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Chapter 15
It wasn’t laughter—more like the sound of someone straining their face on purpose.
“Did you call for me?”
The voice was playful, completely lacking in courtesy.
When I opened the door, a little tense from hearing an unfamiliar voice, I found an equally unfamiliar maid standing there.
A sharp-featured beauty with bright red hair—though what stood out was her stylish, short undercut.
I thought I’d already met everyone in the mansion since there weren’t many servants to begin with…
Apparently, I was new to her too, because she froze for a second and couldn’t take her eyes off me.
When I blinked, she suddenly came to her senses and greeted me.
“Oh, I get it. You’re the new mascot of the duke’s estate, right?”
She smirked and tapped me lightly on the crown of my head.
It didn’t seem like she meant anything bad by it, so I wasn’t offended.
“No, not that—I’m a maid. My name’s Titia.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ella Skellen, the troublemaker of the Eclipse Guild.”
She said it like it was something to be proud of.
As she took the tray from my hands, she asked,
“Need this heated up?”
“Yes, please.”
“No problem. But next time you’ve got errands like this, make the boss do them.”
I tilted my head, sure I’d misheard.
“…Stop babbling and get out.”
“Kya-ha-ha!”
Ella burst out laughing like she’d just heard the funniest joke in the world and walked out.
“The servants here are all so strange—but they seem like good people,” I said.
“They’re just rude,” the boss muttered.
“I think they’re more… cheerfully rude?”
Bang! Bang!
I was laughing as I stepped inside, but the sudden thunder made me rush toward the boss.
I held out my hand.
“Hold my hand!”
“…”
He crossed his arms.
This heartless man.
All I could grab was the edge of his sleeve.
“You could’ve just said you were scared.”
“To who?”
“Veilt.”
“To the guy who literally summons thunder and lightning just to strike it in front of me?”
“…”
Ssshhh—
The rain started pouring down in earnest. The sound was refreshing.
When he flinched slightly, I seized the chance to reach for his hand—but he clenched his fist tight.
“Your defense is ironclad.”
“Why are you afraid of thunder and lightning anyway?”
“When I was trapped in that box, the thunderstorm outside was… really bad. You could say it ‘set the mood.’”
It was so loud that the box shook. I was terrified—so terrified I started wishing for the thunder to just destroy the world.
If the world ended, no one would survive, including me.
And in that strange way, I thought I’d be free from fear.
“…You talk about it so casually, even though your face says otherwise.”
“I’m trying to. That’s why you, boss, also need lots of time. Don’t rush it. I’m not going anywhere.”
“…You’re not?”
“No.”
“Not anywhere?”
“Nowhere.”
“…”
He said nothing, and we sat close together, quietly listening to the sound of rain.
“…If you’d told them you were scared of thunder, Joshua wouldn’t have sent me here.”
So Joshua was the only one who knew how sensitive the boss got on rainy days.
“Well, I wanted to come to you.”
“…”
He went silent again, and I took my turn to speak.
“Boss, when you stay up late, your mind tends to wander.”
“…I can’t sleep.”
“Want me to tell you a trick for falling asleep?”
Since Veilt already knew, I figured telling the boss wouldn’t hurt.
“Don’t.”
“I haven’t even started. Don’t what?”
Shouldn’t he be saying “Forget it” or “Don’t tell me”?
“I’ve got a bad feeling. When did you even get up? Sit down.”
“Once you know this, boss, you can’t go back to how things were before.”
When he tried to turn around, I grabbed his shoulders.
How dare you turn your back when I’m right here!
“Look at me, boss!”
“Let go.”
Even when I tried to turn him by force, his body didn’t budge.
“Why are you so strong!”
“I’m not looking.”
“It’s not bad! It’s good, right?”
“I’m a bad person.”
“Right? Then look at me.”
“…”
He finally gave in to my persistence and looked at me. I couldn’t see his eyes clearly—but he was looking, right?
“When we’re done, you’ll—”
Knock, knock.
“Follow me.”
Knock, knock.
“Go check.”
“Right when it’s getting good. Let’s finish after dinner.”
