Chapter 27

I overdid it with the adopted daughter role. The welcome banquet was over, and Viola returned to her room. It had only been about an hour, but to Viola, it felt like ten. "It was tough. I'm completely drained." She threw herself onto the bed and sprawled out. Zeno stood beside the bed. "Milady, you look tired." "Yeah, I'm tired." Zeno approached Viola and offered her a sweet juice. "Would you like this?" He helped Viola, who was lying sprawled out on the bed, to sit up. I've noticed, but Zeno is surprisingly meticulous. His touch was incredibly gentle and careful. His hands were full of consideration for Viola, and his tone was affectionate. "Don't worry. I put in a weak poison, considering your condition." "..." This is how it usually goes in this household. A small amount of poison is added to all the food. To prevent being poisoned, they consume a level of poison their body can handle to build up resistance. 'He must have measured the poison precisely, considering my physical condition, right?' The poison was colorless and odorless. It tasted just like orange juice. Ah, it's sweet. I want some strawberry ade. "When I wake up, I'd like some strawberry ade." "I'll prepare it." "With lots of ice." "Understood. I'll crush the ice finely and sprinkle it like snowflakes." "Okay." It might seem grand, but it'll be delicious anyway. Blink, blink. Her eyes started to close. It had been a grueling day since dawn. The seven-year-old body couldn't resist the sleep, and she quickly drifted into a half-sleep state. Her consciousness faded away. Her mouth moved involuntarily. "I'm sleepy." Slowly, Viola's body melted into the bed. She fell asleep. Zeno looked down at the bed. Viola's hair was scattered messily. Some of her hair had gotten into her mouth. "Munch, munch." In her sleep, Viola chewed on her hair like a cow. Zeno gently removed the hair and softly asked, "May I apply some ointment?" Viola was asleep and couldn't answer. Zeno very gently pulled up the blanket. Viola's calves and the tops of her feet were visible. They were the parts that had been burned by the poison potion. Although he had already applied some ointment gently, it seemed like it would need a few more applications to fully heal. "Then, I'll take it as your permission and proceed." Zeno knelt down. Very slowly, he sat down carefully so as not to wake Viola. He opened the ointment jar and applied it delicately to the burned areas. Zeno repeated this process several times, applying more ointment as it dried. "It needs to be applied multiple times to prevent scarring." He straightened his back. Zeno knew. No matter how much Viola might be a talented killer, a burn like this would hurt. He smiled gently as he looked at the sleeping Viola. 'I'll remember. I'll crush the ice finely and sprinkle it like snowflakes.' For a brief moment, his expression became very bright. Is strawberry ade with lots of ice that good? 'That brightness... I don't mind it.' He wanted to see that brightness for longer if possible. 'No one else has ever seen Lady Viola like this, right?' Viola's appearance at the welcome banquet was much more captivating than Zeno had imagined. She was more Bella than anyone else, exuding a powerful presence even greater than a pure-blooded Bella. 'But... seeing her chew on her hair and fall into a dreamland...' The gap between the conscious and unconscious Viola was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth. Zeno smiled and continued to look at Viola's sleeping face. 'It's really strange.' Viola was a Bella who should never be cute. But strangely, her sleeping face was cute. *** About four hours had passed. When Viola opened her eyes, she saw Zeno's face. "What are you doing here?" "Just staying by your side, Milady." "Why?" "You kept kicking off the blanket." He had stayed by her side for four hours, continually covering her with the blanket. "You shouldn't get a stomachache at a time like this." "A time like this?" "You drank the potion, Viola." "...Oh." She was afraid that if people found out she had drunk poison, it would spread as a rumor. Viola Bella should never show any weakness. "Right." Of course. He couldn't be genuinely worried. But then, Zeno smiled beautifully. "I'm glad you're not in pain." His tone was very affectionate. Regardless of the reason, it seemed sincere that he wanted Viola to be pain-free. "I'm fine, so go. The butler needs a rest too." "Yes, I understand." He said he understood, but Zeno didn't leave. "But, Milady, can I be honest for a moment?" "What do you mean?" "Hmm." Zeno smiled beautifully. He hesitated a bit. Zeno scratched his head slightly and spoke honestly. "I felt a bit sad." "About what?" "When you got hurt on your leg." "Why?" "I don't know. I must be strange, right?" Viola was a bit confused too. 