Chapter 16
Life at the LeBlanc estate was peaceful, unlike how it had been described in the original novel.
Perhaps because spring was nearing its end, even sunlight managed to reach the otherwise dark and eerie mansion.
The terrace connected to Blake’s room.
Ronald had made a blanket just for me, and I had spread it out across the terrace floor. With my short legs crossed, I lay there gazing at the view of the desolate garden.
There were plenty of fresh green leaves, yet the garden still looked like a place where demons might leap out at any moment.
How did they even manage that?
The garden radiated such wicked energy that even a real demon would probably stop to take notes.
No wonder people in the novel spread rumors that demons lived in the LeBlanc estate.
If it were me, I would have filled the garden with hydrangeas and planted pale pink roses around a small tea table.
Thinking such thoughts was how I spent my idle time.
“Hey, did you hear that rumor?”
“What rumor?”
Voices drifted up from near the garden directly below the terrace. They were probably servants.
My ears perked up at the sound of maids chatting while snapping laundry sheets.
Listening to rumors was always fun.
“You know that social gathering for noble children that the eldest young master attends? My friend works as a servant at the social club where it’s held, called Billiard.”
“Ah, I heard they pay really well there. Do they hire male servants too? How much do they get paid?”
“That’s not the important part right now! There’s a reason the pay is so high! Apparently, the eldest young master caused a huge scene at Billiard!”
I rolled my eyes and glanced inside the room.
I remembered Blake, a natural homebody, having gone out a few days ago.
At the time, it had seemed like an ordinary outing, so I hadn’t paid much attention.
Had something happened then?
Without realizing it, I found myself focusing on their conversation. The maids continued chatting enthusiastically, unaware that Blake had left the window open.
Well, that made sense. He normally never opened the windows, so they probably felt comfortable talking.
“What happened?”
One maid standing in the center of the group spoke up.
“The young master was sitting on a sofa reading documents like always, and apparently a maid accidentally kicked his foot while passing by.”
“Oh no!”
Why was that such a big deal?
Just as I was wondering why they were reacting so dramatically—
Oh! Wait a second. I know this story!
A scene from the original novel suddenly flashed through my mind.
From the dusty corners of my old memories, I managed to recall it.
Blake continued reading his report without reacting to the female employee who had bumped into his foot.
But in that moment, his sharp senses flared.
That employee…
I’ve never seen her here before.
Since this was an upper-class establishment frequented by noble sons and daughters, even the staff rarely changed.
He recognized most of their faces, but that woman was unfamiliar.
And that killing intent…
An assassin.
But whose assassin? Who was the target?
He didn’t know, but Blake immediately rose from his seat.
Then he quickly followed the woman as she tried to leave the area. Her pace grew faster, and when they were almost close enough to collide—
The woman suddenly spun around and drew a dagger.
“Die— Ghk!”
But she never finished her sentence.
Blake casually caught the dagger that was about to pierce his chest and sighed as he watched her collapse forward.
Before he could even identify her, she bit down on poison.
It seemed she had intended to commit suicide with poison the moment she failed her assassination.
Now the poison had spread through her body, and she was dead.
“What is all this commotion—”
“Good heavens! Young Lord LeBlanc, what have you done?!”
Everyone stared in horror at the employee’s corpse, her skin already turning blue.
How troublesome.
Yet Blake calmly left the scene.
Even as the murmurs continued behind him before the door closed, he paid them no attention.
“Find out whose assassin she was.”
The shadows following him immediately scattered.
A few days later, vicious rumors spread that Blake LeBlanc had killed an employee simply because she had accidentally touched him.
People lamented that of all people, she had offended the young lord of House LeBlanc—and that nobody could punish him.
Ah, right.
I had suspected it might be that incident.
Sure enough, the maid telling the story hesitated before continuing.
“But apparently… the young master followed that employee and killed her! It happened so fast that nobody even saw what happened.”
“What?! Really?”
“I’m serious! The scarier part is that the young master was definitely holding a dagger, but there wasn’t a single drop of blood on the dead employee’s body!”
“…I thought it was kind of charming when I heard he liked teddy bears. Turns out he’s nothing like that…”
“Right? We all need to be careful around him.”
