“... W, why are you lock me up here?”
Then I was going to be imprisoned for the rest of my life, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.
His gaze, as cold as a frosty blade, turned to me.
“I was going to put you in prison.”
It was a little different from the harsh voice you could hear when dealing with knights.
It was so soft that I got goosebumps.
Even though it was not a cold day, I instinctively swept my body with both arms.
If I open my mouth, my tongue will make a short sound, right?
My instinct for survival was greater than shame, so I spoke without hesitation.
“Prison. No!”
“Why?”
At my words, Ferze looked at me with a wary eye and was dumbfounded.
It was me who rudely hit the Archduke's hand.
It may seem rebellious from the outside, but I couldn't be thrown in prison.
Why did I save the Archduke? Loyalty to save the owner?
It was an unacceptable feeling for me, who had memories of a previous life.
To be honest, there was no wish for a sweet reward.
For example, shiny and hard gold coins.
Don't swear at me for being materialistic! This is what happens when you grow up without it.
I swallowed the tears that didn't come out and brought out the main point.
“Because I'm the Archduke savior!”
That's true, isn't.
As soon as I regained my confidence, I put my hands on my waist and managed to speak clearly.
It was also a habit that could not be lost as a maid.
“......”
Ferze did not answer.
He only looked at me with hopeless gaze as if he were looking at a kitten that showed its teeth in front of its owner.
Yes, I suppose so. I can understand.
It's not that I don't know how you feel. I nodded my head.
You just want to put me in prison for being humiliated, forgetting my kindness and repaying me three times as much as a revenge!
'For that matter, the situation is strange.'
When he said he would put me in prison, I was lying on a soft bed and talking to the Archduke.
The main story I talked about was, why did I touch the glass the Archduke was drinking.
When I repeated the same words, Ferze's eyebrows rose.
“I am a good maid.”
Ferze murmured lowly, saying, It's nonsense, and looked down at me with fierce eyes.
I was frustrated to see why he couldn't believe me.
I covered my chin with a blanket and stared at the Archduke with sparkling eyes. Then Ferze continued to look into my eyes.
Oh, you glare at me.
With that gaze, I suddenly lowered my eyelids as if I was falling asleep.
My hands were shaking. Wrinkles appeared on the blanket with a yellow duck painted on it.
And, to my embarrassment, the Archduke seemed to have already noticed that fact.
“You should thank the butler.”
It is said that it was not Ferze's plan for me to sleep in a luxurious bed where only the VIP could stay.
Whether I became a child or an old man, there was a strong possibility that the man in front of me would raise his sword.
But seeing that I was still alive, I thought the butler stopped him.
I saw knights gathered together through a slightly open door to peek at us.
It was a look full of anxiety rather than an interesting look.
Only then did I realize why I survived.
I remembered the situation before I fainted like a flashlight.
It's because the vassals grabbed the Archduke pants and stopped him, wondering how he could kill such a cute child—even though I was an assassin from the Archduke's point of view—
There is such a word in the world. You don't know when your clothes will come off, so you should wear cute underwear.
Since he couldn't show his underwear in front of me, the Archduke must have obeyed the knights' request before his pants were torn.
With that thought, I glanced at him. Then I was caught peeping again.
By the looks of it. When a child stares at you sullenly, isn't it okay to comfort her or ask her why?
Ferze looked at me with a cold face.
“I save your grace, please let me live without a fear...”
“You saved me? Is that why I should be thankful?”
“Oh, my God! You know it very well.”
“How can I repay you, then?”
He asked back in a low voice. I got goose bumps across my spine.
“Right.....”
I'm sorry. I've been too hard to the bad guy of the century, haven't I?
I was feeling weak again, and I closed my eyes half-closed, and looked lost in thought. Then Ferze urged me for an answer.
“You have to answer me, don't you?”
Yes, sir. Not sir, but Grand Duke! It's even scarier when you ask in a soft tone like that.
I was frightened and organized what I had to say before I made a slip of tongue.
