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CHAPTER 24
Gray was sitting on the floor, not even trying to get up. His sharp eyes glared up at Riana.
His gaze was sharp—but still rough. Like a blade that hadn’t been properly sharpened.
He looked young. Weak. Alone.
That’s what came to Riana’s mind when she saw him.
This wasn’t the Gray she knew.
Now, he looked like someone who desperately needed help—even from a stranger he met in prison.
He had risked everything to come here, and all he found was a lowly maid, not a helpful noble. No wonder he was acting cold.
“…Is this revenge?” Riana asked quietly, trying to guess what he was thinking.
“Because I lied and dragged you into that mess… Are you trying to take away the one thing I want most?”
Gray didn’t answer. He didn’t deny it, but he didn’t threaten her either.
Riana felt tense. She wet her dry lips and continued.
“Honestly, you don’t need that island, right? I can help you buy a nice house. I don’t have a family, but you might want to find yours. Wasn’t your home in the Kingdom of Welsen?”
Gray was good at speaking the Diarés language, but his rough accent gave him away as someone from Welsen.
“If you go back to Welsen—”
“You really want nothing to do with me, huh? You’re even offering your hard-earned money to get rid of me,” Gray interrupted her, his voice low and rough.
“Well, not all of it was hard-earned…” Riana mumbled and looked away, guilty.
Half her money had come from using a cheat-like skill in this world.
Still, she smiled warmly.
“We don’t exactly have great memories together, do we?”
“That’s too bad,” Gray said as he slammed one knee to the floor and stood up. Suddenly, he towered over her.
“Too bad my goal isn’t revenge or money.”
“…Then do you really want the island?” she asked, surprised.
“If we were friends, I might tell you. But we’re rivals, aren’t we?”
Riana narrowed her eyes, trying to read his face. But she got nothing.
Gray turned and walked toward the attic door.
“We’ll see each other again after the trial. At the very least, we’ll meet at the auction,” he said as he opened the door himself, clearly dismissing her.
Since she had never been invited, this was fair enough. Riana walked toward the door.
Gray offered his arm like he had in the prison, but Riana just glared.
“No thanks. I’m not some fancy lady.”
“I know. I just thought you might forget how to get out like you did coming in.”
Ugh, this guy always has to get the last word.
Riana bumped his arm with her shoulder as she walked past him.
“My offer still stands. Think about it.”
“I think about you often, actually.”
That voice behind the half-closed door—and the red eyes flashing in the dark—sent chills down her spine.
“…I hope it’s true that this isn’t about revenge.”
Please don’t be thinking about me while sharpening a knife.
Gray had been locked up for so long that just seeing the outside world again felt amazing.
Ever since escaping the smugglers, all he did was stare out the window.
But today, he saw something unexpected.
Riana—the strange maid with weird hair who was secretly a magic user.
The words she left behind stuck in his mind:
“Are you doing this for revenge?”
She must’ve lived a pure life to ask something like that.
Revenge? That’s what a child would feel after their father kills their mother—not something you’d do over a little lie about someone’s status.
Still, it was true that he thought about her often.
“I escaped that hell because of you.”
As he told her, if it weren’t for Riana, he’d still be trapped in that nightmare of an experiment.
But repaying her felt like a luxury he couldn’t afford. He was too desperate just to survive.
When he got out, five years had already passed. And he had no idea where to go next.
“You’re the only one I could think of.”
That’s why he clung to her—even knowing she wasn’t some noble lady.
He said he wanted to be friends, but what he really needed… was a sponsor.
“Spes Island? Never heard of it.”
“You wouldn’t. It’s uninhabited.”
An uninhabited island…
“Why didn’t I think of that?”
At first, he just wanted her money. But now, he wanted her dream too.
“I mean… whatever it is, I just want to hide it somewhere, you know?”
She had called it “some luggage” but clearly, she meant her true identity.
He was no ordinary man either.
Treated like an animal. Cut open and drained of blood in the name of research. But he still survived. A monster.
“I know I’m not the kind of person who can blend into society.”
His life was already over. He had even thought about killing his father just to leave behind a reputation as a heartless criminal before dying.
But now… Riana’s dream had become his too.
“I really want it…”
Her dream of a peaceful future was powerful enough to make him forget about revenge.
If they pooled their money, they could do it together. Two outcasts, stuck on an island—at least they could talk to each other.
“She didn’t seem too freaked out about what I am…”
Well, she might if she knew about his personality. But as long as he played nice, he could keep it hidden.
He didn’t really know how to be kind, but he was trying.
“I didn’t even use the blackmail I brought. That’s gentlemanly, right?”
Gray pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
[Notice: Mandatory Registration of Magic Users]
He could’ve threatened to report her. But he didn’t. That made him kind… right?
Tss—crackle—
He tossed the paper into the fireplace.
As the fire ate it, Gray turned away and leaned against the window. The breeze filled his lungs as he enjoyed the sunlight.
“She really wants me gone…”
But he had no plans of disappearing. Even as a rival—he’d stay close.
For Riana, nighttime felt like a Monday for office workers. The kind you can’t escape no matter how hard you try.
“Now I get why night shifts pay more. Humans are meant to sleep at night,” she grumbled while feeding the cat. Then she yawned.
She was glad the cat was around—her only friend. She kept talking, afraid he’d leave again.
“Do you know how hard it is to fall asleep in the morning? I feel like yelling at the birds to shut up sometimes.”
“……”
“If I had noise-canceling earbuds, I wouldn’t complain. Or maybe I should ask someone to make them with magic? I mean, the Droche family is basically like Apple or Samsung here.”
She was just mumbling anything that came to mind.
Then she noticed something was missing. The cat’s rough tongue licking her fingers had suddenly stopped.
“What, you’re done eating?”
The cat turned his head and pushed her hand away, full now.
“Anyway, I met a weird guy today. His name’s Gray, and he’s got a super dark personality. Always picking a fight…”
She tried to keep talking, but her only companion was already getting ready to leave.
“…Going to the shop?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re leaving early these days. Got another job or something?”
The cat ignored her and padded away.
He always came and went as he pleased. Riana had gotten used to it, but tonight… she really didn’t want him to go.
“Stay. Hang out with me. What’s a cat got to be so busy for?”
“……”
“You only go quiet when I say something you don’t like.”
As the cat jumped off the sofa, Riana pouted. Lying down sideways, she reached out and playfully flicked his tail—
Mrrreow!
Instant rage.
“…Sorry.”
Silence returned to the maid room as the cat stormed out.
Riana stretched both arms above her head. Her arms and legs hung off the small couch.
“……”
So quiet.
When it’s too quiet, her mind always got too loud. Her eyes drifted to the ceiling as thoughts filled her head.
“It’s not even midnight yet…”
If it’s before midnight, then…
Tap tap tap. Her fingers drummed against the sofa.
“No. Don’t think about it, Riana.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to clear her thoughts. Maybe she could go back to mumbling like before. But now, she couldn’t even remember what she had been rambling about.
Instead, only one thought filled her mind.
“My birthday from my past life.”
And just like that, the aching feeling of longing washed over her like fog.
