입양딸 역할을 지나치게 잘해버렸다 013화

“Don’t move. I’ll put the ointment on you.”

Duchess Isabella glanced briefly between Bichen and Viola.

Her eyes held little emotion.

Then she shifted her gaze to Zeno.

“It’s fascinating, Zeno.”

“Isn’t it?”

The Duchess offered a faint smile.

“Have you decided to serve the 6th Princess as a butler?”

“Regardless of my feelings, that is my duty.”

The Duchess nodded and stepped outside.

“Zeno, the ointment.”

“Here you go, Your Highness.”

Viola began to slowly apply the ointment on Bichen’s back.

‘He really took a beating.

This can’t be described as love; it’s not love at all.

‘This is just too much.’

How could a mother allow her son to end up like this?

“Ouch, it stings!”

“Stop whining.”

Viola couldn’t understand why applying the ointment was painful when the whipping did not hurt.

‘This is all just upsetting.’

Viola carefully finished applying the ointment.

Tick-tock.

The sound of the clock’s second hand echoed.

A moment of silence passed.

“I’ve been thinking, Viola.”

“………..”

“It seems I should be the one to bring you down.”

And the reverse was fine too.

“If I were to be defeated by someone, I’d prefer it to be you.”

“Why?”

“Just because, it feels that way.”

The reader, Ah-rin, understood Bichen’s words.

‘Bichen’s unique way of expressing affection.

A tad too gruesome for a display of affection, but still, I understood.

Their eyes met.

Bichen was smiling innocently.

“Then, you can’t die? I’ll definitely kill you, hehehe.”

There was affection in her voice.

An affection that Bichen herself didn’t quite realize.

*

Viola felt a strange sense of profound failure.

‘So, you can’t die? I’ll definitely kill you, hehehe.’

Her heart felt heavy and suffocated, but she had to fulfill her duties.

This was hardly a crisis.

Reigning in her emotions, she said with a flat expression:

“Lay down.”

“Why?”

“I’ll help you sleep.”

Bichen creased her head in confusion.

“Why?”

“Brother. You can’t sleep, can you?”

Since she was already trapped in this crazy world, she’d decided to use every bit of information she had as a reader.

“How did you know I can’t sleep?”

“It said insomnia on the family tree.”

“Really?”

Bichen’s eyes widened.

She looked over at Zeno.

It seemed to say, ‘What a remarkable source of information!’

Zeno smiled warmly.

“It’s quite well-known among butlers, Young Master.”

“I see.”

Bichen nodded.

“But how will you make me sleep?”

She put on a serious expression.

“Are you going to use sleeping poison?”

“No.”

“Then, general anesthesia?”

“Just lay down for now.”

Viola grabbed Bichen’s wrist and half-dragged her down.

Bichen didn’t particularly resist.

She laughed softly.

Viola felt a chill run down her neck at that laugh and an unsettling feeling crept in.

“Why are you laughing?”

Bichen was curiously examining Viola’s wrist.

Her wrist was too slender.

It seemed like it would break with just a squeeze.

Seeing her wrist thinner than that of other seven-year-olds made Bichen feel inexplicably irritated.

The smile faded.

“I was just thinking about how to cut an artery most effectively.”

For reasons unknown, it put her in a bad mood.

Why is she so small!

She’s only a year younger than me!

How irritating.

Eat more, will you?

Anger surged within her.

Anyway, Viola laid Bichen down.

Thanks to the magical ointment, the bleeding stopped, and new skin began to form.

Viola sat beside the lying Bichen.

She gently stroked the head of the little child in pain.

Swish, swish.

An indifferent touch swept Bichen’s hair aside.

At this moment, she wasn’t seven-year-old Viola but twenty-one-year-old Ah-rin.

She knew the information of this world well.

She whispered deliberately softly.

“Don’t relax. I might want to take you out.”

“Okay.”

Bichen tried to keep her eyes wide open but failed.

“But I’m sleepy.”

“If you sleep, you’ll die, Bichen.”

Viola curled her lips into a smile.

As she continued to stroke, she slowly grabbed her neck lightly.

Snore – wheeze.

Snore~ wheeze.

Surprisingly, Bichen dozed off.

Bichen feared the night.

Because when night fell, Duchess Isabella would leave baby Bichen behind.

The Duchess had put Bichen to sleep like this ever since she began to speak.

「“If you sleep, you’ll die, my son.”」

The Duchess held Bichen’s neck protectively, as if to strangle it…

Bichen had to strive tirelessly to stay awake.

Ever since she learned to walk, she had battled sleep.

「Duchess Isabella whispered in Bichen’s ear.

“Don’t relax. The enemy will kill you, Bichen.”」

From an early age, Bichen was trained like this.

Enduring, and enduring, until she could no longer hold on, that’s when she would finally slip into sleep.

Years passed.

When Duchess Isabella no longer visited at night.

Bichen began to fear the night.

