《I Have No Health》 Chapter 1 1. Flood Nineina Seia. Her misfortune began before she was born. Nineina¡¯s mother, Lofenia, was not in a situation to care about the fetus in her womb. For it was around this time that Charlotte, the only other family member of Nineina, was driven to death for treason. Lofenia couldn¡¯t even support herself, let alone a child. Due to the sudden stress and shock, Lofenia gave birth prematurely, and so the Duke¡¯s daughter was born in exchange for the death of her mother. She was half the size of other newborns and had skinny limbs. Her respiratory system was weak, and her heart was fragile. It¡¯s no wonder she died so soon, her death was to be expected. Besides, there were people who wanted Nineina dead because she had the blood of a traitorous family. She was a stain on the Duke¡¯s family. At that time, her father, Rubenio, was the eldest son of the Duke but had yet to become the Duke[1]. If Rubenio became the next Duke and Nineina succeeded him, then the Empire would be led by a traitor¡¯s bloodline. Eventually, rumors circulated that Nineina should have died along with her mother, and Rubenio¡¯s position was in jeopardy. Those who followed Rubenio were in tears. ¨C You must abandon your daughter! She was a weak daughter from the moment she was born. With a body on the brink of death. But Rubenio could not abandon his first daughter. She was the only relation left by the woman he loved. However, he couldn¡¯t defeat the Duke who wanted to kill his daughter. He had to make a decision. ¨C My child has no mother. She¡¯s my only family. Rubenio swallowed his tears of blood and abandoned Lofenia. Lofenia, who was dead and had been abandoned, had already returned to where Charlotte was[2]. Nineina became the blood of Rubenio, who had nothing to do with Lofenia. Rubenio saved his child and dumped his wife in exchange. ¨C You must be out of your mind for being crazy about one woman! The Duke was not satisfied with him and continued to pressure him. He did not hesitate to threaten Rubenio that he would deprive him of his heir position as well as kick him out of the family. The selfish Duke was vicious towards his own blood. However, in the eyes of the Duke, it would be a waste to throw away Rubenio. This is because he was the smartest of his three sons and had the best personality. Thus, it would be best to appoint him as the next successor. The Duke used the stick and carrot approach[3]. ¨C I told you not to be swept away by personal feelings! Rubenio, I¡¯ll keep my eye on you. If you do well, the child will live, and if you don¡¯t, the child shall perish. Rubenio was no more than an 18-year-old young man when Nineina was born. At that time, he did not have the power to stand up to his father. He realized that he could no longer protect his daughter if he were to be completely expelled from the family. ¨C What must I do? ¨C Until you take my place securely, disregard them. If you go see them secretly, I won¡¯t stay still! The Duke didn¡¯t think Nineina would live long. ¡®If I keep my son away for a while, that useless, weak baby will die.¡¯ Rubenio knew of his father¡¯s thoughts, but he had no other choice than to send Nineina away to protect her. The baby, who had never been held in her mother¡¯s arms, could not grow up in her father¡¯s arms either. Rather than crying, Rubenio clenched his teeth and stood up. ¨C I¡¯ll give you the world. So just a little¡­ Please¡­ wait a little bit. QC/N: This is so sad ( ??? ©n ???) No one could understand the horrors of a father who has to neglect their own baby, who can¡¯t even understand words, and ask them to wait. Rubenio held the baby¡¯s hand tightly and released all his bottled-up feelings. The dying tree crumbled as slowly as possible for the young pulp. ¨C Please, live for me. Just like that, Nineina and Rubenio parted ways. Nineina always remembered Rubenio¡¯s unforgettable farewell. Apparently, Nineina was an unfortunate and pitiful woman. Because, in the end, she couldn¡¯t wait for her father. The only thing Rubenio will meet is the lifeless body of his deceased daughter. Even though they both had longed so much for that one wish, they did not meet. It was Meia, the female protagonist, who brought the fallen Nineina to Rubenio. Everything that would have originally been Nineina¡¯s was handed over to Meia. Rubenio did not love Meia like his daughter, but he did not treat her improperly either. He thanked Meia. Lost and without a purpose, he tried to provide Meia with everything to survive. He showered Meia with things that he couldn¡¯t do for his own daughter. Meia¡¯s status as a slave was removed when she was reclaimed as the Princess of the Duke. Soon after Meia reached a happy ending, Rubenio committed suicide as if he had no more regrets. The end. * * * ¡®Hoho, it¡¯s over! It should be the end¡­.¡¯ ¡°So who am I?¡± ¡°Master¡­¡­¡± ¡°My name! What¡¯s my name!¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s Nineina Seia.¡± I¡¯ve heard it over and over, yet I¡¯m still shocked each time. I, who just transformed into Nineina, had not adapted to my frail body and fell over the bed. ¡°Master!¡± The servant who had been cleaning the room corridors hurriedly grabbed me and looked around. The maid and servants, who were always in my room, were nowhere to be seen. That¡¯s because I dismissed them all. The servant laid me down on the bed and tried to run outside, but I was quick to grab them. ¡°You¡­ Who are you?¡± I had a ridiculously pale, scrawny hand. The servant looked down at the back of my snow-white hand and answered with a nervous face. ¡°My name¡¯s Mayer.¡± This, too, was still hard to believe even after being repeated three times. I was panting for breath, even at the mere emotional agitation. This filthy body! I hit the footboard of my bed. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Master, Master! Are you all right?¡± Mayer looked at me, holding my somewhat red hands. Nineina originally wasn¡¯t the type that would allow a servant¡¯s hand to reach her. But right now, I¡¯d be rather happy about something like that. ¡°Nineina¡­ Are you saying that I¡¯m Nineina?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are you Mayer?¡± ¡°Yes, my name is Mayer.¡± Lies! The servant¡¯s name was Meia, not Mayer. I knew that. Why? Because I read it in the book. And I know one more terrifying fact. That is, Nineina will not live long and die. I am Nineina. ¡°I¡­ Am I going to die soon?¡± I ended up losing my mind less than an hour after waking up. [1] So Nineina¡¯s grandpa is the current Duke [2] They went to the afterlife [3] A metaphor meaning the use of a combination of reward and punishment to induce a desire. Chapter 2 I Have No Health: Episode 2.1 I fell asleep on my usual bed, but when I woke up, I was in an unfamiliar environment. I looked around and was surprised when I saw a luxurious room that seemed like a restored room from a 17th-century European royal family. Yeah. That was a good description. This is absurd, but perhaps my playful roommate threw a surprise party. However, my body¡¯s changed. It wasn¡¯t my usual oriental skin. I had dazzling white skin, similar to a person with albino. When I jumped up in surprise, western looking foreigners gathered in the room and shouted out a name. ¡°Master Ninena!¡± They were all dressed in white. They looked like doctors. I was petrified. I thought I was kidnapped by a group of fanatics who are sprouting nonsense, and will soon have me undergo biological experiments. Even so, my whole body ached. It was impossible to pinpoint where the pain was. As soon as I got up, I felt nauseous, my stomach felt queasy, and my hands trembled along with my feet. I wondered if I had a severe allergic shock. But that wasn¡¯t it. The only explanation left was the fact that I had possessed a character in the book I had read and fallen asleep with. Who would believe me? This illogical reality! But I had to believe it. It¡¯s impossible for all this to be a dream, the pain felt was too real. As I woke up and repeatedly denied reality, I eventually came to accept it. There was no time to be saddened by the longing for home and the dissonance from falling into somewhere unknown. Because death has reached my neck. ¡°In all likelihood, why this body¡­ Cough! Cough! Cough!¡± In indignation, I forgot about my body that was like a piece of glass, and so the air pierced my dry throat as I raged with all my might. Nausea and coughs occurred at the same time, my head was pounding like crazy. The coughing did not stop until my pale face turned red. After suffering from terrible coughs for a long time, my body had no strength. ¡°Cough, cough¡­!¡± ¡°Master!¡± As I lay down on the bed like a corpse, the maids moved hastily and placed a wet cloth on my forehead. ¡°Master, please have a meal. You¡¯re going to be in big trouble!¡± ¡®That¡¯s not the problem. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t eat because I don¡¯t want to eat.. ¡® I swallowed the rising tears and looked at the steaming, savory soup with bitter eyes. I didn¡¯t mean to protest. It¡¯s natural that this body is frail, but it¡¯s not like I am going to starve to death. Let¡¯s get this straight. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want to eat, rather I couldn¡¯t eat. I couldn¡¯t swallow the food. Why? Because the feeling of being able to die at any moment was so eerie. It was a nightmare for me, like the earth is collapsing and the sea is gushing up. I can¡¯t live with the thought that my life would soon be eaten. ¡°Master¡­¡­.¡± The maids urged Ninena, but she couldn¡¯t give a proper answer because of her sore throat. ¡°Just one bite. I made sure to cook it carefully so that it doesn¡¯t smell too much.¡± As if feeling anxious and impatient, the old maid reassured Ninena, presumably to soothe her. ¡®Ah¡­ It¡¯s really burdensome.¡¯ I know she¡¯s only worried, but my body hurts and my throat stings whenever I try to speak. ¡°Lady¡­.¡± Fortunately, the maids hadn¡¯t realized that their master had changed. They were always by her side, but most of the time, Ninena was lying like the dead as she is now. Instead of saying anything, I only groaned, so no one would notice that I had entered Ninena¡¯s body. Why am I worried about such a trivial thing when my body is on the edge of death! She was only trying to comfort me, no! I don¡¯t need comfort, so get me out of this body this instant! ¡°Ugh! Cough!¡± ¡°Ahh! Master!¡± What a horrible body! I can¡¯t even get mad in my own consciousness! After holding back her anger for a long time, it finally subsided. I had to eat something and save my stamina. ¡°Then just one bite¡­¡± She took a deep breath and said dryly. Even though it was a voice that was forcibly squeezed out from her overworked vocal cords, it was heard. The maid, who discreetly shed tears, gently brushed Ninena¡¯s wet hair as if applauding her. ¡°That was good thinking.¡± The maid spoon-fed the soup little by little with a spoon the size meant for a baby¡¯s. It was a thin soup that doesn¡¯t require chewing. There was no flavor, but it tasted delicious. It¡¯s definitely good¡­ I think I¡¯m going to die. This is to die for! ¡°Uwaahhh!¡± ¡°Oh my god! Master!¡± That day, I was tired of non-stop vomiting and fell asleep. *** The original Ninena generally didn¡¯t get off her bed. So, there were all sorts of luxuries in the room. New flowers and new ornaments would appear and disappear every day too, as if they wanted me to feed on them. Among them, a sparkling golden statue stood out. Although she couldn¡¯t figure it out, it was secretly sent by Rubenio to wish Ninena well-being and blessing. But to me, it was just a statue of a goddess. ¡®God, what did I do so wrong?¡¯ The goddess, with her hands and eyes shut, only showed off her splendid light with no answer. It was only natural, but because I felt so queasy, I was so sad that I cried a little. ¡®Please, I owe a little debt to the country, but it¡¯s a student loan that everyone has. I¡¯ll pay it back when I graduate. If you return me back to my body, I will donate a lot, do a lot of volunteer work, and live an honest life. If you remember me complaining about my body, please forget everything. Now I will love my body without any complaints or bickers. Good?¡¯ I could see why sick people would become annoyed. Everything was resentful. Moreover, I hated the statue of the goddess which didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Send me back to my body, ugh!¡± I jumped up to my feet in anger but I only fell down. Pain welled up in my chest due to the sudden movement. This body was as fragile as the feathers of a newborn baby bird, and had to be handled very gently. ¡®I¡¯d rather become a baby.¡¯ It seemed that the body of a newborn baby could do a lot more than this now. A baby can drink milk at the very least. This body was never going to pass down a spoonful of soup. It¡¯s surprising that she still can survive. ¡®Aren¡¯t there two essentials of possessing a book? Live on as the possessed character and survive by helping the original protagonist. But how am I supposed to survive?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t afford to think about anything else. There was only one thing that was important to me, surviving. In the book, Ninena was destined to die in the winter when she turned 20. According to the information I got from asking the maids, it¡¯s the autumn of the year I turned 20. In other words, death was only about three months away. ¡®It¡¯s right around the corner! Did you put me in this sh*t only for me to live a three-month life?¡¯ I wanted to live, but there was a cliff ahead. Why? Nineina¡¯s death was no one¡¯s fault. It was because her body, already a miracle for surviving so long, could not overcome the freezing winter. ¡®Should I go somewhere warm?¡¯ That wasn¡¯t a good idea either. I¡¯m certain that this body would die right away if I do something like travelling. In fact, Ninena¡¯s cause of death was not hypothermia. Sure, the cold may have weakened her body, but it was not the main cause. Her death came from her doomed weak body. Her body was barely induced with all kinds of medicines and nourishing food. By the time she was 20, she couldn¡¯t even walk alone. She¡¯s already reached her limits. The winter cold may have pushed the limits, but the underlying problem lies elsewhere. ¡®Then what should we do?