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.CHAPTER 09.
During a private conversation with Teikan, Seila pointed out something.
“It’s about Sir Poiser, the knight who was recently assigned here.”
“You mean the knight who sparred with you today?”
“Yes. During our sparring match, he dropped his sword. After that, we switched to hand-to-hand combat. You remember, don’t you?”
“Yes. I saw it.”
“When I grabbed his hand, something felt strange. It wasn’t the hand of a swordsman.”
Seila took Teikan’s hand and ran her fingers over the calluses on his palm.
“Most swordsmen’s hands are like yours, Head Attendant. But Sir Poiser has far more calluses here.”
Unlike ordinary swordsmen, the skin between his second and third fingers was heavily callused.
That was characteristic not of a swordsman…
…but of an archer.
Because Poiser was a spy.
He had let his guard down against a young girl like Seila.
Because of that, Seila noticed the inconsistency.
In the end, Poiser’s identity as a spy was exposed.
At that point, even Dephelto had no choice but to acknowledge Seila’s abilities.
“You have remarkably sharp eyes.”
“Was I of help to the family?”
“Yes. You were.”
“Then I’m glad.”
Seila smiled brightly.
Yes! My tuition is secured!
It felt like her chances of surviving had improved, even if only a little.
Of course…
Before that, the grudge-bearing Poiser had attempted to assassinate her.
She had nearly died.
Fortunately, Teikan intervened in time, turning the incident into nothing more than a frightening episode.
A few months later…
Another incident occurred.
Damian, the eldest son of House Devernon, disappeared.
Already knowing where he would be, Seila immediately threw herself into the Moonlit Lake.
There, Damian had been lured by a monster known as the Singing Mermaid, a creature that seduced humans before hunting them.
Hypnotized by its song, he had willingly swum into the underwater palace beneath the lake.
Seila managed to rescue him.
I seriously almost died that time.
Even now, remembering it sent chills down her spine.
Knowing all the game’s lore and background information had allowed her to jump into Moonlit Lake with confidence…
But experiencing it firsthand in three dimensions was completely different from playing it in 2D.
I almost drowned… elegantly.
In any case…
By successfully saving Damian, Seila steadily solidified her own position within House Devernon.
As the original developer—and veteran player—of She, Him, and Him, Seila accomplished all of that in just one year.
Nice.
Very Korean of me.
Even Seila herself was quite satisfied with her progress.
* * *
One morning…
Not long after waking up, Garen wandered into the dining room with his hair sticking up wildly.
He plopped down in a chair, legs crossed on top of the table.
Apparently still half asleep, he’d buttoned his shirt incorrectly, leaving every button one position off.
“I heard your sword training has been taking longer lately.”
“Yeah… a little.”
“So that’s why you’ve been late for our appointments?”
Mary cautiously watched Garen’s expression.
He looked to be in a very bad mood.
“As you know, Young Master… if Miss skips even a single sparring session…”
“So?”
“It’s impossible for her to like swordsmanship more than me.”
“That shouldn’t happen, should it?”
Garen folded his arms and frowned with open dissatisfaction.
Mary desperately wanted to answer:
Miss actually likes swordsmanship more than you.
But…
She had no idea what sort of disaster saying that would bring.
So she wisely kept her mouth shut.
Sometimes…
Silence was better than the truth.
“I even made rice balls.”
“…”
“I put tuna and mayonnaise in them.”
“…”
“I even sprinkled sesame seeds.”
“Y-Yes… they look very delicious.”
“And she’s making me wait on a day like this?”
“Wow.”
“I’m actually getting mad.”
“W-Well…”
Mary wanted to cry.
Why are you taking it out on someone powerless like me…?
This… this is going to become a huge problem.
One glance was enough.
Garen was on the verge of exploding.
One tiny poke…
…and he’d blow up.
I have to tell Miss Seila!
Mary knew how hard Seila had been working to earn her family’s recognition.
Garen, on the other hand, was an impulsive second son who acted before thinking.
She had a terrible feeling something major was about to happen.
And she was certain…
That wasn’t what Seila wanted.
I can’t let all of Miss’s hard work go to waste.
She either needed to calm Garen down somehow…
Or warn Seila before it was too late.
As Seila’s personal maid, Mary’s thoughts became increasingly frantic.
“Young Master… I’ll prepare some cold, sweet cocoa.”
“I’ll put lots of the Java chip chocolate you like on top.”
“…”
This is bad.
He didn’t even react to Java chip chocolate.
He had to be seriously angry.
Barely hiding her fear, Mary tried to slip out of the room.
First… I’ll warn Miss!
Just then—
The door opened.
Seila had finally arrived.
No!