After chattering about how terrifying he was and warning one another to be cautious, the maids eventually gathered their laundry and left.
…Uh, that’s not what happened.
That employee had been an extremely dangerous assassin!
What happened after that again?
Did Blake expose her identity?
Did he clear up the misunderstanding?
I tried hard to remember the next part of the story, but unfortunately my memory failed me.
I quickly got up and peeked into the room.
“Blake.”
Blake was still sitting by the fireplace reading a book.
At my call, his violet eyes slowly turned toward me.
His expression clearly asked, What is it?
“Have you killed an employee at Billiard recently?”
“…Yeah.”
His gaze lingered briefly, as if wondering how I knew.
Then he answered shortly.
His tone made it sound completely insignificant.
As he returned his attention to his book, I asked another question.
“That employee was an assassin, right?”
“…What are you? How did you know that?”
Just as I thought.
I hurried over and sat on the sofa across from him.
It took me a little while to climb up, but he patiently waited.
Then he asked again.
“I asked how you knew.”
“You know. I’m a witch. There’s nothing I don’t know!”
He clearly didn’t believe me.
When he pressed me to tell the truth, I eventually shrugged.
“I heard the servants talking earlier. Apparently one of their friends works at the social club you go to.”
“…I see. Then how did you know the employee was an assassin?”
“It’s obvious if you think about it logically. You’re the kind of person who listened to me even when we first met. There’s no way you’d hurt someone just because they accidentally kicked your foot.”
Because I know you’re not a bad person.
I smiled brightly at him.
At some point, his eyes had left the book and were focused entirely on me.
“So I made a guess. Assassin, right?”
“…Right.”
“Who sent the assassin?”
“I don’t know. She killed herself, so we never found anything.”
Ah.
Then maybe the original novel hadn’t mentioned anything beyond that.
As I quietly pondered this, Blake suddenly said something strange.
“It was an interior area where all the employees were women, so it wasn’t easy to gain access.”
“…Huh? Did you just say all the employees were women?”
Blake nodded briefly.
That was odd.
The maid earlier had definitely mentioned male servants.
As I thought it over, he spoke in a calm voice.
“It’s common.”
“What is? Being misunderstood as a murderer?”
“…Why does it matter?”
There it was again.
That defensive answer.
He knew he was being misunderstood, yet he always acted as though he had already accepted it.
Had he never wanted to explain that he wasn’t a bad person?
“It matters to me.”
“…”
His expression clearly said, Why would it matter to you?
Sometimes he was surprisingly easy to read.
“I’d prefer it if my contractor were a good person. Luckily, you’re kind of prickly and your personality isn’t great, but you’re actually a good person.”
“Either compliment me or insult me. Pick one.”
“You’re awfully greedy.”
“That’s not greed, it’s—!”
I smiled as he bristled.
“If you didn’t do something, it’s okay to say you didn’t do it. The person who protects you is yourself. Don’t give up on yourself so easily. There are definitely people around you who believe in you.”
No matter what others said, I’d believe your words first.
If I said this much, maybe he’d act differently the next time something like this happened.
And even if he didn’t, that was okay.
If these words made Blake think about himself just one more time in the future, that alone would be progress.
“…”
No answer came from him.
But so what?
I hopped down from the sofa.
Right now, I should do what I could for Blake.
Pattering over to him, I wrapped my arms around his sturdy leg.
After struggling my way up onto his lap, I noticed the bewildered look he was giving me.
“Ah. When you’re feeling wronged, looking at something cute usually makes you feel better.”
He didn’t answer.
But he didn’t tell me to get down either.
Sitting atop his lap—which was hard but had somehow become familiar and comfortable—I quietly thought about the misunderstandings surrounding Blake.
Now that I looked at it, Blake hadn’t become a villain overnight.
Without even realizing it, ridiculous misunderstandings like these must have piled up over time until he became the villain everyone saw.
When I imagined how lonely and exhausting those years must have been for him in the original story, my heart felt unexpectedly heavy.
Still, there’s no need to be depressed about it.
I just needed to think of all the things I could do for Blake from now on.
Blake, just trust your big sister.
Starting tomorrow, you’re officially graduating from villainy.