I didn’t want to stop…
I couldn’t help but laugh at the sincerity in his muttered complaint.
When I opened the door, Ella was crouched down, grinning at the sight of the boss sitting there.
“Well, well, boss. Still playing the reclusive hermit?”
The boss flipped her off.
“Boss! Titia’s too soft-hearted for that kind of gesture.”
“He flipped her off, not you.”
“You sure about that?”
Do you think I’m stupid?
Ella tried to hold back her laughter, then burst out laughing.
“So the boss has a real oddball stuck to him now, huh. I see why Joshua and the twins brag so much about you.”
“They… bragged about me?”
“Constantly. Come brag to me yourself sometime.”
Brag… about myself, to you?
After roughly rubbing my cheeks, she waved and left.
While setting the table, I deliberately flipped the boss’s tableware upside down and called out,
“Boss, come here— That’s my seat.”
“I know.”
Then he flipped my tableware upside down and went back to his seat.
“…”
“…”
“Pfft. That was kind of funny, wasn’t it?”
“You don’t look like you’re having fun.”
It was fun—until he said that with a straight face.
“National Gymnastics Time!”
Rumble! Crack!
“Hold my hand!”
“…Ha.”
Every time thunder struck, I ran to him begging for his hand. He’d gotten halfway resigned to it by now, just folding his arms.
He never held it once.
I’m scared, okay!
“You don’t look scared at all.”
“I really am!”
“I know. Your face goes so pale I think you’ll faint any second.”
He gave me a curious look, surprised by how my words and actions didn’t match, then quickly turned his head away.
“You can keep looking, you know.”
“…”
As the thunder calmed and color returned to my cheeks, I stood again.
“This really helps you fall asleep.”
“You sure you’re not just doing this for yourself?”
“That too, honestly.”
It was nighttime already—sleep time—but the boss, with those dark circles under his eyes, still didn’t seem sleepy.
Those shadows came from sleepless nights. They were… adorable.
I kind of hoped they wouldn’t fade even if he slept well.
They added to his gloomy charm.
“If you do this before bed, you’ll sleep like a rock. Though maybe I’m just weird. They say exercising before bed can wake you up instead of relaxing you.”
“Then why do you do it?”
“Because, strangely, it helps me sleep better! Maybe it’ll work for you too—try it!”
“One, two, three, four!”
“Two-two-three-four!”
The national gymnastics routine was simple—not enough to make you sweat. When I finished, sleepiness washed over me.
“I think I’ll go to bed.”
“You can sleep fine without all that.”
“Boss, you’re like a living sleeping pill…”
Boom!
“Hold my—!”
“Fine, fine!”
Maybe he couldn’t stand it anymore, because this time he irritably snatched my outstretched hand and pulled me closer.
Despite the gruff tone and expression, his touch was gentle.
Sitting shoulder to shoulder, I held both his large hands tightly.
“You’re so sweet.”
“If you rub your face on my hand, I’m letting go.”
Oops. I almost did.
At his warning, I quickly lifted my head.
Tap-tap-tap…
The rain fell softly, like a lullaby, and we listened quietly to its sound.
Joshua, though he had confidently left Titia to take care of Zervant, couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
By nightfall, the rain had grown heavier, and lightning flashed occasionally.
A night like this meant nothing to a demon—but for Zervant, it was always torment.
He trusted Titia to handle things, but still worried.
So in the end, Joshua left the garden and made his way to Zervant’s room.
The rain kept falling, tapping against the windows as he walked through the gloomy hallway.
He reached the door. Joshua usually didn’t bother knocking, so he simply turned the handle and opened it quietly.
In the darkness, his pupils narrowed into vertical slits.
He saw two figures beside the bed.
To be precise—Titia and Zervant.
Titia was leaning against Zervant’s shoulder, and Zervant was resting his head on hers.
Their hands were tightly clasped as they slept.
“…Ah.”
A small sound escaped Joshua’s lips in surprise.
He quickly covered his mouth, but even that faint noise made Zervant stir and lift his head.
When Joshua silently mouthed something, Zervant, still half-asleep, raised a finger to his lips—
—“Shh.”
