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Life in the Punishment Unit continued to drag on.

About 20 days, I guess.

Once again, I found myself stuck doing menial tasks for the unit.

Washing dishes or laundering clothes…

The absurdity of doing such things was enough to make me chuckle in disbelief, but refusing to do them wasn’t an option.

Sticking it out would only earn me more loathing from them.

With a bunch of guys glaring at me like they were ready to kill, I wasn’t dumb enough to whine like everyone else.

Besides, every time I did these menial tasks, it felt like a sweet escape for me.

Not only was I getting away from that dank atmosphere and the stench of the Punishment Unit barracks, but I was also liberated from the so-called “brothers” who were always ready to stomp me into the ground.

“Ugh.”

Even so, it wouldn’t last long. I’d surely face a collective beating someday. I could feel the oppressive atmosphere tightening around me.

Just by listening to their mumblings in front of me, I knew it.

‘Ah, damn it. If only Dad were still alive, I wouldn’t have had to resort to stealing.’

‘If only Dad hadn’t died… I wouldn’t have bashed the neighboring guy with a stick.’

‘If only Dad had been here, I wouldn’t have set that fire…’

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue.

At least it’s fortunate that they’re all around my age. Perhaps the adults had gone off to war and ended up dead; most of the Punishment Unit consisted of young folks like me.

I shook my head to shake off the bugs crawling through my thoughts and continued working.

Inside the Castle of Rondore, a long river flows.

A river that serves as both drinking and washing water.

I parked myself beside this long river and started rinsing the clothes and dishes I had brought along.

Putting the clothes in the water and lightly kneading them released a black sludge.

“Filthy bastards. The smell is just…”

I grimaced as I went on with the laundry.

Every now and then, I would check the smell of the clothes I pulled out, but to my surprise, the sour scent just wouldn’t go away.

I worried if I smelled like this too.

If my mother found out, she’d surely faint from shock.

-Smack!

After trying and failing to change anything, I threw the clothes on a nearby rock in frustration.

Then, I looked around.

There was no one nearby, neither someone working with me nor keeping an eye on me.

“…”

Being alone brought forth some troubling thoughts.

Should I go today too…

“…”

The deliberation didn’t last long. I let out a long sigh, placing the dishes and clothes on the shore before moving on.

I had one destination in mind.

This was a place I came across while doing menial tasks.

Not far from the river, there’s the outer wall of the castle.

Unlike the outer walls of other castles, this one was a bit special; the reason being, at the third-floor windows on this side…

“…”

…None today, huh?

Reaching the secret spot, I pondered.

My heart felt a twinge of shame with her absence.

I had no idea why I felt this way.

Even when lying on my bed, thinking of her, when eating food that tasted like dog food, and even while laboring away at the menial tasks, she crossed my mind.

Vivian Rondore.

Was it her past hostility toward me etched in my mind? Or was it simply because I felt sorry for her?

Or maybe it stemmed from the worry of the Duchess of Rondore’s request? Acting as her bodyguard, albeit in name only…?

I had no answer.

But one day, while doing my laundry, I had spotted Vivian Rondore sitting idly by that window, staring outside, and since then, I found myself coming back to check that window at least once a day.

“…”

I truly had no idea why I was acting this way.

If anyone caught me doing this, I’d probably bite my tongue and call it a day.

It was shameful to think about logically, yet my body kept dragging me back to this place.

Honestly speaking, if I wanted to see her, I could just go visit her. The Duchess of Rondore had given me that authority.

Wasn’t I tasked with protecting Vivian Rondore?

…Of course, if I went, she’d probably get mad, and I wouldn’t have anything to say in return, so that’s why I didn’t go.

Ugh. Forget it.

As I turned away, something red, fluttering like a thread, caught my eye through the window.

Turning my head back, I saw Vivian Rondore appear at the window.

“….…”

I hid amongst the bushes, blankly observing her.

For some reason, all the fatigue of the day seemed to flicker away.

Seeing Vivian’s expression from here was filled with emotions I had never seen before.

Her usual face, filled with rage whenever she faced me, was different here.

A vacant look devoid of thought. A hint of sadness in her gaze.

A powerless, listless expression.

It’s hard to say which expression is better, the angry one or that one. But seeing different expressions was… well, not really good, but interesting.

Vivian Rondore stared outside for a while, resting her chin on the window.

That sight made a chuckle escape from my lips.

“…”

Then immediately, I began to scold my own foolishness.

Laughing at that? I must still be alive then.

The fact I’m washing the clothes of smelly men is entirely because of that Vivian Rondore.