Because her mother, who had been there every night, was no longer beside her.

That was when Bichen’s insomnia began.

Softly.

Looking down at Bichen slipping into sleep.

‘She looks so gentle in her sleep.’

Chubby cheeks appeared. She had turned slightly on her side, causing her cheeks to protrude.

She looked cute, sleeping comfortably as if savoring a dream. Her hair tousled in a way that seemed disheveled but charming.

‘She looks so cute when she sleeps…’

An emotionally very unstable child.

It was more abnormal for her to grow up in this environment.

Her heart felt gloomy. Everything seemed better than this affluent Duke’s house; even a Korean orphanage seemed better.

Viola slowly stood up.

…Don’t go.”

Bichen grabbed Viola’s finger.

Is she sleep-talking?

It was sleep-talking.

Deeply asleep, yet her grip was surprisingly strong.

A tear rolled down Bichen’s eyes.

Her body shuddered. She mumbled. It felt like she was dreaming.

Bichen whimpered.

“Stay by my side.”

I don’t know what kind of dream she’s having, but it seems like a nightmare.

After struggling with insomnia every day, she finally fell asleep, but it wasn’t a very peaceful sleep.

Tears dripped from her tightly shut eyes.

“Bichen is all alone.”

Ultimately, Viola sat back down.

She sat at Bichen’s bedside.

For a while, she gazed at the peaceful, sleeping face of Bichen.

Beautiful and pitiful.

She reached her finger out and wiped away the tear marks.

Not knowing what kind of dream she was having, Bichen smiled faintly.

How much time has passed?

Her eyelids began to droop. She was about to get up, but without her will, her body fell over.

She ended up resting on Bichen’s chest.

Viola’s purple hair draped over Bichen’s wounded body.

That day.

Bichen really didn’t have a nightmare for the first time in a long time.

*

3:30 AM.

Zeno scratched his head.

“Should I wake her up?”

He carefully lifted Viola.

He walked down the hallway.

Viola was really deep in sleep.

They returned to the room together.

Zeno tucked the blanket over Viola.

Just then, Viola opened her eyes.

Zeno didn’t miss that opportunity.

“Princess, may I ask you a question? Normally, I’d prefer to let you sleep, but tomorrow’s the day I have to report.”

Viola replied groggily.

“Now? It’s 3:30 AM…?”

Zeno chuckled awkwardly.

“Yes, I’ll be quick.”

“Sure.”

Viola nodded once.

She felt terribly sleepy. The body of a seven-year-old was exceptionally susceptible to sleep.

“Your acting was exquisite.”

In an instant, her mind snapped into focus.

It seemed Zeno had realized something.

Zeno was very perceptive.

It was expressed that way in the novel.

He was observant and sharp, making him a great aid for Viola.

It seemed this sharpness was shining through now.

‘Did he catch on?’

Pretending to be a villain, pretending to be cruel, pretending to be charismatic.

It seemed Zeno read through all those pretenses.

“I saw the real you, Your Highness.”

Viola merely listened without responding.

Her frightened self.

Her intimidated self in front of Duchess Isabella.

It seemed he had read through all of that.

‘What should I say?’

I can’t be exposed. Butler Zeno only serves capable individuals. The novel suggests that.

If Viola hadn’t been capable, she would have died and Zeno would have taken his own life.

Though said jokingly, it wasn’t entirely a joke.

“You had eyes truly thirsty for blood.”

….

…Huh?

“You even had that look when you hugged the princess’s dog.”

In that moment, Bichen felt a chill.

Even with all the windows closed, it felt as if a cold wind had blown through.

‘Me?’

Zeno asked again.

“Why are you pretending to be so warm?”

Zeno had flipped the script.

He had figured out that she was intentionally putting on a warm facade.

Zeno took out his notebook and quill and started to jot something down.

It seemed like he was organizing the report for the Duke.

“You wore a warm and benevolent face, and a primal killer’s visage. You masked yourself thoroughly. Occasionally, you would exhibit a subtly diminished presence. You did so even in front of Duchess Isabella.”

Zeno was certainly sharp.

Ah-rin wasn’t the real Viola, and indeed recoiled and trembled at times.

Even if she pretended to be unconcerned, she was often terrified.

Zeno narrowed his eyes.

“Yet that can’t be. Someone with that gaze doesn’t shrink back. No matter how daunting the Duchess Isabella might be.”

“……”

Zeno continued.

“So, you’re deliberately putting on a slightly diminished act in front of Duchess Isabella, right? The act was flawless.”

It wasn’t. She desperately struggled to hide her intimidated demeanor.

It was a life-or-death situation.

Zeno was just perceptive enough to catch a glimpse of that.

“Then may I ask you why? Why did you perform such an act?”

Zeno smiled again.

“Oh, right. This isn’t a test; it’s a report to the Duke.”

“About that….”

Viola opened her mouth.

But then, an unexpected situation unfolded that neither Viola nor Zeno had anticipated.