001
The inside of the mansion was bustling.
It was because a man who was never supposed to return had come back to the family.
The disgrace of the great Francis family, the hidden illegitimate child and heretic of the Francis family whose very name everyone was reluctant to mention.
Theodore Lindal Francis was returning.
It was the battlefield to which the family had practically driven him away as if telling him to go and die.
His opponents were barbarians who had been waging war against the Empire for more than a century.
They were a race that enjoyed blood and slaughter and was said to cruelly torture captured enemy soldiers before abandoning them.
And yet, the sickly young master had survived that war.
No, not only had he survived, but he had returned to the Empire after eight years, carrying the enemy commander’s severed head.
News of his return was more than enough to turn the entire Empire, let alone the mansion, upside down.
The Grand Duchess, who held the real power within the mansion, locked herself in her room, screaming like a madwoman as soon as she heard the news, and her close attendants began trembling with fear.
The servants, myself included, were making a final inspection of the banquet hall for the celebration of his return. Marie and I were in charge of tending the banquet garden. Marie, who had been trimming roses for quite some time, suddenly spoke to me.
“Gretchen, is it really true that he’s coming back today?”
“Unless the messenger’s telegram was mistaken, today is the day.”
“I really can’t believe it. That he won every battle.”
I couldn’t imagine it either. It had been eight whole years. That was how long he had been rolling around on the battlefield.
‘I didn’t even get to hand him a handkerchief.’
As I trimmed the elaborately decorated flowers, I recalled my last moment with Theodore.
The young master had informed me that he was going to the battlefield as casually as if he were telling me he was going out for a stroll around the neighborhood.
“I might not be able to see you often from now on. I’m going to the battlefield.”
“Young Master, don’t subtly take the cucumbers out of your sandwich while making such a serious fac…… Huh? Where did you say you were going?”
“The battlefield.”
Wait, war? What on earth was he talking about?
“You’ve never even held a sword before, have you? What are you doing on a battlefield?”
Theodore’s body was not suited to becoming a knight.
Because he had spent so long indoors doing nothing but reading books, his frame was thin, and even his wrists were pale and delicate. There was no way a conscription order could have fallen upon Theodore.
Unless Theodore had volunteered.
“Don’t tell me……”
“Instead of having you properly treated, I decided to do as Father wished.”
“……Why did you do that?”
That damn family that didn’t care about a young master like him anyway. I simply couldn’t understand why he had volunteered for the battlefield when there was nothing good about that family.
Above all, I had to see the ending in which the male protagonist of this novel, the young master, survived and even got married. That was the only way I could return to the original world.
But what was I supposed to do if the young master died on the battlefield before getting married?
“You were sick.”
“So?”
“What?”
Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to argue, because bewilderment began to spread across his arrogant expression.
“You volunteered so recklessly for such a trivial reason?! Did you think that if you saved me and died, I’d be like, ‘Oh, thank you very much!’ and be happy about it? Who am I for you to suddenly—!”
The young master, who had been silently listening to me, suddenly frowned deeply.
“Wait. You don’t understand why I’m suddenly doing this?”
“Yes!”
“So that’s why you’re getting angry right now?”
“Then what else would I be angry about?!”
I knew what kind of person Theodore was. This arrogant and haughty young master was absolutely not the selfless type who would sacrifice his life for someone else.
“Why do you think I’d do that?”
“How would I know? I’m not the young master. I don’t know either, which is why I’m asking—Ow!”
Suddenly, a tearing pain shot through my wound.
As I instinctively curled up, Theodore’s lower jaw tightened as he silently watched me.
“Fine. Gretchen. Then think about it until I return. You must figure it out. If you don’t get the right answer by the time I return, I’ll punish you.”
“Young Master, I’m still a patient, you know? You’re suddenly talking about punishing someone who spent a week hovering between life and death.”
This was the first time I had ever seen someone declare that they were going to punish a patient without warning.
Why was he so unreasonable? I was so dumbfounded that I let out a long, hollow sigh. Theodore paid no attention to my sigh and continued threatening me.
“Anyway, the war will be long, so get better quickly by then. If you aren’t healthy when we meet again…….”
“What will you do if I’m not?”
“I’ll kill you.”
“What kind of—”
It sounded like he was saying, ‘If you commit suicide, I’ll kill you.’ I furrowed my brow at the ridiculous threat.
