With a crunch, a sound like bones being crushed came from above my head.

My mouth opened involuntarily at the pressure that seemed to be crushing me.

‘…This is outside!’

However, the shock was greater than the pain.

Even before I could turn around, I knew who had grabbed me. The unique scent emanating from Zachary was felt even before I could see his face.

‘Zachary! What were you thinking, coming here!’

Zachary was definitely someone who shouldn’t be outside the mansion right now.

As expected, when I tilted my head back, the first thing I saw was the ghost’s eyes embroidered on the fluttering cloth. However, his outfit was different from usual.

He was wearing a hood that he had found from somewhere. Fortunately, it was properly covering his hair, but this shouldn’t be happening.

“How did you come here…”

“Gh-ghost…!!”

I was about to question Zachary, but this wasn’t a place where only we were present. Isaac, who was in front of me, screamed in shock.

“Lord Oscar, step back!”

Isaac had turned pale. He was trembling pitifully with his large body, showing how shocked he was.

Despite making all sorts of commotion, he tried to protect me in his own way. He was frantically reaching out his hand to pull me away from Zachary, but I couldn’t go to Isaac. Zachary saw that hand and held me even more tightly.

“F*ck, oh my god!”

The cloth covering Zachary’s face and the eerie atmosphere of the Serpentine mansion were excellent at instilling fear. Isaac, who had been unreasonably frightened by Zachary’s ghostly appearance, cursed and pulled out a sword from inside the carriage.

With a swish, the drawn blade was long. As soon as Isaac drew his sword, I sighed when I saw the knights instantly surrounding Zachary and me. It was depressing to see the situation getting out of control.

Not only the situation, but we had an even bigger problem. If the Marquis were to see us like this…

“Let go quickly.”

I said, tapping Zachary’s arm impatiently. But the more I did that, Zachary only held me tighter.

Of course, he had lessened the strength with which he had initially grabbed me, as if pressuring my stomach. However, his strong will to never let go remained the same.

“…”

Why is he doing this? Surely, Zachary’s behavior must be due to the influence of the curse, but even knowing that, anger suddenly welled up inside me.

I don’t like commanding others. Zachary wasn’t someone who should be ordered around by anyone, and he didn’t have to be. That’s why I was also gritting my teeth and trying to make him let go.

But this was unacceptable. This time, I hoped he would listen to me. It wasn’t simply a matter of wanting to survive alone. Zachary’s life and death were at stake.

‘If the Duke were to see such behavior. If rumors spread about Zachary acting like this.’

Would Zachary be able to survive even after that? No way. The Duke would most likely crush him with stronger brainwashing or try to kill him this time.

Smack, I finally pushed Zachary’s hand away as if hitting it. Then, whether it was a misunderstanding or not, Zachary seemed to freeze in surprise, and I took that chance to break free from him.

I strode over to Isaac, who was looking at me with a dazed face. And immediately bowed my head.

“I apologize.”

Isaac’s eyes widened in surprise.

“This person is my servant. Please forgive his rudeness. He seems to have acted rudely, judging that I was in danger.”

The Gardenta Earl’s family. No matter how much lower they are than the Duke, they are of a status where killing a servant who has committed a great disrespect would not be a problem.

“I am truly sorry.”

As I apologized again, bowing deeply, Isaac was rather flustered.

“Ah, no. I was just… a little startled…”

He said to me as he put the sword he was holding back into its sheath.

Well, all the servants in our household look like this, but it must have been startling to see one up close for the first time. Even I, who grew up here, sometimes find those ghostly eyes drawn on the faces eerie.

“I’m sorry. I think I should get going now too.”

“What?! Ah, but…”

“It’s late.”

I cut him off firmly.

“Please take care on your way back.”

There was no time to hear his response. Isaac tried to say something to me, but I didn’t give him a chance.

I quickly turned around and started walking.

“…”

Naturally, Zachary followed behind me. Unlike my outwardly calm steps, my mind was not just complicated but blank.

Why is Zachary acting like this? There seems to be some problem with Zachary’s spell circle. The Duke… When is the Duke coming? I hope he didn’t see this situation.

While I was thinking all sorts of thoughts, Zachary naturally came to my side and tried to carry the gift Isaac had given me instead.

“Don’t carry it. I’ll carry it myself.”

