Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The maids of the Ducal residence all looked down on me, but even so, Emma was an exception. Her attitude towards me went beyond just ‘ignoring.’

‘It’s bordering on hate… almost like jealousy?’

Either way, it was nothing that would do me any good.

“Your hand hasn’t gotten better yet?” Amoide said.

“…Yes.”

To prove my point, I showed him how weak my hand still was.

“It still hurts even if I move it slightly.”

It’s true. Of course, it’s gotten better in the long run, but the pain hasn’t completely disappeared.

“I think something passed by just now,” he said suddenly, squinting at something behind me.

“Just now?”

“Looks like a pile of dust.”

“What?” I turned around to look at the pile of dust in question. There was a fluffy ball of black fur that could be seen rolling around in a corner of the garden, or rather, running around freely.

“Oh, that’s Noir,” I said and explained further. “If you look closely, it has legs, see? It’s a cat.”

As I explained slowly, the energetic ball of fur continued to run around everywhere. It flitted around so quickly that we couldn’t actually see its legs.

“It’s fast.”

“That’s because Noir is very agile for its size.”

“You’re quite proud of it, aren’t you?”

“Of course. After all, Noir is smart enough to hide itself in a huge mansion like this…”

Realizing what I’d just said, I covered my lips with my hands. Amoide stared at me and asked, “Hide?”

“Um, well, it’s like that, Amoide.”

[ Do cats really pose a danger to Amoide’s health? ]

[ There’s no way to be sure about this, but it’s best to be wary of everything. ]

This was what Raymond said when I asked him about cats. They weren’t directly harmful to his health. ‘But at the same time, Noir wouldn’t be helpful either.’

Even so, I couldn’t find it in me to kick it out.

Amoide’s health was always on the back of my mind whenever I secretly took care of Noir’s meals, so I tried to raise it in a secluded place that no one would find.

Sneaking a glance, I tried to gauge his reaction, but it seemed that he sensed my gaze, and his eyes met with mine.

“What?”

“I really didn’t know. I’ll find someone to adopt Noir, but until then, don’t throw it out. Please?”

Despite my earnest request, he didn’t answer me right away. I looked nervously at him, then asked, “…Are you going to kick Noir out?”

“If I tell you to, will you do that?”

“Pardon?”

I couldn’t understand his question. While mulling over what he meant, he repeated it again.

“I asked if you’d throw it out if I told you to?”

His bright, cold eyes were fixed onto mine. Somehow, I couldn’t look away.

“If you…told me to…”

“Would it be easy for you to give it up?”

“…”

With that, I couldn’t say anything in return.

“You said you’d comfort me whenever I’d have a hard time. But, that didn’t mean anything much to you, it seems,” Amoide said. “If you’re going to go back on your words so easily, then just don’t say anything in the first place.”

Thud.

An invisible knife stabbed through my chest. With that pointed tongue of his, Amoide had a knack for using his words to hit where it hurt the most.

“No!” I screamed with an embarrassingly shrill voice. “I mean, I’ll take responsibility for Noir.”

Meooow.

As if reacting to what I said, the black cat flounced over to my feet and rubbed his face against my dress. The white lace lining my clothes quickly got smudged.

“Noir, if you do that, my clothes will get dirty,” I said as I tried to avoid the cat. “It’ll trouble the people who wash my clothes.”

“Why are you worried about that?”

Though I was only mumbling to myself, I was surprised to hear Amoide’s reply.

“Well…”

I’d been in charge of laundry before, so I knew how troublesome it was.

Back then, I had to put all the dirty clothes in a large basin, step on them repeatedly and scrub them with my bare hands until the grime would come off. And so, I knew very well how hard it was to deal with white, frilly clothes.

That’s why I worried about it subconsciously.

“They’re paid to do it anyway. Why are you so worried about getting your clothes stained?”

He repeated his question with a look that said he really couldn’t understand me.

‘It’s a maid’s way of thinking, that’s why.’

I personally didn’t experience it here, but Rona would complain about my clothes from time to time even though she wasn’t directly in charge of my laundry.

Still, it’s unfair. My clothes were nothing compared to Camilla’s. Her dresses were all heavily adorned with countless laces, frills, and even jewelry. They were also made with thin and delicate fabrics, so they were definitely tricky to wash.

“What do you mean worry,” I answered in a roundabout manner.

