Chapter 15

15

It had been three months since Hessen was last seen. He often led his subordinates to spy on Veronice, but he had never been as tyrannical as he was today. After all, causing trouble while wandering through someone else's territory would complicate matters.

Hessen couldn't be unaware of this, yet something must have upset him today. If not, he must have become a complete madman.

"What are you looking at? Do you want to die?"

Hessen growled at the people who had gathered, his eyes so menacing that it wouldn't be strange if he committed murder on the spot.

I pushed my way through the people who were backing away and quietly asked one of the men standing opposite Hessen.

"Excuse me, what's going on here?"

"That's..."

Just as the man was about to answer, Hessen barked at him.

"How dare you insult the Everett family in front of me?"

...Indeed, it took me a while to figure out what was happening.

Recently, the tone of Veronice's people when insulting Everett had changed. While they used to be filled with hatred, now they often mocked and satirized Everett.

And Hessen, with his fiery temper, couldn't tolerate such insults. He must have been furious for that reason.

Swish— Hessen drew his sword from its scabbard. At that moment, not only the villagers but also his subordinates were startled. ...It seemed the situation was about to escalate. I watched anxiously.

"I'll give you a choice. Either your head or your tongue. Which one? What will it be?"

Hessen glared at the three men standing in front of me, his eyes blazing with madness. He seemed even more deranged than before.

"Who do you think you are to cut our heads or tongues? Our lives belong to the lord!"

"Right! Only our lord can punish us!"

"And what did we say that was wrong? Everett is a den of devils, even a passing dog knows that..."

At that moment, an old man stepped forward to calm the three men. He seemed to have recognized Hessen by his hair and eye color. He whispered to the men about the unusual hair color.

"..."

The three men's faces turned pale upon hearing the old man's words. They soon looked at Hessen with fear. One of them stammered.

"Y-Your Highness of the Everett family..."

Hessen sneered and adjusted his grip on the sword.

"You only recognize me now by my blue-silver hair? No wonder you're just a bunch of worms with poor heads."

Indeed, the blue-silver hair of the Everett family was a unique and rare color. The bluish tint in the silver hair was uncommon anywhere. The same went for the blue-tinged purple eyes. This combination was a symbol of the Everett family.

However, the reason these three men didn't recognize Hessen was... because they were villagers who had never left their town, and thus had no way of knowing.

Actually, such incidents were common. Local people who had never left their hometowns often only saw their own lord, and had no opportunity to meet other nobles. So, how could they know what Hessen Everett looked like? Even with his blue-silver hair and bluish purple eyes, they would just think, "He has a rather unusual appearance."

'Especially since he came in plain clothes for reconnaissance, it would be even harder to recognize him.'

Hessen, wearing a white shirt and black pants, approached with his sword. His calm gait was like that of a predator stalking its prey.

The men now trembled, glancing around to see if anyone would help them. But as usual, no one stepped forward to assist them.

"Head? Or tongue? Which one will you choose? Start with the one on the far left."

Typically, when commoners insulted or mocked nobles, they were punished under the pretext of "offending public morals."

However, this was within the "lord's authority." In other words, Hessen's current actions were a clear overreach of power.

If Valentinno later raised an issue over this, it would put Everett in a difficult position.

But Hessen seemed to be completely oblivious to the consequences. His eyes were wild, and he pointed his sword at the man on the far left.

"Are you mute? You were talking just fine earlier. If you can't decide, I'll do it for you. Stick out your tongue."

"..."

Fortunately, it didn't seem like Hessen intended to commit murder in Veronice... but I couldn't let him continue his rampage. Cutting off someone's tongue for insulting a noble was an excessive punishment. Such cruel laws had been abolished long ago. Of course, Everett's devils often committed even worse deeds.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward quietly.

"...? Who are you?"

"..."

Hessen raised an eyebrow at me, who had blocked the men's path. Instead of answering immediately, I bowed as respectfully as possible. I knew how to handle Hessen better than anyone. When he acted like a madman, it was best to give him what he wanted rather than provoke him further. I spoke softly.

"I am Lea, a maid working at the Valentinno mansion. I am deeply sorry for blocking your path, but I wish to apologize on behalf of these people. Please, hear me out with a generous heart."

"Hmm...?"

Hessen's face showed a hint of interest. It seemed he found it unusual for a mere maid to use perfect etiquette. It was as if he was watching a dog perform a trick. I continued calmly.

"These people are poorly educated and have been suffering from monster attacks for the past year and a half. They are not in their right minds. Please, do not take their words to heart and show mercy to them."

"..."

Hessen lowered his sword slightly, as if gauging me. I remained bowed, only glancing at him from the corner of my eye. After a moment, Hessen chuckled and placed the sword at my throat. People gasped. I deliberately trembled slightly, thinking I should show a fearful reaction.

"A mere maid is quite bold."

"..."

"Your etiquette is impressive for someone who learned it at the mansion."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

I answered in a trembling voice, and Hessen laughed loudly, finding it amusing. His eyes shone with a different kind of interest.

...To be honest, I knew this would happen. I knew that throwing a new toy at a rampaging madman would divert his attention.

Hessen's eyes sparkled with cruel interest. I hoped the men would run away at this moment, but they just hesitated behind me.

I wondered if I should give them a hint, but Hessen suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me away. His face was close, and his bluish purple eyes showed the familiar madness and impulse.

"What are you doing? Is this a new hobby of yours?"

A shiver ran down my spine at his whisper. That question was directed not at "maid Lea" but at "Lily Everett." ...I couldn't believe it, but Hessen seemed to have seen through my disguise.

But how?

'The magic of the transformation artifact is perfect...'

Hessen began dragging me somewhere, and people screamed in terror.

I glanced back and saw the three men sitting on the ground, staring blankly at me. I sighed inwardly at the sight.

Hessen shouted at his subordinates to leave and took me to a deserted area.

He confirmed there was no one around and then approached me, pushing me against the old wooden wall of a shack.

His rough hand grabbed my chin and roughly turned my face from side to side, examining it closely.

His touch was so forceful that I felt slightly dizzy.

After a moment, Hessen released me and sneered arrogantly.

"What is this ugly shell? Change back to your real face immediately."

"..."

It was a clear command. I sighed and used the artifact to revert my transformation. I was still dressed as a maid, but as I returned to my original appearance, Hessen's eyes lit up.

He took a few steps back and slowly scanned me from head to toe, then suddenly clenched his fists.

I noticed his ears were slightly red.

"Why are you wandering around in a maid's disguise? You're a duchess now."

"Just some business."

"Hmm..."

I planned to deal with Hessen appropriately and send him away. But his eyes changed, and he suddenly approached, grabbing my wrist.

He pulled a thin rope from his pocket and began tying my wrists. I was taken aback and asked.

"What are you doing?"

"Hey, you... Do you really want to remarry a scoundrel like Lennon Chester?"

"What's it to you?"

"Fuck, why is it not my business!"

Hessen roared and began dragging me to where his horse was tied. He seemed even more deranged than before. I glared at him in disgust as he tried to put me on the horse.

At that moment, a loud voice came from a distance.

"Stop!"

A man was riding a shiny black horse, galloping towards us.

As he got closer, his appearance became clearer. His black hair was flying in the wind, his face was twisted in anger, and his eyes were blazing blue.

I was momentarily stunned and muttered his name.

"Theodore..."