Chapter 5: Countess Sergia (3)

“You Pathetic fool.”
“Is Father’s word such a joke to you?”
“He told you not to bother, didn’t he?”

Judel hadn’t looked well yesterday, so Erben had followed him just in case, only to witness his younger brother’s pathetic state:
The sight of his despicable brother, devoid of any intellect, using magic to whip a mere maid.

“I thought I told you to satisfy that disgusting hobby of yours with s*ave scum.”

“…I was merely educating…”

Erben clicked his tongue, looking at Judel with pity.
He sighed, finding his heinous younger brother, who enjoyed whipping and seeing blood, utterly pathetic.

A mage is intellect itself.
For someone with intellect to be consumed by their impulses and display such beastly behavior is a complete madness.

‘Does he truly not understand that this behavior is a disgrace to the family?’

“Even if she’s just a maid, she serves our family.”
“Think carefully before choosing targets for your disgusting hobby.”

“…Understood.”

“This must never happen again.”
“If rumors spread that we abused a mere maid with our magic, who suffers the most?”
“You?”
“Or our family, which raised the disgusting and repulsive you?”

“….”

Erben sighed and looked straight at is Judel.
Despite everything, he was his own flesh and blood.
He wanted to somehow bring him to his senses and make him capable as a mage, but… it wasn’t easy.

“I will report this matter to Father, so be aware.”

“Yes…”

As Judel was leaving the room, he turned his head, hesitated, and finally spoke with difficulty.

“By any chance… Brother, did you interfere with my magic earlier…?”

“…?”
“What are you talking about now?”
“Don’t tell me you’re still having magic misfires?”

“N-No, it’s not like that…!”

“What do you mean it’s not like that…!”
“And you call yourself a mage?!”

‘Interfere with magic?’
‘What nonsense.’
‘He probably can’t even cast properly himself.’
‘Does he think interfering with someone else’s magic is that easy?’

After sending Judel away, Erben needed to think deeply about the situation.
Touching just one maid wouldn’t cause a major incident.
If rumors surfaced, they could simply clean them up.

However… the problem was that she was the maid of Judith, that illegitimate child.
For some reason, Father held great interest in the illegitimate child’s potential magic manifestation.

The maid must have known Judith was illegitimate, yet she threw her body to save her.
She could just be a kind-hearted maid, but…

He felt like there was something more he didn’t know.
A father overly interested in a mere illegitimate child, a maid risking her life for a mere illegitimate child.

“For now, I can only watch…”
“Her magic manifestation should happen soon anyway…”

A letter sent by Marquis Karian lay on the desk.
He unfolded it, his expression souring at the irritating content.

“I should take my hands off this as Father said…”

The Marquis’s request, still asking for help with his research.
Marquis Karian’s lifelong wish was to cure all diseases caused by magic and to achieve agelessness.

Fearing his own death and that of his wife, Marquis Karian always offered them large sums of money, demanding research.

They had continued the research for several years, but it required huge costs and an absurd amount of time, showing little significant progress.

The reason Marquis Karian had become more insistent lately was likely because his wife had received a terminal diagnosis.

“It’s impossible unless a true Great Witch is born…”

He tossed the Marquis’s letter into the trash bin and began reading a letter received from the Magic Tower.
Work had piled up like a mountain since graduating from the academy.

He continued his duties, wishing his younger brother would come to his senses quickly and take over his work.

A day had passed since Judel’s visit.
He hadn’t come back since then, but she trembled with the fear of when he might return.

“Hsss… Agh…”

“Chloe… are you okay?”

“I’m alright…”

Her back was torn, bleeding.
Without any medicine, all she could do was wipe the wound.
She could get medicine from the main building, but going there now was awkward…

She was in no condition to work and was resting in her room when Judith came, pacing anxiously.

“What should we do about meals..? I couldn’t prepare them…”
“There’s some bread left, though…”

“…Stop worrying about me and get some rest…”
“I’ll manage.”

“Miss… you’re not thinking of cooking, are you…?”

“I know how to make simple things.”

‘What cooking can a 10-year-old child do…’
‘No, did the previous Chloe not even cook for her, forcing her to learn somehow…?’
‘Or maybe she learned before coming here…’

With her small hands, Judith painstakingly wrung out a towel and gently dabbed Chloe’s wound.
A small smile escaped Chloe’s lips at the adorable touch.

“I’m really fine, so please don’t skip your meal because of me. Go eat first…”

“What about you, Chloe…?”

“I’ll eat when I feel a bit better…”

Perhaps due to the wound, her head slowly started to ache.
She felt terrible towards Judith, but it was hard to manage her expression, and her head throbbed whenever she spoke.
She couldn’t answer Judith’s worried questions anymore.

“…Get some rest.”

“Yes…”

Only after Judith closed the door and left could Chloe finally think clearly.
She couldn’t shake the thought that Judel might have come looking for her specifically because of her actions.