All I want is a gold coin.
It would be too greedy to give me enough gold coins to feed me for the rest of my life, so why don't you give me gold coins as a bonus on the condition that you don't fire me?
To say this, the gaze of the Archduke, who had no expression on his face, was too cold.
So I decided to speak in the best possible way.
“Well, I want yellow and round things that people like. But, If the Archduke doesn't want it, you can ignore my life-threatening efforts and not give me any reward”
“Reward?”
Ferze pointed out exactly what I wanted.
His two long fingers snapped, making a light sound.
Even though the pronunciation was poor, I guess he understood it well.
The Duke muttered in a very low voice, “You want compensation.” The words encouraged me to nod.
“All right, I'll give you as much as you want.”
“Hyuk, thank you!”
I rose from my seat and bowed my head.
Don't swear at me for being servile! It is said that there are things that people realize when they grow old, but they say that money is the best.
Money is a must if you want to live in an unfamiliar land without a connection and without insurance!
“I didn't say you could put on a silly face.”
Perhaps because I was feeling better, my mouth became loose.
Seeing my smile, the Archduke made a face that was very insignificant like he met with an unfamiliar creature.
I don't know what it is, but I have to tell you that I feel a little bad.
“Yes, sir.”
Contrary to my expectations, I received a gentle reply.
I nod again at the unknown warning not to laugh.
In any case, the Archduke, who lacks humanity to other people, whether it be his family or his vassals, has saved my life.
“A.. And I'll continue to work as a maid, I can do it, right?”
“As a maid?”
The Archduke asked with a puzzled face. I thought it was the right time, so I said it quickly.
“Because I have to work. Do you want me to work without getting paid? But is it bad for me if I want to still get paid....?”
In fact, I had a lot of bad feelings.
I quietly shouted 'paid me!' but Ferze didn't respond.
Although it was a little disappointing, I decided to be satisfied because they said they would give me a lot of gold coins.
The astrologer I met last year said that there would be bad things and good things this year, and that was right.
What a break in life!
I wanted to do the drum dance, but I held it in.
Even before expressing my sincere gratitude, Ferze stood up first.
'Is the negotiation success?'
I hid my smile face and smirked, then stopped laughing.
Because it was too late to remember the warning not to laugh.
The Archduke, who was about to turn around, stopped.
'I have nothing to say, Negotiations shouldn't last long. Well, of course not.'
I lay down again and closed my eyes pretending to be asleep.
There was no sound for a while, so I was a little nervous.
Are you pretending to be out and hiding? It might be a scene from a horror movie.
'Actually, you don't have gold coins to give, so aren't you saying let's pretend it didn't happen because you changed your mind?'
As I slowly opened my eyes, I met the Archduke eyes. Surprisingly, he just looked down at me without saying anything
The Archduke and the old butler, who was peeping at me from afar. “Hehe, Your Highness, you can't kill a child!”
And it might be thanks to his shouting.
The Archduke checked my sleepy appearance with a light glance and turned around again.
At the same time, I heard the sound of neat old shoes touching the floor.
The Knights of the White Night are all good, Their leader is also perfect in walking.
That's what a perfect villain would look like if he walked.
But, as I got younger, it seems that I slept a lot more.
At first, I tried to pretend to be asleep, but I really fell asleep.
If I fall asleep, will you secretly move me to prison? I was slightly worried about that, but it was hard to endure but it was hard to hold back the drowsiness.
I decided to close my eyes for now. What is the reward that Archduke give when I opened my eyes? I'm curious.
Perhaps because I was so nervous, I slowly felt a spell. Before I knew it, my eyes closed.
I had a strange dream for the first time that day.
In a place where colorful balloons and fluttering rainbows were floating around. Ferze was holding hands and playing with them.
Nightmare? No. No. A leader in my dream — In fact, he was more of a ruler — said it's a good dream when I came out.
This is a dream you shouldn't wake up from. Even in my dreams, my expectations gradually getting bigger.
Until, I get his reward the next day.