¡¯ Thinking about it won¡¯t make a difference. There was only one condition required to survive. ¡®What am I asking? There is only one way out! I must be healthy!¡¯ Even if I moved my body even a little, I had to fight to get rid of my sagging posture. There was no disease, so the method was simple. I needed to eat well, do regular rehabilitation exercises, and do my best to remain unstressed. ¡®I don¡¯t think this is a situation where I can remain calm¡­¡¯ I came into this body right after Ninena had caught a terrible cold. I was already in bad shape, and when I asked Meia about this and that, I received a huge shock, causing me to lose all strength. I have to actively move around. It was painful enough to be stuck in the room, and the bed. But I also had a bad temper. What I really needed was to have the persistence to do this. ¡®Doctors stated that there are cases of terminal cancer patients who have not given up. Let¡¯s go to the mountains, get some fresh air and eat healthily. Why can¡¯t I? I wish to live.¡¯ Staying healthy. Although it seems difficult, it¡¯s easy once you understand. All we had to do was give up some of the pleasures that bring satisfaction to humans. ¡®I can live. I will survive, even in a place like this, with a body like this¡­ I¡¯m going to survive.¡¯ A changed environment. Precious people who I can¡¯t meet. My previous body. I forcibly pushed away the melancholy and sadness that came over me even when I was deep in my thoughts. A gloomy haze filled my head. ¡®Let¡¯s not think about anything else. Eating! Just keep thinking about eating!¡¯ Chapter 3 I recalled my favorite cuisines. I thought of the crispy fried pork cutlets sold at the entrance of my school, the stir-fried noodles my mom made, and the handmade macarons sold at regular stores. Most of them weren¡¯t available here and could not be eaten considering the state of my body, but the thought alone seemed to increase my appetite. Come here. She slightly waved her hand, calling the maid standing at one side of the room. There was a reason why the maids were present even though Nineina had a servant. That¡¯s because, sometimes, the pain was too unbearable to even shake the bell. ¡°Is there anything you need?¡± I responded by blinking my eyes. The maid, who was familiar with the gesture, leaned her ear to Nineina¡¯s mouth. ¡°I¡¯d like to eat¡­¡± Nineina flailed her arms around like a zombie, imitating someone eating. Due to Nineina¡¯s pretty body frame, her stiff movements were lovely, but somehow she felt mad. It was the desire to survive and escape from this hell. *** There¡¯s something I joked about when I was young. If you don¡¯t finish your food, you¡¯ll be sent to hell where you¡¯ll eat all your leftovers as a punishment. I felt like I was falling into that hellhole. All the food served felt disgusting. For 3 consecutive days, I threw up as soon as I swallowed anything. I could see why the original owner of this body hated eating so much and threw tantrums with anyone who forced her to eat. It was useless to eat as much as I could because all the energy obtained from the food would be spent throwing up. ¡°Servant, please stop the Master¡­..¡± After over 10 times of vomiting and passing out in the past 4 days, the people who told me to eat plenty have been begging me to stop eating. Afterwards, instead of eating food, I drank supplements that¡¯d boost my stomach activity. The drugs in this world worked wonders. A few days after taking the herbal medicine, I¡¯ve stopped throwing up. ¡®I should have done this earlier¡­¡¯ But the awful disgust still remained. After drinking the thick medicines that went down in a tumble, I¡¯d feel nauseous several times. ¡®Don¡¯t touch me! I feel like an extremely dangerous beast right now!¡¯ It felt like venom was gushing all over my body. I then glared at everything approaching. I scowled at the medicine which a maid had brought, and even flicked the spoon off her hands. After struggling so hard, I was finally able to drink the medicine while I wiped my tears. I didn¡¯t vomit, but my stomach still felt queasy. And as soon as I woke up the next day, another medicine would appear. This repeated continuously. When digestion became possible to some extent, Nineina would eat small portions throughout the day. ¡°M-Master, a devil didn¡¯t take over you, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say anything profane! The Master is just¡­ just¡­.¡± Even if I think about it, it was a poison that could not be explained by ordinary standards. (QC/N: They¡¯re referring to her sudden change like a poison, not an actual poison.) There was even a rumor that a ghost who died of starvation attached itself to Nineina because she now never let go of her spoon. I didn¡¯t care about anything else. I was only focused on eating, swallowing, digesting and consuming. All this due to my desire to live on. The days of war between my body went on like that, day by day. The supplements, which were so bitter that my taste buds had completely faded, and the various nutritious foods that I don¡¯t even wanna guess what they consist of, succeeded. Because now, Nineina¡¯s body was much more resilient than present-day people. This miracle was possible due to the resilience of this unrealistic world where broken bones can even recover within a week. So, after 15 days, I¡¯ve gotten a little bit healthier. I was healthy enough to walk around the bed, with legs weaker than newborn giraffe¡¯s. ¡°The Master walked on her own!¡± I just walked without anyone¡¯s support. ¡°Open the barn! Let¡¯s hold a festival!¡± ¡°C-Congratulations! Today will be recorded as ¡®the day our Master walked all alone¡¯!¡± ¡°Tha, that¡¯s¡­ I¡¯ll register that down!¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t do such a thing!¡± Despite the shame, a feast was held without my acknowledgement. *** Chapter 4 I¡¯ve been habitually using formal language ever since I first possessed this body. It was something the original Nineina would never do, so there was a fuss as several maids and even her servant asked which part of her head she hit. ¡®Your master is about to die soon!¡¯ I had to act like a rude and arrogant Nineina, I was so engrossed in crying that everyone thought I would actually die. When Nineina slapped the hands of others away, her face turned red, while everyone else¡¯s eyes glistened and stared at her more. I was quick to notice and to guess why. That would have been the only indication that Nineina was conscious. Being angry and annoyed was all she could do. Because only that attitude made Nineina, who was normally stretched out like a dead person, convince everyone she was still alive. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Whenever I ate a spoonful of soup, I felt nervous from the eyes of people staring at me with melted faces. That¡¯s why I felt sorry for Nineina. There were so many people who loved her, but she must not have had time to think because death was closer. ¡®I am different. I won¡¯t give up like you.¡¯ I had to focus on eating. I pulled the bed curtains down. (TL/N: We just found out she eats in bed. So the table mentioned in previous chapters probably meant a portable one.) ¡°Master! Master even lowered the curtains!¡± I did my best to ignore the voices that followed. Only then did meal time become quiet and cozy. After a delicious full meal, I had to take care of my next importance, cleanliness. ¡°Ho-ho.¡± Unfamiliar women wriggled Nineina¡¯s body everywhere whilst arguing, This is pretty or No, this is prettier. I almost threw my face into the water out of embarrassment. ¡®If I did, I¡¯d be dead!¡¯ This sensitive body might even pass out if I didn¡¯t breathe for a moment. ¡°Master, how do you have such a fine belly button? It resembles a white jade.¡± ¡°How about her hair? It¡¯s as if gold threads were dried in the sun to obtain an ashy color.¡± ¡°Still, I think Master¡¯s petite fingers are the cutest. Such smooth skin.¡± ¡®Belly button, hair, petite fingers¡­¡¯ As I listened to the chatter of the maids that started again, my face was burning. Not because I enjoyed it. I was embarrassed to death. I couldn¡¯t understand why they complimented such strange things. ¡°¡­When will we finish?¡± The maids¡¯ cheeks turned red as I tried to gently lift their arms. ¡°We¡¯re almost done. All that¡¯s left is to wash it off.¡± ¡°¡­.That¡¯s the same thing you said a while ago, too.¡± ¡°Oh my, my. It¡¯s true. We¡¯re really done.¡± This reminded me of the time I bathed a cat which had a hatred for showers. I spoke like the maids. I was like, ¡®Done!¡¯ In other words, it was a lie. Eventually, after a while, I was able to get out of the bathroom. ¡°Master, please walk carefully.¡± I stepped towards the bed with a maid escorting me. After taking a bath in hot water, I felt dizzy, so I had to walk with the help of another. It¡¯d be a big deal if I fell down. Nineina was someone that couldn¡¯t bathe in cold water either. Since she¡¯ll catch a cold right away. ¡®I¡¯m going to die of discomfort.¡¯ Relying on the maid and staggering, the bed that was only a few steps away seemed terribly far away. I was angry that I had entered a body as puny as a broom, so I muttered unconsciously. ¡°What a useless body.¡± ¡°Huh¡­.¡± ¡°Heuh¡­ ¡± ¡°¡­..¡± I turned around as I heard a cry somewhere. Everyone had tears in their eyes, looking like they were going to die. ¡°¡­¡­.However.. My body has become much more useful now.¡± I flinched at the burst of tears and made an awkward excuse. The maids¡¯ faces were now filled with joy. ¡°Yes. My Master is able to eat meals alone.¡± ¡°You exercise too.¡± ¡°You can even lie down on your own!¡± The cons definitely conquered the pros. I doubt that they said that on purpose though. I didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡®If barely eating a bowl of soup and spilling it a dozen times counts as eating a meal, then it shall. If barely walking around the bed counts as exercise, then it shall too. Lastly, if just changing your posture slightly by relying on their hand that lays me down counts, then¡­ I guess so¡­ All right. Let¡¯s think on the positive side.¡¯ I tried to rationalize. ¡®The more I think about it, the more miserable I am!¡¯ The result was a failure. ¡°Ugh!¡± My damp hair felt like a piece of soggy bread when I touched it. ¡°Master¡¯s hair is the most precious color in the world. It¡¯s like gold and silver melted together.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just white¡­..¡± Either way, the maids smiled and carefully combed their Master¡¯s precious hair. I just stared blankly, my mind barely in it, until. Knock, knock. ¡°Come in.¡± The servant, who received permission, hurriedly came in and shouted. Chapter 5 ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­¡­.¡± With my hands gently folded in front of Caesar¡¯s chest, I tried to get up, pushing him slightly. ¡°Ha.¡± Caesar looked at me as if I was ridiculous, twisting around like how babies with poor abdominal muscle formation tried to get up. I feel so ashamed! I didn¡¯t do this on purpose! His expression did not change for a while, but he changed his expression twice already, so I was on the good side. Although one expression was due to discomfort and the other was due to absurdity. With a look of great annoyance, he pushed my back to help me get up. ¡°I..I just brushed my teeth.¡± With his help, I was able to get up carefully and made an excuse. Caesar¡¯s mysophobia was not a problem on that level. He looked at me, not saying a word. ¡®No, I just want you to live.¡¯ Sneaking away from the gaze, she swallowed the words ¡®Oh my God!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± Caesar said a moment later. It was a tone that didn¡¯t contain the slightest bit of sincerity. Anyone could tell it was out of courtesy. ¡°You don¡¯t look all right.¡­.¡± Her life was like a beacon, but she was unnecessarily honest. It¡¯s because she was the type to clearly say if it¡¯s right, it¡¯s right, and if it¡¯s not, it¡¯s not. But as soon as she lifted her eyes and looked at him, she immediately came back to her senses. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Sir, would you like to wash up?¡± Nineina said, pointing to the bathroom where she had just washed up. ¡°¡­Usually, the first thing you should¡¯ve done is ask what I came here for.¡± It was a sharp point. Ordinary people are not recommended to wash up just because of baptism. I¡¯ll bet you¡¯ll wipe it off with a cloth. (QC/N: ¡®baptism¡¯ = her spit¡­¡­¡­) But I suggested that he should bring the towel right next to him and wash up. As I knew that merely wiping the germs of my cough off with a towel would make him much more uncomfortable. Her survival instincts that recognized the crisis she was in, strongly invoked. ¡°Uh¡­¡­ I thought about it the other way around. So if I were in your shoes, I wouldn¡¯t find the current situation very pleasant. But if I had suggested you wipe it off yourself with a towel, it feels like I¡¯m asking you to do more, so¡­ washing up would be the best choice.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not my standard, rather it¡¯s yours.¡¯ There was nothing strange about it, though I dawdled. ¡®Huh..¡¯ I felt relieved to see that Caesar had lost his sharp gaze. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He looked like he didn¡¯t have to wash up. ¡®No, you don¡¯t look fine.¡¯ I immediately denied it. Of course, only in my own consciousness. ¡°There¡¯s something your father asked me to do.¡± He brought up the reason why he came to meet her, as if he wanted to end it. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± This situation was very awkward. So what am I supposed to do? I felt a cold sweat rising from my forehead. Caesar looked at me as I rolled my eyes and I felt suffocated again. ¡°Would you please dismiss the people? I¡¯d only like the two of us left.¡± He said such eerie words casually. ¡®You¡¯re not trying to kill me, are you?¡¯ I hated this, but I followed his instructions because I didn¡¯t think he could achieve that purpose with the amount of people on standby. ¡°Get out for a second.