‘Why would he ask me that in the first place?’

Wanting to avoid Amoide’s inquisitive stare, I turned to Noir instead. But then, after rubbing its face on my dress for so long, Noir changed targets and brushed himself against Amoide’s leg.

“Noir, no!” I cried out in panic, scrambling to take the cat away from him. “Kitty, you’re not allowed to come near him.”

Then, towards Amoide, I spoke, “Noir’s dirty. You might get sick.”

“So, you’re the only one allowed to touch it?”

“Because… it’s just me…”

“How thoughtful of you.” Eventually, he laughed as if he understood my intentions clearly.

“Don’t go near the cat—I wouldn’t know what to do if your hand gets scratched. Stay away from the fur, too. There’s no harm in being careful.”

“You’re worried? Thank you very much for your concern.”

…The sarcasm that dripped from his tone was clearly palpable.

“Just who am I worried about?” I answered indignantly, but then Amoide suddenly froze as he looked at me.

“You…”

“Yes?”

“Don’t move.”

His voice was frighteningly low.

‘What’s wrong?’

I must have offended him again. Why else would he act like this? While I was struggling to grasp the change in mood between us, I suddenly felt something strange.

‘It tickles.’

There’s something cold and slippery…

…on my shoulder.

‘Wait a minute…?’

Something cold and slippery…? And it’s moving?!

“Oh? Uhh…”

“I told you not to move,” he repeated with an even lower voice, but now, I wasn’t alarmed by him. I could feel something scarier slinking on my shoulder.

I didn’t dare lower my gaze.

Yet I couldn’t help but take a look as my curiosity got the best of me. When I did, it was a much more terrible sight than I would have thought. As soon as I lowered my gaze, I met the gleaming yellow gaze of a reptile. Its eyes narrowed into thin slits staring straight at me.

Hissss.

Covered in green scales, the reptile’s head was shaped like a diamond, and at the center was a fluttering tongue sticking out very near my face. Its sharp protruding fangs were also visible.

‘Mommy.’

I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t make a sound. ‘How the hell?’

The snake’s green scales were indistinguishable from the color of the grass. Half of its body was curled around the fence where vines crept, gazing as if it had climbed down a wall.

And in a blink of an eye, the other half of its body… was all over me.

“Uh…Aahh…”

“Don’t be scared.”

That’s easier said than done!

In my mind, I was already screaming my head off. Still, I tried not to think about it and tried to ignore the snake slithering over my shoulders, though obviously, I couldn’t!

“It can feel another being’s fear through its skin. You’ll be regarded as prey if you keep being afraid.”

‘You’re just scaring me even more, why would you give me such useless information?!’ I screamed even louder in my mind as his calm voice did nothing to soothe me. At the same time, I could feel my body trembling as my heart pounded loudly in my ears.

Even though the snake drew in closer, I could no longer hear its hissing because of the loud ringing in my ears. I could feel that my heart was about to burst out of my chest. Just then, I glanced down and felt something strange.

Hissssss. The snake lifted its head and slid down leisurely.

‘Wait a second.’

Where exactly are you going?!

“Ahh…!”

The snake started burrowing itself into my dress.

“A-Amoi…de…”

It was at that moment…

“Selena.”

Amoide, who I thought was a few steps away, suddenly turned up right in front of me. Because the tip of his nose was only a hair’s width away, I could feel his breath on my forehead.

“Stay still.”

With no hesitation at all, he placed a hand over my chest, into my dress.

“Wh, what are you—”

What the hell is happening…?

Moments after, I could feel the snake’s wriggling at the same time his hand came through the front of my dress. Startled, I didn’t have time to process everything that happened.

“Don’t move a muscle,” Amoide warned again.

Even if he didn’t say so, I was already planning on it.

“I said, stay put.”

He placed his other hand on my shoulder and held on tight.

Hwik.

Just then, the hand inside my clothes grabbed the snake.

“Uh…ahh…”

At the same time, a strange sound slipped out of my lips. A snake in my clothes, a bare hand grasping onto it… the two intertwined in a fierce battle of dominance. I couldn’t help but think this was all bizarre.

“Wh, what do we… d-do?”

As the snake’s head was caught, its body immediately curled over Amoide’s forearm.

Inside my clothes, I could feel the snake’s scales creeping over my body, as well as the strength of the hand that clasped it.

While the snake was ice cold, the hand was burning.