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“Ugh…”

I started to regain my senses. I tried to open my eyes, but my entire body felt as heavy as lead, making it impossible to lift my eyelids properly.

The aches and throbbing from my injuries enveloped me like a warm blanket.

Finally, through my barely open eyes, I confronted a cozy scene.

The warm sunlight streamed in. Curtains fluttered gently in the breeze. Birds chirped happily.

It was a far cry from the grim dungeons of the Punishment Unit.

I tried to slightly turn my head, and my heart sank.

Sitting on a small chair next to my bed was Vivian, glaring at me.

“You’re awake.”

She said, “I thought you were dead since you slept for two straight days.”

“…Two days?”

I felt like I had just dozed off, but apparently, much more time had passed than I thought.

I asked Vivian, “When did you get here?”

Silence fell over her. Instead of answering, she rang a bell beside my bed, summoning people.

Jeeves, the butler, entered with careful steps and said, “Lord Kyle Allen, you are awake. That’s a relief.”

If he was going to say it was a relief, he could at least try to look a little relieved.

It was hard to believe Vivian was the one worried about me, rather than Jeeves.

Vivian’s face looked a bit haggard, as if she had been through quite a lot over the past five days.

If I hadn’t been in this condition, I might have been more concerned about her than myself.

“P-Pipin. Please bring Scholar Krellyn. And some food that’s easy on the stomach, too.”

“Yes.”

Vivian’s behavior seemed surprisingly different from usual.

The fact that my sickroom was this tidy, knowing she had taken care of me to some extent, and her commanding for a physician and food right after I woke up—none of it made sense.

“…Why the sudden change?”

I voiced my confusion. Vivian finished her conversation with Pipin and turned back to me.

After pausing for a moment at my question, she sighed and said, “I was worried you might die. If you die here, that’s my responsibility, isn’t it?”

“But you always wanted me to die.”

“I thought so too… But now, I find myself wanting to see you suffer more.”

…”

“You told me yourself, right? It would be lame for it to just end like this.”

I turned my head aside with a subtle smile. There were many contradictions in her words, but for some reason, I felt like I could understand them.

Because I felt the same way when I looked at Vivian. Perhaps she was acting in a similar context.

Soon, Scholar Krellyn arrived and examined my body, assuring me that as long as I took it easy, I would be fine.

Next, maids entered with food, and a warm aroma filled the room.

Chicken soup and fragrant herbal tea.

A large maid, who introduced herself as ‘Rona,’ spoke. Her voice was surprisingly soft.

“I simmered the meat until it was tender. It will warm you up and won’t be too heavy on an empty stomach.”

Rona ladled the soup into a small wooden bowl and placed it in front of me. The steam wafted up, tickling my nose.

Vivian, as usual, spoke in her indifferent tone, “Eat.”

I hesitated for a moment even after hearing her. My whole body was aching, and I wondered if I could even lift the utensils.

However, as I stared at the soup, I suddenly realized I was quite hungry.

A rush of appetite washed over me like a flood.

I took a spoonful of the soup and as the warm liquid slid down my throat, the pain in my body began to ease.

Vivian watched me intently for a long while. After silently observing me eating, she shifted her gaze to Rona.

“…My turn.”

Her tone was cold and firm, but her fingertips trembled slightly.

I paused with my spoon and studied her closely.

Her exhaustion was evident on her face. Despite me staring, Vivian didn’t seem to notice my gaze.

How hungry she must have been, as she quickly scooped up the soup with somewhat frantic movements.

Her usual grace was somewhat awkward and clumsy at that moment.

It was only when she realized I was watching her that her hands momentarily froze.

When our eyes met, she awkwardly turned her head away.

“…You.”

I quietly asked, “Did you go hungry while I was gone?”

…”

Vivian didn’t respond, gripping her utensils a bit tighter. Almost to hide her face.

She tried to maintain her calm demeanor, but her ears turned red with embarrassment, not fully hidden by her hands.

“You were acting tough saying you’d be fine without me, yet you went hungry? So, you haven’t eaten at all in five days?”

…”

Without answering, she quickly finished one bowl and bluntly told the maids, “Another bowl.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched her hastily wipe the soup off her mouth with the back of her hand.

Vivian frowned slightly at my laughter, warning me, “If you don’t eat slowly, there won’t be any food left for you.”

Then she accepted the next bowl from the maids and began to hurriedly fill her own stomach again.

I smiled at her as I continued to eat.

****

The sunlight still streamed into the room.

A few figures sat around a luxurious wooden table, cautiously eyeing each other.