¡± It was difficult to send them away because I¡¯ve only dismissed them a few times. When I asked to be left alone, the maids who were strongly opposed back then with Mayer, went out without a word this time. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Their reply was neat and the door closed without a gap. ¡®You said I was your Master, so how can you give me up so easily¡­¡­?¡¯ They also seemed to feel that he was a formidable man. ¡®By the way, why did Caesar appear already?¡¯ Caesar Adelman. I recalled that the scene of his first appearance shouldn¡¯t be here. He first appeared when the main character, Meia, settled and lived in the capital. He was to escort Meia for her debut at Rubenio¡¯s request. Ever since then, Caesar began frequently appearing in the novel. Most of the time, he played a role in rescuing Meia from danger. People expected him to be the male lead. As the proportion of males increased, it was almost certain that he was the main male lead. However, something strange happened to Caesar which caused him to lose airflow with Meia. Not to mention, he wasn¡¯t on Meia¡¯s love route, nor was he on her friendship route either. To protect Meia. That was really all he did. Once Meia arrived at a safe place, he went back as if he had finished his business. He was a very mysterious man. Some speculated that he might actually be the ultimate final boss. I was one of those people who thought so. But he didn¡¯t do much until the end was reached. When Rubenio died, he didn¡¯t even look back and disappeared from Meia¡¯s side. The readers were outraged. What happened? Who the hell is Caesar? The author promised to unravel Caesar¡¯s past in the side stories. But I will never be able to see his past. ¡®Because I fell in here.¡¯ To me, Caesar remained an unsolvable mystery. Perhaps it is only Rubenio who knows of Caesar in this world. I didn¡¯t even know how much Rubenio knew. Rubenio did not reveal anything to Meia, who asked about Caesar¡¯s identity. All I knew about Caesar was that he protected Meia to keep his promise with Rubenio. ¡°According to my promise with Rubenio, I will protect you.¡± His words were somewhat to be expected. The only strange thing is why he appeared at this time. ¡®What¡¯s changed? It¡¯s hard to take care of myself, but now I can¡¯t believe I have to pay care to the original flow too.¡¯ While I was busy pondering, Caesar added a condition. ¡°For the time being.¡± It¡¯s the first time that the word, ¡®For the time being¡¯ sounded as frightening as it did now. ¡®Are you implying that something dangerous is going to occur?¡¯ Getting healthy is a lot of work, and the explanation to this strange situation was not sufficient. Caesar recited it roughly from the side and sat casually as if there were no problems. I asked, calming my throbbing insides. ¡°May I ask you a few questions?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Rubenio¡­. So¡­. What promise did you make with my father?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Um¡­ How long are you talking about when you said, ¡®For the time being¡¯?¡± ¡°As long as our promise continues.¡± ¡°So how long is that?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Do you see this guy? He said I could ask questions, he didn¡¯t say that he wouldn¡¯t answer them. Are these questions that you don¡¯t want to answer or can¡¯t answer? I don¡¯t know which of the two is right, but Caesar kept his mouth shut. He didn¡¯t even tell me why he didn¡¯t answer. It was incredibly rude. However, I knew his personality roughly, so I gave up quickly. This is because Nineina felt that nothing could open his mouth if he had already decided not to talk. So all that was left was speculation. I thought about it when Caesar left. What was the trigger to their promise? Was it Rubenio¡¯s death? Or was it because Meia had finally gotten a happy ending? The situation was far too comprehensive. It was difficult to confirm until further information was obtained. *** ¨C Every transaction has its price. ¨C I¡¯ll pay that price, as long as you¡¯re alive. When Caesar first met Rubenio, he was ten years old. A long time ago, it was a necessary promise he needed. Rubenio offered that he would pay Caesar for protecting his daughter and Caesar agreed to do so. I hated humans, but I have to keep my word with Rubenio. I hated the idea of not being able to do a task perfectly if it was something I was assigned. Caesar pushed away the rush of inflammation and looked at Nineina. He didn¡¯t feel the beauty of human beings, and even Nineina¡¯s beauty was nothing short of skin to him. Instead, he felt weak. Her skeleton was so thin, he thought it would break if he had touched it wrongly. In addition, there was no muscle strength in her body. How can such a weak human being exist? That was his first impression of Nina. ¡°Let me ask you one more thing.¡± With a body that had no life strength contradictory to it, only her eyes gleamed with fresh vitality. Her eyes had no longing for life, no filth or vulgarity. The light was confined only to survival. Caesar was stunned by the look in Nineina¡¯s eyes for a moment. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you mean that I¡¯m in danger? It¡¯s my judgment, but I don¡¯t think I need your help right now.¡± Nineina said, looking intently at the sword Caesar was holding. It was as if she had guessed the value of Caesar¡¯s helplessness by looking at the sword. ¡°You¡¯ll need it.¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± Chapter 6 Nineina gently put her hand on the bed. I mean, I¡¯m always in bed, what danger could there be? Her glass-like eyes shone brightly. Caesar replied with a great look of pity for Nineina¡¯s innocence. ¡°You will find out soon enough.¡± There was no remorse in his actions. Caesar was a man with no benevolence to all things. Watching the baby sparrows fluttering in the spring sun warmly. Such was benevolence. One lives with benevolence, which is different from ¡®mercy¡¯, that is more direct. (QC/N: being kind is different from showing mercy.) This did not apply to him, as there were exceptions everywhere. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t even do it for his own sake. So, to Caesar, the actions that will be carried out in the future were based solely on promises and contracts. ¡°What? What do you mean I¡¯ll find out soon enough¡­¡± Smash! Nineina¡¯s words were cut off by the sound of glass shattering. Broken window shards fell violently over her startled, hardened head. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± Caesar hugged her and backed away. His feet jumped and slightly floated in the air as an arrow flew through a crack in the broken window. She was stunned by the speed of the arrows that went by unnoticed. Caesar glanced intently at the flying arrow. Just as a falling shooting star leaves a long arc, the arrows that came scattering the vitality of the corridors, were not ordinary. It could not be avoided as a normal being. Caesar clasped his hand in front of Nineina¡¯s forehead. He tightened his hand and seized Nineina, leaving only room for the arrowheads to pass. He grabbed the arrow that was passing by at such a speed that no ordinary person could see. Even if his natural reflexes were that good, he had an unbelievable reaction speed. ¡°What the¡­¡± In Nineina¡¯s eyes, an arrow appeared in the empty air where there was nothing a second ago, as soon as Caesar grabbed her hand. It was only when she saw the fiery arrow in Caesar¡¯s hand that she seemed to realize why he had raised his hand in the empty air. ¡°It¡¯s an assassination magic that only targets the specified target.¡± The arrow that failed to pierce her skin crumbled in his hand. If he had been a little later, Nineina¡¯s brain would have been crushed. However, this time, it wasn¡¯t her brain that was crumbled, rather, the arrow that was aimed at her brain. ¡°The need to protect you seems to have been sufficiently demonstrated.¡± Nineina could no longer refute Caesar¡¯s words. It wasn¡¯t just because he was right. It was because Nineina had already fainted from the moment the arrowhead came upon her. His dead eyes gazed at her pale face. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Caesar picked up Nineina, who did not answer, and left the room. Nineina was lying in another room while the maids cleaned up the damaged room, and Caesar was washing himself in the bathroom nearby. No one was quite happy to find out that he, who had severe mysophobia, didn¡¯t rush to the bathroom right away and stayed by Nineina¡¯s side. *** Nineina¡¯s life has been threatened thousands of times in the novel. When Nineina was a fetus, she was in danger due to her mother¡¯s poor health when giving birth, and she was so weak that she could not overcome her frail body and nearly passed out several times. But this situation has never happened. Ever since Nineina came to this villa when she was a baby, she had always been sick and ill, but had never received any external death threats. ¡®But why¡­. As if it wasn¡¯t enough to endanger my life by transporting me into this shabby body, now you¡¯re even threatening me with death by humans!¡¯ I thought I could live as long as I became healthy. However, even three months of conviction were jeopardized overnight. Yes. Passing away from health complications was not the only way to die. Death existed at any time and everywhere. It was only natural that I found Caesar as soon as I woke up. ¡°Please explain what¡¯s happening.¡± ¡°Rubenio is about to become Duke.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°It seems that the Duke is angry at Rubenio¡¯s defiance.¡± ¡°¡­So, are you saying that he¡¯s venting it all out on me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I felt mistreated everywhere, but instead of being angry, I tried to think rationally. In the original book, Rubenio couldn¡¯t become a Duke until Nineina had died. This is because Rubenio had a fatal weakness. His precious sunfish daughter, Nineina, who will die coughing even if she takes one wrong breath. She was Rubenio¡¯s absolute weakness. Thus, Rubenio did not rebel against the Duke until Nineina passed away. Originally, Rubenio was anxious that he would get caught expanding his rebellion against the Duke, so he did it step by step. While waiting for the day to back-stab the Duke, he acted cautiously, and even avoided Nineina in fear of the Duke finding out and hurting her. Rubenio, who was destined not to become a Duke until Nineina¡¯s death, his prudence and worries only poisoned himself. Such Rubenio is about to become a duke. His pure love for his daughter would never have cooled down. The many deprivation in Nineina¡¯s life as soon as she was born only nurtured Rubenio¡¯s obsession and devotion to his daughter. Rubenio wasn¡¯t the type who could ever stop loving his daughter. (PR/N: a rare time we have a loving father but then we have a horrible grandfather ) He had to resort to extending only one yardstick of ¡®paternalism¡¯ in his movements. The one he treats as most absolute valuable could not have changed so easily. I could tell just by looking at Rubenio¡¯s most regarded bodyguard, Caesar, next to me. ¡®Then why? Why did you suddenly change your mind?¡¯ There¡¯s not much I¡¯ve done here. I only tried to eat well and sleep well. I thought it was too minor of a change to alternate the flow. However, so many things have changed. ¡®Why did Rubenio change his mind? When Caesar stated ¡®For the time being¡¯, did he mean until Rubenio succeeded as a Duke? And If¡­.. What will happen to me if Rubenio fails to become Duke?¡¯ Fortunately, it¡¯s unlikely that Rubenio would not become Duke. Excluding his one weakness. From the Duke¡¯s point of view, Nineina was Rubenio¡¯s weakness and obstacle. As soon as the obstruction disappears, Rubenio will be able to show off his original capabilities. Originally, since Nineina was already dead, the assassination magic that the Duke had installed on her was useless. ¡®Ah! So this is the arrow!¡¯ I can see why arrows suddenly attacked. As long as Rubenio and the Duke are still falling-out, such threats will not end with that. I didn¡¯t ever think that this would be what Caesar meant when he said, ¡®for the time being¡¯. ¡®The reason Rubenio didn¡¯t strive to become a duke despite Caesar¡¯s presence was probably because Rubenio didn¡¯t know how powerful Caesar was. So to speak¡­ Did he gamble on Caesar?¡¯ No. It¡¯d be absurd to think that Rubenio gambled on the possibility of his daughter¡¯s death. Rubenio must¡¯ve believed that Caesar could dispel the assassination magic. It was right to assume that at least 90% of his belief was true. Let¡¯s think again. The moment Nineina dies, Rubenio¡¯s reason to live disappears. This becomes Rubenio¡¯s shackles and causes him to be unhappy in the original. ¡®Then why now¡­¡­.? Ah¡­¡­.?¡¯ The moment I realized that, I felt a little sad. It was because of Rubenio¡¯s fear. The hesitation that Nineina might die due to the wrong choice. It became a formless shackle that bound him. I couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for Rubenio. A man of such good judgment was so afraid of his daughter¡¯s death that he couldn¡¯t do anything. Eventually, he lost his daughter. And in the end, he couldn¡¯t overcome that sense of guilt and committed suicide. After struggling, how desperate and regretful were you? ¡®You can¡¯t just throw away your useless daughter. For what are you¡­.. huh?¡¯ When I thought of Rubenio¡¯s pain, my heart ached so strangely. The intensely imprinted word burned in my heart, then disappeared in a hurry. My mind was soon organized as if someone had arranged it on purpose. I immediately fell into a completely different thought. ¡®But why did Caesar request for the two of us to be alone? Only because you don¡¯t like crowds? Because it¡¯s easier to protect when we¡¯re together?¡¯ He would have known in advance that we would be attacked, but¡­ Well. If I were to move, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d prefer the former. (QC/N: the former as in the first option ¨C ¡®only because you don¡¯t like crowds?