Who's making such a loud wailing sound? The loud crying that rang in my ears made me feel dizzy.
"He's dead, huuuung. I killed him, huuuuuung."
"He's not dead."
"Stupid, huuuung."
Is that 'stupid' referring to me? As I regained my senses, I could identify the owner of the sobbing that I had been hearing. I opened my eyes slightly and saw Selphius, who was lying next to me, bawling his eyes out.
"Huuu, let's dig a hole and bury him, huuuu, in a sunny spot, huuuung."
Was he really going to dig a hole? A small spade with dirt on it was in Selphius's hand.
‘What a scary father-son relationship.’
As I turned my head, I met Terdeo's eyes, who was standing behind Selphius with his arms crossed and a slanted stance.
"You're awake."
His face was contorted in a way that looked terrifying.
"You did something outrageous."
I heard the sound of his teeth grinding.
"Was once not enough? Or is the pain of dying addictive? Oh, do you enjoy pain?"
"Hey, it's not like pain is addictive like drugs."
"If you're so desperate to die, I'll kill you myself."
"I, I didn't drink his blood on purpose... I really didn't know."
Sigh, how unjust. As my voice reached him, Selphius, who had been lying on the floor sobbing, suddenly lifted his head. His eyes and nose were swollen red from crying for so long.
"Is, is he alive?"
"I told you, he's not dead."
Terdeo patted Selphius's shoulder and comforted him in a matter-of-fact tone. I almost burst out laughing at Selphius's dazed expression and his foolish question.
"Definitely, I drank his blood...!"
"He did, recklessly."
Terdeo pressed his forehead with his hand, his face already gaunt. I sat up, looking back and forth between the two. Selphius, looking as if he had seen a ghost, jumped back in fright.
"Hello, Selphius."
"Wh, wh, how are you alive?"
"I have a special constitution."
Terdeo let out a hollow laugh at my calm greeting.
"Your body? Any pain?"
"No problem. No pain, just like I had a good long sleep, I feel very refreshed."
Am I immune to poison? Drinking poison and sleeping makes me feel this refreshed. As I stretched, Selphius wiped his tears and snot on his sleeve and muttered in confusion.
"Definitely, I drank his blood..."
He still sounded incredulous. Terdeo sighed deeply and nervously untied his cravat.
"I don't know why, but my poison doesn't work on you."
"Huh?"
"Looks like your poison doesn't work on him either, Selphius."
"Wh, what do you mean it doesn't work?"
"Yes. Our curses don't work."
"Wh, what does that mean?"
"See for yourself."
Terdeo's words made Selphius sit up from the floor and examine me closely.
"Maybe... you're not human?"
Ugh, treating me like a ghost.
"I am human, Selphius."
Silence fell. Terdeo, who had dragged a chair from a distance and sat between Selphius and me, crossed his arms and scolded me.
"Even if you're immune to our poison, it's better not to show such a defenseless state. After drinking my blood, you were fine, but if you had died after drinking Selphius's blood, what would you have done?"
"It was a real mistake I didn't know about."
"Do you realize that a small mistake like that could have cost you your life?"
He's right, I have nothing to say. I shut my mouth tightly, as if I had smeared honey on my lips.
"Always remember that actions that are harmless elsewhere can be life-threatening here."
As I nodded in repentance, Terdeo turned to Selphius.
"The same goes for you, Selphius. Do you still lack awareness of how dangerous your actions can be to others?"
"Wh, well..."
"I heard you hurt your hand. If that blood had killed other maids, what would you have done?"
Selphius lowered his head. His shoulders drooped pitifully, showing he knew he was wrong.
"Get up. There's no need to delay. I'll have the carriage prepared immediately, and you'll go to the countryside."
Terdeo probably doesn't want Selphius to live with the guilt of killing someone by mistake.
‘I understand his feelings, but...’
I turned to look at Selphius. When our eyes met, Selphius, looking like a drenched puppy, got up from the chair. It seemed he couldn't say no this time because of his mistake. Terdeo opened the bedroom door and called the butler to prepare the carriage and Selphius's luggage. Selphius looked as if he had given up everything, hanging limply. For some reason, his appearance kept bothering me, and I couldn't help but speak up.
"Since you made a mistake, don't you need someone to watch over you?"
Both of them turned to look at me.
‘The Laphireon family should handle their own affairs.’
But for some reason, I couldn't stop talking.
"Selphius is still young. If he made a mistake out of ignorance, the responsibility lies not with Selphius but with... "
I looked calmly at Selphius, who had a dazed expression, and then turned to Terdeo.
"Selphius, you should be responsible for not teaching him properly."
Terdeo narrowed his eyes and frowned. His red eyes flashed with a warning to stop.
"But if you're going to lock Selphius away in the countryside for life, send him now. Keep him isolated from others and the city, like a prison."
Terdeo's face twisted in fear.
"Have you asked Selphius for his opinion? Just because you adopted him, you can't control his life."
"..."
"Don't act arbitrarily under the guise of protection, Terdeo."
At my last words, Terdeo's expression changed instantly. He looked at me as if he had been slapped hard.
