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Chapter 9
Kite tried to catch one of the bullets flying toward him.
The moment it touched his hand, the magic activated.
Among the magical bullets, this one had a sleep attribute, so it did not physically injure Kite.
“Grandfather!”
What kind of bullet could put even a Swordmaster to sleep?
There were not many sleep bullets, but Evelyn had never imagined they would be this powerful.
Taking a deep breath, Evelyn climbed down from the roof and approached Kite.
As he lay unconscious on the ground, he looked like a pure and delicate flower.
But she could not let her guard down.
He was much closer to a wild beast than a flower.
After putting the restraints she had prepared onto Kite, Evelyn immediately took out a teleport scroll from her pocket.
People who used guns could usually use scrolls as well.
Both operated using magical power.
Evelyn quickly tore the scroll in half.
That was how everything had happened.
She had been fairly calm when she fired the gun.
But after returning to the mansion and locking Kite up, reality finally hit her.
And so, while Kite ground his teeth in anger, Evelyn began to pray.
However, even praying failed to calm her heart.
Still, I can’t let my benefactor go hungry.
Evelyn slowly walked toward the kitchen.
Without much enthusiasm, she made tomato stew filled with meat and vegetables and served it with round, soft white bread.
“No, this isn’t enough.”
Her guest was none other than a Grand Duke of the Empire.
There was no way he would be satisfied with such a simple meal.
Evelyn started preparing stock herself.
She planned to simmer beef and wine together in a pot.
It was a cooking method that took a long time, but it was perfect for escaping reality.
Bang!
If the noise from the basement had not interrupted her, she would have finished the tender stew.
“H-He must be hungry.”
Evelyn quickly reheated the finished stew, added bread and a drink, and hurried down to the basement.
Soon she stood in front of the room at the end of the corridor, where noises were coming at regular intervals.
“Hoo…”
Even after taking a deep breath, she could not relax.
After exhaling several times, Evelyn opened her eyes wide and threw the door open.
Kite, who had been about to hit the wall again, turned around.
W-Why is he smiling?
Anyone who had been kidnapped should be angry.
Yet Kite was smiling brightly, like a flower in full bloom.
The contrast felt unsettling.
Evelyn quietly stepped back.
“Stop.”
Kite crooked a finger at her.
“Are you the kidnapper?”
At the low question, Evelyn instinctively shook her head.
“No!”
Originally, she had planned to calm Kite down with a delicious meal before telling him the truth.
Her grandfather had always told her not to reveal her abilities carelessly.
But she could not think of any other way.
That had definitely been her plan.
Yet when the moment arrived, a lie slipped out of her mouth.
It was fine.
Her grandfather had said that lying was acceptable in emergencies.
“Evelyn. You’re too honest, just like your father. That won’t do. You’ll only suffer losses. A person needs a few proper lies to live. It’s better than hurting someone’s feelings by telling the truth for no reason.”
Some people might call that nonsense.
But Evelyn trusted her grandfather.
After losing her parents, he had lovingly cared for her until she became an adult.
If not for him, the Evelyn of today would not exist.
“I’m not.”
“Then what are you?”
“I-I’m a maid.”
Kite’s eyes swept over her.
Then he lightly nodded, as if accepting her answer.
“Then where is your master?”
“Out.”
“When are they coming back?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes they return quickly, and sometimes they don’t.”
“What’s the longest they’ve been gone?”
“…Ten days.”
By then, the Emperor’s birthday celebration would already be over.
The festival would begin in three days and last an entire week.
If she could keep Kite here for ten days, the danger of his death would disappear.
“That crazy bastard.”
Kite said that and started laughing.
“So, you can’t let me go?”
“N-No, I can’t.”
Normally she spoke perfectly well.
But whenever Kite acted like this, she kept stumbling over her words.
Right now, he looked completely insane.
So this is the man who broke people’s arms and legs without hesitation.
Evelyn trembled slightly.
“Fine. Fine.”
“Then I’ll just have to get out myself.”
Kite raised his fist again.
Even though the restraints limited his movement, a clear mark appeared on the wall where he struck it.
“Your meal!”
Evelyn raised her voice.
“Please eat first.”
“Do I look like I’m in the mood to eat?”
Kite sneered.
But Evelyn stubbornly stood her ground.
“You need food to have strength.”
It already looked like he had plenty of strength.
Still, she needed something—anything—to delay him.
Kite seemed to think for a moment.
Then he sat back down on the bed.
“Bring it here.”
It worked.
Evelyn was about to sigh in relief when she suddenly realized something.
The food was on a tray.
To give it to the restrained Kite, she would have to get closer.
To him?
If something went wrong, he might grab her and kill her.
“P-Please wait a moment!”
Evelyn quickly retreated and placed the tray on a trolley she had prepared nearby.
Then she pushed it toward Kite with all her strength.
“Huh?”
Kite stared at her as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Evelyn deliberately looked away.
“Enjoy your meal!”
After shouting that, she quickly shut the door again.
Not long afterward, knocking sounds came from inside.
Startled, she carefully opened the door.
Kite pointed at his hands with his chin.
“You expect me to eat like this?”
“…I think you can.”
His wrists were restrained, but he could still move them up and down.
Eating did not seem difficult at all.
“You must not know because you’re from a low social class, but nobles don’t eat alone without attendants or maids.”
I’m a noble too.
Evelyn desperately held back that response.
Then she thought about it.
She was only the noble of a small territory on the frontier.
Kite was a Grand Duke who lived in the capital.
His mansion was huge, even if it wasn’t flashy, and it was filled with servants.
Some of them probably attended him during meals.
I never even thought about that!
Why were nobles so troublesome?
“So come over here and serve me.”
Kite ordered arrogantly.
“Otherwise, I won’t eat.”
Normally, such a threat would never work on a kidnapper.
But Evelyn was different.
She had kidnapped him to save her benefactor.
If he refused to eat, that would be a problem.
Still, a person can survive for more than two weeks with only water.
She only needed to keep him locked up for ten days.
Did she really need to risk her life just to feed him?
The hand holding the door fidgeted nervously.
Kite was a Swordmaster.
He had reached the peak of swordsmanship.
That meant his body was also far superior to that of ordinary people.
If so, he could probably survive without food much longer than normal people.
It sounded cruel.
But Evelyn did not want to die.
She’s not coming.
Kite watched the maid’s behavior.
At first she looked hesitant.
But before long, her expression changed.
Her body, which had been facing inward, slowly started moving away.
She clearly had no intention of approaching him because she understood how dangerous he was.
The burden of being famous.
There was no one in the capital who didn’t know that Kite behaved like a madman.
Since she worked for the person who had kidnapped him, she probably knew all about those stories as well.
Otherwise, her master would never have kept her around.
If that was the case, threats would not work on her.
Kite thought calmly.
Then I’ll just have to use a different method.
He relaxed the expression he had been maintaining.
Then he lowered his eyes halfway and slowly let out a breath.
His face became filled with melancholy.
Kite knew exactly how powerful his appearance was.
And he knew how to use it.