¡¯) It¡¯s probably due to his mysophobia, which made him detest breathing in the same room with multiple people. Whoever is to be protected or not, the best prize is having a bodyguard that¡¯d be able to protect you entirely. Just as it was for Meia, and for me who became Nineina. ¡®Ah¡­¡­ My head hurts.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t something I thought about for a long time, but my brain was thumping and struggling to stop overusing my weak body. I could not think properly because I was in poor health. ¡®My health! My health!¡¯ I quickly changed my mind. There was only one thing that mattered to me. First of all, I need to rest. ¡°You know what?¡± ¡°What do I need to know?¡± I laughed a little at Caesar¡¯s answer. ¡°I haven¡¯t asked you to find out yet.¡± ¡°I thought you were asking me to find out.¡± ¡°You have good intuition.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Caesar said nothing more. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t expecting an answer either. However, if I really had something to say, he¡¯ll definitely listen. He said, ¡®It¡¯s about guarding.¡¯ ¡°This body will die if it falls off the bed¡­¡± I emphasized, pointing under the bed, which was only two spans apart. ¡°For sure.¡± He grimaced a little. ¡°¡­¡­Humans are not tofu.¡± There¡¯s tofu in this world, too. Tofu is a food made and eaten in the eastern part of the world, initially made by conversation magic. Currently, it¡¯s called non-fat cheese and is usually enjoyed by the upper class, so it was uncommon, but it was popular enough for Caesar to know. ¡°That¡¯s a good analogy. Think of me as a tofu doll from now on.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Understood? Think of me as a tofu doll!¡± Chapter 7 I said, sticking out my little hand. Nineina sent a blazing gaze to Caesar. If you¡¯re going to protect me, please protect me properly. Caesar raised his hand coolly. The black gloves were meticulously wrapped around his fingers. ¡°Ah.¡± As his gloved hand came up, I let out a brief sigh and quickly lowered my hand. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Caesar lowered his empty hand, wondering what the hell Nineina meant to do. It was a moment where ordinary people would feel embarrassed or awkward. ¡°I look forward to your kind cooperation.¡± I said with a smile. I appealed with a bright smile that was full of life. Help me! Protect me! Both of my hands rested neatly on my knees. Caesar checked my hands with his own eyes. The black gloves that he immediately wore after he washed up were quietly huddled. ¡°I don¡¯t like people. As promised with Rubenio, I will do my best to protect you, but that¡¯s all. Don¡¯t ask for anything more.¡± I twitched because I felt like I just got dumped before we even started. I didn¡¯t ask you out. But it wasn¡¯t a bad suggestion. I didn¡¯t want to get too close to him either. ¡°As long as you¡¯re efficient with what you were assigned to do, I¡¯ll respect your wishes.¡± Business smile. I welcomed him with a grin. Although he has mysophobia, he even accompanied Meia to a ball to protect her in the original book. He rarely spoke, but he was often emphasized in the original work. The promise with Rubenio must be really important to Caesar. He seems like a twisted person, but he will keep his promise to protect me well, so I wanted to respect what I should respect. ¡°A day¡¯s life dies a day later. It won¡¯t last more than two weeks.¡± ¡°What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Is there any meaning to such a life?¡± He seemed genuinely curious. My heart was enchanted by his black abyssal eyes. ¡°My motto is to do my best in life, whether I live one more day or two weeks. In your eyes, I seem ephemeral, don¡¯t I?¡± His eyes broke my spirit, but not my heart. I turned around with a snort. ¡°You won¡¯t live long.¡± It was a voice that stuck to the spine. I was forced to look back. ¡°Are you asking to fight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± ¡°Breaking my heart has no difference.¡± ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± There seemed to be no malice. He was just wondering. ¡°Even if you want to break it, it doesn¡¯t break right away. I tend to be tough. You asked first, so I¡¯ll ask too. Answer me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll listen.¡± ¡°Did I say I wasn¡¯t going to live long? That¡¯s a fact that everyone knows. They¡¯re aware, but no one dares to say that in front of me. Why did you tell me that?¡± He was silent for a long time. ¡°I don¡¯t want my words to hurt you.¡± It seems that some poisonous words have come to mind. ¡°What, did you think it was funny? Foolish?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± A retaliation, or even worse, came to mind. Yes! At least you have a conscience. Seeing you don¡¯t say it directly. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel sorry for me?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not asking you to sympathize with me. It¡¯s just been a while. A plain gaze like yours. It¡¯s a little cold, but it makes me feel at ease. So don¡¯t worry if I fall down right now. Apart from helping me up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad I can be of help.¡± I was being sarcastic to the fullest, but I was embarrassed when an honest answer came back. Perhaps he isn¡¯t unaware of the sarcasm. He seems to be that twisted. ¡®Poor man.¡¯ Cheap sympathy thrown meaninglessly scratched another wounded chest. People who mean nothing to each other. That was our current relationship. ©¤©¤?????©¤©¤ This life was boring on a different level. ¡°Master, are you okay?¡± The maid¡¯s quality massage skills melted Nineina¡¯s body like steamed rice cake, but I could not be satisfied with this. I was bored. It was insanely boring. ¡°I want to go out.¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤!¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤!¡± ¡°¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤!¡± At my words, the three maids simultaneously exchanged glances. The will in their eyes was the same. It said, ¡®No Way!¡¯. The maids¡¯ heads turned at the same time. ¡®Amazing unity.¡¯ I sighed deeply. ¡®It¡¯s working. It¡¯s working.¡¯ I felt sorry for the desperate servants who pretended not to know, so I decided not to insist. It became a strange situation where people spoke but no words were heard. ¡®By the way, the weather is really nice today. It¡¯d be nice to be able to stretch out in the sun.¡¯ I clasped my hands and stretched forward. There was no problem so far. The problem occurred after I put my interlaced fingers behind my back. ¡°Ugh¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± The headaches I had been accustomed to for a full month, came back as my vision spun around. In fact, it¡¯d be a lie to say I got accustomed to it. Who can get used to this kind of thing? ¡°Master, are you all right?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t move your body like that.¡± ¡°Heuhhhh¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡± Taking a deep breath, Nineina held onto the window frame tightly. The senator recommended Nineina to lay down properly as soon as anemia came up, but she did not want to follow it now. ¡®I¡¯m always lying down and I still feel dizzy, so why lay down again?¡¯ The sensation on her cheeks became awkward as she bit her lips until it bled. It was never a pleasure to have a body like a mountain pine that was amazingly beautiful. Whether I was in agony or groaning, people looked at me admiringly. Even the maids who have been serving Nineina for a long time. ¡°Master ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± Their crying voices were full of sadness and worry, but I felt goosebumps when I met their brightly shining eyes. Their ecstasy tried to kill me. I knew it wasn¡¯t the maid¡¯s fault. It was only natural for humans to lose their eyes to beauty. It wasn¡¯t an animal that relied on sight for nothing. ¡®Suddenly, I¡¯m reminded of Caesar. I can¡¯t believe I miss that indifferent gaze.¡¯ But I didn¡¯t want to call him in for this kind of thing and create an awkward situation. I chose to look away rather than blame and hate the maids. ¡°Huh?¡± Then I found Meia washing her horse in the garden. ¡®Is this right? A scene from the original work¡­.¡¯ Meia and Nineina had many similarities. First of all, they were the same age. She lost her mother at birth and her father was also desperate to protect her. Also, the treason incident in the year they were born had a huge impact on both their lives. As a result, Nineina was sent to the Duke¡¯s villa, and Meia became a wandering orphan of unknown origin. Nineina, who didn¡¯t care to live because she was sick, or Meia, who didn¡¯t care to live because she was a slave had similar lives, but Meia¡¯s life was more hectic. It was instantaneous that a powerless child was sold to trashy adults and became a slave. Meia had been disguising as a man ever since she grew up to avoid more difficulties. But Meia was not a child who could become a slave. Whether there really is such a thing, Meia was the epitome of natural nobility. She wasn¡¯t a pine tree. Nineina met Meia when she was about to break. ¨C You¡¯re going to die soon. Nineina openly pumped them out, saying she was not interested in slaves. Meia was the first slave she had shown interest in. ¨C Don¡¯t you want to live? When Meia saw a noble girl show interest in her, she did not run away or beg for her life. Perhaps it was interesting, Nineina bought Meia. Then I forgot. I never would have thought of Meia until I saw this scene today. Nineina was that kind of person. ¡°Hmm¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± But my feelings were a little different. ¡°Oh, my God!¡± ¡°M..Master! We will call him right away and scold him.¡± Chapter 8 Meia was washing her horse with a magic stone made for watering flowers. It was also a problem for slaves to enter the garden without permission, but the magic stone was not something that the people dared to touch and play with. The original novel came back to mind. ¨C I¡¯m going to have to take that back and give her a punishment. Nineina in the book could not take her eyes off Meia, who was drenched in water and was riding around with her horse freely, so she gave the order. ¨C You¡¯re a free man under a leash. Then, in Nineina¡¯s eyes, a brief longing and a slight jealousy would form like a core and disappear. Her high self-esteem could not stand her jealousy for the slave. Nineina had Meia whipped right in front of her. The whip tore Meia¡¯s clothes and pierced her white flesh. Red blood gushed out in front of Nineina¡¯s eyes. ¨C Stop! It¡¯s disgusting to see! When the whip struck Meia three times, Nineina got nervous. Nineina, a bird in a cage, was not accustomed to punishing slaves. Only Meia, who was looking at her, noticed that the delicate Nineina shook her hand when the whip was to hit Meia. ¨C More punishments will be given. Be here tomorrow at this hour again. Nineina, who wore a blanket over herself as if she didn¡¯t want to see it anymore, lowered the blanket slightly as she heard the door open. ¨C The next time you bring her in, give her clean clothes. She¡¯s so dirty that it gives me goosebumps. Nineina¡¯s eyes trembled with relief as she saw Meia walking on her two legs, even though she was fairly injured. Meia, who made eye contact, knew that too. Startled, Nineina glared at Meia and shouted. ¨C What are you standing there for? Get out of here! Nineina¡¯s voice was hoarse, and her striking tone was unusual. Meia hurriedly turned her back as if she had not seen anything. Nineina was a pitiful woman. She didn¡¯t know how to make friends. And so Meia visited Nineina every single day at the same time. Meia watched Nineina slowly treading on the threshold of death. She harassed Meia in various ways under the name of punishment, but Meia did not hate Nineina. Bullying was a tickling level for Meia, who had been through harsh things since childhood, and Nineina¡¯s temperament only brought Meia to pity her. Most of all, Nineina was Meia¡¯s benefactor. It was a whim and quick-forgetting memory to Nineina, but not for Meia. Meia fell in love with a dying girl. ¨C When I die, Take me to Rubenio. One day, Nineina asked Meia to do it. She figured that she could no longer go on with her life. Nineina¡¯s body was always sick, but that day was special above all others. All of her senses were asleep and dead, so she was likely to die as well. ¨C Master! You¡¯re dying! Meia shook her head, gesturing no, but Nineina didn¡¯t listen. ¨C You must take me to him. ¨C Let¡¯s go together. I will take my Master to a warm place. Then¡­¡­ Meia, too, figured out Nineina¡¯s death. Nineina did not wish for any more vain hopes. ¨C If he asks about me¡­¡­. Tell him I lived like a bird, not a bird in a cage, but a bird in the sky. Nineina pointed out the window and smiled weakly. At the bright smile Nineina had worn for the first time, Meia lost her words and sank down. Nineina looked at Meia with such benevolent, warm eyes and asked her. ¨C Don¡¯t say it out of order and make sure¡­¡­. To tell him that I¡­ I was free. ¡®So don¡¯t be sorry.¡¯ Nineina flew like a bird in the wind. The traces of her left on the ground were taken by Meia and delivered to Rubenio according to Nineina¡¯s will. ¡°It went roughly like that¡­¡± After that, it was a predictable story. With the help of Nineina, Meia shed her heavy status as a ¡®slave¡¯ and shone freely. Nineina highlighted Meia. The bird that fell to the ground was Nineina, and the bird that flew in the sky was Meia. So this is¡­¡­. The story went on just like that. ¡°Not only is he ignorant, but a wild foal! I will speak to that servant right away!¡± A maid, who was staring at me as I sat idly, jumped and rolled up her sleeves. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that.¡± I stopped the maid and gave a light smile. ¡°Master?¡± I think I know now. I can¡¯t achieve anything if I just sit here. ¡°I want to go out.¡± I walked out of bed, and shock was on the faces of the maids. I will find out for myself whether the shining thing over there is the leaves or the sunlight. ©¤©¤?????