Chapter 74

074.

“Uh…”

A voice filled with confusion.

After Kalen’s clothes had been removed.

Seline, along with the two apprentice maids, Orti and Putre, froze in place.

It was only natural that they would.

The body of a boy not more than two years younger than Seline herself.

It was in such a pitiful state, impossible to bear looking at with open eyes.

“Do I look terrible?”

“Ah, no… I’m sorry… I deeply apologize, Young Master.”

Kalen’s body was, for a boy of his age, quite impressive.

His muscles were well-defined, their texture firm.

Not overly bulky, but rather the kind that seemed to cling naturally to the body.

Had it only been that, the apprentice maids might have gasped in admiration rather than apology.

Covering his body were countless scars.

Too many to count, too terrible to look at with the naked eye.

Bruised, cut, torn, and battered.

The boy’s body was a mass of scars, unimaginable in its extent.

Especially his right side and right hand.

It looked as if they were right on the brink of rotting away.

By some miraculous chance, they still clung to life, but they appeared to have been forcibly stitched back together.

On his stomach, a patch of skin not like the rest, torn as if by a monster’s hand.

Most of all, something that overshadowed all the others caught the eye.

On his heart.

And dark lines stretching like veins from it across his body.

Even if the others could be considered simply scars.

This was something else entirely.

It felt as if a careless touch might shatter it.

His heart, dyed black, and the dark lines spreading like cracks across his body — an incomprehensible wound.

“I didn’t plan on showing you this.”

Seline, clutching Kalen’s clothes tightly, was frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

She was overwhelmed by the thought that she had made a grievous mistake with her future master.

Who would willingly expose such a body to others?

Surely, the subsequent bad gazes would make hiding the scars necessary.

Through her rash judgment, Seline had forcibly uncovered the young master’s private shame.

The realization of her mistake terrified her, making her usually cautious nature pale in comparison.

What unsettled Seline the most, however, was Kalen’s demeanor.

As if none of it mattered.

The way he shyly covered his body made him seem like any regular boy his age.

This only emphasized her inappropriate action of stripping him carelessly.

“I guess I forgot myself too. It’s my body after all, so I wasn’t paying much attention.”

Indeed, the words could make sense.

While Seline herself had suggested assisting with the bath,

Kalen had been the one to agree to the clothes being removed.

But even that had been gently guided by Seline.

Talking about serving him, using the bath as an excuse, leading Kalen into accepting assistance.

Even the consideration of such subtleties,

Served as a stark reminder of the kind of young man Kalen was.

“Ah… I…”

“I might as well take a bath since I’m already undressed. Would that be alright?”

“…Yes. I apologize, Young Master.”

“Please don’t take it to heart.”

When Seline raised her head, startled by the comment, Kalen was awkwardly smiling and lightly tapping at his heart.

“This thing? The one who made it has probably fallen into slumber, I doubt they remember now.”

“…”

Sleeper—was it Sina, perhaps?

What had occurred between the two?

Seline felt as though the relationship between the boy and girl had suddenly grown distant and frightening.

“I’ll freshen up.”

“…Yes…”

Thus, Kalen went off to clean himself.

Seline quietly hung the clothes.

“Miss Seline…”

One of the apprentice maids,

A girl with orange short hair complemented by some freckles, cautiously spoke up.

Putre too must have seen it.

The terrifying scar-covered body revealed by Seline.

With such a visage, one might expect fear at the sight of his body.

Yet, what Putre felt deeply was pity.

“Miss Seline… I don’t know if I should say this, but it seems that Master Kalen isn’t too bothered by this. Perhaps a sincere apology will suffice?”

“Hmm…”

The deeply green-haired girl who had been listening until now slumped down.

Orti had been somewhat shocked.

The kinds of experiences etched into those scars…

It was unimaginable.

She had lost all strength in her legs.

Truthfully, there had been those who had seen Kalen’s body other than Seline, Orti, and Putre.

First was Sina.

It went without saying that she had witnessed the darkening of his heart.

Eliana and Serasie had also seen Kalen’s body.

