“You haven’t been putting your filthy mouth on my daughter’s meals, have you?”
“N-no, sir. I just m-make a lot of clumsy mistakes. I accidentally tripped and spilled the meal…”
SLAP! The sound of another harsh slap echoed through the corridor.
“Hah, now get out. I’m only keeping you in the mansion because my daughter seems to be watching you, but know that if anything happens to her, you won’t get off lightly. Increase the concentration of the nutrition potion in her water and end this hunger strike as soon as possible.”
“Y-yes, master!”
Egru, not noticing Mayfield hidden behind the opposite corridor wall, hurried away through the mansion’s entrance on his short legs. Several employees exchanged crude jokes and high-level profanities while watching the half-demon’s retreating figure.
Mayfield slid down against the cold wall.
She felt both shocked and sickened to discover that the person beating Egru had been closer than expected.
The culprit was her father.
“…Don’t report to Father that I ate.”
“Wh-why not?”
“Just don’t if I tell you not to. Say you spilled it somewhere and threw it out.”
“Yes, young lady…!”
Egru was still keeping that seemingly trivial promise, taking all the blame on himself and enduring unreasonable punishment.
Why would he go this far for me?
No one would be this devoted without expecting some great reward.
Is being a servant that important? Is there some reason he needs to stay in the Mayfield mansion?
As she continued her doubts, Mayfield faltered. It was heartbreaking that she still couldn’t trust him after spending so much time together.
In her childhood, when she had little experience with people, all the servants she had opened her heart to wanted something from her.
Money, connections, letters of recommendation. Some bastard even tried to marry her for social advancement.
Lost in past memories, dawn had broken before she knew it. Mayfield stared at the rising sun with deeply troubled eyes.
It was when Egru, arriving early as usual, brought her warm breakfast.
“What do you want from me?”
Mayfield bluntly asked the first question that came to mind.
“Pardon?”
Seeing his genuinely confused expression, Mayfield couldn’t help but hold onto a sliver of hope.
Even if it’s just words…
She wished he would say he wanted nothing from her.
“Do you… want something from me?”
“Y-yes. I do.”
At his unhesitating response, Mayfield couldn’t hide her bitter feelings.
“What is it? Tell me.”
“Y-young lady, are you feeling unwell? If you’d like, I could take a look…”
“Never mind that, just answer. I’ll grant it.”
Mayfield felt oddly tense. The hair on her nape seemed to stand on end.
But Egru smiled, seemingly puzzled by her tension.
“Please eat, young lady. Your breakfast will get cold.”
Mayfield slowly ran a hand down her face. Her expression was enigmatic, filled with emotions she couldn’t quite express.
“…I’m the fool, not you.”
“What?”
Mayfield sat on her bed as always. She tightly gripped the round brush hidden under her silk blanket, then loosened her hold.
“Go home now, Egru.”
“What? B-but I just arrived…”
“Leave early today.”
“D-did I do something wrong?”
Mayfield rose, keeping the round brush hidden under the blanket, and began pushing the flustered Egru while walking with him out of the room.
“No. Just go home early today. I’ll see you to the entrance.”
“S-see me out? But young lady, you dislike leaving your room…”
Mayfield suddenly grabbed Egru’s small, rough hand. When the mint-green hand tried to pull away in surprise, she gripped it even tighter. She openly showed her closeness to him in front of the other employees.
“Don’t you like it?”
“N-no, I love it! But touching a half-demon might be dirty…”
“Didn’t you just bring my breakfast with those ‘clean’ hands of yours?”
Egru alternately looked at their joined hands, then broke into a teary smile.
Getting this emotional just from holding hands…
Mayfield took a step forward while forcefully suppressing her own surging emotions.
“Oh my, young lady…!”
“Good heavens…”
Other employees gasped at seeing Mayfield outside her room after so long. Or perhaps at seeing her appearing so close with a half-demon. Either way, Mayfield couldn’t care less.
When Egru tried to withdraw his hand, blaming himself, Mayfield shot him a sharp glare. Understanding her meaning to stay still, he obediently shuffled his small feet.
“U-um, young lady. I’m very grateful for you seeing me out, but…”
“What?”
“I need to report to the master.”