©¤©¤ In the original novel, Nineina was Meia¡¯s support. That¡¯s due to the great influence and impact Nineina made on Meia¡¯s life. No one could guarantee what Meia¡¯s fate would have been without her help. Maybe Meia could have lived as a slave for the rest of her life without meeting the male protagonist. There was an obvious golden future for Meia, and not following it was very harsh. Some might think that if you are a supporting character, you should help the heroine. They believe that being the main character can explain everything. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ That didn¡¯t work for me. ¡®It¡¯s already hard to take care of myself, and to say that I have to unconditionally help a child I don¡¯t even know. How unfair and cruel!¡¯ When I came here, I couldn¡¯t think of the maids here as meaningless, people written in the pages of the book. Just as I am alive here, everyone here is too. There were hundreds of thousands of poor and pitiful slaves here. Among them, I couldn¡¯t figure out why I had to pinpoint Meia and help her. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll help me. If it helps me, I¡¯ll help; if it doesn¡¯t, I won¡¯t. Some might call it selfish and mean, but it was only natural for me. I don¡¯t know if my body is fine. I¡¯m too busy taking care of myself, and you¡¯re saying that I have to help the heroine? As a result of the maids and butlers voting against the idea that I might die if the person carrying me fell down. I was being carried on a strange stretcher with eight people, on my way to the garden right in front of me. A gurney gorgeously decorated with splendor by the maid who fervently insisted that Nineina¡¯s stretcher should be distinguished from that of other miscellaneous people. A lovely pale pink ribbon flapped like a butterfly¡¯s wings. Flutter, flap. Flutter, flap. Flut¡­ ¡°Everyone, get out of the way!¡± Flap¡­ ¡°If you block Master¡¯s way, I will strike you!¡± Flutter¡­ ¡°Oh, my god! Master¡¯s body is shaking! Be careful!¡± There was a limit to only looking at the ribbon. Damn! I hid my face with my hands. If this continues, I might just die of embarrassment. ¡®¡­Shall we just go back in?¡¯ I was extremely resentful of myself from an hour ago, when I said I wanted to go out. Chapter 9 ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. Master.¡± ¡°Please sit here. I¡¯ll assist you.¡± The butler and the maid, who stood side by side snugly, pointed to the pretty sofa. The golden light adorned the white sofa, it¡¯s armrests glistening gracefully in the sunlight. ¡®A sofa in the garden¡­¡­.¡¯ The butler¡¯s interior sense was lousy. I was half liberated. ¡°Huh?¡± Then, a few fur strands intruded my lips. I pulled the fluff out of my mouth. As I¡¯m wondering what this is, I looked around to see the maids swaying thick cotton blankets right next to me. ¡°This again¡­¡­¡± What kind of joke is this? ¡°It¡¯s such a windy day. Will this be enough?¡± ¡°It surely is cold in the morning.¡± The head maid¡¯s right arm, Lindsey, and left arm, Lia, looked at the head maid, Sarah, with worried faces. (QC/N: right/left arm refers to second-in-command.) TL/N: I turned into a maid :0 I got isekai PR/N: congratulations ( ¡ä??)?(._.`) ¡°We can¡¯t help it. All we can do is give this a shot.¡± Sarah hugged the fluffy quilt with a very rigorous face, as if she was going to war. Sarah took the lead and walked forward, whilst Lindsey and Lia stood tall on either side of Sarah. Anyone would¡¯ve thought that some huge event was about to take place. ¡°It¡¯s an ondol that we heated in a hurry.¡± (QC/N: ondol = Korean floor heating system. Please Google if you wanna visualize!) Lindsey ran up first and placed the warm stone in my arms. I was forced to embrace it because it was heavy. Besides, I didn¡¯t have the strength to move it myself. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Then Sarah approached me, flapping the blanket. Sarah¡¯s face expressed, ¡°Don¡¯t argue.¡± I watched as she wrapped the fluffy quilt around me as if it was a requirement. I became more and more of a human salamander at the relentless touch of the seasoned and meticulous maids. (QC/N: wrapped up in many layers like how a salamander has highly cornified outer layers of skin that renews periodically through its skin shedding process. And yes, I never thought I¡¯ll be doing a mini research about salamanders for this lol. Welcome to science with Ame.) ¡°Phew¡­.¡± After concluding her work, Sarah stepped down, wiping her forehead. I made eye contact with Meia, who was kneeling down with a drenched attire. Contrary to the words of the maids who made a fuss about the cold weather, the day was very peachy. The warm morning sun and the gentle breeze almost dried up Meia¡¯s clothes. Meia with a peaceful face, looked at Nineina pitifully, who was shivering with embarrassment. Even at the beginning, she sympathized for Nineina. ¡®It¡¯s a shame¡­.¡¯ I felt dizzy and shook my head. ¡°Master¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Sarah was about to run to me straight away, but backed down at my call. ¡°Leave me alone¡­¡± Nineina¡¯s voice was also very bitter. That was due to her real feelings. Sarah¡¯s fierce gaze turned to Meia. The blame was always on her. When Sarah blames Meia first, the others will follow and stare at her. ¡®You¡¯re calling your Master out of my sight? If she catches a cold just after getting better, your master might really die!¡¯ Meia and I understood Sarah¡¯s ¡®Speech with her eyes¡¯ well. Even after receiving harsh criticism from people, Meia came to reflect on herself rather than fearing them. ¡®What¡¯s wrong again¡­¡­¡­¡­?¡¯ I haven¡¯t done anything yet, but I was embarrassed when I saw Meia crying. I felt uncomfortable because I felt like I was harassing a young child by calling in several people. ¡°First of all¡­¡± I was going to ask Meia why she washed her horse here, but I was hesitant with the circumstances around us. I was worried if her legs would hurt because everyone else was up and only she was on her knees for an hour. ¡°Get up.¡± I cleared my voice and spoke as stiff as possible, but it was hard to avoid expressing a little concern. Having lived in modern times, making someone kneel for an hour felt like an inhumane treatment. Though, of course, there was more to it here. The punishment to keep the slaves on their knees and provide them with nothing for 3 days and nights was the present-day¡¯s standard. Then, they could lose their legs or die, and it¡¯d happen quite frequently because the masters didn¡¯t care about the well-being of the slaves. ¡°My honourable Master¡­¡± I glanced away from Meia¡¯s still weeping gaze. ¡°Why would you wash your horse here? Are you¡­?¡± The words that were about to go out were clarified. This was similar to when a kind teacher would ask for the student¡¯s reasoning to soothe the student who just had an accident. ¡°I was very wrong and I apologize, my lord!¡± Meia shouted, lying face down. ¡°No, No, I¡¯m not trying to scold you. I¡¯m asking why.¡± I stuttered in panic and motioned for her to get up. Meia, who noticed, slowly got up and answered my question. ¡°That horse is Kurz, whom I look after in the stable, and while I was bringing water to wash him, he escaped into the garden. I was surprised and chased him, but the water came out because Kurz accidentally touched the magic stone with his foot. I should have stopped him, but seeing him running around made me happy¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmmmm..¡± Due to Meia¡¯s personality, I didn¡¯t think that she would¡¯ve done that according to her own will. ¡®It¡¯s kind of cute.¡¯ There was an innocent young horse who failed to grasp the situation. It¡¯s eyes seemed to be wide open, as if begging Nineina not to scold Meia. In modern times, this was nothing to be angry about. A girl running around with a horse whilst splattering water. That was all. But not here. The slave dared to play tricks using their master¡¯s magic stone. That is the reality here. ¡®How do you use this card?¡¯ Nineina fixed the corners of her lips that were loosening softly and made up a cold voice. ¡°That¡¯s no excuse, you should¡¯ve taken good care of the horse. That¡¯s your job.¡± ¡°I will accept any punishment sweetly.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any money.¡± ¡°Please give me any harsh punishment.¡± When I laid the groundwork, Meia hardened her face and said that. The hardened eyes weren¡¯t bad. ¡®This would be useful.¡¯ That¡¯s the first impression I¡¯d have to put to the test. I¡¯m worried. I¡¯ve never punished anyone before. ¡°She should be punished, but I don¡¯t know what kind of punishment I should give¡­..¡± ¡°What?¡± Meia heard me talking to myself again and asked. I raised my chin and spoke as arrogantly as I could. ¡°I¡¯m still thinking about it, I want to think about it for as long as possible, because I want to inflict a very heavy punishment.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Although it was too pretentious, Maya nodded her head with a serious face. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it for a day or so. Come to my room at this hour tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, Master¡­¡­¡± Meia¡¯s shoulders drooped. Meia and I are the same age, but Meia is more affectionate. On the surface, she looks like a little boy, so she is quite cute. ¡°Get out of here.¡± I almost laughed, but I sent Meia off without displaying it. ¡®It¡¯s not a one-time decision.¡¯ For the time being, I was thinking of keeping Meia by my side whilst watching her too. How can I use the female heroine? ¡®Of course, at the same time I¡¯m alive, but¡­¡­.¡¯ Maybe it was a fleeting worry. It¡¯s no use if I die. ¡°I want to be alone.¡± I let the people go away. If this was going to be a short-term life, I thought I should enjoy this sunshine as much as I could while I was in the garden. Sitting idly in bed and being here was the same, but I was quite happy to see the sky. I saw a huge oak tree full of green leaves. The sunlit leaves shone white and regained a fresh green color. This oak tree must have lived for at least a few hundred years. Compared to trees, the human lifespan is short. I wanted to have at least as much as the average lifespan of a human, much less than a tree. ¡°How long can I live?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be five months at the very most.¡± I got a reply back to what I said casually. Or I got a casual reply back to what I said. You asked, so I¡¯ll tell you. Even if I¡¯m a poor person with a short lifespan. (QC/N: first sentence = what she thought Cassian was thinking when he replied.) That man is probably the only person who can say that without hesitation. ¡°Five months¡­¡± I liked him, who doesn¡¯t show a single sign of sympathy, so I smiled brightly. That calm look made me happy. ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°What?¡± I was in a good mood so my legs bounced happily. Chapter 10 ¡°What about your lifespan?¡± 5 months left? Aren¡¯t you mad? That was the nuance. I had the face of an idiot, but I smiled again. ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny to you too?¡± I was so happy that my lips twitched. ¡°It¡¯s hard to understand, but it¡¯s not funny.¡± ¡°I thought I had three months left, so I can¡¯t help but be happy to hear you say that I have five months. By the way, do I really look as if I have 5 months left? ¡°¡­In my opinion, yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a lie, is it?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± I tried to get up from the sofa, but it was not easy because my dress was pressed against the ondol between my legs. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡­. Argh!¡± I pushed the ondol with all my might. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Here and now, he could¡¯ve helped her out of pity. But instead, he silently observed Nineina, who was unable to lift a single stone that¡¯s the size of a fist. ¡°Ouch!¡± I eventually got up without his help. To say that I lifted the stone would be a lie. Rather, the stone rolled over on its own as the dress shook. As I had dreamt of before, I walked forward, stood under a large tree and stretched out my hands in the sunlight. My head was spinning, even so, I slowly but surely moved my body little by little. The remaining lifespan of this body was to be less than three months. But it¡¯s now 5 months. He¡¯s not a doctor, but he¡¯s probably accurate to some extent. Besides, he was reliable. He wouldn¡¯t have sympathized with Nineina and increased her life expectancy at the very least. ¡°It seems¡­ really long.¡± Tears appeared to be rising. Those hellish 15 days have saved me at least 2 months. I also declared that I could do more in the future. For the first time, there was hope in this hell. ¡°Yes?¡± The man who gave me hope looked at me with his motionless eyes. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m at a loss for words.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just say that to yourself?¡± ¡°I thought you wanted an answer.¡± ¡°Now¡­¡­. Did you say that for me?¡± ¡°I gave a reply back. As you did.¡± The hand that was about to touch the rose suddenly halted. He was closer than it felt to be far away. ¡°So what¡¯s the matter? I don¡¯t think you¡¯d come if you didn¡¯t have any business to do. Is there anything else that¡¯s dangerous for me?¡± If Caesar was to come, there was only one reason. To protect me. ¡°I appreciate your protection, but sometimes I feel like you¡¯re a reaper. Caesar has arrived! Keep out of danger! Is this just a feeling?¡± It was a silly joke that I threw out because I knew that the words wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone. I was curious to see your smiling face. ¡°I have something to give you this time.¡± Of course, he didn¡¯t laugh. He reached out and raised me up. It was a gentle and careful movement. As if he remembered my words to treat me like a tofu doll. ¡°Ahh¡­¡­. I¡¯d like to stay here longer.