But the three maids did not react as dramatically as these three, and the reason was simple.

Kalen’s scars stemmed from the memories built with them.

When facing the brink of death, there’s no time to reflect properly.

They only felt sorry for those scars.

Therefore, it was only natural that they differed.

Seline, Orti, and Putre hadn’t crossed that brink and were now looking directly at those scars.

Besides, they weren’t involved in battles where lives were on the line, so the gap between them was even more pronounced.

How much pain must it have caused?

The pain of being cut and beaten, embodied in Kalen’s frame, evoked a myriad of emotions.

“…Miss Orti, Miss Putre.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, Miss Seline.”

Sitting in a chair and regretting her rash actions, Seline stood up firmly.

It couldn’t be reversed no matter how much she regretted it.

All that remained was a sincere apology.

Seline’s eyes, now resolute, were the curtain that had raised her to the rank of head maid.

“We need to increase the number of personal maids for the master. Would you help me correct my mistake?”

Paradoxically,

At that moment, Seline became certain.

Kalen was a man worthy of being her lifelong master.

Rather, not just her new master.

Strictly speaking, her grandmother’s mistress was Lady Blamia, and Seline had been learning the ropes at Drannus while awaiting the master she would serve.

And Kalen’s attitude toward her mistake reinforced her certainty.

He neither criticized nor punished her.

Though he dismissed himself as merely a guest, a man with such a body could hardly lack the judgment to do so.

He possessed influence in Drannus, certainly.

Surviving countless brushes with death meant that moment by moment, he had made the best judgments.

Yet, he could still overlook others’ mistakes.

Seline, as the head maid in Drannus, knew better than anyone how difficult that was.

“I will serve the young master.”

“I will do my best.”

Orti and Putre were apprentice maids closest to Seline.

They knew well that she shone the brightest when making a decision.

“Thank you. Please gather the apprentices who aren’t currently scheduled for regular duties.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, Miss Seline.”

Seline had found her master,

And soon Kalen’s room began to fill with various maids.

*

“…What… is this?”

Having bathed thoroughly, Kalen stood motionless.

Just as how Seline froze upon seeing Kalen’s body,

This time, Kalen was stunned by something else.

In front of him, more maids than before the bath knelt in respect.

At the forefront, Seline knelt politely with her eyes closed.

“May we assist you with the bath cleanup, master?”

“Master…?”

“We shall start by drying you off. Afterward, we’ll apply medicine for scar management and help you dress. While you sleep…”

“Hold on.”

Honestly, half of this was for Seline’s sake.

He had indeed forgotten, but Seline, Orti, and Putre’s expressions after seeing the scars had appeared so heavy.

However, he hadn’t expected this outcome.

He hadn’t seen Seline for long, but from what he had observed so far, she wouldn’t just politely apologize.

While bathing, Kalen had speculated.

But as soon as he finished the bath, he not only received a humble apology but also an increase in maids.

And the honorific…

“Surely these maids…”

“Yes, exactly. They’re here to serve you, master.”

“…”

“Isn’t it enough?”

“It’s too much. Is it alright for just one person to have so many maids?”

“Please don’t worry. Every day, a hundred maids knock on Drannus’ doors. Outside of the royal family, a position within Drannus is considered the highest honor for a maid.”

“…”

Seeing this, there was nothing more to say.

It seemed the change in honorific meant they were fully determined.

Knowing that it was crucial what one was called, from spending so much time with Sina.

“Alright, understood.”

“Thank you for accepting, master. May we then dry you off?”

“Yes.”

As soon as Kalen spoke, the maids, centered around Seline, moved with expertise.

A few fetched medicine, others moistened towels with water.

Orti and Putre held onto Kalen’s body.

Seline dried him with a wet towel.

“But if I’ve bathed, do I really need another drying?”

“The disinfectant is also mixed in, master.”

“…Yes.”

The maids must know better.

And being served by so many beauties wasn’t exactly disagreeable.

Kalen smiled awkwardly, uncharacteristically,

And slowly entrusted himself to the foreign sensation.