“I’m serious. If you don’t want to die, get healthy. If you sell yourself to some other bastard instead of getting treated because the medicine is expensive, I’ll come to kill you first even while I’m beating the barbarians into the ground. Ah, of course, if you get hurt or sick while I’m gone, I’ll kill you. When I return, you’d better not, okay?Just try being inside a coffin.”
“Young Master……”
“Shut up!”
When Theodore bared his teeth like a beast, I closed my mouth.
He wasn’t joking. Theodore really might bite me, so it was best to keep my words to myself at times like this.
“Just you dare……. Just try dying…… I’ll dig up your grave and bring you back to life. Then I’ll kill you again with my own hands.”
Theodore muttered in a low voice.
Young Master, could it be that you actually wanted to kill me and were merely using my health as an excuse?
Having finished his threats, the young master still seemed unable to vent his frustration and continued shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Do you understand? I’ll kill you!!”
Theodore looked as though, if I happened to trip and die by accident, he would be ready to cut up even my corpse.
“What other punishment are you going to give me? Should I sing you a lullaby like last time?”
At most, the punishment would probably be something like reading a book aloud for three hours.
All the punishments Theodore had given me until now had been like that.
Things like singing me a lullaby until I fell asleep or reading books aloud.
I was thinking about it rather casually when an unexpected punishment came.
“Even if you die, grow old and die by my side.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
At his words telling me to grow old and die, I was left dumbfounded.
“That’s the punishment you’ll receive for the rest of your life.”
So think of it. You must.
The young master left me after saying those words. Those ridiculous threats truly had been his final words to me.
“The young master has just arrived!”
A young messenger who had been roaming around the mansion came running over, panting for breath.
The head maid, who had been waiting in the magnificent hall, took the lead with a stiff expression.
I followed the servants and hurried outside.
The knights had already arrived outside.
Among the uniformly imposing knights, one knight riding a horse leisurely made his way forward.
His blond hair shone brilliantly in the glow of the sunset.
My heart sank at his beauty, which was almost chilling.
No matter how tall he had become or how broad his shoulders were, the face from his childhood remained unchanged.
However, that characteristically sensitive and prickly air of his had now transformed into an edge so sharp that no one could dare approach him.
Among the servants who had been left speechless, the head maid was the first to regain her composure.
“It is a relief to see that you have returned safely, Young Master.”
At the insincere greeting, Theodore gave a short laugh.
“There aren’t any familiar faces. Ah, that’s right. Brother died last week, didn’t he?”
At the mention of someone who had died under unfortunate circumstances, the solemn atmosphere instantly froze.
On the other hand, I was moved.
Now that he was an adult, he no longer called his half-brother a piglet! He had kept calling him that no matter how many times I corrected him.
‘At this rate, getting married isn’t entirely impossible.’
“Gretchen.”
‘He has a decent face and even received medals, so even if his personality is a little rotten, he should at least be marriageable.’
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear him calling me.
While I was furrowing my brow and calculating the probability of the young master getting married, my name was called again.
“Gretchen Miller.”
“Yes. I was concentrating.”
I raised my head, pretending I hadn’t been daydreaming.
And right before my eyes…….
“My maid is just as good at acting as she was eight years ago. I suppose she must be a natural?”
There stood Theodore, looking rather displeased about something.
The servants, who had parted to either side like the parting of the Red Sea, glanced at us.
“I’m back, Gretchen.”
I rolled my eyes around as much as possible to avoid making eye contact with anyone.
“Welc, ahem, hm, welcome back.”
Had Theodore always been this tall?
Standing so close to him, I could truly feel how much he had grown.
“……Young Master, you really have grown so much while we were apart.
……You could even marry into the Imperial Palace.”
“And you’re still as small as a rat.”
Theodore sarcastically extended his hand toward me.
A small kiss on the back of the hand.
It was a form of greeting reserved for noble ladies or the mistress of a household.
But why was he doing this to me now……?
‘What are you doing?’
I whispered so that only Theodore could hear me.
But he ignored me and took my hand as he pleased.
His soft lips pressed firmly against the back of my hand as though branding it.
The spot he touched burned terribly.
Theodore, who had been lingering over the back of my hand with his lips for a long while, slowly raised his head.
Keeping his gaze fixed on me, Theodore smiled crookedly.
“Gretc
hen, I’m not going anywhere anymore. I’m going to stay here.”
Because from now on, wherever you are will be where I am.
Just as he had done that dawn eight years ago in the rose garden, Theodore met my eyes.
His blue jewel-like eyes glinted ominously.
