instant she saw him—
was now glaring coldly and demanding an answer.

“Was I not supposed to return?”

I shifted my eyes just enough to see him. The butler had stopped eating, resting his chin on his hand as he gazed back at her.

What do I do?

Is this okay?

The tension soared.

I stared down at my plate, fork hovering uselessly, as the air between them crackled.

If you two are going to fight… can you please not do it with me sitting between you?

Getting up and leaving wasn’t an option.

I just wanted a quiet meal. Yet here I was, my food growing cold.

“I believe the duke’s punishment was already generous enough. Why did you feel the need to come back?”

Ah, but watching someone else’s fight is always the most entertaining.

I sharpened my ears.

Eki had never spoken so clearly, so firmly.
Her words made me focus on their meaning instead of my awe.

Punishment.

So this man really had committed something so enormous it rocked the entire mansion.

The man chuckled, a mocking edge to his tone.

“What else? I became curious. That’s all. So, I returned.”

That was it.

Eki fell abruptly silent.

No further argument.

The butler resumed eating with calm precision, and Eki straightened her posture after a brief slump.

“Head Maid, forgive the commotion. Please, eat.”

Her voice had lost some of its spirit, and so, resigned, I lifted my fork properly at last.

For the first time, the normally boisterous dining hall was steeped in silence.