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Chapter 3 ….
He scrubbed his glasses nervously, frowning deeply. He seemed to find the Saintess extremely unpleasant.
“Of course I tried. I went out of my way to let them meet, and yet the Boss acted like she wasn’t even there. After all that effort….”
Ever since I stamped my seal on that confidentiality contract, this man had gotten very free with his words.
So he’d been waiting for a chance like this, huh?
“They say he locked himself up after being rejected by the Saintess, right?”
“That’s what we thought, but apparently not.”
That’s way too vague.
“You don’t know the real reason?”
“If I knew, I’d have dragged it out of him.”
…Fair point.
The unsettling thing, though, was that even the heroine of this world had failed to bring Zervant back to life.
“If the Saintess couldn’t manage it, how could I? Why me of all people?”
“While looking for the right person, I happened to hear rumors about Lady Titia Angela’s teatime.”
Why does it always come back to teatime with him?
Is he still sulking because I called him Belt earlier instead of Veilt?
“What rumors did you hear, Mr. Belt?”
“Do you remember Hannah Whiteley?”
“Oh, Hannah….”
She was the one friend I’d made back when I lived in the Angela family, bullied by William. My only refuge.
I never even got to say goodbye when I fled.
She hadn’t been in a good situation either, so I couldn’t ask her for help. All I could do was run away far enough not to drag her down with me.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
“Do you know Hannah Whiteley’s real name?”
“Hannah Whiteley?”
“Well, not my place to say, so let’s skip that. Anyway, she suffered from severe depression when she was young, even resorted to self-harm. And the one who stopped her, who pulled her back into the world, was Lady Titia—ah, excuse me, Lady Teatime.”
Excuse me, I said it right—why are you changing it?
“That was just by chance….”
“No. Hannah Whiteley is still so grateful that she’s been searching for you all this time.”
“So because the situations are similar, you think I’m the right person.”
“Yes.”
Hearing my friend’s name for the first time in so long made me miss her.
“Until this job is over, I can’t meet Hannah, can I?”
“I won’t forbid it. Though if William were to catch you halfway through, I’d have to wonder whether I should bring you back…or just let things be. Depending on the Boss’s condition at the time.”
You might as well just tell me not to meet her.
“…Guess I’ll have to hold back for now. As long as she’s doing well?”
“Very much so.”
“Would it be all right if I wrote her letters?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Thank goodness. I’ll write her as soon as I arrive.
Four days later…
Ugh.
So dizzy…
The carriage ran without rest for four straight days.
Why doesn’t this world have some kind of teleportation portal? If it did, evacuations during demon attacks would be so much easier.
And more importantly, I wouldn’t have suffered this awful motion sickness!
I prayed desperately for someone—anyone—to invent a faster means of travel, a gate, a car, something.
Rattle!
The carriage jolted hard, then came to a stop. The coachman’s booming voice rang out.
“We’ve arrived!”
Finally!
“Let’s get down.”
Mr. Veilt disembarked first and held out his hand. I took it and stepped down, greeted by the sight of a vast mansion encircled by a gorgeous garden.
The beauty of it made my nausea vanish in an instant.
The mansion, shaped like a giant square bracket, had four stories, but the ceilings were so high it looked even taller.
“This is the estate of House Destine.”
“It’s amazing….”
I couldn’t help but whisper in awe, and he began leading the way.
“From now on, you will be in charge of everything concerning the Boss. You may move freely without special permission. There must be no restrictions in serving him. If you have any questions, direct them to me.”
“Why did you switch from calling me Teatime to Tea—snacks—Lady, Mr. Belt?”
“Please, come this way.”
So, I can ask, but I won’t get answers, huh.
I followed him inside. The interior had an antique, serene charm.
Expensive statues and art decorated the halls; the ceiling was covered in soft paintings, the floor in marble. Nothing gaudy, but the atmosphere was full of elegance.
“I’ve already informed the head maid and butler. No need for formal greetings.”
“Won’t they think I’m rude?”
“I’m ruder, so it’s fine.”
That’s fine for you, not me!
“Oh, and when addressing the Boss, please refrain from calling him ‘Duke’ or ‘Your Grace.’”
“But he is a Duke.”
“He hates those titles—says they make his skin crawl.”
Honestly, the Boss sounds more annoying than the titles.
