Chapter 3
…It seems even he thought it was pretty gross to go a whole week without washing, huh?
Things seemed to be going smoothly. I extended my arm so he could hold onto it and stand up.
But at that moment—
Thwack!
…Just as I thought.
Callios immediately crushed my expectations by harshly swatting my arm away.
‘Ouch, his hand is really strong.’
I muttered to myself once and then spoke to him.
“…Young master, to get to the bathroom, you’ll have to go through a pitch-dark corridor. I can guide you.”
“No need.”
His reply was colder than a biting winter wind.
Seriously. Has winter come back all of a sudden?
Soon, I sensed Callios moving forward.
With a nervous heart, I pricked up my ears and focused on the rustling of his pajamas.
At first, it seemed he was managing fine on his own, but then I heard a loud thump! from the darkness.
The young duke had bumped into something and let out a short groan.
Then I heard the sound of his footsteps change direction toward the opposite side.
‘Uh, that’s not a door.’
Before I could stop him, there was another thump! not far away.
Callios collided with several pieces of furniture—cabinets, tables—and then, perhaps his clothes caught on a chair corner, he tumbled to the floor with a loud bang!
“Ugh…”
He let out a shallow groan. I moved toward the source of the sound.
“Hold my arm, young master.”
“No need.”
“Then how do you plan to get there?”
“I said I don’t need it! Don’t touch me!”
He really was stubborn.
I lightly placed the tip of my cane against his body.
“What the—!”
Callios was startled and roughly pushed the cane away.
“It’s my cane, you know.”
“Cane?”
Callios let out a dry laugh, looking utterly bewildered.
“You… were just trying to… stab me with that?”
Stab me?
I tilted my head, then answered.
“You seemed like you didn’t want to touch me, so it’s fine if you hold the cane instead of my arm, right?”
I tapped the floor so he could locate the cane by sound.
But instead of grabbing it, he responded in a chilling tone.
“…Who said you could bring that in here?”
“Excuse me?”
“Servants are not allowed to carry any weapons in the duke’s private rooms… weren’t you taught even this basic rule?”
A weapon?
I was dumbfounded.
It was the first time anyone had mistaken the cane I use to detect changes in the floor and obstacles for a weapon.
Of course, in a pinch, it could be used to poke an enemy in the eyes… but still…
“Young master, it’s not a weapon. It’s for my eyes.”
I explained in a slightly aggrieved tone.
“I can’t see, so I absolutely need to carry this with me.”
“You… can’t see?”
In the darkness, Callios repeated my words to himself.
His voice was tinged with confusion and disbelief.
Huh? No one told him?
It seemed he had no idea I was blind.
Well… even if someone had told him, there was no way he would have listened, lying there all day like a corpse.
I spoke to the still-sitting, dumbfounded Callios.
“The head maid didn’t say anything about my cane… Don’t worry. I’m not going to hit you with it.”
My job is precious to me.
Suppressing my mutterings, I brought the cane close to his body again.
“You said you didn’t want to hold my arm. At this rate, your bathwater will get cold.”
The servants ran away, and there’s no one to boil it again, young master.
At my prompt, Callios let out a dry laugh as if incredulous.
“You really… have no sense of fear, do you?”
“Eh? As I said earlier, I… can’t see—”
“Not that!”
Callios cut me off, frustrated, and shouted.
Then he let out a deep sigh and suddenly grabbed the tip of the cane roughly.
What now, is he going to throw it again?
I flinched and stepped back, but my fear didn’t come true.
Instead, I felt him struggling to lift himself up while holding the cane.
“…There, done?”
He spoke in a half-resigned voice.
He sighed repeatedly, then muttered in a completely fed-up tone.
“A maid who talks back…”
“Eh? Me?”
“Are there other maids here besides you?”
“I… was just answering your questions…”
“Enough. Just go.”
He pushed me firmly with the cane he was holding.
Tch.
I felt wronged. I was only answering his questions.
But somehow, I had a feeling that if I argued further, he would actually get angry, so I quietly turned toward the door.
The mansion of the Levanyon dukes, famous for its grand scale and beautiful exterior.
Tilda had once told me that the west side of the second floor of the main building was always lively and bright.
It was the residence of Callios, the duke’s legitimate heir, so naturally it was beautiful and bustling with many servants.
But now…
All the warmth and vitality of the past seemed to have completely vanished.
Windows were tightly boarded to block even a single ray of light.
All entrances were sealed except for the doors constantly guarded by sentries.
As a result, the young duke’s living space had lost its former grandeur and now exuded only a cold, lonely aura, like an ice palace.
Since nothing could be seen, naturally no one could traverse the space.
Even the Levanyon duke, powerless to help his son’s illness, had long stopped visiting this place.
Perhaps because he was aware of his situation, Callios, who had insisted he didn’t need my help, followed me without resistance once I guided him.
Maybe walking through the cold corridor made him realize something.
That now, beside him, there was no one left but this blind maid.
“We’re here.”
Shortly after, we arrived at the bathroom.
I led Callios inside and first checked the water temperature in the bathtub. Fortunately, it was still warm.
“Young master, here is the bathtub. You can get in right away.”
“I know. Get out.”
“Eh? I’ll wait beside the bathtub, so if you need anything, just—”
“No need. Get out.”
“Just in case…”
“I said get out.”
“Yes, sir.”
As expected. That stubbornness of his hasn’t gone anywhere.
I turned to leave, reaching for the doorknob.
“Wait.”
Suddenly Callios called me back.
“Why?”
“Soap.”
“Excuse me?”
“Soap. Where is it?”
…Really. The same person who ordered me to leave now shamelessly demanded soap.
I secretly sighed, then approached the tub. I located the soap I had memorized and tapped it so he could find it.
“Here it is. Can you hear it?”
“Yes. Now get out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ugh, he’s really annoying.
I pouted and turned around.
Just as I was about to leave before this fickle young master called me again—
“Wait.”
Before I could go halfway, Callios’s voice stopped me again.
“Where’s the brush?”
“Sigh.”
“…Did you just sigh?”
“No?”
I feigned innocence, flicked him with my middle finger, and went back to the tub.
Then I tapped beside the soap.
Since I had a feeling this annoying back-and-forth would continue, I spoke to Callios.
“Young master, can’t I just wait here? Neither of us can see anyway. Why be embarrassed?”
