episode_0038

“M-Maid.”

Upon opening the door to the exclusive maid waiting room as usual, the unexpected face that appeared was not that of the mansion’s security guard or Harold, but rather the visage of Hyumdan.

Waking up in the morning to see Hyumdan’s face first thing… honestly, it didn’t matter much.

The start of the exclusive maid duties involved waking this brat up and tidying the bedding, so seeing his face first thing every morning for the past three months had long ceased to bother me.

…I didn’t particularly want to see this brat’s face on my last day in this world, but still.

Anticipating the reason why he suddenly appeared before me, I responded as calmly as possible.

I didn’t want to be treated like one of Hyumdan’s toys until the very last moment.

“M-Maid….”

“Are you enjoying the sight?”

“W-What?”

“Seeing a maid who once cursed you to die, saying you should choke or whatever, dragged off to the slaughterhouse must bring you immense joy.”

“M-Maid…! N-No…! Lower your voice!”

…?

I tried to maintain a nonchalant demeanor, devoid of emotions, assuming Hyumdan had come to mock my final moments, just as I had done with Aeria and Alicia.

For some reason, upon hearing my words, Hyumdan became visibly flustered and started scanning the corridor beyond Harold’s room.

“Is there someone else over there?”

“T-There’s no one… A-And it seems like Dad hasn’t woken up yet… Phew….”

…Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?

Normally, he would pay no attention to others, including Harold, and live his life without caring about anyone’s opinions. So why was he now glancing around nervously?

And his slightly awkward reaction when I spoke…

Something was off about Hyumdan this morning.

It probably wasn’t crucial for me to know how many hours I had left to live, but still…

“You’re not here to tease me…”

“What?”

“To apologize to the maid….”

…What nonsense is this?

Considering Hyumdan’s personality, he was definitely not the type to go apologize to a mere maid like Lillis. There must have been something else behind his words.

Perhaps he would pretend to bow in apology and then suddenly raise his head and strike, or maybe it was to humiliate me by observing my reaction to his apology.

But judging by his intelligence, he didn’t seem capable of such elaborate manipulation. While he might grow more cunning with age, he was currently at the intelligence level of a middle schooler at best.

Given that Hyumdan hadn’t received a complete education or learned essential social skills, his practical reasoning was likely even lower.

I wasn’t entirely trusting his words, but it felt like I could accept his apology sincerely.

“When you say ‘apologize,’ are you referring to what happened yesterday?”

“Y-Yes, what happened yesterday and… o-other things too….”

“Other things?”

“Sorry for… teasing the maid all this time….”

…?

“M-Maid…?”

Damn it, seriously.

If you’re going to keep up with this bullshit, then just stay as the little shit you’ve always been.

If you suddenly show remorse like this at the end, what does that make me?

Somehow, if I don’t accept this apology, it feels like I’ll turn into a really awful person.

No matter how much that bastard Hyundan repents and apologizes to me, it won’t erase the things I’ve experienced because of him in the past.

Since the punishment has already been decided, my fate will likely continue as planned.

In that sense, if he had apologized even a little sooner, maybe I wouldn’t have felt like throttling him.

…Well, thinking about it now is just a meaningless assumption.

Considering various factors, accepting his apology seemed objectively better.

“I understand, Lord Edan.”

“Oh, um…?”

“Since Lord Edan seems to sincerely want to apologize to me, I have no choice but to accept your apology.”

In the future, accepting the apology of the brat who is currently reflecting, even for the sake of someone else who will take my place as Hyundan’s exclusive maid, seemed like the best course of action.

If I were to refuse to accept his apology and told him to buzz off, sure, my mood might improve slightly due to giving Hyundan a taste of his own medicine. However, ultimately, my actions could potentially revert this brat, who had just started to change, back to his dark ways.

Perhaps the dreadful cycle would continue even with the next maid who takes my place after sending off Lillis.

There was definitely a non-zero chance that the target could be Isabelle or Katarina.

“I should bear the shitty situation alone. There’s no need to drag innocent people into this mess.”

On the contrary, by accepting the apology, Edan might achieve some level of emotional growth.

Maybe he wouldn’t evolve into an irredeemable villain as in the original game.

At least there was a higher chance of potential progress compared to when he came to apologize with courage and ended up betrayed.

Edan looked slightly surprised after hearing my response and cautiously asked, “So, you forgive me…?”

“Forgiveness is a term used when someone in authority pardons the wrongdoing of someone beneath them. In that sense, I cannot forgive you, Lord.”

“Oh, um…?”

“So, please understand that I have simply accepted your apology. By doing so, you can unburden yourself, Lord.”

“And… what about the maid?”

“I, too, will refrain from mentioning the past incidents. Let’s consider this matter closed.”

“… ”

…Chances are, even if I wanted to mention it, I probably wouldn’t be able to.

