Chapter 14
“My name is Ruben. I haven’t been here very long either.”
“…Hello, Ruben.”
The boy who introduced himself as Ruben leaned forward slightly and spoke.
“Want some advice?”
“…”
“You don’t have to come here so often. Just collect your pay and take it easy. I can show you around the mansion during your spare time. I was stationed in the territory before I came to the Imperial Capital too. If both of us just stay stuck in the oldest room in the mansion all day, isn’t that a waste of time?”
“…”
“Oh right, you’re a cook, aren’t you? Want me to tell you what Lord Osborne and Lord Theo like? You want to earn points with them too, don’t you?”
Tap.
Luciella pulled her hand away, displeasure evident on her face.
“That’s not my responsibility.”
“Well, suit yourself.”
As Ruben gathered the clothes and prepared to leave, Luciella coughed again.
Cough.
“Leave the window open before you go.”
Seeing her cough, Bael gave the order.
“And replace the water pitcher.”
Ruben stopped and tilted his head.
“Then I’d have to come back later to close the window.”
Luciella’s eyes widened.
Is he stupid?
Or was he intentionally being insolent?
“Ah, because this girl is coughing? Then I’ll just take her with me.”
Ruben reached out to grab Luciella’s hand again.
Bael’s eyes instantly turned cold.
“Let go.”
“Come on, why are you being so scary?”
“I said let go.”
“…Pulling rank as the master now?”
Ruben sneered.
There was something deeply unpleasant in his gaze.
“I was trying to be nice.”
he muttered quietly.
“But I didn’t come here to follow your orders.”
Is he insane?
Openly refusing his master’s command?
Luciella stared in shock while Bael’s icy gaze settled on Ruben’s face.
“Judging by the fact that you’re still holding her hand, it seems you can’t understand simple instructions.”
His voice was much lower than when he spoke to Luciella.
“What?”
“The people Theo keeps around him are generally idiots.”
Perhaps because the aura surrounding Bael was so unnaturally cold, Ruben visibly flinched.
Taking advantage of the moment, Luciella pulled her hand free.
“Hah… Are you jealous?”
Ruben composed himself before looking at Bael with a mocking smile.
“…”
“Lord Theo and I are practically brothers, you know. Is that what you want too?”
“…”
Bael looked genuinely disgusted.
“Out of all the people in the world, you choose to worship Theo?”
He let out a contemptuous laugh.
“With that level of intelligence, you’re going to get scammed badly someday.”
“What?”
“You have an older sister, don’t you?”
At the sudden question, Ruben frowned.
“I do, but what does that have to do with—”
“If Theo keeps you close while calling you his brother, it’s because of your sister. I may not hear news quickly, but even I know that much.”
“What are you talking about?”
For a moment, Ruben’s complexion changed.
Bael continued relentlessly.
“Theo started chasing women last year. He approaches them out of curiosity, wins their hearts completely, and then throws them away. That’s his hobby.”
“…”
“Give it some time, and neither you nor your sister will ever see Theo again.”
“What are you saying about my sister?! Lord Theo has told me multiple times that he genuinely likes Lize!”
Ruben glared at Bael, his face red with anger.
“What? So it’s not like you didn’t know.”
Bael leaned back against the bed and continued.
“Can you really call yourself his brother if you don’t care how your sister is treated, so long as you get to be Theo’s loyal dog?”
Internally, Luciella was impressed.
She had assumed Bael was nothing more than a stubborn child.
But when dealing with Ruben, his words were both vicious and effective.
He found the opponent’s deepest weakness and stabbed straight into it, all without showing the slightest emotional disturbance himself.
The evidence was obvious.
The previously relaxed Ruben was now grinding his teeth in fury.
Rage burned in his narrow eyes.
“…You wanted me to replace the water?”
Ruben sneered as he picked up Bael’s water pitcher.
Then—
Ptui!
He spat directly into it.
“…!”
Luciella stared at him in horror.
Bael’s only reaction was the slight twitch of an eyebrow.
“That’ll be your only water until tonight.”
Ruben grinned maliciously.
“Drink it if you want. Pull that service bell until your hands blister—it won’t change anything. Nobody except me even hears it.”
After hurling insults at Bael, he stretched out a finger toward Luciella.