But I suppose after hearing it endlessly while running the guild, he can tolerate “Boss” just fine.
“We’re prouder of being the Eclipse Guild than of some measly title.”
Veilt’s cold face softened as he spoke of the guild, full of pride.
“Of course, in public ceremonies you’ll need to use the proper titles.”
“That can’t be helped. But everyone in the Eclipse Guild calls him ‘Boss.’ You’re part of Eclipse now too, so you should do the same. Since you’ll be closest to him, it’s important not to grate on his nerves.”
“All right.”
Boss, Duke—whatever. Didn’t matter to me.
We climbed the grand central staircase up to the third floor. The sunlit marble hallway gradually dimmed as black curtains blocked the light. Candles flickered along the walls, lighting our way.
So we’re going to see the Boss right away, no breaks? Must be urgent.
Not that I’m complaining—they’re paying me enough to keep my mouth shut.
“Here we are.”
We stopped before massive mahogany doors.
Even the reclusive Duke’s rooms were massive.
From the door alone, I could guess the room inside was enormous. Big enough to stay holed up for years, not just one.
“The adjoining room will be yours. There’s a maid uniform prepared—please wash and change into it before coming out.”
The room inside was so big and pristine it could’ve belonged to the master himself.
I admired it silently, then grabbed the uniform and went to shower.
Freshly washed and dressed, I came out to find Veilt clearing his throat before shouting.
“Boss! I brought the maid who’ll be attending you from now on!”
“……”
“He says you may enter.”
Pretty sure he didn’t say that.
Ignoring my look, Veilt opened the door politely. Gesturing for me to enter, he left me no choice.
Inside, the darkness was suffocating.
Only one faint glow lit a corner, but I couldn’t tell what it was.
That way, maybe?
I waved my hands blindly until Veilt sighed and pressed something into my palm.
“Almost forgot—glasses. Wear them and you’ll see fine in the dark. One of our guild’s proud inventions.”
“And you give me these only now?”
“I’m already wearing mine.”
At this rate, even the Boss might get annoyed enough to storm out.
I put them on, and at once the gloom cleared a little—not bright as daylight, but no longer pitch black.
Scanning the room, I spotted a man huddled in a corner.
The faint glow was his hair.
The Boss wasn’t even on the bed. Instead, he crouched by it, face buried in his knees, arms wrapped tight around himself.
Even curled up, his frame was broad. I couldn’t imagine how tall he’d be standing.
Best make a good impression.
I greeted him brightly.
“Hello, Boss. My name’s Titia. I look forward to working with you!”
“…Don’t smile.”
His voice was so faint it seemed to shrink into itself, but the silence in the room carried it clearly.
“Boss.”
Veilt called again, and the man slowly lifted his head. Peeking over his knees, dull, unfocused eyes stared at me through round glasses.
Those empty eyes were strangely beautiful, almost haunting. I wished I could see them better, unobscured by his fringe and glasses.
As our gazes locked, Zervant’s pupils flickered faintly.
“…A magician?”
Me?
It was out of nowhere, but I kept my composure.
“Me? Well, in a sense I could be called a magician. From now on, I’ll be casting the magic of—your smile—”
“Get out.”
…Maybe I should get out for now. He’s too sharp-edged.
I thought to step out, rest a bit, and recover from the long journey, but Veilt shut the door and spoke instead.
“Please take care of our Boss.”
Click.
He closed it firmly.
“Um, Mr. Belt?”
Click, click.
Did he just…lock the door?
“What am I supposed to do in an emergency?”
“There’s a bathroom inside.”
“What if the Boss loses his temper and kills me?”
“I’ll handle the body cleanup splendidly.”
Excuse me!? That’s not what I meant!
“Do your best until lunchtime. Well then.”
So I’m stuck here till lunch.
Does Veilt not realize forcing me in like this could make me faint from shock?!
But his footsteps faded, and I gave up.
It’s a mountain I’ll have to climb sooner or later.
Panicking won’t help. Even Hannah trembled at first.
So I crouched down at a safe distance from him. I didn’t try to speak.
No point forcing it now. Better to wait until he’s a little used to me.
So I sat quietly, counting numbers.
I shouldn’t have done that.
Because the next thing I knew—I’d fallen asleep, snoring.