An air of silence hung heavy until a man seated on the left side of the head table spoke up.

“The longer we wait, the harder it will get.”

The man at the head table rolled his eyes at this remark.

“You know, if we’re going to get rid of Vivian, we need to act quickly.”

“I’ve already tried poisoning her.”

“If you’re going to give up after one failure, you should have never started. The longer we stall, the more guarded she gets. We need to move on to the next stage quickly.”

The man at the head table snorted dismissively.

“And what do you suggest? If we use poison, Kyle Allen will probably eat it all. When he’s around, that Vivian won’t eat a bite. What can we do about that?”

“Should I try stabbing her? Want to join me? The moment you get caught, I’ll also be under suspicion. Is that really the plan?”

“What about an assassination attempt…”

“How? There are eyes everywhere in the castle, and Vivian’s room is on the third floor. Unless you can become a shadow, how would you sneak up there? Climbing the castle walls would be easier.”

As the advisor shrank back with each rebuke, the man at the head table clicked his tongue.

This was all Kyle Allen’s fault, that damn kid.

The Allen family was messing everything up again.

It was Kyle Allen who saved Vivian from poison and made it impossible to use any toxins by consuming her food first. It was also him who rescued her from the humiliation she suffered.

It felt like Kyle Allen was acting just to infuriate them.

He didn’t owe any loyalty to Vivian Rondore, yet he kept on meddling.

The thoughts of young men weren’t easy to fathom, and this was exactly that.

From their perspective, there was no more troublesome existence than Kyle Allen.

Eliminating him was impossible, given how inconveniently he was positioned.

He wasn’t some farmer from the outskirts, after all. He was the son of that invincible knight, Jade Allen.

Touching him could very well mean their own demise. The Rondore family could be facing complete annihilation.

So having him glued to Vivian’s side drove them mad.

Moreover, the fact that they were spending more time together every day only added to their pressure.

“Why are they so close? Didn’t they hate each other?”

“…Maybe they’re doing it just to torment each other?”

“…Sigh.”

If Kyle really stayed by Vivian’s side as her guard, just as the Duchess of Rondore had commanded…

It would mean there would be no way to get rid of Vivian.

The man at the head table leaned back, exhaling heavily.

“…The next opportunity is the last one.”

He instinctively understood.

If they failed to eliminate Vivian this time, they would have to twiddle their thumbs until she reached adulthood.

After that, it would be impossible to escape from the net the next time they tried to poison her.

When the assassination attempt had failed, he didn’t know how much sweat he had shed killing everyone related to the incident one by one.

As the length of the tail increases, getting caught becomes inevitable, and if they missed the next chance, they would have to live quietly for a while.

He continued to splash cold water on his face, saying:

“First of all, we need to separate Kyle Allen from Vivian somehow.”

His advisors nodded in agreement.

“Let’s consider the rest afterward.”

****

Days passed, and I found myself by the riverside, continuing with the laundry.

The wounds on my body had healed to a certain degree and my strength had returned.

With each small aspect of life stabilizing, I found myself humming for no reason.

The clothes I wore from the Punishment Unit had become somewhat decent, and Vivian and I no longer harbored hostility towards each other.

The retainers of the Rondore Castle, having grown accustomed to my presence, no longer cursed at me like before.

Feeling a sense of relief, I stood up from my spot.

And the moment I turned around…

“…Whoa!”

A maid appeared right in front of me.

“Huh?”

And she was the very maid I had been searching for all along—the one who had passed me the note that read “Watch your food.”

“I was looking for you… And here you are.”

“As you might have guessed, I’m not actually a maid.”

By now, I was starting to piece things together.

Yet, I couldn’t hide the hostility I felt towards her.

Because the fact that she was once again appearing before me didn’t seem like a good sign.

“…My master is sending a gift to Kyle Allen due to our previous arrangement.”

The maid grabbed my hand again and placed a coin pouch on it.

The heavy weight indicated it contained a significant amount of gold coins.

“Well then.”

Without hesitation, the maid turned and walked away.

“… What? You’re just leaving?”

I couldn’t grab her as she left. She would probably have said nothing if I had.

I didn’t want to get entangled in strange affairs again if I grabbed her for no reason.

But I did realize something. There were people secretly helping Vivian within Rondore Castle.

Just that knowledge alone lightened my spirits a bit.

Yet, revealing herself just to hand me gold coins seemed less cautious than I expected.

“…Wait?”

At that moment, I noticed something underneath the pouch of gold.

I ground my teeth and let out a sigh through my nose.

Of course.

A note was there.

Written on the note were the words:

‘Stay close to her.’

 

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