Since the only thing that had changed in this original story was her behavior, she wondered if Judel’s actions had changed as a result.
If she hadn’t gone out for a walk, she wouldn’t have been noticed.

‘Right… the Chloe in the original story only abused Judith in the attic; she wasn’t the type to take her for walks…’

Lying down, groaning in pain, only negative thoughts filled her mind as she closed her eyes.
What if Judel barges in right now?
Agonizing over such thoughts, she closed her eyes and, perhaps from exhaustion, slowly drifted off to sleep.

[Knock knock]

[Knock knock knock]

“Chloe?”

Waking up, she saw Judith in front of her.
With a worried expression, Judith fidgeted. Chloe reached out and caressed Judith’s still swollen cheek.

“Miss… have you eaten?”

Looking out the window, the sun was setting, signaling evening was near.
From tomorrow, there would be no leftover ingredients, so she’d have to go to the main building…

Judith nodded, placed a bowl in front of Chloe, and offered her something with a spoon.

“What is this…?”

“I tried making soup.”

“You made it yourself, Miss..? That’s dangerous… How did you use the fire…”

“…Stop worrying about me and eat quickly.”

Food Judith made out of worry for her…
It was touching, if touching, but also worrying, if worrying.
Food made by a 10-year-old child… it couldn’t possibly be normal.

Still, how could she refuse when Judith held out the spoon with those earnest, sparkling eyes full of concern?
Resigning herself to swallow it even if it tasted bad, Chloe accepted the spoon Judith offered into her mouth.

“Huh..? It’s better than I thought…”

“It’s good, right?”

“Yes… it’s good…?”

It was good.
No, it was actually delicious.
‘What is this…?’

‘Is it some kind of protagonist effect?’
It was delicious enough to make her think that.
Judith smiled proudly and offered the spoon to Chloe’s mouth again.

She insisted on feeding Chloe herself, refusing Chloe’s attempt to eat on her own, so Chloe had no choice but to accept, feeling embarrassed.
Lying there like a baby bird, she just accepted the soup Judith offered.

“Where did you learn to cook?”

“…I learned before I came here.”

‘Before coming here…’
‘The original story said Judith grew up under her prostitute mother… Did she learn there…?’

Having watched her for a month, Judith was surprisingly mature.
For a 10-year-old child, her behavior was proper, and she didn’t cry or throw tantrums.
A child forced to learn maturity at the tender age of 10.

At an age where she should be running around and growing rapidly.

This world was too harsh for her.

“…Starting tomorrow, I’ll do the cooking.”

“What are you saying with that wound… Was it perhaps not tasty?”

“Of course not. It was the most delicious soup I’ve ever had.”

Judith chuckled at Chloe’s flattery, then wrung out the towel and started wiping the wound again.
When the water-soaked towel touched the stinging wound, a groan escaped Chloe involuntarily.

“Oot…!”

“What can you possibly do with a wound like this?”
“For the time being, I’ll go to the main building.”

“You can’t do that!”
“If you go to the main building, that brute is there! What if you run into him?!”

“I’m fine…”

“I’m not fine!”

By tomorrow, she felt she could probably manage to walk to the main building.
Then she could get medicine and ingredients.
She’d have to go quietly, making sure not to get caught.

“Miss, please stop worrying about me and go rest… You even cooked because of me…”

“…It’s really strange.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

Judith muttered something under her breath, but Chloe couldn’t hear exactly what she said.
She hoped Judith wouldn’t feel guilty because of her…

“You must call me if you need anything. I’m just next door anyway…”

“Don’t worry about me, just go get some rest.”

“…Please call me when you need me.”

Judith held Chloe’s hand tightly, looking truly worried, and Chloe responded with a smile.
It had only been a month, but she felt relieved that she had gotten much closer to Judith.

Judith looked at her worriedly one last time before heading to her own room.
Once the room became quiet, Chloe worried about what to do next.

Since Judel had found out, this incident would surely reach the ears of the Count or Countess.
She didn’t know who had approached on horseback then, but it was either the eldest son or the Count.

‘I hope it was the eldest son… The eldest son doesn’t care about Judith at all.’

He, too, was a thorough meritocrat like the Count.
As if only magical prowess proved a person’s worth, he looked down on non-magic-using civilians as less than insects.

His gaze towards Judith would change once she manifested her magic, but for now, with Judith unable to manifest magic, he paid her no attention at all.

‘The future is worrisome…’

Judel’s appearance, the Countess’s hysterics, the Marquis’s sudden visit.
That was the framework of the original story.

But… now that Judel had already interfered.
There was no guarantee the story would proceed as originally written.

‘First… I need to go to the main building tomorrow… I should ask my seniors how things are going…’

The pain in her back made it hard to even think straight.
It would definitely leave a scar.
‘It’s not even my body, but I feel so sorry…’
She must have slept earlier, yet her body felt incredibly sluggish.
Was it thanks to the warm soup Judith made?
Or was all the fatigue catching up to her now?

Unable to resist her heavy eyelids, she succumbed to the encroaching sleep.