“And if anyone asks, I’m blaming this little brat.”
“…What?”
A quiet anger that hadn’t been there before appeared in Bael’s eyes.
“Looks like you’re rather fond of her.”
Ruben smirked.
“I heard you practically devoured the soup she made. Guess you still like girls, huh?”
“…Your mouth is vulgar.”
Bael stared directly at him.
His blue eyes resembled flames burning beneath ice.
“Well, being vulgar doesn’t seem like something you can do much about.”
Ruben laughed.
“What are you going to do? Stand up and hit me? Or run and tell someone?”
“…”
“I told you before, didn’t I? My family has served the Duke for generations. My grandfather was one of the Duke’s most trusted aides.”
His grin widened.
“I was personally selected from the territory by Lord Osborne. And Lord Theo and I are like brothers.”
Clearly pleased with himself for finally provoking Bael, he continued.
“Lord Osborne isn’t going to believe your word over mine.”
“…”
“I’ll blame everything on that girl. If necessary, I could even tamper with the ingredients she uses.”
His eyes shifted toward Luciella.
“And if things go badly for her, she’ll probably get thrown out onto the streets.”
“…”
“Once she’s living as a beggar, she might have to sell more than just cooking skills to survive—”
I want to shove a rotten potato into his mouth.
As Luciella struggled against that powerful urge and reached for a pillow instead—
Hummmmm—!
A resonant vibration tore through the air.
The back of Bael’s hand glowed silver.
Blue mana surged around him like an enraged ocean.
Feeling a chill crawl down his spine, Ruben stopped dead in his tracks.
“What the… Mana?”
he whispered in disbelief.
“Don’t tell me… Lord Bael did this?”
His face turned paper-white.
He seemed to understand exactly what this level of mana manipulation implied.
Meanwhile, Bael’s gaze remained locked on Ruben’s throat.
As if he intended to pierce straight through it.
Flash—
“Kghk!”
The pressure of mana crushed down on Ruben’s airway.
He clawed desperately at his neck while choking.
“Y-You’ll regret this!”
“Why would I?”
“A-Aila! You won’t be allowed to see Physician Aila anymore! Lord Osborne said if there’s another incident in this room, nobody will be allowed near you anymore—”
“…”
“He even said Sir Cain wouldn’t be allowed back into the mansion! He said it himself— Gah!”
Bael’s expression became even darker at Ruben’s desperate threats.
As the mana pressure intensified, Ruben frantically pulled a dagger from his belt.
Shing—
But Bael was faster.
He had already drawn the sword from beneath his bed.
Clang!
Ruben’s dagger flew from his hand and clattered onto the floor.
“You have no limits when it comes to threats.”
Bael said coldly.
In the middle of the tense situation, Luciella instinctively opened her Status Window.
A bright red warning filled her vision.
[Warning: The toxins have become more active.]
[If this continues, the patient’s life will be in critical danger.]
The poison is becoming active?
Why?
Luciella bit her lip.
She didn’t know the reason.
But she knew she had to stop this.
Her mind raced.
Water weakens mana temporarily.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the pitcher from the table and dumped its contents over Ruben’s head.
Splash!
The stream of water disrupted Bael’s mana.
Freed from the crushing pressure around his throat, Ruben collapsed into a coughing fit.
“Cough! Hack! Ugh—!”
Then his eyes widened.
“T-That’s the water I spat in!”
He frantically wiped his face.
“You think I’m just going to let this go? First of all, you—this brat—is absolutely fired!”
“Stop talking nonsense. Sir Cain brought me here, and Uncle Jerome plus the entire kitchen staff vouched for me.”
Luciella replied with a grin.
“J-Jerome did? Why would he—”
“Because my connections are better than yours.”
“What?”
Ruben looked genuinely shaken.
His eyes trembled.
Well, look at that.
It actually worked.
“T-There’s no connection better than Lord Theo! Sir Cain isn’t even a direct descendant—”
“I never said Sir Cain was the only person backing me.”
“W-What…?”
Ruben shook his head in disbelief.
“T-That can’t be… Then don’t tell me…”
“Exactly.”
“The Duke?”
“Uncle Lucan—”
Luciella quickly caught herself.
“Right. The Duke.”
Managing her expression before it slipped, she smiled faintly.