Dead men tell no tales. The three months of dealing with Hyundan’s annoyance and bullshit will likely end with me being the only one aware of it.

Nevertheless, perhaps this naive brat has somewhat come to his senses through this incident, and he would likely refrain from acting like a jerk, at least towards my successor.

…Oh, right. I almost forgot something important.

“Lord Edan.”

“Oh, um!”

“If it’s alright with you, could you spare me some time to bid farewell to my colleagues?”

“Farewell…? Where is the maid going?”

“Well, wherever it is, it won’t be a good place.”

It’ll either be a hellhole or somewhere beyond this world among my considered options.

“No matter how much Lord Edan apologizes to me, attempted noble murder is a serious crime. Especially since your father, the master, undoubtedly loves you terribly, there’s no escaping the death penalty.”

“Oh, th-that’s…”

“However, if my colleagues were to hear that I had been sentenced to death or exiled far away, it would undoubtedly cause them considerable worry. Therefore, I wish to convey that there is no need for concern on the part of Isabelle and Katarina at least.”

“No, M-Maid…”

“Please, Lord Ethan. It likely won’t take long, so could you grant me a bit more leniency?”

Though it felt somewhat ridiculous to be pleading with bowed head before Hyudan, it was merely a fleeting moment of embarrassment.

If this could alleviate the worries Isabelle and Katarina might have for me, then it was a worthwhile deal.

Moreover, I also wanted to have one last conversation with the two people with whom I had grown closest in this world.

In addition, there was a possibility that sharing some of the future knowledge I possessed could somehow benefit these two individuals.

Considering these various aspects, the opportunity to meet these two individuals now held significant value.

“Oh, I didn’t tell Father, so it’s okay…!”

“Pardon?”

“The maid… are you worried that I might have told Father? If I were to tell Father that the maid helped me when I was feeling faint… the maid would become someone I could never see again…”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“So it’s fine… Yesterday’s incident… Oh, I didn’t tell Father about it…”

“…Yes?”

…Could it be that Harold didn’t come barging in yesterday evening?

That he didn’t show up to kill me while I slept or this morning?

Was it all just because Hyudan hadn’t reported to his father?

Looking at the child who always ran to Harold whenever something he couldn’t handle came up in the game, it was hard to believe his words at face value.

As Hyudan seemed to notice my continued suspicious gaze, he urgently reiterated that he hadn’t said anything.

“I really… truly didn’t say anything, Maid…”

“…Are you trying to give an order for me not to resist in exchange for not mentioning what happened yesterday…?”

“N-No, that’s not it…! I just didn’t say anything… I thought if I told Father about the maid, the maid would become someone I could never see again…”

“…I see.”

“I don’t want that… That’s why… I didn’t say anything…”

…Do I believe this or not?

Seeing that there were no Blackwood Mansion guards coming to kill me even by this morning, it did seem like he hadn’t spoken after all.

Simply not saying anything out of fear of my death… that was a hard pill to swallow.

…Well, whether I believed it or not wouldn’t change my current situation for the better.

Rather than agonizing over something that hadn’t happened yet, I reluctantly nodded in acceptance, opting for peace of mind at the very least.

“I see. Thank you for your mercy, Lord Ethan.”

“D-Do you trust me?”

“Yes. You mentioned forgiving and covering up the mistake I made in the heat of the moment, so I can only express deep gratitude for your words.”

“Oh, no… It was my fault…”

…No matter how much I think about it, he doesn’t seem like Hyudan; he seems like something else entirely.

Well, that’s that. For now, the fact that the kid had calmed down a bit was good news for me—it wasn’t bad news at all.

For the time being, I needed to return to the tasks I had set aside to avoid yesterday’s incident from being exposed.

“Then, I should start by finishing the cleaning of the room that I couldn’t complete yesterday. Would you allow me to enter your chamber for a moment, Master?”

“Yes, c-come in…”

…To be honest, I don’t believe that people can change overnight.

Perhaps my current attitude is just a temporary reaction manifested by the fear I experienced yesterday, and starting tomorrow, I might return to my usual cynicism and engage in my usual antics.

If that happens… well, I’ll deal with it when the time comes.

After all, considering my life that I once thought was over, worrying needlessly about an uncertain future seems rather foolish now.

At least believing that my cynicism has changed slightly to be more human-like would bring some peace of mind.

At least there won’t be any reason to worry Isabel and Katarina right now…

“…Ah.”

“Why the sudden change, maid?”

“…No, it’s nothing at all.”

Come to think of it, not long ago, I almost made a fool of myself by saying goodbye and such to those two.

If we had exchanged various stories as if we might never meet again yesterday and still worked at the mansion, how awkward would things have become between us?

Just imagining the embarrassment that could have arisen due to a future that might have unfolded differently made my face flush with heat.

…I almost ended up accumulating another embarrassing memory.