¡± So I whined in dispute. It was pathetic, and just that much, I was comfortable with him. In terms of him being a complete stranger. I stuck my feet firmly on the floor and held on. For him, it should weigh as light as a feather. Instead of calling my petty rebellion ridiculous, he picked up the huge sofa that required three men to carry and placed it in front of me. ¡°Oh my!¡± One of the wild flowers was crushed due to Caesar¡¯s carelessness. ¡®I feel sorry for everything else because I¡¯m about to die soon.¡¯ I slightly pushed the sofa to the side, even though I knew it¡¯d be ineffective. The sofa moved. This is because he saw me whimpering and sneakily pushed the sofa. The flower was already half weighed down. If I had asked him sooner, it would¡¯ve probably been fine. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier if you had told me?¡± I felt my eyes widened. ¡°Do you want me to order you around?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it if I feel like it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so heartless.¡± I said it to myself, but it was a voice to be heard. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Rarely did he make a certain expression. I couldn¡¯t read his face. He didn¡¯t seem to be accustomed to changing his facial expressions. ¡°Well¡­Would you like to sit down, too?¡± I said while patting the other side of the sofa. I felt guilty sitting alone. ¡°No, thank you.¡± But once he refused, I gave up, not suggesting further. I thought it was all right to stop since I¡¯ve recommended it once. ¡°So, what did you come here to give me for?¡± ¡°Here it is.¡± ¡°A bracelet?¡± ¡°It was made from processed spirit stones.¡± He took a green bracelet out of his pocket and hung it on my wrist. A pair of rough leather gloves scraped past my arms. For some reason, my skin felt quite tingly. ¡°Is the spirit sealed in here?¡± ¡°Yes, the Spirit of the Wind, named Sona.¡± ¡®Sona? Isn¡¯t that Caesar¡¯s spirit?¡¯ Opposedly, Caesar was both a psychic and a swordsman. Summoning a spirit depends purely on nature¡¯s affinity, but making a contract with a spirit and becoming friends was only possible with good communication between the two. However, he stomped it all down with his talent. The spirit, who got overwhelmed by his lack of gaze, signed a contract with him. Caesar¡¯s overwhelming talent made everything possible. So, he was pretty good at dealing with spirits, even with a dry personality. ¡°Why are you giving this to me? I don¡¯t know how to handle spirits.¡± Even if a spirit was sealed in its contractor¡¯s choices, it basically didn¡¯t listen to anyone other than the caster. Sometimes, they¡¯d help out if they¡¯re really fond of the person, but most of the time, it¡¯s the other way around. ¡°Spirits don¡¯t listen to anything other than the contractor¡¯s words.¡± ¡°They will listen. You have a high wind affinity.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡®This is the first time I¡¯ve heard that. Perhaps¡­?¡¯ The fact I didn¡¯t read this in the novel, it was definitely the first time I¡¯ve heard of it. But I don¡¯t know if Nineina was like this previously as well. Caesar spoke casually, inattentive to my tilted head. ¡°This must be the first time you¡¯ve heard of the Spirit Temple. It¡¯s only natural if you don¡¯t have someone to teach you and you haven¡¯t been able to enlighten yourself.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡­¡± An excellent elemental could read the affinity of others to some extent. There¡¯s a Spirit Temple who travels all over the country looking for disciples. It was because of you. ¡°Then why are you giving me the spirit that has already been sealed? If I have a high affinity, isn¡¯t it only fair to try to sign a contract on my own?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shortcut.¡± ¡°So why?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He made a slight frown. It didn¡¯t seem like something that couldn¡¯t be said, it seemed closer to the side that it¡¯s troublesome to explain. ¡°Hey, your annoyed face is so blatant!¡± It was so ridiculous, I burst into laughter. The bracelet jingled quiveringly on Nineina¡¯s laughing body. ¡°If there are any reasons why signing a contract of my own bothers you, please explain to me. I need to know.¡± Haa¡­ He sighed and lifted his indifferent eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to die.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that if you try to sign a contract with the state of your body, you¡¯ll die whether you succeed or fail. It takes a lot of strength to summon a spirit.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± Living with death next to me, I wasn¡¯t afraid to say that I was going to die. Now that I know the reason, I feel better. His indifferent gaze scanned my face once again. It was terrifying, it¡¯s like he had received the eyes of a reaper. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to explain because I was afraid you might..¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked him back since I didn¡¯t hear him properly, but he only stared at me with cold eyes. But it was only for a moment. it quickly returned to its place. (QC/N: ¡®place¡¯ in this case means original purpose/indifference.) ¡°Now I¡¯ll be showing you how to use it.¡± I wanted to ask him a few more questions, but I held them in. He looked very tired and troubled by the current situation. ¡°¡­All right.¡± ¡°Just call the spirit by it¡¯s name.¡± ¡°It¡¯s name? That¡¯s all?¡± Not showing any curiosity, his face turned cold again. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to tell me eventually, just let me know. Don¡¯t be so rude until the end.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.Basically, I¡¯ve given it an order to protect you, so if you call it¡¯s name, it¡¯ll come out with a shield.¡± ¡°Aha. Are you saying it¡¯s going to put up a barrier? Isn¡¯t it hard to keep summoning the spirit? As you know, I¡¯m as fragile as glass-¡± ¡°I provide the mana needed for the spirit to materialize.¡± ¡°Huh? I¡¯m so sorry¡­ But if I summon it for a long time, won¡¯t you be in danger¡­.¡± ¡°Are you going to die? Are you getting taken away by the spirit? It seems to me that a 30-minutes summon would suffice.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll use your mana well, thank you.¡± I immediately shook my head with a straight face. Who are you worried about with your glass body? ¡°Now¡­¡­.I¡¯ll engrave a mark on the lady.¡± I spoke after a slight pause. ¡°A mark?¡± ¡°¡­It allows Sona to recognize you.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. How do I engrave it?¡± It was only natural for me to wonder what would happen to my body so I asked, but his face crumpled up. ¡°Physical contact is required. Bare skin to bare skin.¡± Chapter 11 He couldn¡¯t hide his uncomfortable expression. Aforesaid, Caesar had terrible mysophobia. ¡®Oh god.¡¯ I felt sorry for myself first. After experiencing it firsthand, I could feel how unpleasant it was to be unable to control what your body suffers from. Mysophobia was, after all, a form of phobia. Something had become his trauma in some way and got hardened. Anyone with such severe mysophobia would never be normal. ¡®What is a man like him so afraid of to the point where he still hasn¡¯t gotten over it?¡¯ I felt human compassion for him. Or, you could say, comradeship. ¡°Do you approve?¡± He looked at me as he stood at a distance and caught his breath. I was tormented between feeling shame and pity. On the contrary, his sharp gaze, akin to a knife, raised my questions. It was strange that he was willing to do this despite his display of such emotions. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but I¡¯d rather ask for your approval. Are you all right with it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Then why¡­¡­¡± ¡°Because it is necessary.¡± He cut off my words and took off his gloves. The tip of his bare hands revealed through the black gloves were quite red. His fingertips were chapped, they were either scraped or washed too frequently. ¡®How awful.¡¯ Nineina¡¯s face contorted on its own. I felt as if I was poking through the most vulnerable flesh of a man I should not have seen. I felt sorry for staring at his wounds, so I hurriedly turned my head. ¡®He didn¡¯t do this to Meia.¡¯ In the original story, Caesar was the first to recognize Meia¡¯s magical talent. He was the one who advised Rubenio that it would be better to assign Meia a magic teacher. The exact figure of Caesar¡¯s abilities were not revealed in the original work, but at least as far as I know, no one surpasses him. He used two types of spirits and swordsmanship, but his attitude toward magic was ambiguous. It is not known whether he refused to teach Meia himself because he really didn¡¯t know how to use magic, or whether he knew how to use magic yet chose not to. ¡®When you see him directly teaching me about spirits, isn¡¯t it the latter?¡¯ I don¡¯t know how much the promise meant to him, but seeing that he does this much to strengthen the self-defense of the person he¡¯s assigned to protect, it seems that the weight is not light. ¡®Is it okay for me to feel safe?¡¯ I¡¯ve concluded that the probability of losing my life due to an external threat was extremely low. ¡°Huh?¡± I didn¡¯t notice because I was too busy thinking, but a black pocket was right ahead of me. It was the black pocket on his clothes. I was surprised when he got so close. Nineina¡¯s back recoiled and sunk down the sofa. ¡°What a surprise.. You could¡¯ve given me a heads-up at least¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just approach me like that.¡± Caesar¡¯s knees pressed against the sides of Nineina¡¯s thighs. His weight caused the sofa to tilt slightly. Nineina was trembling to keep her balance and almost fell over his forearm. Caesar¡¯s face distorted. It was similar to the defensive instinct of a wounded beast to unconditionally wipe out the unknown being that approached. ¡®You look scared.¡¯ My embarrassed eyelids trembled. She soon regained her composure and placed both hands tightly on her knees. Reclining on the sofa became more comfortable. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll stay quiet.¡± His hands were still hovering over my face. A large hand stretched out to cover my entire face, and his shadow, alike to a branch of a giant tree, drew closer. I closed my eyes without any urging. I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t afraid of the unfamiliar darkness. However, the wounds left on his fingertips were engraved in her mind and Nineina could not open her eyes. ¡°Ha¡­¡± I let out an agonising breath. As if I was going to die of agony, the trembling of fear came and seemed to press onto my cheek. ¡°¡­..¡± His gaze was persistent. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel it. It shook violently, not leaving, with a force like it¡¯s reaching all the way to the root. I got a little scared. I didn¡¯t say no though. He must have figured out my distress and whispered. ¡°I have a hard time understanding you. Why are you still staying idle even when in fear?¡± ¡°I do not know. Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m not afraid enough to avoid it? Because there¡¯s someone else much more afraid. I swallowed my words and laughed a little. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± A tense silence ensued. After quite a while, his fingers moved. A man who wasn¡¯t afraid of an approaching arrow of iron, found it difficult to move a single one of his hands. It was as if someone was deliberately pulling him down. His shadow hovered very slowly over my eyes. At that moment, I could feel the wind blowing and sweeping my hair back. ¡°¡­¡­.!¡± Afraid that my hair might touch his hand, he let out a small groan. The warm breeze only pulled my hair back. Naturally, I could feel my white forehead exposed between my tangled hair. Just in time, It was the spot that Caesar was about to touch. He reached out slowly again. He took his sweet time, and I kept my eyes shut. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡­.¡± His breathing eased a little bit. ¡®Cold!¡¯ As his hand touched Nineina¡¯s forehead, her lips tightened. His hands were so cold that chills seeped throughout my body every time they brushed by. It was strong enough to make my shoulders tremble. Nineina thought that she might even catch a cold due to his body temperature, which was a bit silly and unrealistic. Caesar¡¯s hand gestures, which were like a slashing wind, were getting faster. The green mana, which was fluctuating with his performance, finally permeated Nineina¡¯s skin. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± After finishing it off by compressing Nineina¡¯s forehead with his index finger, he hurriedly fell from her side. ¡°Ugh!¡± Not what Caesar intended, but it felt like an unpleasant slap on the forehead. For a moment, I thought that this was a bit too much. I opened my eyes wide. ¡°You¡­¡­¡­ Are you okay?¡± Oddly enough, my words came out as a worry. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± In consideration of the fact that I see him catching his breath under a large oak tree with both knees bent. His chest fluctuated up and down like a man who had just ran a marathon. Caesar, who had parted his lips blankly, answered. ¡°No. I feel dizzy.¡± ¡°¡­Could you not say that so openly? You wound me.¡± I joked about the painful truth. I felt like I had a lousy lover who wouldn¡¯t kiss me because I was disgusting. Of course, he and I weren¡¯t in that kind of relationship, but the feelings I got were the same. A moment later, he straightened his back and murmured as he looked down at his trembling fingertips. ¡°My head feels so nauseous. It¡¯s been so long¡­¡­.¡± I decided to ignore Caesar¡¯s words.The more I listened, the more my heart broke. ¡®He¡¯s a sick man.That person¡¯s heart is broken.¡¯ I muttered in my mind and regained my composure. ¡°I¡¯ll get going first.¡± He walked away without looking back at me. He seemed to be looking for the nearest place to wash up. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to wear your gloves?¡± I asked, pointing to the gloves dumped on the floor. ¡°I think it might be infected.¡± ¡°Yeah, my heart is broken, too.