After speaking coldly, I kept walking. I passed through the door, climbed the stairs, and headed to my room.

As soon as I entered the room, I slammed the door shut and strode over to Zachary, who had followed me into the room.

“What’s the problem? Why aren’t you listening to me at all? Do you know how dangerous that was just now?”

I couldn’t hide my angry face.

“I know. I know it’s because of the spell on you, and you don’t actually need to listen to me. Your master is not me, but the Duke. Then did you perhaps receive some orders from the Duke and my mother behind my back? How can you put me in such a difficult position? I haven’t always ordered you around, and this time, I only told you to wait!”

What would Zachary, under the influence of the spell, know? But he wouldn’t have received orders to go outside the main gate of the mansion. So either there’s a problem with the spell, or…

‘I don’t know.’

My head hurts too much.

Since I couldn’t reach a conclusion, I became even angrier. I was frustrated because I didn’t know the reason for his abnormal behavior just now. Even though I knew in my head that I shouldn’t get angry at Zachary, I ended up scolding him loudly, startled.

‘It was about to all turn to nothing.’

Just then, the sound of a carriage was heard outside the window. I hurriedly went to the window and saw the duke entering the mansion in the nick of time.

My heart sank. I almost ruined everything that I had barely managed to achieve until now in an instant.

If the Duke had seen Zachary disobeying my orders, would he have left Zachary alone?

No. He definitely would have tried to check Zachary’s condition. Then he would have noticed the spell circle on his wrist that I had barely unraveled and would have carved a stronger spell into Zachary.

“Ha, damn it…”

I know it’s not something to be angry at Zachary about. How can he act on his own will when he can’t act of his own volition? But even though I knew everything, today I resented Zachary too.

I was already living with enough guilt.

Because of my weak body, Zachary became a servant. I even thought that the education process, which could have been ended long ago, was prolonged.

“I know it’s not your fault, I know everything, but…”

I mumbled, covering my face. What fault does Zachary have? I was just upset about this whole situation.

I was anxious. Should I hurry up and finish drawing the spell circle? But when drawing the spell circle, great pain follows. Even if he can’t properly feel pain due to the education, if there’s even a little bit of self left, he will feel enough pain. That’s why I didn’t want to inflict that pain multiple times in a short period and intended to dismantle it over time.

‘Is it because of that dismantling circle that the problem occurred?’

Zachary’s sudden abnormal behavior, the strange sensations I feel while being with him.

These things could happen frequently in the future, and each time, I have to cover the Duke’ eyes. My head throbs. There’s so much to do, and with Zachary also acting strange, it suddenly felt dizzying as if something had gone terribly wrong.

“…I need to get you out of here soon.”

I need to achieve this goal as quickly as possible, even a day sooner. It’s because I’m incompetent. If I was smarter, or if someone wiser than me was Zachary’s master, long ago…

“Ugh?!”

Thud, a strong impact hit my shoulder.

“Young master.”

When did he get so close?

I didn’t notice. Zachary was right in front of me. As the fluttering cloth was half pushed back, I could see his tightly closed mouth.

“You, this is…”

“I am the young master’s servant.”

Zachary’s hand gripping my shoulder is unyielding. The part he was squeezing hurt like crazy.

But the pain wasn’t that important.

It was suddenly as cold as if the surrounding temperature had dropped below zero. The being emitting such a dreadful chill that made my body tremble involuntarily was none other than Zachary right in front of me.

“I must stay by the young master’s side. That is the fate of a servant who upholds the destiny of the Serpentine family, it cannot be defied.”

“Wait a sec-!”

“I am the young master’s servant. Even at the moment the master dies, even at the moment the master returns to the earth, I must be by the young master’s side.”

“Ah, it hu…”

A monotonous tone with no inflection whatsoever.

“I am…”

“I said it hurts!”

I pushed away Zachary’s arm with a pale face. Even after pushing it away, my shoulder throbs from how tightly he had grabbed it. Holding my aching shoulder, I looked at Zachary. He kept muttering incessantly.

“Being by the young master’s side is my reason for existence. I am a servant of the Serpentine family.”

He repeated the same words over and over like a broken doll.

“If I am not by the young master’s side, there is no meaning. I am a servant of the Serpentine family. I am happy to have received the education.”

I’m so scared I feel like I’m going crazy.