CDMGS 40🌻

Chapter 40

When the snake doll’s mouth opened again, the black thing was completely gone.

That same thing that had spun around my finger as if mocking me, that refused to wash off no matter how hard I scrubbed.

Phew. Eki wiped her forehead with a shaky breath.

“It’s done now. You’re safe, Shasha.”

“Thank you, Eki… really.”

Even though I had no clue what had just happened.

“But still, you never know. If anything strange happens, you have to tell me right away.”

“What do you mean by strange?”

Her yellow eyes narrowed, as if she was imagining something.

“Like… suddenly losing an arm. Or not being able to see anymore. Whatever it is, no matter how small—tell me immediately!”

…What came back was a rather terrifying list.

I closed my mouth.

‘She really must have been at the Duke of Vermanion’s estate for a long time.’

Yes, really, really.

They say humans are creatures of adaptation, don’t they?

Even if the head chef is human, everyone else here is a monster. Eki must have adapted to them.
That’s the only explanation that makes sense.

I sneaked a glance at the doll Eki was holding up.

A small, cute snake doll, stitched from pink and green fabric.

Its bright eyes twinkled so much, it reminded me of Eki’s own face.
And since she was holding it, the resemblance was uncanny.

‘But that black thing… it wasn’t the sort of thing that should just disappear like that.’

Not only had it vanished the moment she pushed it into the doll’s mouth,
but there wasn’t a single stain left inside the fabric.

Sure, I knew this was Eki’s beloved doll.
I even stitched it back together once when the fabric had torn and the stuffing spilled out.

But then… could it be?

Was Eki a puppet master?

‘…….’

For all my overthinking, that was the best guess I could come up with.
I waved it away.

Mage, puppet master—whatever.

I didn’t know anymore.

I really didn’t.

After that, it rained several more times.

Ever since I first started working at Vermanion estate, there had never been rain.
And yet now, it wouldn’t stop.

That’s how I figured out there were certain signs before the rain came.

First: a sudden chill that cut right through the body.
Second: the sky turned unnaturally dark—so dark it felt like night, even in the middle of the day.
Third: servants would come running, panting, urging me to take cover.

Usually, those servants were…

“Head maid!”

Yes. Eki, Jameson, and Alex—the back garden cleaning crew.

‘So it’s going to rain again.’

Sudden rain wasn’t new to me anymore. But seriously, wasn’t this happening too often?

I sighed. At this rate, cleaning the back garden would take far longer than a week.

Still, work was work.

I quickly gathered the cleaning tools and tucked them under a big tree.

From far off, Alex’s wooden arm stretched toward me.

Eki was already perched on his hand, waving for me to hop on too.

With a flick, Jameson’s tendril gently wrapped around my waist and lifted me onto Alex’s palm.

Holding tightly onto his rough wooden fingers, we were whisked toward the mansion in no time.

Clatter.

The very moment the doors closed behind us, the rain came down outside.

Eki let out a sigh of relief.

“That was close. We almost got caught in it.”

“Haha… yeah.”

My scalp tingled at the memory—the maddening itch that had spread from just a single drop.

Never again.

The thought of my whole body itching like that made me shudder.

And from the way Eki spoke, she was worried about something far worse than itching.

But safe inside the mansion, staring at the rain cascading down like a waterfall, another thought struck me.

‘Wait.’

I pulled out the day’s schedule.

Ah. So that’s why I’d felt uneasy.

I slapped my forehead. The real problem wasn’t the rain—it was this.

Recently, the Duke had gotten into the habit of holding tea time at the fountain once a week.

The day was never set in advance. He would simply tell me, and the next day I had to prepare a tea table by noon.

And today… was that day!

“The Duke said he wants to have tea at the fountain today… Do you think the rain will stop before then?”

Judging from how hard it was coming down, I doubted it.

Eki’s reply was firm.

“Of course it will. If anything dares to get in the way of his tea time, the Duke will never let it slide.”

“…Why are you suddenly talking so scary?”

Her voice had dropped low, oddly heavy.

I glanced sideways. Eki was hugging her snake doll tightly, her big eyes sparkling innocently.

When she noticed me looking, she just gave a bright smile.

Creepy. My anxiety doubled.

I traced a finger down the fogged-up window, trying to distract myself. After a while, the view of the front garden cleared.

And then—I froze.

‘Ah.’

I had forgotten something.

There wasn’t just the signs before the rain.
Whenever the rain actually started, another thing always happened.

Every single time, without fail, I would lock eyes with the butler.

And sure enough, there he was again. Standing in the downpour, staring right at me.

……That damn butler!

“I’ll always be nearby when you need me.”

So that’s what he meant?

I hadn’t realized he meant it literally!
Every time I turned my head, there he was, staring!

By now, no one could deny it. The sudden rain and the butler had to be connected.

And, sure enough—an hour before tea time, the heavy rain stopped as if someone had flipped a switch.

Like it was mocking me.

By then I had figured out the pattern, so I’d already prepared the tea tray.

The Duke had ordered me to set the table alone, without help, so there I was, arranging everything by myself.

And of course… the moment I felt a heavy gaze, I turned.

The butler, arms crossed, watching me.

I set down a teacup and asked, flatly,

“Are you joining tea time today, butler?”

“No. I came here to accompany you, head maid.”

“……”

Not just following me around—he was openly admitting it now.

I clenched my jaw and went back to my work.

I brewed tea with an entire pouch of leaves, letting the fragrant aroma fill the air.

Still keeping my eyes on the teapot, I spoke.

“There are two things I want to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

His voice had a strange note of anticipation. My brow furrowed.

“The one who used to share tea with the Duke here… that was you, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right. Seeing the table set like this brings back memories.”

I had already suspected as much. I just wanted confirmation.

“And the second question?”

“…Don’t you have anything better to do?”

That was it. The thing I’d wanted to ask since the very beginning.

At first, I’d thought he seemed decent enough.
But now? He was nothing but a nuisance.

He was like a boss who parachutes into a job, does no real work, and spends all day hovering and nitpicking.

Finally saying it out loud, I felt refreshed.

I should’ve asked the first time I noticed him staring.

But to my surprise, the butler didn’t look offended.

“Of course I have plenty to do. So much that I barely have time to sleep.”

“Then why are you constantly following me?”

This was stalking. Straight-up stalking.

“Because this is part of my job.”

“I’ll tell the Duke on you.”

“Report me if you like.”

He didn’t care at all.

As expected.

I glared at the back of his head as he circled the fountain.

He dipped his fingers into the trickling water, then his expression fell.

“It used to be beautiful here. But now it’s all gone. What a pity.”

“It was abandoned for years. The water turned foul and pitch-black—I nearly broke my back getting it cleaned out.”

I tossed the words out without thinking.

But his gaze snapped back to me, sharper this time.

Not just watching, but demanding.

Even though my eyes were lowered to the table, I could feel it boring into me.

“You’re the one who cleared it away?”

“No. I heard that if anyone touches that water, their bones dissolve and their body melts into nothing, so—”

Wait.

I stopped mid-sentence.

That line… where had I heard it before?

And very recently, too.