¡± I was able to respond to his cold disgust with a vain smile. Now that I¡¯ve done it, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s ridiculous at this point. He looked at me for a moment as if he had something to say, then turned around and quickly left the place. ¡°Wow¡­¡­. That was rude of me.¡± And as expected, his expression did not stay the same. In my mind, my evaluation of him went down. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ But it soon became subtle. Even though he hated physical contact so much, he endured all of that for me. ¡®Isn¡¯t this like repaying grace to an enemy? In a way, you were just trying to help me. You even asked for my permission.¡¯ As Nineina sat blankly, contemplating, the butler appeared from the side where Caesar had disappeared. ¡°Master, wouldn¡¯t it be better if we went in now?¡± Unwittingly, I turned my head and looked in the direction of his disappearance. ¡°Did you hear me call for you?¡± ¡°Did you? I only came here because Count Adelman passed by and told me to approach you¡­.¡± His official position was Count, so Count Adelman must be Caesar. Even after Rubenio became Duke, Caesar only called him ¡®Rubenio¡¯ without any honorific title, though that may not be all there is to it. ¡®So he asked you?¡¯ I thought it would make me feel a little more comfortable if I heard that it wasn¡¯t, so I tried a trick, but ended up getting hurt. Caesar probably sent someone in the midst of distress, worried about the tofu doll who would have been left alone. Even if his actions were based solely on promises, as long as it was for me, I was grateful to him. My evaluation of Caesar, which had dropped for a while, returned to square one. ¡°I really can¡¯t understand him in person.¡± ¡°Yes? Master, what do you mean by that¡­¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Nothing. I was talking to myself.¡± I waved my hand dismissively to the butler. The butler stared at me for a moment and whispered earnestly. ¡°Then, would you like to go back now? The butler¡¯s eyes were red. The literal meaning behind his trembling eyes is, ¡®It¡¯s not good to stay around too long, so please go back!¡¯ But right now, I didn¡¯t want to miss the sunlight that I had just brought upon myself. While thinking of a way to change the subject, I unintentionally looked at the place where Meia was, still sitting on her knees. Maybe it¡¯s because Meia had been kneeling for a long time, but the grass beneath her was folded. ¡°What punishment should I give Mayer? I don¡¯t know much about that, so I¡¯d like to hear the butler¡¯s opinion.¡± Chapter 12 The butler¡¯s eyes widened. I don¡¯t know which particular word it was, but it seemed that he was impressed with what I said. ¡°May I dare to state my opinion?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± The noble middle-aged man¡¯s faithful eyes were burdensome, so Nineina slightly averted her eyes. ¡°It¡¯d be good to leave a mark so that today¡¯s mistakes can be engraved deep in her bones.¡± ¡°Mark?¡± The mark that Caesar had engraved came to mind. I imagined a magical pattern imprinted on Meia¡¯s body, but that thought soon disappeared. ¡°Why don¡¯t you cut off several tips of her body, such as fingers, toes or ears?¡± The butler¡¯s eyes, as he calmly explained as if that much would be adequate, were cold. To the butler, I was the Master that required protection, and Meia was the slave who dared to put such a Master in danger. Although I was very surprised by the change in the butler¡¯s demeanor, in this world, his idea of punishment will be taken for granted. I knew at first glance that this place was different from modern times, but that fact came to mind. ¡®I had no intention of defending Meia but¡­¡­.¡¯ My sensibility as a modern person remained, and Nineina¡¯s face hardened by itself. ¡°¡­.Isn¡¯t that a bit too much? It¡¯s not like Mayer did that on purpose. It isn¡¯t Mayer who activated the magic stone, and he probably didn¡¯t know how to turn it off nor on. So, perhaps he got caught in the water whilst trying to deactivate it¡­.¡± (QC/N: reminder, Meia is cross dressing, so it¡¯s Mayer.) The butler looked at me with tender eyes. It was a face that pitied me, who was naive for believing all of a slave¡¯s words. ¡°Then, what about leaving him to starve for seven days as punishment?¡± The butler went along with me instead of refuting. It wasn¡¯t a butler¡¯s job to dare and speak out to their master. ¡®Isn¡¯t she going to die of starvation in seven days?¡¯ I was horrified inside. Maybe it¡¯s due to the fact I¡¯ve never had to starve before, but I wasn¡¯t sure if it would be okay for a hard-working slave to starve for a week. ¡°Any ideas for a long-term punishment? Seven days are too short.¡± I tried not to particularly disagree with the butler¡¯s words. I didn¡¯t entirely know the storyline for this time period yet, so I have no desire to interfere with it unless the sun comes back. I was hoping for a lighter punishment in the long run instead of a heavier and longer one. Threats to the life or bodily harm of the protagonist were disinclined. Of course, it was for my own safety. I also needed time to observe the character known as Meia. The experienced butler must¡¯ve seen through my reluctance for a cruel punishment. He was willing to follow my wishes, concealing his true wills. ¡°How about cleaning the stables for a month and only sleeping 4 hours a day. Reducing bedtime is one of the things that slaves are most reluctant to do, so it should be worthy enough as a punishment.¡± I carefully weighed the butler¡¯s words. I had no problems with the punishment since cleaning the stables would be ordinary cleaning. ¡®And sleeping 4 hours a day¡­¡­.¡¯ It reminded me of my high school days. When the SAT was just around the corner, even 4 hours felt like a luxury, Even though a month of repetition may severely damage the body, the people of this world are strong. And considering Meia¡¯s condition, I figured it¡¯d be okay to shorten the period. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll go with that.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Also, bring him to my room three times a week, I have questions.¡± My heart pounded nervously as I thought of an excuse if the butler asks for further details. The butler seemed to be puzzled by my interest in a mere slave, but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I will.¡± The punishment for Meia has been decided. In other words, this dilly-dallying is over. I returned on the backs of the servants, which supported me. Adios, lovely sun! I¡¯m tired of this, time for bed! *** I¡¯m stuck in bed once again, but now I have all of this room to myself. ¡°I¡¯m capable of shaking the bell now.¡± There is no way to hide my joy. Because this is a victory for humanity! I smiled and reached for the bedside table. The golden bell, which was made as small and light as possible considering the strength of its owner, was lifted and lowered slightly in Nineina¡¯s hands. ¡°If something happens, I just need to shake the bell, if nothing happens¡­¡­. What shall we do now?¡± People¡¯s gazes were burdensome, so I chased them all away, but it was boring to lay down and do nothing by myself. ¡°Shall I even run around the bed, which I had put off earlier?¡± There was no time to slack off if I wanted to be healthy. I surveyed the bed¡¯s surroundings and floor carefully because I didn¡¯t know what would happen to this glass-like body if I were to trip over something. I dawdled slowly like a person who was very sick, but the graceful yet pained-looking gait, which was well-kept, was a characteristic of this body. ¡°I¡¯m glad that it¡¯s one of this body¡¯s habits because I naturally followed it.¡± If I had walked around like my usual self, people would have thought it was strange, so I was very fortunate. This fact also applies to all activities of this body, not only her gait. It was thanks to this body¡¯s memory that I was able to casually speak the language of this world and read illegible, foreign characters. I was able to use this body so naturally. As if I¡¯ve used it for a long time. But I¡¯m not accustomed to it either. ¡°Ugh¡­. Huh¡­¡­¡­What kind of body¡­ is this!¡± I whimpered and continued to move my heavy foot like a pendulum. I looked at myself in the mirror across the bed. The mirror reflected a pale blonde woman with a dull face. I looked in the mirror bitterly, feeling an unavoidable sense of incompatibility at my changed appearance. Black hair and black eyes. I didn¡¯t know that I¡¯d miss that common color terribly because I didn¡¯t possess it anymore. It¡¯s sad that I only see it¡¯s value once I lose it. ¡®I¡¯ve decided to focus on my health instead of thinking about all that.¡¯ I glared at the mirror with strength in my swollen eyes. After a while, I regained my composure. I stood close to the mirror and lifted my bangs. ¡°What do you see that I don¡¯t?¡± I know that Caesar had left a mark on my forehead, but I couldn¡¯t see anything. It seemed to be a special mark that only psychics could recognize. ¡°It can¡¯t be seen in other people¡¯s eyes, right?¡± Given that the butlers and maids didn¡¯t say anything, it¡¯s clear that no one else could see it. I accepted his offer thinking it¡¯d be a tattoo, but it¡¯s a relief that it¡¯s hidden. ¡°If I call Sona, will I be able to see him with my eyes?¡± The wind gathered around me as I muttered unintentionally. The transparent air swayed in a deep green light, creating a small, lovely fairy. ¡°Oh, my gosh¡­¡­.¡± My heart fluttered. ¡®It¡¯s so cute, cuddly and adorable!¡¯ I was surprised at how such a lovely creature could exist. Its face, body, and even the small wings on its back were all pale, but they weren¡¯t strange at all. The petite wings that made a fluttering sound as if it couldn¡¯t fly without constantly flapping its wings, and the innocent look created by the plump cheeks and docile eyes was the best highlight. It was so cute, it made me a little dizzy. My staggering back was supported by something solid and hard. ¡°Is this a shield?¡± Poking the transparent light blue shield, Sona shyly nodded, confirming that it was her doing. Heat rose to its cheek. I wanted to touch it, but I couldn¡¯t because I was afraid Sona would be surprised. Also, to summon a spirit, it would consume Caesar¡¯s mana. ¡°I¡¯d love to stay with you, but I can¡¯t just use Caesar¡¯s mana like this¡­¡­¡­.. How do I send you back?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who sends it back,¡± ¡°I see. It¡¯s your duty to send it back¡­. Huh?¡± I looked around to where I heard the voice. Caesar stood outside the window with an expressionless face. ¡®Isn¡¯t this the second floor?¡¯ Confused, I walked towards him. ¡°What are you doing there? How are you there? Is there anything for you to step on?¡± There should be something supporting him because he¡¯s standing like that, but I didn¡¯t know the exact answer. He opened the window, spilling his words to the surrounding. (QC/N: ¡®??¡¯ means public or masses. It seems a little weird in this case, so I replaced it with surroundings.) ¡°May I come in?¡± Caesar, who leaned slightly into the window, was already full of momentum to come in. For some reason, his expression felt nasty. ¡°Well, go ahead.¡± I nodded my head in approval. Walking in with a cold face, he glanced at me before moving it onto Sona. ¡°Go back.¡± Upon the contractor¡¯s cold command, the spirit bowed her head sullenly and disappeared. ¡°¡­..!¡± It was very sad, but I couldn¡¯t help it. It¡¯s because he had the upper hand. ¡°Sorry. I called its name by mistake and summoned it.¡± Caesar is the mana provider, so whenever the spirit is summoned, he will be alerted. Seeing that he¡¯s walking around with an angry expression, I guessed it. ¡°Are you angry?¡± Caesar gritted his teeth with a squeaking sound. My heart throbbed at how rough it was. ¡°I need to engrave it again.¡± Chapter 13 ¡°You¡¯re going to mark my forehead again?¡± ¡°The mark I engraved¡­¡­¡­. It¡¯s a one-time use.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Among the countless expressions Caesar had shown, this one was by far the scariest. A slight pressure flowed around Nineina. ¡°Ugh!¡± It felt like my heart was about to explode. ©¤©¤?????©¤©¤ Nineina clutched her chest and shook her head. ¡°You¡­.¡± Earlier, anger might have spilled unconsciously, but her vitality disappeared instantly. Nevertheless, her face, looking down at the floor, was contorted with pain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this and that¡­ I¡¯m gonna faint¡­¡­.¡± Her body lost power and fell over. The floor was overlaid with carpet, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough to completely dissipate the impact. Caesar didn¡¯t think any further and stretched out his hand. Only after his hands reached Nineina did he start thinking. ¡®What on earth is this?¡¯ He had an indescribable expression on his face. Her body drooped into his arms. Ever since he parted from Nineina, he¡¯s been fixated on washing himself up for over an hour. Then, Caesar felt that Nineina had summoned a spirit and rushed to her position. It¡¯s only because he was wondering what had happened. His black hair dripped wistful droplets on her loosely worn white shirt. Nineina didn¡¯t notice, but Caesar¡¯s hands were currently bare. When Caesar realized the situation, emotions welled up from the depths of his body. He doesn¡¯t like the warmth of people. It is awful. His Adam¡¯s apple bulged out. Nineina was wearing clothes, but they were fairly thin to the point where Caesar could feel her body temperature. He felt suffocated without his gloves to protect him from this wearisome feeling. It wasn¡¯t fear. It was a grudge. It was hatred and disgust. His heart twisted as if it just got striked by a baseball bat, it felt like it was going to explode. A destructive impulse arose. I will kill everyone in sight if it¡¯ll result in this terrible warmth disappearing. The desire to lose control of the moment caused him to choke Nineina. As Nineina¡¯s life seeped, his body trembled as he felt something. ¡®Kill her!