Soaked in sweat, Seila entered while wiping her forehead and the back of her neck with a white towel.
M-Miss!
Young Master Garen is definitely going to explode!
Mary hurriedly turned toward Garen.
“…Huh?”
But what happened…
Was nothing like she’d expected.
* * *
Garen jumped to his feet.
“Seila! Let’s eat rice balls!”
The boy who’d been complaining nonstop only moments ago was gone.
In his place stood a boy smiling as brightly as sunshine.
“Sorry, Brother.”
“My master’s sparring lessons were especially strict today, so I ended up late.”
“Mhm!”
“I literally just got here myself!”
Mary stared at Garen without thinking.
You… just got here?
Then what exactly was I doing, trembling nervously all this time while waiting for you to explode?
“You don’t have to apologize.”
“I’m the kind of older brother who’s generous enough to wait while his little sister trains…”
“What was the word again?”
“Magnanimous?”
“Yeah!”
“I’m a magnanimous older brother.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“The rice balls look delicious.”
“I made them myself.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Tuna and mayonnaise.”
“And sesame seeds.”
Seila sat down with a smile.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll enjoy them.”
“They’re super tasty.”
Seila popped one of Garen’s handmade rice balls into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
Garen stared at her anxiously.
Like a puppy waiting for its owner to react.
He looked incredibly nervous about what she would say.
“They’re delicious.”
“Really?”
Inside, Seila screamed.
Holy crap, these are insanely good! I haven’t had rice balls this delicious in forever!
Outwardly, however, she spoke with perfect elegance.
“They’re neither too rich nor too fishy.”
“The balance of ingredients is perfect.”
“How did you discover such a harmonious combination?”
“It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed food this delicious.”
“The head chef told me I have talent for cooking.”
That surprised Seila.
I never gave him any cooking-related talents or traits.
Yet…
Garen clearly possessed a natural gift for it.
And he genuinely enjoyed cooking.
“Which is better?”
“The oil pasta I made last time…”
“Or these rice balls?”
“They’re completely different.”
“I like both.”
“Really?”
“Then next time I’ll make both.”
“Aren’t you going to eat too, Brother?”
“I am.”
He said he was…
But in truth, he barely touched his food.
Simply watching Seila eat seemed to satisfy him.
After the meal…
Seila spoke.
“Brother.”
“About your buttons.”
“Huh?”
Garen noticeably jerked his head upward.
Terrible acting.
Standing silently behind Garen, his personal attendant Matthew flinched.
That reaction told Seila everything she needed to know.
Matthew probably tried to button his shirt correctly.
Garen refused.
And now Matthew’s worried about how I’ll react.
Over the past year…
Seila had never once allowed herself to appear disheveled.
Whatever she felt inside…
Outwardly, she remained perfectly composed.
Because of that…
The servants had gradually begun to fear and respect her.
Today was no different.
This is so unfair…
Matthew honestly wanted to cry.
He really had tried to fix Garen’s buttons.
I heard terrible things happened in this mansion a year ago…
There had been countless rumors.
No one knew which were true and which were false.
Matthew had only been hired six months earlier.
To him…
Seila was terrifying.
I honestly tried to button his shirt properly…
What if she severely scolds me later?
From what he’d seen of her…
It seemed entirely possible.
“Brother.”
“The way you’re behaving puts your servants in a difficult position.”
“…Huh?”
“You’re the stronger one, aren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“I’m the stronger one.”
After dabbing her lips with a napkin, Seila continued.
“Don’t refuse Matthew’s help.”
“If people point fingers at you for looking sloppy, that’s the end of it.”
“But for Matthew…”
“It’s a matter of his livelihood.”
A stone thrown in jest…
Can still kill a frog.
If Garen kept wandering around looking like that…
Matthew would be the one to suffer.
Besides…
This is partly my fault too.
Garen had developed rather obvious attention-seeking tendencies.
And Seila knew perfectly well…
She herself was one of the reasons.
If Matthew gets fired because of this…
Who knew?
One day he might come chasing after her with a knife, screaming:
“It’s all your fault!”
“You ruined my life!”
With my “Constant Threat of Death”…
That kind of situation could absolutely happen.
She had to build goodwill with everyone around her…
While still maintaining the dignity expected of a young lady of House Devernon.
“Matthew.”
“Straighten my brother’s buttons.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Tense from head to toe, Matthew approached Garen.
His hands trembled as he fixed Garen’s clothing.
In all thirteen years of his life…
This felt like one of the greatest crises he’d ever faced.
“Matthew.”
“I won’t scold you over something like this.”
“So don’t worry.”
“…Thank you very much, Miss.”
Only then did Matthew finally relax.
The trembling in his hands stopped.