'Why are you sad?' Zeno was a unique character. He couldn't empathize with others' pain or suffering and didn't understand his own emotions well. That's why he was called a monster in his childhood. But this emotionless character had expressed sadness. 'In the original story... did he ever say he was sad?' She thought hard. 'No.' No matter how much she thought, Zeno had never expressed his emotions so openly and honestly. "Yeah, it's strange." "Exactly. Why did I feel sad when your leg got hurt, Milady?" "I don't know." Zeno was genuinely amazed. He smiled again, amazed. "This emotion is very peculiar. It's the first time I've felt this emotion since I was born, and it's a rather uncomfortable feeling. Sadness. I only knew it intellectually, but experiencing it is new." "..." "But one thing is clear now." One thing became clear. "I feel sad when you get hurt." "..." "So, I don't want you to get hurt." Amidst her confusion, Viola, as a genuine reader, made a rational judgment. The reason Zeno had changed. The reason he had become aware of his own emotions. She understood it. 'It's because the character Viola has changed.' So, Zeno, the character beside her, had also changed. Viola had become a more rational and logical character. Therefore, Zeno, who constantly tested her, had evolved to match her. 'The way to shake my rationality. The way to find a weakness in me. The way to touch my emotional side. He's testing me with a more evolved method.' Right. Zeno is that kind of character! Now it's starting to make sense. 'Phew. Now that it's clear, I feel better.' She actually felt better. When a character like Zeno, whose motives are hard to read, acts differently from the original story, it gets complicated. But now that she understood the reason, she felt better. "You don't want me to get hurt?" She laughed, almost mockingly. "I'm a Bella." She can't avoid getting hurt. No matter how careful she is, there will be times when she gets hurt. Viola's goal was to survive, not to remain unscathed. Zeno, understanding Viola's words, bowed. "I know very well, Lady Viola Bella." "But why are you saying such nonsense? Getting hurt is inevitable. Why is it sad? Zeno, what do you think of me?" Zeno remained bowed for a while. Viola didn't know, but in fact, Zeno was in a very confused state. Zeno was pondering. 'Should I say this?' He had to think for a long time. After some time had passed, Zeno finally spoke with difficulty. "I serve the Bella lady, don't I?" "Yeah, I know. Stop saying nonsense." Zeno's heart ached a little more because what she said wasn't wrong. If she had just said she knew, that she wouldn't get hurt, and that she didn't know he would be sad, it would have been better. 'That's my greed, I guess. I don't even know why I have such greed.' "Can't the lady you serve give you a direct order?" "What kind of order?" At that moment, the character settings for Zeno, as defined by the author, changed. Neither Viola nor Zeno realized it. "An order to protect you." A butler can't protect the lady on his own will. It's not that he can't, but he shouldn't. A butler is a butler, not a bodyguard. A Bella lady protected by a butler can't be a true Bella. 'That's why I want to hear it.' An order to protect her. Being forced to protect her because of an order. Wouldn't that be okay? "I want you to be pain-free." "..." "So, I want to protect you." Viola narrowed her eyes. 'Wow, it really seemed sincere.' If she hadn't delved deeply into the novel, if she hadn't known Zeno's character well, she might have fallen for it. 'I need to stay focused.' Zeno only genuinely acknowledges Viola in the later parts of the story. Even using the information from the novel, she couldn't open her heart completely to a mere seven-year-old. If she had been swayed by his words. 'Protect me.' and given such an order, Zeno would be greatly disappointed. He would start doubting her qualifications as a Bella, even if he didn't show it. 'Phew, almost fell for it.' His expression and tone were too affectionate and earnest. She almost believed him. "I'm the one who protects, not you." "Pardon?" "Because I'm a Bella, not you." A Bella is a protector. The shield that protects humanity from the snowy northern forest. She mentioned this. Zeno was silent for a moment before answering. "Thank you, Milady." Zeno straightened his back. His face, smiling brightly, was filled with affection for Viola. "I'm a bit envious that I'm a butler at a time like this." "Envious?" "If I were an outsider like Sir Hewson, would you have reached out to me for help?" "Maybe." A day later. An absurd piece of news was delivered.