IBMDF 11

Chapter 11

Kallios, who had been silently listening to me, suddenly asked in a subdued voice.

“So I’m standing right in front of you. A person punished to live trapped in darkness.”

His words made the cold corridor feel even chillier before fading into the air.

Caught off guard, I was at a loss for what to say and only opened and closed my mouth soundlessly.

“What do you mean by that…?”

“It’s obvious enough that I can’t even take a step outside, and you’ve seen it too—how I tremble in pain at even a sliver of light.”

He let out a self-mocking laugh.

“Why do you think I’m like this?”

Ah… wait.

Is he trying to confess that he’s sick?

Even though I knew he couldn’t see my face, I struggled to control my expression.

I couldn’t let him realize that I already knew about rabies from the original story.

“W-Well… um, sunlight intolerance?”

“…Be honest. No matter how sensitive someone’s body is, no one hides in darkness like this. I lose control if the curtains are opened, and I have seizures if even a single candle is lit. Watching me like that… have you never thought that maybe I was cursed by God?”

“I’ve never thought that.”

“Liar.”

After saying that, Kallios stepped farther away from me.

I couldn’t see him, but I could tell from his voice.

His body and heart were trembling.

“Even I can only think of it that way now.”

He exhaled slowly.

“…God abandoned me. I’ll probably spend the rest of my life trapped in this darkness until I die.”

How could he not think that way?

After falling ill, he had probably lived in fear that the disease might never be cured.

Maybe it was even more terrifying because he didn’t know why he became sick in the first place.

This was a world where anything related to darkness was treated as ominous and condemned.

‘Of course, now his stamina and surroundings have improved enough that he can move around here and there…’

But even with all that effort, the reality that he might remain trapped in darkness forever must have filled him with despair and hopelessness.

“Then what about you, Young Master?”

Sensing the anxiety and doubt he carried, I asked:

“Do you think I’m blind because I was punished too?”

“….”

Kallios fell silent at my question, unable to answer.

“…People used to say that about me all the time. That I went blind because God punished me. That I must have committed some terrible sin, so God took my sight away.”

Even in the village where my aunt lived before I came to the duke’s estate, people talked about me like that.

If they brushed against me even briefly, they’d shake off their clothes, saying the misfortune of becoming blind might spread.

Whenever I passed by, they spat on the ground and called me unlucky.

If I went to buy something, they sometimes drove me away, claiming I’d ruin their business.

But whenever I asked what sin I had committed, no one could answer properly.

Without any proof, they simply insisted that I must have done something terrible enough to anger God.

So in that village, I truly was treated like a sinner.

“Do you think that too, Young Master?”

I asked again.

After a long silence, Kallios finally spoke.

“…No.”

“I don’t think my blindness is punishment either. Because even though I can’t see, there are so many things I can do.”

I spoke brightly, hoping my thoughts would reach him too.

“You know it yourself, Young Master. I’m really good at working in dark rooms! Among all the maids, I’m probably the only one who can remember where everything is without looking. Cleaning in darkness, bringing meals—those are things only I can do.”

“….”

“And a few days ago, I even taught you how to walk. I can do so many things and help other people, so how could I possibly be someone being punished?”

I didn’t fail to understand Kallios’s self-destructive thoughts.

I had once blamed myself for no reason too.

But even after that, my life continued.

And that life wasn’t as bad as I’d expected.

No—there had been many happy and joyful moments.

“You can walk well in the dark now too, Young Master. Could you have imagined before that you’d be able to move around the mansion again like this?”

I carefully stepped toward him. His quiet breathing grew closer.

“Little by little, your life will change too. I’m sure you’ll find a way to make things better than they are now.”

Stopping in front of him, I spoke with more certainty than ever.

“So don’t say things like you’re cursed or abandoned by God anymore.”

I had no way of knowing whether my words changed Kallios’s mind even a little.

He said nothing, and I couldn’t see his expression.

“…Okay.”

What kind of heart he’d carry going forward—

Only time would tell.

“Come on, let’s go back to your room. It still feels chilly here.”

Even though I knew he could move around by himself now, I supported him with my arm for the first time in a while as we walked.

* * *

“Ah—almost forgot.”

After returning to the room, I carefully took something out from my apron pocket where I’d been keeping it.

Thankfully, it seemed to have stayed intact.

“Young Master, here.”

I gently held it out toward Kallios.

He accepted it absentmindedly, sniffed it once or twice, then said:

“This is…”

“It’s a lilac flower. The garden’s already full of them. The scent is so strong that the whole mansion smells like lilacs.”

I could tell Kallios had quietly buried his face in the flowers.

“You’re not supposed to pick flowers carelessly, but… spring should come to your room too, Young Master. What do you think? The scent is really sweet, right?”

“…Yes. It is. It’s the scent I always smelled every spring.”

“I’ll bring different flowers next time too. I’ll have to pick them secretly from the gardener, though. Ah, if I get caught, can I blame you?”

“Sure. Say I ordered you to.”

Kallios agreed easily.

His voice sounded a little brighter.

That alone made me feel relieved too.

* * *

After that, I brought different flowers to Kallios’s room every day.

Lilacs, azaleas, hydrangeas, roses…

Even if he couldn’t see the colors of the petals in darkness, he could still feel spring through the fragrance filling the room.

Whenever I brought new flowers, Kallios would only answer briefly:

“Thank you.”

But I knew he often stopped in front of the vase just to breathe in the scent.

You little brat. You like them even if you won’t say it. Makes me want to bring more.

“Today it’s wisteria flowers.”

Like usual, I spoke while carrying fresh flowers into the room.

This time they were purple blossoms hanging down in long clusters.

“The wisteria must be blooming beautifully. The other maids were all gathered underneath, too busy admiring it.”

“Really?”

At my words, I heard Kallios step closer.

“When do you think the new maid will arrive? I wish they’d fill the vacancy already.”

“Who knows.”

Kallios answered my complaint indifferently, as though he had no interest in such things.

Seriously. I’m the only one desperately waiting for new maids, huh?

After Mary and Dorothy were kicked out from the position of Kallios’s personal maids, the role had remained vacant.

Since this place was difficult for ordinary maids to work in, the head maid was probably struggling to decide whom to send.

After all, she couldn’t risk sending just anyone and having another problem occur.