¡¯ What are you hesitating for? It was humanity who didn¡¯t hesitate to do anything more to you. ¨C This offering is excellent. ¨C He¡¯s a strong one. He doesn¡¯t die easily and regenerates quickly even if a wound is torn. ¨C Little boy, if you last long, I¡¯ll let you lick my feet too. Caesar felt like throwing Nineina out the window as bitter memories overcame him. ¡®No.¡¯ His face distorted like a child. ¨C Caesar, not all humans are like that. Caesar still couldn¡¯t believe those words. Humans are all the same, young or old, small or big. All are equally nauseating. It also applied to himself, who was by nature, a human being. Caesar wanted to shed his human form. Every time the people harassed and called him a human, he wanted to die. He was often driven by impulses. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was still alive. Why do I cling to life? There was nothing valuable left. He was shunned and deprived. The last one he barely managed to hold onto, chose to leave him on his own will. These are what humans do to Caesar. Caesar thought he should have gone with his father the day he died. But what are you so afraid of losing that you still remain on this earth? It would be more convenient to kill them all as much as possible. But his hands were faithfully supporting her waist. It was excruciatingly painful. A small amount of warmth from Nineina¡¯s lower back pressed against Caesar¡¯s hands. As I once experienced, I felt phantom pain, as if an insect drilled straight into my hand and dug a gory hole. (QC/N: Phantom pain is a perception that an individual experiences relating to a limb or an organ that is not physically part of the body.) ¡°Gasp!¡± Nineina¡¯s breath erupted, and Caesar¡¯s entire face turned pale. Humans are all like this. They all contain that nauseating body temperature. It was this temperature that made Caesar shudder. One of human¡¯s disgusting qualities, their warmth. ¡°Argh¡­¡­.¡± As the ghastly life drains out of Nineina¡¯s whole body, her face seems distressed even when she has fainted. His emotionless eyes, which are nothing but a scar of the past, looked down at the convulsing body trapped in his arms. ¨C Caesar, don¡¯t forget. The promise to us is absolute. The intercept on Nineina¡¯s neck that had been depleting her life, lifted at once. The only thing that couldn¡¯t get out of the blood mist was the eyes of Caesar. Caesar walked absent-mindedly and laid her on the bed. Then, Nineina, who was unable to breathe comfortably, tilted her jaw to secure her airway. Even then, unsure that she would die, he covered her with a thick blanket and patted her shoulder as if soothing her. A drop of cold sweat trickled down Nineina¡¯s temple. ¡°Sorry¡­.¡­.¡± Caesar involuntarily reached out to wipe the droplet, then realized that his hands were bare. His hand twitched and dropped down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He knew that she wasn¡¯t at fault. However, that problem was not something that Caesar could act upon. He hated humans. Anything that is defined as a human is the same. ¡®It¡¯s disgusting.¡¯ His heart began racing again. He covered his mouth and crouched down to suppress the nausea from rising. Caesar couldn¡¯t run away. To connect Sona with Nineina again, Nineina had to come to her senses first. He hated humans, but he had to protect them. The contradiction made him feel like he¡¯s living in hell. It was the life he had chosen. ¡°I am still alive. Father¡­¡­¡± Even though he knew it would never reach him, the vain mutter was blown away by the wind. On a burning hot day, his eyes, which were as cloudy as fish¡¯s, glistened for a very short time and then swept to death. (QC/N: Oh my, the author is describing his eyes looking like a dying, unhealthy fish¡­ Those have cloudy eyes btw.) His voice was out of reach. He still hasn¡¯t died. *** I woke up after over 12 hours of sleeping like a corpse. It was midnight when I woke up. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­.?¡± I opened my eyes slowly and frowned. First, I only fainted for a moment, but the day was already over. Second, why does my body hurt so much? ¡°The doctor told you to take your medicine when you wake up.¡± Caesar, noticing that I had woken up, advised me casually without taking his eyes off the book he was reading. I recalled the last face I saw before I fainted. I opened my mouth, hesitating whether to say thank you or sorry first. ¡°Uhh¡­ Ahhhh?¡± I thought it was only my body, but my throat stung as well. When I swallowed my saliva, I noticed a tingling sensation in my throat, which made me conclude that it must be swollen. ¡°Surely¡­.¡­ Don¡¯t tell me I caught a cold just because I went outside for a bit?¡± As I spoke, I heard the sound of a book being slammed shut. His hair was slightly wet as he approached. It seems that he has washed up again. Were you tired? His atmosphere seemed strange, with a slight increase of sorry. Somehow, I felt like he was reading my countenance. ¡°Do you¡­ have something to say to me?¡± ¡°Do you feel unwell?¡± ¡°Yeah. Well, it¡¯s because I was stubborn and wanted to go out, so who can I blame?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my lady¡¯s fault.¡± ¡°Who is to blame if not me? I¡¯m the one who decided to go out as I please¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You can blame me.¡± Chapter 14 ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°The young lady¡¯s neck hurts because I took my anger out on you.¡± I recalled the creepy red eyes I had seen just before I fainted. ¡®Kill her? Or save her?¡¯, that was what his troubled eyes contemplated. ¡°Did you hit me?¡± I asked just to be sure. There¡¯s no way that was the case, so I said it half-jokingly. ¡°No. If I had you wouldn¡¯t have been able to open your eyes like so.¡± Caesar didn¡¯t seem like he was joking in the slightest. If he truly hit me with all his heart, I¡¯ll be dead in no time. My mouth went dry. ¡°¡­¡­.Don¡¯t attack me in the future.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded, signifying that he wouldn¡¯t. With peace of mind, I nodded after him with peace of mind and added, ¡°Ah. Also, don¡¯t kill me.¡± Caesar did not reply. He slowly opened the book again. What! Why aren¡¯t you answering? An ominous feeling engulfed my spine. In the original, it¡¯s said that he only tells the truth. That¡¯s because he wasn¡¯t interested enough in other people to lie. ¡®However, not answering me¡­.¡¯ Frightened, I looked at him with suspicious eyes. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t kill you, but I had a thought of wanting to. While you were asleep.¡± Caesar said without a single smile. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡­.. Then, did I faint because of you?¡± I took Caesar¡¯s words lightly. I, too, very occasionally wanted to kill someone. Most people will experience that at least once. I figured that it was natural. As long as you don¡¯t put it into action. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my fault that you¡¯re not feeling well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been sick once or twice, so now I¡¯m hardly angry.¡± ¡®Who isn¡¯t allowed to think?¡¯ My throat continued to sting. As she subconsciously continued to rub her own neck, Caesar reached out and handed her medicine. ¡°This is the medicine that the doctor left behind for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The bitter smell of medicine went down my throat. The fact it was liquid made it a bit more bearable. ¡°I tried to push you out the window.¡± ¡°Pfft! Cough! Cough!¡± Surprised by the sudden and specific murder plot, I coughed violently, spewing out the medicine I was drinking. Nineina¡¯s weak hand slipped and missed the bowl, but Caesar had caught it. ¡®No way! Did I do it again?¡¯ I hurriedly examined Caesar, wondering if I had sprayed what I had in my mouth onto him. Fortunately, he had safely avoided my outburst and looked fine. His expressionless face was dignified as if he was no longer suffering. ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ I was thinking of giving him a round of applause. It¡¯s funny that just a moment ago he wanted to kill me. I wanted to applaud him for doing well. ¡°¡­¡­.I think it¡¯s fine. But it must only be a thought.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t mind?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He stared at me, firmly convinced that his thoughts would be all right. As I looked at his expressionless face, I felt suffocated and my fists kept getting tense. ¡°You really cannot kill me. Promise me.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering me?¡± I approached him as he hesitated to answer. As the silence grew longer, doubts grew. He looked extremely unhappy, but when he saw me being impatient, he nodded his head as if he couldn¡¯t bear to do it. ¡°¡­¡­I will.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, I promise, now calm down. Even the slightest stimulus seems to be poison to you.¡± The object he had to protect was a body as fragile as glass, so he looked annoyed to death. After receiving a definite answer, I graciously overlooked his usual blatant annoyance. Originally, I was much more tolerant to those who helped me. ¡°It happens. However, please be more careful next time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I have to apologize?¡± ¡°Are you trying to say sorry?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Are you apologizing to me right now?¡± I thought about whether he ever apologized to others in the original story. I couldn¡¯t think of it. ¡°¡­.I don¡¯t know.¡± After quite a while, he replied quietly. There was a silence so long that I forgot the question for a moment. ¡°Do you have to answer so carefully every time?¡± ¡°Erm.¡± As expected, he¡¯s a man who wouldn¡¯t even lie for fun. If he had been someone else, I probably would¡¯ve been angry at them for provoking me so much, but he was different. Right now, it¡¯s amazing that he¡¯s said that much. ¡°Then I won¡¯t accept your apology. It isn¡¯t necessary at all.¡± ¡®Is it my turn to apologize?¡¯ I looked into his eyes and wondered when it would be a good time to talk about the mark. ¡°¡­Are you reading my countenance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I have something to apologize for.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± His eyes darkened. I wondered what I should do with this poor thing. ¡°Hmmm¡­.¡± However, as I was looking at his expression, time passed and his eyes became cold. I can feel the temperature difference, but I don¡¯t know what that means. ¡°Well¡­¡± Finally, I started my talk with a slight smile. This body had a pouting and coy look, but when I smiled, I looked as bright as a child. ¡°I.¡­¡­.¡± At that moment, Caesar opened his mouth hastily, as if she felt an uncontrollable urge. ¡°I¡¯m unsure if I¡¯ve shortened the young lady¡¯s lifespan.¡± Her lips, which had been slightly smiling, trembled. The shock was so great that darkness fell deep in my heart. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°About 15 days, a month at most.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, my face contorted relentlessly. My glares to Caesar will never be warm. ¡°Apologize. Right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± His lips twitched meaninglessly. After a few seconds, he said thoroughly. ¡°¡­¡­..I¡¯m sorry.¡± It was an awkward tone in the face of difficulties. I knew from his face that his apology was sincere, but my expression didn¡¯t falter. ¡°And?¡± He frowned a little. It was more of a difficulty than a nuisance. I widened my eyes brightly. ¡°Is there anything you want from me?¡± ¡°Yes, please actively cooperate with me to extend my life. Until I get back to my original state.¡± Tears welled up in my eyes when I recalled the 15 days of nightmares I had when I first became Nineina. They were precious things that I attained! He took away a lot in a single mistake. If your most precious treasure was taken away, albeit only a quarter, it¡¯ll be very upsetting. Reality was like that for me. ¡®What did I choose to abandon?¡¯ In order to live on, I erased my longing and sorrow for my hometown. I never brought it up because I¡¯ll just end up getting homesick later. It was the fire that kept it that way. The tears in her feverish eyes were about to burst at any moment, but she had to swallow them to lift her eyelids. ¡°Return it back. As to how it was.¡± I muttered, gritting my teeth tightly. He had a troubled face, but he didn¡¯t seem to regret what he said. ¡°That¡¯s beyond what I can do¡­.¡± He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. At my fierce stare, he took a step back. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.I¡¯ll bring you some medicines to heal your body.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you with exercise too.¡± Can Caesar help me exercise? I scanned his robust and healthy body with a sharp gaze. It wasn¡¯t out of self-interest, rather, I had to see if he was qualified to become a teacher. A well-developed upper body, strong thighs even when covered by pants, and¡­¡­. Oh goodness, It ended up being self-interest. ¡°¡­¡­All right.¡± My cheeks turned a little red. I turned my head around to act oblivious and agreed. He didn¡¯t seem to notice my oddity. ¡°Did you forgive me?¡± At his words, I opened my eyes piercingly. ¡°Of course not. We¡¯re holding it off until this is over.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­..You¡¯re so cruel.¡± He returned what I once said. Of course, I didn¡¯t even snort. ¡°You¡¯ve taken away my precious babies that I have raised. How can you be so mean to me after my loss?¡± ¡°When did I steal your babies?¡± ¡°My lifespan. They¡¯re like my babies because I gave birth to them with a lot of care.¡± There¡¯s no way he could beat me who seriously thought so. I was under his protection and he had to protect me. He¡¯s both a good intimidator and adviser¡­. His special talent came to mind and caused me to gulp. ¡°¡­¡­I take back what I said.¡± ¡°Well thought.¡± He pressed his eyes tightly with his hands. As if he was tired. Spending more than half of the day lying in bed seemed very difficult for him. He showed me a face that meant he wanted to get the job done quickly. ¡°We need to solve the marking problem.¡±