Gathering my composure and preparing to resent Vivian Rondore, I could barely manage as her next action threw me for a loop.

‘Heh… sniff…’

The blank expression on Vivian’s face started shattering, and she began to cry.

At first, the tears flowed drop by drop, but before I knew it, they were flowing like a river.

She started wiping the tears with her fingers but soon embraced her face in despair.

“…”

I couldn’t discern the reason, but it struck me differently than the tears I had seen in the past.

Seeing her cry privately, as opposed to in front of others, made it feel more pitiful.

…Why sit there, all alone, sobbing so pathetically?

It made my heart feel uneasy.

Eventually, Vivian Rondore wiped her cheeks, extending her hand out the window.

Then, like a cat grooming its own fur…

“…Huh?”

Her once pristine white arm was now covered in bruises, blue and purple, without a single unblemished spot.

My mind went blank.

I couldn’t comprehend it.

…Why were her arms like that?

Vivian, who was checking the color of her arms in the sunlight, pouted, blowing on them to ease the pain.

Not liking her ugly arms, she stayed there quietly but suddenly turned around, startled.

Someone seemed to be calling her, and Vivian hastily wiped her tears again and stepped away from the window.

I was left in a tumult of mixed emotions.

…

Before I knew it, I couldn’t contain my curiosity and found myself entering the castle.

Surprisingly, the guards didn’t stop me.

They seemed unsure, fumbling about, but nobody directly questioned me.

It seemed Scholar Krellyn had spread the word about my situation.

Following the Duchess’s dying wish, it felt like everyone knew I had become the bodyguard of Vivian Rondore.

As I continued past many soldiers and maids, I headed towards my destination.

First, I needed to resolve this curiosity before I could focus on anything else.

What on earth had happened to make her arms look like that after just a few days?

Who could have the authority to do that to her?

“…”

The image of her crying alone wouldn’t leave my mind.

After recalling that memory dozens of times, I found myself standing in front of Vivian’s room.

“…Um…”

There were already four maids standing quietly in front of the door.

“What brings you here…?”

“…”

I didn’t respond to their words.

Even I couldn’t quite explain the clear reason for my presence here.

It wasn’t because I was worried about Vivian, certainly not.

She was the daughter of the family that put me in the Punishment Unit, and I had no reason to care about her.

Besides, every time we met, we just fought; I shouldn’t feel relieved about that.

I hadn’t built up enough attachment to worry about her.

“…Should I let her know you’ve arrived?”

One maid asked me.

“…”

I shook my head at that maid.

I had nothing to say when facing Vivian Rondore.

What was I supposed to go in and ask? Why do your arms look like that?

Vivian would probably just reply; ‘How did you know?’ and think of me as a perv.

So, here I stood, unable to enter, like a complete fool.

Then suddenly, a voice came from inside the room.

‘The, the rabbit said, munching on a carrot, va, vah, said-’

-Smack!

It was a sound so sharp it made me scrunch my face up.

‘No, you began stuttering from the start.’

‘The rabbit, munching on a ca, ca, carrot, va-’

-Smack!

‘Didn’t I tell you to open your mouth wider?’

‘The rabbit said, munching on a, a, carrot-’

-Smack!

‘Focus! You’re getting worse! Can you not even read a children’s story properly? How many times must I tell you to think before you speak?’

‘Ew…’

-Smack!

‘I told you not to cry. Don’t think the world is going to sympathize with Lady Vivian’s pain. No one cares about Lady Vivian’s feelings. If you show weakness, it’s only going to expose your vulnerabilities.’

‘M, Master… sniff… but… it hurts too much…’

-Smack!

‘I won’t warn you again. Consider this your last warning. You’ll learn through your body going forward.’

‘…The rabbit…’

“…”

The more I listened to that conversation, the more an odd heat rose in my chest.

A feeling so stifling accompanied it as well.

I found myself unconsciously looking at the nearby maid.

The maid, who was observing cautiously, spilled a lot of information at once.

“L, Lady Linne. She’s Lady Vivian’s tutor designated by the Duchess. Her punishments may be harsh, but she’s a very trustworthy person. You don’t have to be too worried…”

“…I’m not worried.”

I unintentionally replied bluntly.

With that response, I suddenly became aware of my own actions, like a cold splash of water on me.

Here I was, standing here after seeing her bruised arms, and I was thinking it wasn’t my problem.

Vivian Rondore was getting beaten for stuttering like a fool, and that was inflicting pain on me.

That wasn’t something I needed to be concerned about.

So, I turned and began to walk back outside.

“…”

But as I snapped back to reality, I found myself looking back over my shoulder repeatedly.

 

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