TMKCBL 10

Chapter 10

It seemed he truly believed I was a messenger of God.

Or maybe he just wanted to believe it.

I repeated what felt like the hundredth time already.

“No. I’m just a maid.”

“Liar.”

The corner of my master’s lips curled upward.

“Do you know how real maids behave?”

“How?”

“They wouldn’t even dare to look me in the eyes.”

“……”

I lowered my gaze slightly.

“They wouldn’t stand so carelessly in front of me either.”

I straightened my posture.

“They wouldn’t even think of talking back.”

I shut my mouth.

Watching me, he continued as if amused.

“If you were a commoner—or even a noble—you wouldn’t act like that toward me.”

“……”

“So I can’t help but think you’re not from this world. Am I wrong?”

“……”

“Not going to answer? Fine. Digging out secrets is fun too.”

As if he truly didn’t care, he fell silent.

What exactly counted as “acting like someone from this world”? Bowing every time I saw Eden Croiden and spouting cheesy compliments?

‘I thought I was already being plenty respectful.’

An awkward silence stretched between us for quite a while.

Unable to endure it any longer, I finally spoke, as if swallowing poison.

“Should I go get you something to drink?”

Eden Croiden turned his gaze toward me, tilting his head with an unreadable expression.

“You probably shouldn’t.”

“No, it’s fine. You must be thirsty, Master. As your maid, I should at least bring you something to drink.”

I stared at him intently—enough to make him uncomfortable if he didn’t agree.

He looked at me, then let out a small huff.

“Do as you like.”

“Yes!”

The moment I got permission, I quickly put my shoes back on and practically fled the balcony.

As soon as I pushed aside the curtain and stepped out, I let out a deep sigh from the depths of my chest.

“Damn it.”

I glared at the red curtain and muttered curses under my breath.

Damn Eden Croiden. Damn Arthur Camelon. Damn this party. Damn the original story. Damn this world.

Still grumbling, I started toward the finger food table on the other side.

But the moment I took a step, three women—who seemed to appear out of nowhere—blocked my path.

‘What now?’

They looked like nobles, and the moment they saw me, one of them bluntly asked:

“Are you a commoner?”

“Huh? Yes.”

I just answered because they asked—but they immediately began whispering among themselves, as if I’d said something outrageous.

They even shot me evaluating glances in between.

‘What is this?’

Are these the infamous romance-fantasy noble ladies?

‘I don’t know how to speak in noble lady language.’

But it didn’t even get that far.

The one who looked like the eldest stepped forward and spoke first.

“What is your relationship with Marquis Croiden?”

What kind of relationship?

‘One where I kill him.’

Technically accurate—but obviously not something I could say.

As I hesitated, searching for the right words—

An unexpected savior appeared.

“Excuse me, ladies.”

A shadow fell over me.

I looked up, already annoyed—

But there he was.

Blond hair. Blue eyes.

Arthur Camelon.

The noble ladies gasped.

Wearing a perfect social smile, he spoke:

“May I borrow Miss Luana for a moment?”

His tone was polite and gentle.

Then he added:

“I have something to consult her about regarding Marquis Croiden’s business.”

‘Oh my god.’

If God existed, wasn’t it Arthur Camelon?

Not only did he save me at the perfect moment, he even answered their question for me—what my relationship with the marquis was, and what I did.

‘It’s all lies, though.’

But no one here knew that, so it was fine.

“O-of course, Sir Camelon.”

The moment one of them answered, I immediately turned around.

Arthur Camelon followed, catching up in no time.

As he walked beside me, I sincerely thanked him.

“Thank you for saving me. I was about to get grilled by them.”

“Oh? I didn’t come to save you, though.”

Our eyes met as he gave me a playful wink.

“I helped because I wanted to ask what your relationship with Marquis Croiden is.”

‘You too?!’

Well… no choice.

I remembered the goal Eden had drilled into my head all day.

‘Irritate Arthur Camelon.’

I squeezed my eyes shut and spoke.

“We’re… in the process of getting to know each other.”

“Haha. Do you dislike me?”

I went serious.

“No. Why would you think that?”

“Your expression.”

He pointed at his own face.

Ah.

But that’s not because I dislike you—it’s because I dislike the lunatic pretending to be my lover.

Of course, I couldn’t say that.

So I just forced an awkward smile.

“I’m just not used to places like this. It’s not because of you.”

“That’s a relief.”

‘Ah, as expected of the male lead.’

Unlike someone else, he was kind, considerate, and gentle.

We walked side by side through the party hall.

Arthur Camelon moved with clear purpose, while I followed along.

I was mentally listing all his good points when—

He suddenly stopped and turned to me.

“Miss Luana.”

“…Yes?”

“Please take good care of the Marquis.”

My face immediately soured.

And what he said next wasn’t normal either.

Smiling, Arthur Camelon continued:

“If Marquis Croiden brought you here, despite preferring to be alone, then you must be very special to him.”

“Haha…”

You’d think he was Eden Croiden’s mother or something.

Meanwhile, my so-called master can’t stand the sight of you.

At this point, Arthur Camelon wasn’t just kind—he was a pushover.

“I’ve always wanted to get closer to him, but he never lets anyone in. Last time, I sent him cookies I made myself, but I heard he’s allergic to almonds. I felt terrible, but I never got the chance to apologize.”

One thing was certain:

Arthur Camelon had absolutely no sense of awareness.

I wanted to grab him and explain—

That our relationship was nothing like what he thought.

That Eden Croiden wasn’t allergic to anything and was perfectly healthy.

If only I had been one second faster—

If not for the sudden earthquake.

It came without warning.

A violent tremor shook the ground, accompanied by strange, eerie cries from outside the party hall.

The moment I felt the shaking beneath my feet, someone let out a piercing scream.

Instinctively, I turned to Arthur Camelon.

The moment I saw his distorted expression—and our eyes met—

I realized.

Monsters!

A monster outbreak.

But something was strange.

Did this happen in the original story?

‘No.’

In the original, there was no mention of monsters appearing at the party.

As far as I knew, the original Eden Croiden had never encountered a monster outbreak, never had his life threatened by monsters, and most importantly, he survived all the way to the later parts of the story.

So why now?

There was no time to think.

“Master!”

“Wha—? Miss Luana, wait—!”

The moment I realized what was happening, my body moved on its own.

Eden Croiden was vulnerable to mana.

Extremely vulnerable.

If he encountered monsters—beings made of mana—

I didn’t know what would happen.

Without realizing it, I started running faster.