“Forget it. You don’t have to today.”
“Uh…”
“Do you trust my word?”
“Y-yes!”
Mayfield waved goodbye at the entrance as she sent Egru off. Once his tiny figure disappeared from view, she strode purposefully toward her father’s office.
“What brings you here, darling? I’m so happy to see your face outside your room after so long.”
“Father, have your hands been itching lately?”
“Hmm?”
“You laid hands on my servant! Did you think I wouldn’t know?”
Mayfield raised her voice as loud as she could.
“Where do you get off hitting him! He’s already so small, what if he gets even smaller!”
“Calm down, darling! This father only wanted what’s best for you…!”
“If you truly cared, you wouldn’t think of selling me off to a foreign country!”
“Selling you off! Where did you learn such harsh words!”
“Enough!”
Mayfield suddenly reduced her angry momentum and lowered her voice sharply.
“I’ll marry that Orc or Alpha or whatever. Just let him work as our household’s permanent servant.”
“You mean the half-demon? Then about the hunger strike…”
At his cautious questioning, Mayfield answered halfheartedly.
“I’ll stop.”
“Well thought, darling! Thank you, thank you! I hope you understand this was all for your sake.”
Mayfield left her father’s office with a derisive snort.
That night, for some reason, she lay awake until dawn.
The next day, just as the sun peeked out…
As soon as Egru arrived for work, Mayfield thrust the round brush at him.
“…Brush my hair.”
“Yes, gladly! B-but first, your breakfast…”
“Right now!”
At Mayfield’s command, Egru scurried over.
Swish swish, the pink hair was gently brushed. His hands trembled nervously, almost tickling her. Unlike her nanny’s warm palms, though, his fingertips that occasionally brushed her ears were rough and prickly.
This isn’t so bad…
I’ll have to be satisfied with this, what else can I do?
Mayfield closed her eyes and smiled for the first time in a very long while.
Time with this foolish but clever servant was cozy. Their daily routines together rapidly grew their bond. Especially when listening to Egru’s ridiculous stories, the days passed even more quickly.
“What? The bed is a drawer? How is that possible?”
Mayfield laughed brightly.
“I-I’m not lying!”
Egru demonstrated by actually climbing into the drawer to show her. Mayfield’s expression, which had been giggling thinking it was a joke, suddenly froze. Egru, who had been smiling back at her, began nervously checking her reaction.
“Y-young lady?”
“Oh for fuck’s sake…”
Mayfield mentally listed 100 ways to murder Levian.
“Come to think of it! I told you to live here permanently ages ago, but you still go home every night! Is your house that great? Better than our mansion? Huh? Answer in three seconds!”
“N-no! It’s just, I need Levian’s permission for that…”
“Is he your family? Why do you need his permission? Just tell him firmly today! Say it’s my order!”
“I-I’ll try.”
Just as Egru was clenching his tiny fist with determination…
Knock knock―!
An irritable knock echoed through the room.
Mayfield’s face crumpled.
“Tch… coming to interfere every night.”
“I’m coming in.”
A threatening voice cut in from outside the moment Mayfield muttered.
Mayfield deliberately didn’t grant him permission to enter, intending to annoy him. It was a strange battle of nerves. But seeing Egru anxiously looking at the door, she reluctantly spoke up.
“Oh, just come in! You’ve been visiting for months and still can’t read the room?”
Red hair appeared as the pale rose-colored door swung open.
Levian, as if it were natural, didn’t even properly greet Mayfield. He only pressed Egru.
“Hey, shorty. Come out quick. We need to go.”
Mayfield glared at Levian’s amber eyes, which were the same color as Egru’s but completely different in feeling. Though she desperately wanted to teach him a lesson, she was infuriated that she couldn’t do anything for fear it might harm Egru. She had grown to care for Egru enough to forcefully suppress her own temper.
“I’m waiting.”
Levian ignored the murderous Mayfield and urged Egru.
“I-I’ll be going now, young lady. Good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“…Wait.”
Mayfield pulled Egru onto the bed and embraced him as she spoke.
“Egru agreed to sleep with me tonight.”
“What the fuck?”
Levian’s face instantly contorted as he turned to look at Egru.