"If you want Selphius to grow up and take over the Laphireon family one day... "
Terdeo turned to look at Selphius standing next to him. Selphius was still looking at me.
"Don't send Selphius away. Teach him here to adapt and avoid mistakes."
"..."
"That's what you should teach him."
Is this okay? I'm just a guest for a year, should I be interfering like this? Doubts kept rising in my mind. But if I sent this child away like this, I would feel uneasy for the rest of my life. The silence was suffocating. No one spoke easily. The silence made me thirsty. Just as I was about to say something, Selphius, who had been silent like a mouse, mustered the courage to grab Terdeo's sleeve.
"I'm sorry. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again."
Terdeo's eyebrows arched.
"I'll never cause trouble again."
"Selphius, you... "
"I can be careful so that I don't attract the Grand Duke's attention. If you prefer, I'll eat in my room."
Selphius spoke firmly and strongly, not backing down. Terdeo clenched his lips and glared fiercely at me, the cause of this situation. What, what are you going to do about it?
"Children should be raised freely, not locked away."
I smiled brightly and clapped. Terdeo sighed and pressed his forehead.
"Do you know that the most dangerous person for Selphius to be around is you?"
"Me?"
Why am I dangerous?
"Selphius has the strongest poison. There's no guarantee that an accident like today won't happen again."
"..."
"Next time, I can't be sure you'll survive like today."
Of course, he's not wrong. But I'm a guest for a year, and Selphius is a family member who will stay here. Besides, I was prepared for this from the start.
"I'll be more careful. I'm ready to accept the responsibility."
With a determined expression, I clenched my fist. Terdeo stared at me blankly. Then he composed himself and turned his head.
"Selphius."
"Y-Yes!"
"Is there anything you need to bring from the cottage?"
At Terdeo's question, Selphius, who had been in a daze, opened his mouth and quickly shook his head.
"No, no! I can throw everything away!"
"Since you're so confident, I assume you won't get caught by others, Selphius."
"Y-Yes!"
Terdeo shook his head, as if there was nothing he could do. He gestured to the butler behind him.
"Prepare everything Selphius needs for his room. New clothes and furniture."
"Understood, sir."
"Thanks to you, I had to cancel all my plans today, and everything is in a mess."
"Then you should be grateful to me."
"Selphius following someone is a first for me."
What? I looked back and forth between Terdeo and Selphius, bewildered. Is this following? Is his eyesight bad?
"Serseia was the same, you're truly amazing."
"Of course, my charm is endless."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Where else would you find such a virtue?"
Terdeo clicked his tongue, as if admitting defeat. He muttered, "I might as well take a nap," and turned to leave the bedroom. The butler, standing at the bedroom door, gave me a subtle thumbs-up and smiled.
"Master, this way. I'll call the tailor to take your measurements. Then I'll show you the furniture catalog so you can choose what you like."
A strange sense of anticipation appeared on Selphius's face. The child tried to maintain composure as he walked, but his tail seemed to be wagging behind him.
‘Cute.’
As Selphius was about to follow the butler, he suddenly turned to look at me. Then, in his usual gruff voice, he said,
"You can call me Selphius, Your Highness."
"Huh?"
Selphius, with his ears red, ran out of the bedroom.
‘Really cute.’
*** The next day. An uninvited guest arrived early in the morning.
"Fereshati, you never invite us unless we come looking for you?"
"Did you think I didn't invite you because I don't want to see you? You only invite people you want to see."
It was my stepmother and Reina.
"So, why are you here?"
"Is there somewhere we can't come? You're being aggressive."
"Reina, have you seen Sir Seif?"
"Are you here to ask that?"
Really, how can you come to a married person's house and bring up your ex?
I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
"Reina, I know you have a bad memory, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. I broke up with Seif."
"I know, that's why I asked! Have you seen Sir Seif since then?"
"Do I need to care about my ex?"
As I said coldly, Reina covered her mouth in surprise.
"Why are you so heartless, sister?"
"Me?"
If I were really heartless, I would have thrown them out of the mansion. They still don't get it.
"You two were together for a long time. You even thought about getting married."
"That's true."
"Have you forgotten that Seif comforted you when you were struggling after Father's death? Is this how you repay his kindness?"
As I lifted my teacup, my hand froze at Reina's words. Comforted me? Kindness? No one could say such things so casually. If I hadn't tried to maintain my composure, I would have poured the hot tea on her face.
"Is that so?"
Seeing that I was listening, Reina nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes! Seif was always there to support you when you were struggling!"
"Then you should be the one to meet him."
Reina's face fell. The color drained from my stepmother's face as she listened quietly to our conversation.
"I'm already married and living happily. I don't even think about my ex."
"Si, sister, isn't Sir Seif pitiful?"
"If you find him so pitiful, take him and recycle him. I'll give him to you."
Of course, they had probably been seeing each other for a long time. They likely planned to build a future together by pretending to comfort each other over my death after they had killed me.
"By the way, I'll make sure to clarify that you're not having an affair with my ex."
"W-What? A-Affair?"
"Seif is definitely over me, so he has nothing to do with me. So, Reina, if you want to see Seif, go ahead without any worries."